LawDog
07-28-2021, 09:27 AM
We would all love to own a piece of land sufficient to accommodate our own shooting, but the practical reality is that no one here has Ted Turner’s resources. (I’m assuming that Jane Fonda’s husband isn’t on WT.) Even the few who are lucky enough to have their own gravel pit will occasionally long for a 1,000-yard range. Most shooting ranges aren’t known outside of their geographic area. And the few names that are familiar to a large number of shooters (Camp Perry, etc.) sometimes aren’t actually accessible to recreational shooters. I suspect there are several people here who would actually pack up their house and move, just to be near a truly excellent shooting venue.
To that end, I would like to start compiling a list of the best shooting ranges in America. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of shooting ranges. It is not intended to cover every geographic area. I just want to know about the truly top-tier shooting ranges. And the focus here is on the shooting itself; not the clubhouse or the cigar bar.
Talladega, Alabama
CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park.
I have no direct experience with this range (but plan to) and have gleaned all of this information from their website. This place has everything. It was designed to be the ultimate shooting venue. It’s got long rifle ranges with electronically-scored targets at 200, 300, and 600 yards. There are 15 pistol bays and every variation of trap and skeet imaginable. If your wife gets tired, you can leave her on a sofa at the 13,000 square-foot clubhouse.
This is very much a CMP venue, and the focus is on organized, competitive shooting. You’ll see a lot of Garands and service rifles, as well as padded shooting jackets and weird gloves. No membership is needed. The daily fee is $30. Given the target audience, I suspect the range rules are a bit tighter than average, and I’m not sure that you could get away with tossing a rifle over your back to practice transitions at this range.
Chugiak, Alaska
Birchwood Shooting Range
Just north of Anchorage, this range has you shooting over the Knik Arm of the Cook Ocean Inlet. It’s a members-only range and reflects the usual Alaska high prices. It’s divided into two sides: a rifle-and-pistol side and a shotgun side. On the R&P side of the park, you’ve got a dozen bays ranging from 25-300 yards. Machine gun fire is common, but you can often still get a bay all to yourself. The R&P clubhouse is sparse, but has a bathroom and snacks. On the other side of the park, the shotgun clubhouse exudes a more tweedy atmosphere. There is a big, roaring fireplace, decent coffee, and a grill that will serve up hot dogs and hamburgers during events. The classroom is downright plush.
I’ve stopped my own shooting there on a couple of occasions, just to watch Kim Rhode shoot skeet. And on the R&P side, I once looked to my left and saw that the guy joining me on the range was Bill Kazmaier. (And wouldn’t you know, that was the one day that I didn’t have a frying pan with me, so I couldn’t ask him to roll one up for me.)
Talkeetna, Alaska
Upper Susitna Shooters Association
This place is classic Alaska. There is a 1,000-yard rifle range, and there is usually a four-wheeler left on the range to use for checking paper targets. In addition to paper, there is steel at intervals along the way. There are ten or so separate shooting bays of various distances--25y, 50y, 100y, and 200y. You are welcome to shoot shotguns, but there are no trap/skeet facilities. It’s mostly a rifle and pistol joint. Unless you show up right before hunting season, you can usually get an entire bay to yourself and be as dynamic as you want to be. You don’t have to be a member. Show up, hand over a 10-spot, and shoot all day.
The clubhouse is far from luxurious, but it does boast an indoor toilet. They have a classroom with a dry erase board, some folding tables, and previously-upholstered chairs, which is more than sufficient for any shooting class. If you ask in advance, they’ll make you some bad coffee. But you won’t want to hang around indoors. If there were a competition for the most beautiful shooting range in the world, there is only one other facility (in Switzerland) that could come close. You can’t actually see Denali because of the trees, but you have the eastern half of the Talkeetna Range as your backdrop.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Red Castle Gun Range
600y rifle range, 200y benchrest range, plinking and rimfire ranges, indoor pistol range (and outdoor, too). This is a members-only range. The fees are cheap, but there is a waiting list to be accepted. I’ve never shot at this range, but heard several people rave about it.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge Sportsman Association
There is a shortage of 1,000-yard ranges on the east coast, and this is one of them. In addition to traditional trap and skeet, they have a 13-station clays course (and they’ll even loan you an actual golf cart, to complete the experience). There are plenty of rifle and pistol bays, as well as an indoor pistol range and a comfortable classroom. It’s members-only, but a fairly cheap $150/yr.
Burnet, Texas
Reveille Peak Ranch Range
I got to Texas just in time for this place. Prior to 2020, this was a private range, open only to police and military groups. They still have a trashed Blackhawk mounted on a 60’ tower to practice fast-roping. There are no trap or skeet facilities. They don’t have a clubhouse at all; not even a vending machine. There is a cinder block building with bathrooms that reminded me distinctly of Fort Benning. There are a dozen bays, ranging from 50-100 yards, where you can usually find a spot to shoot alone and shoot/jump/throw however you please. There are no range Nazis here. (Bring your own tourniquet.) There are two rifle ranges with steel, one with plates running roughly 150-700 yards, and the other going from 700-1000 yards. They recently added 1200 and 1400, but I haven’t been able to shoot on those yet. (They inexplicably only open that range on Thursdays.) There is also a short (~15y) pistol bay with a literal ton of steel targets.
There is no comfortable place here to leave your wife. You occasionally have to stop shooting and wait for the cows to migrate across the range. And at $600/yr for badge-less individuals, it ain’t cheap—especially in light of the amenities. But it’s owned by a couple of brothers who just want to shoot guns, and they intentionally priced it a bit high to keep out those who lack commitment. The result is that it’s not overcrowded and the other shooters tend to be squared-away.
So what else have you guys found? What are the ranges that are so amazing that you’ve thought about moving to be near them?
To that end, I would like to start compiling a list of the best shooting ranges in America. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of shooting ranges. It is not intended to cover every geographic area. I just want to know about the truly top-tier shooting ranges. And the focus here is on the shooting itself; not the clubhouse or the cigar bar.
Talladega, Alabama
CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park.
I have no direct experience with this range (but plan to) and have gleaned all of this information from their website. This place has everything. It was designed to be the ultimate shooting venue. It’s got long rifle ranges with electronically-scored targets at 200, 300, and 600 yards. There are 15 pistol bays and every variation of trap and skeet imaginable. If your wife gets tired, you can leave her on a sofa at the 13,000 square-foot clubhouse.
This is very much a CMP venue, and the focus is on organized, competitive shooting. You’ll see a lot of Garands and service rifles, as well as padded shooting jackets and weird gloves. No membership is needed. The daily fee is $30. Given the target audience, I suspect the range rules are a bit tighter than average, and I’m not sure that you could get away with tossing a rifle over your back to practice transitions at this range.
Chugiak, Alaska
Birchwood Shooting Range
Just north of Anchorage, this range has you shooting over the Knik Arm of the Cook Ocean Inlet. It’s a members-only range and reflects the usual Alaska high prices. It’s divided into two sides: a rifle-and-pistol side and a shotgun side. On the R&P side of the park, you’ve got a dozen bays ranging from 25-300 yards. Machine gun fire is common, but you can often still get a bay all to yourself. The R&P clubhouse is sparse, but has a bathroom and snacks. On the other side of the park, the shotgun clubhouse exudes a more tweedy atmosphere. There is a big, roaring fireplace, decent coffee, and a grill that will serve up hot dogs and hamburgers during events. The classroom is downright plush.
I’ve stopped my own shooting there on a couple of occasions, just to watch Kim Rhode shoot skeet. And on the R&P side, I once looked to my left and saw that the guy joining me on the range was Bill Kazmaier. (And wouldn’t you know, that was the one day that I didn’t have a frying pan with me, so I couldn’t ask him to roll one up for me.)
Talkeetna, Alaska
Upper Susitna Shooters Association
This place is classic Alaska. There is a 1,000-yard rifle range, and there is usually a four-wheeler left on the range to use for checking paper targets. In addition to paper, there is steel at intervals along the way. There are ten or so separate shooting bays of various distances--25y, 50y, 100y, and 200y. You are welcome to shoot shotguns, but there are no trap/skeet facilities. It’s mostly a rifle and pistol joint. Unless you show up right before hunting season, you can usually get an entire bay to yourself and be as dynamic as you want to be. You don’t have to be a member. Show up, hand over a 10-spot, and shoot all day.
The clubhouse is far from luxurious, but it does boast an indoor toilet. They have a classroom with a dry erase board, some folding tables, and previously-upholstered chairs, which is more than sufficient for any shooting class. If you ask in advance, they’ll make you some bad coffee. But you won’t want to hang around indoors. If there were a competition for the most beautiful shooting range in the world, there is only one other facility (in Switzerland) that could come close. You can’t actually see Denali because of the trees, but you have the eastern half of the Talkeetna Range as your backdrop.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Red Castle Gun Range
600y rifle range, 200y benchrest range, plinking and rimfire ranges, indoor pistol range (and outdoor, too). This is a members-only range. The fees are cheap, but there is a waiting list to be accepted. I’ve never shot at this range, but heard several people rave about it.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge Sportsman Association
There is a shortage of 1,000-yard ranges on the east coast, and this is one of them. In addition to traditional trap and skeet, they have a 13-station clays course (and they’ll even loan you an actual golf cart, to complete the experience). There are plenty of rifle and pistol bays, as well as an indoor pistol range and a comfortable classroom. It’s members-only, but a fairly cheap $150/yr.
Burnet, Texas
Reveille Peak Ranch Range
I got to Texas just in time for this place. Prior to 2020, this was a private range, open only to police and military groups. They still have a trashed Blackhawk mounted on a 60’ tower to practice fast-roping. There are no trap or skeet facilities. They don’t have a clubhouse at all; not even a vending machine. There is a cinder block building with bathrooms that reminded me distinctly of Fort Benning. There are a dozen bays, ranging from 50-100 yards, where you can usually find a spot to shoot alone and shoot/jump/throw however you please. There are no range Nazis here. (Bring your own tourniquet.) There are two rifle ranges with steel, one with plates running roughly 150-700 yards, and the other going from 700-1000 yards. They recently added 1200 and 1400, but I haven’t been able to shoot on those yet. (They inexplicably only open that range on Thursdays.) There is also a short (~15y) pistol bay with a literal ton of steel targets.
There is no comfortable place here to leave your wife. You occasionally have to stop shooting and wait for the cows to migrate across the range. And at $600/yr for badge-less individuals, it ain’t cheap—especially in light of the amenities. But it’s owned by a couple of brothers who just want to shoot guns, and they intentionally priced it a bit high to keep out those who lack commitment. The result is that it’s not overcrowded and the other shooters tend to be squared-away.
So what else have you guys found? What are the ranges that are so amazing that you’ve thought about moving to be near them?