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Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:01 pm
by Jakor
So, I went to get a range membership today at a local range. It's outdoor, covered, one rifle area, maybe 6-8 lanes and two pistol areas about 6-8 lanes each. It's nicely set up, but nothing to write home about.

They want $150 a year for a single membership. No guests, ever.

$250 for a family and two guests per month or

$400 for a group, which is basically a family with more guest priviledges.

Does that strike anyone as expensive, or is that just what it costs to be a member of a range?

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:37 pm
by captainstormy
Range fee's have gotten pretty crazy over the past few years. I remember when New Albany / Aim Hi first opened it was something like $100 for a membership and 12.95 for a range if you weren't a member.

Last time I looked it was basically double that, and it's probably gone up since then. These days I just drive down to some of my family members property in Waynesville in the middle of nowhere to shoot. It's cheaper and a lot more fun then using the ranges in the Columbus area.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:38 pm
by JediSkipdogg
Prices are all over the place. Here's just an example from the ons I know in Southwest Ohio....

Miami Rifle and Pistol Club (Outdoor) - $200 first year/$80 renewal, spouse $20, children $20
Point Blank (Indoor) - $300 single, $480 family (Monday-Thursday only, discount other days)
Fairfield Sportsmen's Association (Outdoor) - $250 first year/$100 renewal
Indian Hill Shooting Club (Outdoor) - $350 first year/$200 renewal
Target World (Indoor) - $200 single/$225 family


So prices are all over the place on rates for ranges.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:01 pm
by medmandan
New gunshop in town is $295 I think for yearly membership.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:05 pm
by Curzyk
Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, OH is pretty reasonable. The more I hear about other ranges' fees, the more satisfied I am with Black Wing's rates:
http://www.blackwingsc.com/membership/

I paid $175 for a year and can take up to two guests at a time at the member rate. On Tuesdays, that's $0 for indoor range use, but the rest of the week it is $10 per person. I really like the facility, but I will honestly say that it is the only one I have been to, so I don't have a proper comparison to go on.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:44 pm
by Jakor
I'm going across the River tomorrow to try out a range run by West Virginia DNR.

Downside - could be crowded, weedy, broken down and nasty

Upside - it appears to be free!

I'll post a full report tomorrow, for the three of four people who maybe impacted.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:52 pm
by 10seadog98
Ive been looking around my area and they seem to be on the expensive side,however,I still have the " Outdoor " range behind my barn! Its not pretty,but,it works,is safe and the neighbors usually join me when its nice out.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:37 pm
by Jake
My club's membership costs are very reasonable.

$25 initiation fee
$50 annual fee for you (that includes your family * you have to be with them)
10 work hours/yr or $7.50 for every non worked hour

Rifle Range (covered shooting benches) - backstops @ 25, 50, 100 and 200 yds.
Pistol Range max distance 25 yds (covered)
Trap Range

Heck of a deal IMO.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:25 pm
by OhioPaints
IIRC, that was the same price at Target World ($200/225) a dozen years ago when we lived down that way.

If anyone is not aware of it, some of the ODNR ranges are free and the supervised ranges are pretty inexpensive.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:29 pm
by Jakor
Jake wrote:My club's membership costs are very reasonable.

$25 initiation fee
$50 annual fee for you (that includes your family * you have to be with them)
10 work hours/yr or $7.50 for every non worked hour

Rifle Range (covered shooting benches) - backstops @ 25, 50, 100 and 200 yds.
Pistol Range max distance 25 yds (covered)
Trap Range

Heck of a deal IMO.
My folks live up near the PA border and pay even less than that in range membership, including an indoor range. That's why I feel like I"m getting hosed.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 8:57 pm
by Jakor
So, we hit up the Chief Cornstalk WMA in Mason County, WV today.

It was exactly what I expected. Used brass and shotshells, shot up plastic bottles, cans, and paper EVERYWHERE. It was full, but not crowded. There were 8 benches. From left to right there is a 200 yard rifle backstop, a 100 yard rifle backstop, and a short, maybe 30 yard pistol back stop.

People were polite and range safety was observed. It wasn't a bad trip other than the trash.

. . . and then . . .

Right as we were finishing up a bunch of yutes with some heavy ordinance (a couple of ARs, a Saiga, black powder, numerous handguns) arrived. There was nothing objectionable about WHAT they had. They were just total idiots with it. I left after being muzzle swept with the Saiga.

That was a concern.

We will probably go again. It was free, after all.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:00 pm
by Jake
We will probably go again. It was free, after all.
Are there any range officers on hand?
Who handles issues like being swept?

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:18 pm
by Jakor
No. There was nobody.

I don't know. Maybe I was supposed to say "Hey, that's my liver you are pointing that shotgun toward." But I opted to just go home. The range is not a place wherein I wish to confront and correct strangers. Maybe if we were planning to stay longer, I might have delicately suggested. The other folks who were there seemed to practively deal with safety. Everyone repeated commands and double checked for each other. I don't mind a user-policed range so long as the users police each other. Nobody in that group had a clue about safety and they certainly weren't policing each other. There was a finger twirled pistol that we saw as we were driving off.

I'd say in the time were were there 15 - 20 folks came and went. Those four or five were first and only problem.

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:58 am
by Imcrazy
Jake wrote:My club's membership costs are very reasonable.

$25 initiation fee
$50 annual fee for you (that includes your family * you have to be with them)
10 work hours/yr or $7.50 for every non worked hour

Rifle Range (covered shooting benches) - backstops @ 25, 50, 100 and 200 yds.
Pistol Range max distance 25 yds (covered)
Trap Range

Heck of a deal IMO.
That is almost FREE!

Re: Range Costs

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:02 am
by Imcrazy
I pay $125 a year to belong to Erie County Conservation League.

25, 50 100, 200 & 300 yrd ranges, with about 15 shooting positions at each except the 2/300 yrd line which is combined. Trap and skeet fields. I can bring one guest per visit, my wife can join at a reduced rate if she decides she wants to go frequently.