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austinrealtor wrote:

newTexan wrote:My understanding is $14/hr or $400/yr. This seems high to me since the range I am at now is only $250/yr. I understand indoor ranges are higher but wow.

The equipment needed for an indoor range (plus the cost of the building itself, and opperating lights, HVAC etc) is CONSIDERABLY more than an outdoor range, which is basically just some lumber, dirt, and constructions costs - much of which can be DIY if you know how and have/rent the right equipment.

The bullet traps, mechanical target pulley systems, and air filtration systems of an indoor range are very expensive.

The problem and expense with outdoor ranges like ARC is the encroaching development and making sure, against all odds, that the bullets do not leave the range. Even ranges way out in the middle of nowhere can have that problem.
Indoor ranges have their walls to prevent that.

Those dents and holes at Red's can happen anywhere. Considering who shoots at these places sometimes, I'm surprised there aren't more.

I live and work in the area and have the yearly membership. The beauty is you can just drop in whenever you want and you're just paying for ammo at that point. (you can bring your own for your own guns) It encourages me to pop in and shoot 50 round a few times a week. I'm not worried about getting my monies worth for an hour rental and not using the full hour.

Say you go in once a week and shoot 4 boxes of WWB 9mm* to use up most of the hour you paid for. That $58 a week or $3016 a year. Now with the card, you pop in for 20 minutes and shoot 50 rounds 3 times a week. That's $1716 for ammo plus $400 for the membership. That's $900 less.

Obviously if you're a once in a blue moon shooter, it's not going to be a good deal for you. But I can say the regular training over the last 9 months has made me a much better shooter both in accuracy and time to re-aim. If you're disciplined you can find things to do such as different distances, different sized points to aim at, shooting with your off hand, etc...

*assuming Walmart price of $11/box

davidtx wrote:

marksiwel wrote:they have a good selection of guns to rent, but I'm not dropping 14 dollar an hour, If I did that I would load all my Magazines up and shoot as fast as I could to "get my moneys worth"
Never been a big fan of indoor ranges. Inhaling all the lead/smoke/ect cant be good for you

So where do you shoot instead? I'd love to find someplace cheaper.

Austin Rifle Club $100 a year and we host IPSC and IDPA matches as well as a 100 & 200 yard rifle range and silohette ranges

davidtx:

You stated that Bass Pro/San Antonio charges $10 for a HALF hour.

I shoot at the Bass Pro/Grapevine and they charge $10 for a FULL hour.
Plus, if there's no one waiting for the range, they let me shoot for as
long as I want, and have ammo!

Just checked my records, and the last time I shot there was October
2009, so it's possible they could have jacked up their rate since then.

SIA

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:davidtx:

You stated that Bass Pro/San Antonio charges $10 for a HALF hour.

I shoot at the Bass Pro/Grapevine and they charge $10 for a FULL hour.
Plus, if there's no one waiting for the range, they let me shoot for as
long as I want, and have ammo!

Just checked my records, and the last time I shot there was October
2009, so it's possible they could have jacked up their rate since then.

SIA

I'll double check. It was late and the guy that gave me the information didn't look like he normally handled the range.

I like Red's North more than Red's South. The shooting area has more "elbow room".

For an indoor yard range, ESPECIALLY with a 100 yard rifle range, it's a damn good deal. I don't go there often, but I'm glad it's there. The range people are friendly and professional, and I've noticed (at least at the north store) they hover over the new shooters and wannabe gang bangers, presumably to ensure muzzle discipline.

Red's south is fine if you want to just go in, shoot, then leave. The range guy leaves you alone (if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, of course). The employees can be prickly, especially if you ask a lot of questions. I try to just pop in, do my thing, pay and get out. No one seems to really care

I really enjoy Eagle Peak, and prefer it over any of the other ranges. I live downtown Austin, so it's a bit of a trek, usually 40 mins or so. But I like the hills, the atmosphere, the sunshine. The range officers are actually quite personable if you follow the rules and stay calm. I really like their clay range as well.

Actually, I'll be heading up to Red's north for the first time either Monday or Tuesday, so it'll be interesting to see the differences between that and the south location.

sixline wrote:Red's south is fine if you want to just go in, shoot, then leave. The range guy leaves you alone (if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, of course). The employees can be prickly, especially if you ask a lot of questions. I try to just pop in, do my thing, pay and get out. No one seems to really care

I really enjoy Eagle Peak, and prefer it over any of the other ranges. I live downtown Austin, so it's a bit of a trek, usually 40 mins or so. But I like the hills, the atmosphere, the sunshine. The range officers are actually quite personable if you follow the rules and stay calm. I really like their clay range as well.

I've never had difficulty at Red's South . . . a few times I was practicing quick 'double taps" and when I turned around while loading a magazine noticed the range officer was looking at me . . . when he saw I was keeping all my shots well-centered on the target he gave me a "thumbs up" and left me alone.

Eagle Peak is OK as far as the facility itself is concerned, but I detest their prohibition of FMJ rifle ammo.

My problem is other ranges are quite a drive. I live a bit west of Austin . . . Hill Country Rifle Range on Hamilton Pool Road was nice and convenient, but the owner always was about half a bubble off plumb . . . he tended to leave me alone, but I guess he just kept getting a little more . . . off . . . alienating his regulars (the IDPA, USPSA, and Cowboy Action groups) until he finally closed things up. Today he's probably huddled in one of his trailers, waiting for the End Times.

HankB wrote:

sixline wrote:Red's south is fine if you want to just go in, shoot, then leave. The range guy leaves you alone (if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, of course). The employees can be prickly, especially if you ask a lot of questions. I try to just pop in, do my thing, pay and get out. No one seems to really care

I really enjoy Eagle Peak, and prefer it over any of the other ranges. I live downtown Austin, so it's a bit of a trek, usually 40 mins or so. But I like the hills, the atmosphere, the sunshine. The range officers are actually quite personable if you follow the rules and stay calm. I really like their clay range as well.

I've never had difficulty at Red's South . . . a few times I was practicing quick 'double taps" and when I turned around while loading a magazine noticed the range officer was looking at me . . . when he saw I was keeping all my shots well-centered on the target he gave me a "thumbs up" and left me alone.

Eagle Peak is OK as far as the facility itself is concerned, but I detest their prohibition of FMJ rifle ammo.

My problem is other ranges are quite a drive. I live a bit west of Austin . . . Hill Country Rifle Range on Hamilton Pool Road was nice and convenient, but the owner always was about half a bubble off plumb . . . he tended to leave me alone, but I guess he just kept getting a little more . . . off . . . alienating his regulars (the IDPA, USPSA, and Cowboy Action groups) until he finally closed things up. Today he's probably huddled in one of his trailers, waiting for the End Times.

Hill Country was tolerable, though usually in poor maintenance. That depended on how nigh the newly-determined "end of the world" was, and he'd usually spruce things up a bit when the date got too close and a new further-off date was procured. I'm pretty sure the place shut down because the county took too much land (due to his refusal to pay taxes) for the range to be operable any longer. Lone Star in Lockhart ended up buying his rifle stations and steel canopy. He was a... colorful character (they don't call him "Crazy Richard" for nothing), to say the least.

I've avoided Eagle Peak for the same reason as HankB, as I simply cannot afford to buy SP ammo for my Mosin-Nagants. I am going to be visiting the place in the near future, due to its proximity to my future in-laws in Cedar Park and their need to get some training and experience with their new Bersa Thunder. It is, however, and outdoor range with all-day admission (I dislike indoor ranges on many levels), so it has that going for it. For shotgunning, I've found Capital City Skeet and Trap to have an outstanding setup with decent prices.

While I do enjoy Lone Star, I'll likely be shifting most of my shooting to Austin Rifle Club in the near future due to proximity and brass policy (Lone Star has recently enacted a no pickup rule, and I've started reloading), once all my current wedding expenses and preparations are in the past.

I only shoot at Red's as a last resort (see my dislike of indoor ranges above) or when meeting another experienced shooter who prefers to meet there.

Is anyone here a member of the Austin Rifle Club? That looks intriguing to me. I am curious if they allow practical practice for CHL holders such as drawing from a holster, etc.

HuttoAg96 wrote:Is anyone here a member of the Austin Rifle Club? That looks intriguing to me. I am curious if they allow practical practice for CHL holders such as drawing from a holster, etc.

I'm not certain if they allow holster practice for non-members/guests. The DO however, have IDPA practice on Thursdays from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.
http://www.austinrifleclub.org/index.ph ... |94|88|105" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now that I got my plastic, I think I'm gonna apply for membership, simply because I'm interested in IDPA, and they host competitions twice a month, I believe.

I've been shooting at Red's south about three times this month. Granted it's been during the week, around 11am, so I've got the range to my self, the staff has been friendly, and even offered advice to me while I was shooting. Even the first time I went in, they where freidnly and spent about a hour discussing CHL and handguns. Maybe it's the time of day I go in?

lancermit wrote:

HuttoAg96 wrote:Is anyone here a member of the Austin Rifle Club? That looks intriguing to me. I am curious if they allow practical practice for CHL holders such as drawing from a holster, etc.

I'm not certain if they allow holster practice for non-members/guests. The DO however, have IDPA practice on Thursdays from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.
http://www.austinrifleclub.org/index.ph ... |94|88|105" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now that I got my plastic, I think I'm gonna apply for membership, simply because I'm interested in IDPA, and they host competitions twice a month, I believe.

ARC does allow practicing from a holster, all shots must be "sighted fire", no hip shooting or speed rocks. Be advised the Supervised Practice sessions are not just show up and shoot, you must contact the practice organizer and be added to the list.

I've been a member for over 13 years and I consider it the best shooting venue around Central Texas. Here is a quick summary on joining.

$100 a year dues, $100 initiation fee.
Must provide a DPS background check, no felons please. (CHL is accepted as a background check)
Mandatory safety orientation class with live fire safety eval.
Range access is controlled via electronic key card, members and guests only except for matches.
Gate and some ranges are monitored by video cameras.
Shooting allowed from sunrise to 30min after sunset 365 days a year excepting matches, maintenance and special events.

Full info at this link
http://austinrifleclub.org/index.php?op ... &Itemid=54

If you want a safe, enjoyable place to shoot, with 10 different bays all with covered firing lines, plenty of fresh air and indoor restrooms, ARC might be what you are looking for.

We host Benchrest rifle, Highpower rifle, Pistol Silhouette, Cowboy Rifle Silhouette, Blackpowder rifle, IDPA, USPSA(IPSC) and Bullseye pistol matches. Come out and shoot with us.

Gringop

davidtx wrote:I shot skeet at ARC once - it's about an hour from my house. There used to be a range down Hamilton Pool Road from me. It was apparently owned by a "colorful" character and is no longer in business. I'm in San Antonio a couple of times a week - my best bet may be Bass Pro Shop. $10 per half hour, but $100/year. I don't know how hard it is to get range time though.

I'm not sure where you're talking about, but it sure isn't the Austin Rifle Club. There's no skeet or trap there. Perhaps you're thinking Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club? It's a few miles away but it not affiliated with the ARC.

The ARC has seen many changes recently, and it's an outstanding value, but you can't walk up to any range and shoot the way you want to (Sheesh...if we had that, we'd have loads of 20-somethings out there trying to play "curve the bullet" like in that awful movie "Wanted").