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Club owned ranges are what I prefer to shoot on. The club I belong to is working on a plan for "contributions" for the use of the range and facilities by members who are instructors of all kinds. Is there such an option where you live?

AndyC wrote:I'm starting to realize why we see so few decent firearms-courses in Texas - the range-fees are astronomical.

I asked a local range what their fees would be for me to put on a 1 day advanced handgun course.

"$200 per hour for the range," they said.

Let's say 5 folks in a 10-hour class - I'd have to charge $400 per person just to cover the range-fees, and if I charged anything less than $800 per person, that range would get the majority of the money while I do all the work and supply skills that they don't have.

That's insane. I'd make far more money just teaching basic handgun skills

Actually, the range fees you've been quoted are not astronomical per se, they are urbanized highway robbery. Move out into the country where we shoot over the back fence.

I have been to both formal courses and informal training sessions at Best of the West Texas Shooting Range, and we students paid the range a range fee directly to the range -- $16 for the day. (As I recall, that was good for both days of a weekend for the formal course). I don't know if the range took a cut of the formal course fee that I paid to the instructor but I only paid about $350 for the whole weekend, so the range fee cut could not have been too steep.

Unfortunately for you, that range is a bit west of Liberty Hill, which is about 30 minutes west of Austin, or about 200 miles from you one-way. Probably a bit far for what you are plannin'. Wish I could be more helpful, but keep lookin', there may be a similar range closer to Dallas.

I don't think Targetmaster has a time limit per se, but if they're busy they'll make you give someone else a turn. I don't know if they'll let you "back in" for free when it calms down because I've never been kicked out. They also don't allow commercial training without their consent.

And this is one reason why you don't see CHL instructors running around in fancy sports cars.

Crossfire wrote:And this is one reason why you don't see CHL instructors running around in fancy sports cars.

Have you seen Charles Cotton's car?

oh I forgot, he has a day job too.

AndyC wrote:"$200 per hour for the range," they said.

They are likely trying to account for possible revenue loss. If they add up hourly lane fees and typical sales profit for a shooter and multiply by the number of lanes, they have a potential expected hourly revenue IF they are full the entire time. But then they need to consider that your class if providing guaranteed revenue from the range instead of potential revenue. It only makes sense to rent the lane if they expect to make more from your rental than they would from the shooting public.
But I do agree that some ranges seem to drive away revenue, like those who want to charge a couple hundred bucks for a classroom that would otherwise sit empty all day.