Hello All , I am looking for a place to shoot handguns. I belong to a local range but the rangemaster is a Pain in the A#$ . Id like to bring my wife and freinds and maybe fire at some swinging metal gongs ALL of which you cant do there . I was thinking a sandpit or maybe Freetown state forest anyone have any suggestion where it is safe and legal without a hassle?
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Legal places to shoot target
- Thread starter avian100
- Start date
Find a different club.
Shooting in a state forest in eastern MA is not a great idea. This is the kind of response that you might get:
State Police arrest five people after shots fired in Blue Hills Reservation in Quincy - Boston.com
Shooting in a state forest in eastern MA is not a great idea. This is the kind of response that you might get:
State Police arrest five people after shots fired in Blue Hills Reservation in Quincy - Boston.com
MisterHappy
NES Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2009
- Messages
- 28,385
- Likes
- 17,547
If you're in Mass., and within 495, you pretty much have to belong to a club to shoot. Out west, there may be some places where the activity that you describe is possible.
If you post a location, you'll get better answers.
If you post a location, you'll get better answers.
Andreas
NES Member
Believe me, the chances of that are getting to be slim to none, even out here.
When I was young our house was near a golf course. i used to walk with my BB gun in hand all over that course taking care of the geese "problem" for the golfers and simultainously bringing home food for the family. I think if I were to do that now i would be drone striked. Man, I miss the old days, now i feel down again....
Your post:
His prior post:
I have a pretty good idea where he is.
BTW, why don't you look up the Woodcock range?
His prior post:
I have a pretty good idea where he is.
BTW, why don't you look up the Woodcock range?
KMM696
NES Member
Andreas
NES Member
Maybe you're not far enough west, yet.![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
Hah!
Or far enough north... can't wait to get back to VT....
I do belong there it is a very nice range . just getting tired of the range master asking me for my permit and basically reading me the rules pretty much everytime I go . Funny he knows when I bring a guest more than once but cant remember me! I really want to go to a place that I dont feel like big brother is watching my every move . Maybe he has to do that but its sickening! Maybe as the first reply states I need to find another Range . Cant beet Woodcock for rifle but there pistol is Boring! My location is Westport Area
Not sure how far you are from Taunton, but its a veary nice club with both indoor ranges open 24/7 (with a card key) and outdoor ranges open till sunset. Not that I have a lot to compare it too (only range I have ever belonged to) but it gets my vote.
413dan
NES Member
Anybody know of anyplaces out in the woods in western MA? I'm out next to springfield in the monson palmer hampden wilbraham area and would love to find somewhere out in the woods other than my club.
any replies appreciated!
any replies appreciated!
In Montana, I would drive 5 minutes out of town and shoot at the sand pits. It was some times hard to find a spot, since everyone was out there shooting.
In Washington, it was about a 35 minute drive out of Seattle into the woods, and the cops would come and shoot their patrol rifles with us.
hbar26
NES Member
SnakeEye
Banned
I know EXACTLY what you mean. There's absolutely nowhere to shoot in northeast mass or within the loop that isn't a a near totally neutered experience.
Endlessly shooting paper is about as much fun and satisfying as dragging your balls through a mile of broken glass.
I had to leave the MRA for the same reasons as you stated you left your own.
The exhaust fans on the indoor pistol range ( Loebe?) have to obviously be running when firing on the line, and run on a twist knob timer.
So some time later during a pistol session, and in the course of emptying a 6rd mag, the timer reached the end of its cycle and INSTANTLY in pounces some pissed off at the world curmudgeon disrespectfully and aggressively getting all up in my face reading me the riot act. He had to of been sitting there, just watching the timer knob tick down second by second, just waiting to get his rocks off berating someone..
I simply won't pay to be disrespected and berated by some ancient manchild. I obviously never returned again.
I was also a member up at Cape Ann Sportsman Club. Their president (Al?) flat out and unapologetically STOLE! Yes ill say it again, STOLE my dues only several months in, disabling my key card and changing the gate lock under another pretense. All because I expressed during the course of casual conversation that i was disconcerted that the rep for GOAL, whom the night before was on a WCVB news debate against a sharp tongued, quick witted and extremely well dressed and spoken antigun spokesman made us look kinda bad as a whole. Our man was unkempt, unshaven, dressed in what i can only remember looked like a flyaway blue collar polyester suit (think anchorman), and was just totally outgunned. An opinion of which he had expressed absolutely no objection to when face to face with me. But as i heard from other friends whom were remaining members after his robbery, certainly didn't mind talking shit about me during subsequent meetings like a coward when I couldn't defend myself.
I was robbed and disenfranchised and when i demanded my cash back he threateningly and in no uncertain terms told me to, and I quote, "Come up the hill and do something about it.". Trying to Goad me into either a fistfight or a firefight.. An obviously ridiculous proposition.
Unfortunately for me the cost in lost time at work coupled with the 60$ small claims court processing fee made it economically unviable to pursue financial restitution.
So I let it go..
Fast forward about 8-10 years to the present and purchased multiple firearms, and all have had to sit unproven and unfired as there simply seems no place to shoot where your either neutered, treated like a child by the elderly or robbed by megalomaniacal criminal club presidents in positions to abuse their power.
If it weren't for my job my ass would be out of this state in a picosecond.
I genuinely hope you find a great place to shoot where you'll be treated with the respect and dignity you deserve as well as the freedom to shoot in a safe yet enjoyable manner free of silly restrictions.
Endlessly shooting paper is about as much fun and satisfying as dragging your balls through a mile of broken glass.
I had to leave the MRA for the same reasons as you stated you left your own.
The exhaust fans on the indoor pistol range ( Loebe?) have to obviously be running when firing on the line, and run on a twist knob timer.
So some time later during a pistol session, and in the course of emptying a 6rd mag, the timer reached the end of its cycle and INSTANTLY in pounces some pissed off at the world curmudgeon disrespectfully and aggressively getting all up in my face reading me the riot act. He had to of been sitting there, just watching the timer knob tick down second by second, just waiting to get his rocks off berating someone..
I simply won't pay to be disrespected and berated by some ancient manchild. I obviously never returned again.
I was also a member up at Cape Ann Sportsman Club. Their president (Al?) flat out and unapologetically STOLE! Yes ill say it again, STOLE my dues only several months in, disabling my key card and changing the gate lock under another pretense. All because I expressed during the course of casual conversation that i was disconcerted that the rep for GOAL, whom the night before was on a WCVB news debate against a sharp tongued, quick witted and extremely well dressed and spoken antigun spokesman made us look kinda bad as a whole. Our man was unkempt, unshaven, dressed in what i can only remember looked like a flyaway blue collar polyester suit (think anchorman), and was just totally outgunned. An opinion of which he had expressed absolutely no objection to when face to face with me. But as i heard from other friends whom were remaining members after his robbery, certainly didn't mind talking shit about me during subsequent meetings like a coward when I couldn't defend myself.
I was robbed and disenfranchised and when i demanded my cash back he threateningly and in no uncertain terms told me to, and I quote, "Come up the hill and do something about it.". Trying to Goad me into either a fistfight or a firefight.. An obviously ridiculous proposition.
Unfortunately for me the cost in lost time at work coupled with the 60$ small claims court processing fee made it economically unviable to pursue financial restitution.
So I let it go..
Fast forward about 8-10 years to the present and purchased multiple firearms, and all have had to sit unproven and unfired as there simply seems no place to shoot where your either neutered, treated like a child by the elderly or robbed by megalomaniacal criminal club presidents in positions to abuse their power.
If it weren't for my job my ass would be out of this state in a picosecond.
I genuinely hope you find a great place to shoot where you'll be treated with the respect and dignity you deserve as well as the freedom to shoot in a safe yet enjoyable manner free of silly restrictions.
Last edited:
Wow, a bunch of bad experiences. I don't have personal experience, but a lot of people on NES have good things to say about Harvard Sportsmen's Club. They have an awesome facility.
Asaltweapon
NES Member
Sorry but there has to be more to the story.
Yes, HSC is one of the best shooting facilities in the area but they have rules as well. Like them and get along or hate them and find yourself outside looking in. I've never belonged to a club in over 30 years that had RSO's or restricted access (ABTW I will not be a part of that BS) but to have that freedom there are rules.
If you don't like rules go buy a few acres and do whatever the hell you like to and on your own land. No need to worry about many of the club issues or personalities.
Last edited:
If you are having trouble at woodcock.... You almost need to move out of state to like new hampshire and buy a few acres.. Aside from only letting you shoot paper.. Its a pretty easy going range.... They allow "rapid fire" as far as I know they still allow bump fire stocks... There are only range masters on the line on weekends... And thats pretty recent... Yes the one time guest rule does suck.. However its 60 bucks if you dont live in dartmouth or Newbedford 40 if you do.... Way cheeper for your friend to just get a membership... If your main gripe is the guest Restriction fall river Rod and gun club will allow you to bring guest as often as you like but there is no rifle range there only a pistol house and the hours are a bit tough.. You can shoot clays whenever you like if you have a buddy to throw them... I will likely be at woodcock this morning if you want to meet 
Just start going 2 or 3 times a week they will get to know you.. Really from my own experience with ranges in a lot of diffrent states... Woodcock is a better one... There are a lot of ranges with one shot per second rules and ranges that will only allow you to load 7 rounds into a magazine no matter how many it holds...
Just start going 2 or 3 times a week they will get to know you.. Really from my own experience with ranges in a lot of diffrent states... Woodcock is a better one... There are a lot of ranges with one shot per second rules and ranges that will only allow you to load 7 rounds into a magazine no matter how many it holds...SnakeEye
Banned
This is purely academic,
but isn't there some sort of illegality for a city, state, or federal authority to issue a permit to do something that is in fact, illegal by law , by that very same authority?
The sole function of a firearm is to discharge projectiles, but said discharge is illegal anywhere in the issuing state..And said state provides no such facilities to satisfy that function in a legal manner, so how can that be legal?
By this logic, all persons issued a Mass permit 'must' break the law to use a firearm in its intended manner.
It's like issuing liquor licences in a dry town.
but isn't there some sort of illegality for a city, state, or federal authority to issue a permit to do something that is in fact, illegal by law , by that very same authority?
The sole function of a firearm is to discharge projectiles, but said discharge is illegal anywhere in the issuing state..And said state provides no such facilities to satisfy that function in a legal manner, so how can that be legal?
By this logic, all persons issued a Mass permit 'must' break the law to use a firearm in its intended manner.
It's like issuing liquor licences in a dry town.
Last edited:
Asaltweapon
NES Member
Not exactly sure I follow you but in this town it is not illegal to discharge a firearm but you must have written permission to hunt in it from the land owner.
No, it isn't.
SnakeEye
Banned
Right out of the dictionary,
"A gun is a normally tubular weapon or other device designed to discharge projectiles or other material."
Do yours rake the lawn or something?
And if you meant the nowhere part, private clubs don't count.
And if you say on private property then its exclusionary to those wealthy enough to have it.
Must be why it's a permit to possess firearms. They're careful not to imply it could be used, just possessed.
Last edited:
You said:
That simply is not true. If you think it is, then post a reference to the appropriate chapter and section in Mass General Law (here is a hint, you can't). So, the entire premise of your post is wrong and as a result, the rest of it is completely irrelevant.
SnakeEye
Banned
Then by all means, post right here, in this thread a single "public" location where I can go shooting without fear.
I hope you realize this isn't the kind of disagreement I want to win. I hope I'm wrong.
Instead of berating me enlighten me!
