Long Range Near RI?

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Hello. I live in Northern RI and am a member at Wallum Lake Rod & Gun. There was talk at this club a couple years ago and another locale in Coventry for much longer 1000 yard ranges but that seems to have died out.

I am looking to shoot well past 200 yards, maybe significantly farther as most cartridges, even 22lr really aren't maxing out at that point. I know South County has 300 and shot there once with a friend who is a member but it takes a while to get there and to me the extra 100 yards isn't worth the extra drive. I don't have CT paperwork and it's a pain to get there given lack of East-West highway in the North, but I do have RI CCW as well as a MA unrestricted LTC and am willing to drive to MA. Granby caught my interest but by the time I figured it out they had their share of problems and per all reports their 1,000yd range had to close.

Any ideas on how, besides moving out West of course, could a Northern Rhode Islander scratch the itch to shoot well past 200 yards ?
 
500 yards.
Yes they are accepting new members. They just recently jumped their dues from $60 to $120
No guests allowed either.
Hello Michael (and others). Thanks for the reply. Is that the "Woodcock" range out there run by the town of New Bedford, DEM and the local Police?

I don't see much info online and have researched it in the past. How do I go about joining?
 
Hello Michael (and others). Thanks for the reply. Is that the "Woodcock" range out there run by the town of New Bedford, DEM and the local Police?

I don't see much info online and have researched it in the past. How do I go about joining?
Drive down there before 2 on a week day and sign up. Bring a personal check or money order made out to the city of New Bedford.
They’re not very accommodating.
 
Hello. I live in Northern RI and am a member at Wallum Lake Rod & Gun. There was talk at this club a couple years ago and another locale in Coventry for much longer 1000 yard ranges but that seems to have died out.

I am looking to shoot well past 200 yards, maybe significantly farther as most cartridges, even 22lr really aren't maxing out at that point. I know South County has 300 and shot there once with a friend who is a member but it takes a while to get there and to me the extra 100 yards isn't worth the extra drive. I don't have CT paperwork and it's a pain to get there given lack of East-West highway in the North, but I do have RI CCW as well as a MA unrestricted LTC and am willing to drive to MA. Granby caught my interest but by the time I figured it out they had their share of problems and per all reports their 1,000yd range had to close.

Any ideas on how, besides moving out West of course, could a Northern Rhode Islander scratch the itch to shoot well past 200 yards ?

Your best bet is New Hampshire for a number of reasons:

1) You can get from northern RI to northern NH via 146, 290, 495, 3, and 93 in about three, four hours. You can get up there and back home in half a day. Or make a day trip out of it.
2) NH doesn't have any of Mass's mag cap bullshit, so if you want to bring say an AR or a M1A or a FAL, etc., you can and you won't have to worry about pre-ban/modern mags.
3) NH is generally just more gun friendly and each small town usually has its own gun store, either a dedicated gun store that we're used to in RI or a home FFL
4) NH has 1000 yard ranges, but the one I'd suggest is in Dalton, NH. This range offers training to reach 1000, an on-site FFL, and other amenities. @edmorseiii has been there and the owner is also a member on here, @Ridgeline6

The Facility

5) Another option in northern NH is the Pemi Fish and Game Club. They have a lot of members from people our way (mostly Mass). You can get to the Pemi in two hours if you, uh, drive with vigor. Its also near Plymouth, NH, which is a college town and is a decent place to grab lunch and a beer on your way back to the People's Republic of Quahog. The Pemi has a 200 and 600 yard range and also is one of the hotbeds for 3-gun in NH and its where a lot of the RI 3-gunners cut their teeth. I was a member of the Pemi while I attended Plymouth State and Adam Scott (RI Gun Blog, RI 3-Gun), if you know him, shoots there quite a bit.

Outdoor Range | Pemigewasset Valley Fish & Game Club, Holderness, NH

Barring going up north, yeah, there's a range out near New Bedford and there's also Bradford Sportsmen's (not South County, Bradford's a different club within South County). Bradford has a 300 yard range, but it sounds like you'll get bored of that quick. So my suggestion is to join Ridgeline and go up there when you want to shoot and train.

Another option might be getting to know some dairy farmers out in NE CT. There's quite a bunch of them in Windham and New London counties. Thompson, Woodstock, Pomfret, Voluntown, etc. That'd give you access to large, open pastures.
 
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Ridgeline is amazing for taking classes, I do not think they are open for casual shooting though.

Pemi is my club, and I love it, but now that I have a normal job, I'm not sure how much I'm going to get up there during the week when it is quiet on the big range. They have steel at ~450, ~500, ~600, and 650. If you want to drive up the hill, you can post paper at 650.

There is also Alderbrook in Littleton. They are currently 1k+, and as I understand, extending that range. I have yet to shoot there, but hope to get up some time soon. Like Ridgeline though, it's UP there.
 
Your best bet is New Hampshire for a number of reasons:

1) You can get from northern RI to northern NH via 146, 290, 495, 3, and 93 in about three, four hours.
This is why, despite New Hampshire's much better gun laws, going there is a 100% non-starter for me. Nothing against NH but it's just too far.

Case in point we have family in NY City with open invitation. How awesome is it to have a free "pad" in the big city? We love the food, the night life, the museums, the culture (aside from all the Left wing crap there). And despite having a free pad there and how much fun it is to go we go every 2-3 years because it's a 3-4 hour drive or more. I just don't have the time.
 
Drive down there before 2 on a week day and sign up. Bring a personal check or money order made out to the city of New Bedford.
They’re not very accommodating.

Sounds like this is my best bet. It's a little farther than I'd like but for only $120 (as oppsed to $2-300 for most rod & gun clubs) a year I could try it on for size for a year and see if it scratches my itch for long range shooting. 500 is pretty good, enough to stretch out 556 and the pistol caliber stuff. Too bad MA has the stupid "ASSAULT RIFLE BAN" but I believe M1A's are still legal up there as long as they don't have the deadly assault rifle stock and are equipped with the wooden safety device per MA compliant rules that prevents the gun from being harmful to humans.
 
Sounds like this is my best bet. It's a little farther than I'd like but for only $120 (as oppsed to $2-300 for most rod & gun clubs) a year I could try it on for size for a year and see if it scratches my itch for long range shooting. 500 is pretty good, enough to stretch out 556 and the pistol caliber stuff. Too bad MA has the stupid "ASSAULT RIFLE BAN" but I believe M1A's are still legal up there as long as they don't have the deadly assault rifle stock and are equipped with the wooden safety device per MA compliant rules that prevents the gun from being harmful to humans.
I have no clue about bringing rifles from other states to MA but I think you would be all set just coming in for the day to shoot. I would check with the guys in the competition subform to get the details and laws though.
500 is fun for sure.
 
I have no clue about bringing rifles from other states to MA but I think you would be all set just coming in for the day to shoot. I would check with the guys in the competition subform to get the details and laws though.
500 is fun for sure.

As mentioned in OP I have RI CCW as well as a MA unrestricted LTC.

That said I know what I can and cannot bring. M1A's and Mini 14 is OK, surprisingly the Sub 2000 is OK as well as Beretta CX4 as well. Any 17 or 22 cal rimfire only rifle is OK in semi auto and any semi auto shotgun with a capacity of 5 or less rounds.

Are you a member at Woodcock then? What's it like there?
 
As mentioned in OP I have RI CCW as well as a MA unrestricted LTC.

That said I know what I can and cannot bring. M1A's and Mini 14 is OK, surprisingly the Sub 2000 is OK as well as Beretta CX4 as well. Any 17 or 22 cal rimfire only rifle is OK in semi auto and any semi auto shotgun with a capacity of 5 or less rounds.

Are you a member at Woodcock then? What's it like there?

Good to know.

Yes I am. It’s very limited in some ways. No guests. Only open till 3 daily except Wednesday it’s open till 8.
No guests. No trap shooting. No steel other than what is provided at 200/300/500 yards. No guests.
Old benches that are kind of high for the seats. No cover from the elements.
 
Good to know.

Yes I am. It’s very limited in some ways. No guests. Only open till 3 daily except Wednesday it’s open till 8.
No guests. No trap shooting. No steel other than what is provided at 200/300/500 yards. No guests.
Old benches that are kind of high for the seats. No cover from the elements.

I see. The schedule does suck and at least this semester/year doesn't jive with our schedule much but it would be a longer term idea to consider.

One other caveat is preban doesn't apply to out of staters. Even with unrestricted/high capacity LTC you can't take any rifle that accepts a detatchable magazine in save the Sub 2000, CX4, mini 14 and M1a. You also cannot bring in any magazine that accepts >10 rounds.
 
Hello. I live in Northern RI and am a member at Wallum Lake Rod & Gun. There was talk at this club a couple years ago and another locale in Coventry for much longer 1000 yard ranges but that seems to have died out.

I am looking to shoot well past 200 yards, maybe significantly farther as most cartridges, even 22lr really aren't maxing out at that point. I know South County has 300 and shot there once with a friend who is a member but it takes a while to get there and to me the extra 100 yards isn't worth the extra drive. I don't have CT paperwork and it's a pain to get there given lack of East-West highway in the North, but I do have RI CCW as well as a MA unrestricted LTC and am willing to drive to MA. Granby caught my interest but by the time I figured it out they had their share of problems and per all reports their 1,000yd range had to close.

Any ideas on how, besides moving out West of course, could a Northern Rhode Islander scratch the itch to shoot well past 200 yards ?

The only range I know of around that is open to the public is sig sauer academy. They have a range that goes out to 1000 yards
 
Springfield Sportsman's Club in Monson, MA has a 300yd range. Not too bad of a drive from RI, it's right off of route 32. Membership fee is pretty cheap and no bs with sponsors or work requirement. We also have actual pistol pits and stuff too that a lot of ranges don't have, you can shoot your own steel, etc.
 
Springfield Sportsman's Club in Monson, MA has a 300yd range. Not too bad of a drive from RI, it's right off of route 32. Membership fee is pretty cheap and no bs with sponsors or work requirement. We also have actual pistol pits and stuff too that a lot of ranges don't have, you can shoot your own steel, etc.
South County rod and gun in RI is much closer and it's still a good 45 min to an hour away, not that practical for me but thanks!
 
The upper range was closed so no 1000yds. and I've not been for awhile but I think they have out to 500 from the lower firing line.
Don't know about what is open but I have looked into Granby and indeed the 1000 yard range is closed. You can read about it online.
 
Don't know about what is open but I have looked into Granby and indeed the 1000 yard range is closed. You can read about it online.
Yes I said that the 1000 was closed. In order to do the thousand you had to shoot from the upper range. I am a member there and attended most if not all of the town meetings where unfortunately the decisions that were made by the zoning board caused the club to have to shut down the upper range and also the covered firing line on the lower range so that when you shoot there you have to shoot on the lower range to the sides of the covered firing line. As I said though I believe that the lower range goes out to 500yds. and has steel targets set up at different distances out to 500yds.
 
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