Hi everybody. Very happy to find this board. This is my third year at MRA, (don't get me wrong, I love the place) but I'd like to see if there are any places in MA or Southern NH that would suit me better. I've searched all over the GOAL pages and this forum, but it seems like some of the more promising leads had shut down, or had range officers installed, etc...
Here is what I have discovered I need from a range:
1. Ability to Shoot the AQT
The AQT is a course of fire that Fred from RWVA has gotten me interested in. There's more detail here but it boils down being able to:
Not really for shooting watermelons or water gallons, although that would be cool. But I'd like to take some 2 foot steel auto poppers or a steel dueling tree out of my trunk with some friends and have a good time without running paper targets back and forth or obsessing over what our groupings look like.
3. Ability to Pattern a Shotgun
I have no idea what buckshot does when it leaves the barrel of my 870, and I'm not allowed to find out.
4. All Season Outdoor Shooting
I don't mind the cold and the muck. I'd just like some air, and this year's weather has been awesome anyway. My better half doesn't want to come with me if I'm shooting indoors either.
5. 24/7 Indoor Shooting
Even if I do get a membership at another club, I will likely keep my MRA membership just for the Loeb range. Offhand .308 with 30 round mags indoors at 2am 15 minutes from home? Sure beats TV.
6. A Little More Laid Back Attitude
I understand 100% why MRA is the way it is for this kind of stuff and I don't fault them for their reactions in a matter of survival. But I would like a place that hasn't gotten to the point yet of in-your-face CCTV cameras everywhere, auto-locks on interior doors, shutting down ranges for months over incidents, etc... And all the interesting stuff (skeet, trap, steel, pins) requires a range officer and a scheduled event.
7. 3-Gun Action Shooting or IDPA Style Events
I really like the action shooting scene they have at MRA, but they only have rifle or shotgun events once every couple months. I've had scheduling conflicts with a few in a row now, and that turns into a real long time in between shoots. Does anywhere else have a higher rifle/shotgun event frequency or some three-gun events where you use all three in the same day?
8. Beginner Friendly High Power Team
Not saying MRA doesn't have this. Everyone I've ever met there in person has been real friendly. But just putting it down as something I'd ben interested in.
I know ranges with all or most of these features exist in other places, so I don't think I'm being unreasonable. I visited Reading Rifle one morning several months ago and loved the facilities, but I couldn't get a sense of what the rules were like (I think I came at a bad time, during a match) and don't know how to go about finding a sponsor as I'm not really too outgoing in person.
If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading, and I would really appreciate if you could let me know if your range would be good for me (Features #1 and #2 being most important). Price or distance as long as we stick with MA and Southern NH aren't too much of a factor at this point.
Thanks again,
Chris
Here is what I have discovered I need from a range:
1. Ability to Shoot the AQT
The AQT is a course of fire that Fred from RWVA has gotten me interested in. There's more detail here but it boils down being able to:
- Shoot a paper target at 25m with a .223 or .308 rifle
Shoot aimed rapid fire (~1 round per second)
Shoot standing, sitting or kneeling, and prone from the same spot (no bench/bunker in the way)
Transition from standing to sitting, or standing to prone before firing
Hold at least 10 rounds in a magazine (no round limit would be even better)
Change magazines in position
Not really for shooting watermelons or water gallons, although that would be cool. But I'd like to take some 2 foot steel auto poppers or a steel dueling tree out of my trunk with some friends and have a good time without running paper targets back and forth or obsessing over what our groupings look like.
3. Ability to Pattern a Shotgun
I have no idea what buckshot does when it leaves the barrel of my 870, and I'm not allowed to find out.
4. All Season Outdoor Shooting
I don't mind the cold and the muck. I'd just like some air, and this year's weather has been awesome anyway. My better half doesn't want to come with me if I'm shooting indoors either.
5. 24/7 Indoor Shooting
Even if I do get a membership at another club, I will likely keep my MRA membership just for the Loeb range. Offhand .308 with 30 round mags indoors at 2am 15 minutes from home? Sure beats TV.
6. A Little More Laid Back Attitude
I understand 100% why MRA is the way it is for this kind of stuff and I don't fault them for their reactions in a matter of survival. But I would like a place that hasn't gotten to the point yet of in-your-face CCTV cameras everywhere, auto-locks on interior doors, shutting down ranges for months over incidents, etc... And all the interesting stuff (skeet, trap, steel, pins) requires a range officer and a scheduled event.
7. 3-Gun Action Shooting or IDPA Style Events
I really like the action shooting scene they have at MRA, but they only have rifle or shotgun events once every couple months. I've had scheduling conflicts with a few in a row now, and that turns into a real long time in between shoots. Does anywhere else have a higher rifle/shotgun event frequency or some three-gun events where you use all three in the same day?
8. Beginner Friendly High Power Team
Not saying MRA doesn't have this. Everyone I've ever met there in person has been real friendly. But just putting it down as something I'd ben interested in.
I know ranges with all or most of these features exist in other places, so I don't think I'm being unreasonable. I visited Reading Rifle one morning several months ago and loved the facilities, but I couldn't get a sense of what the rules were like (I think I came at a bad time, during a match) and don't know how to go about finding a sponsor as I'm not really too outgoing in person.
If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading, and I would really appreciate if you could let me know if your range would be good for me (Features #1 and #2 being most important). Price or distance as long as we stick with MA and Southern NH aren't too much of a factor at this point.
Thanks again,
Chris
