Recommendations for best CLUB around

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Looking to join gun club in southeast Ma. Stuck between Taunton , New Bedford (Dartmouth) , maybe tiverton ? Not sure which is best. Have only been to Taunton with a buddy.
 
look for some place with a rifle range where you can shoot w/o a range officer on-site. from what i've read, seems like taunton might be your answer, and maybe the only one within reasonable travel distance
 
Looking to join gun club in southeast Ma. Stuck between Taunton , New Bedford (Dartmouth) , maybe tiverton ? Not sure which is best. Have only been to Taunton with a buddy.
You may want to look into Mansfield F&G. 50 yd and 100yd. No indoor range yet. No frills, just a good place to shoot and a good group of members. Good luck on your search

http://www.mansfieldfish.com/index.html

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/7804-Mansfield-(MA)-F-amp-G-Protective-Assn


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Do u want a indoor range with 24hr access for handgun? Taunton is a great club. I hear Tiverton is a nice club however I'm not a member. I do know some members and they like it. There is also Somerset Sportsman Club in Swansea. It is a nice club but no indoor range.
 
Im not sure if its to far but chicopee sportsmen club in Granby, is my favorate club..while they dont have an indoor pistol range. Its the only place i know of where i can do anything i want except for tracers and still feel safe.

IMO in ma everywhere sucks.

nevermind i thoufh we where talking SW MA...maybe Harvard.. too far for me
 
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Can't go wrong with The Original!
 
Simple answer, the best club is the club that works best for you.

So much truth in this statement.

Pluses and Minuses depend on what you are looking for, what kind of shooting you do, etc.

MOST importantly, check for rules . . . some clubs have FUDD rules that make whatever facilities that they have much less attractive. Look for clubs that only have rules to ensure safety and minimal restrictions otherwise.

If you are looking for Skeet, few clubs around have it.

If you are looking for Trap, many clubs offer it.

If you are looking for an indoor range, check to see what restrictions exist wrt shooting distances, type of ammo (lead only? jacketed?), type of ventilation system (my first club was a health hazard, BR&P has awesome HEPA systems).

If you are looking for Outdoor ranges, check restrictions on hours, targets (is steel allowed?), distances allowed, type of ammo allowed, can you plink there (pick up after yourself!), can you shoot from the holster/on the move, etc.

There probably isn't a single club that is "perfect" for everything so you need to figure out what is most important or join multiple clubs like many of us.
 
So much truth in this statement.

Pluses and Minuses depend on what you are looking for, what kind of shooting you do, etc.

MOST importantly, check for rules . . . some clubs have FUDD rules that make whatever facilities that they have much less attractive. Look for clubs that only have rules to ensure safety and minimal restrictions otherwise.

If you are looking for Skeet, few clubs around have it.

If you are looking for Trap, many clubs offer it.

If you are looking for an indoor range, check to see what restrictions exist wrt shooting distances, type of ammo (lead only? jacketed?), type of ventilation system (my first club was a health hazard, BR&P has awesome HEPA systems).

If you are looking for Outdoor ranges, check restrictions on hours, targets (is steel allowed?), distances allowed, type of ammo allowed, can you plink there (pick up after yourself!), can you shoot from the holster/on the move, etc.

There probably isn't a single club that is "perfect" for everything so you need to figure out what is most important or join multiple clubs like many of us.

+1
 
MOST importantly, check for rules . . . some clubs have FUDD rules that make whatever facilities that they have much less attractive. Look for clubs that only have rules to ensure safety and minimal restrictions otherwise.

This is definitely important. It's what prevents me from joining a club that is about 5 minutes from my home vs 30 minutes or so. Unfortunately even if you join a club that has decent rules upon joining depending on who is on the club board things can go downhill. That happened with my previous club. In typical Mass fashion one nitwit can ruin things for everyone.
 
Join a bunch. It isn't like it's massively cost-prohibitive.

I was a Taunton member years ago. Back before the new range. I stopped renewing b/c they had a VERY active match schedule indoors so weeknights were basically off-limits on the range. That and they kept losing my computer files every year. (They'd have a crash or something, and only had a backup from SEVERAL years prior. I had to chase them down to renew every year.) I have no idea what the schedule is now, but I've been to the new indoor and it seems pretty nice.

I'm at Mansfield now. Hoping the indoor is done in the next couple of years. It's a fine range but for them damned giant helicopter-wasps in the summer.

Was at other clubs in between. I'm sure I'll change again some day. My biggest gripe is none of them is in my backyard. Because then I'd actually go. It's been over a year since I was shooting. Sad. Very sad. LOL
 
Join a bunch. It isn't like it's massively cost-prohibitive.

I was a Taunton member years ago. Back before the new range. I stopped renewing b/c they had a VERY active match schedule indoors so weeknights were basically off-limits on the range. That and they kept losing my computer files every year. (They'd have a crash or something, and only had a backup from SEVERAL years prior. I had to chase them down to renew every year.) I have no idea what the schedule is now, but I've been to the new indoor and it seems pretty nice.

I'm at Mansfield now. Hoping the indoor is done in the next couple of years. It's a fine range but for them damned giant helicopter-wasps in the summer.

Was at other clubs in between. I'm sure I'll change again some day. My biggest gripe is none of them is in my backyard. Because then I'd actually go. It's been over a year since I was shooting. Sad. Very sad. LOL


Yup. Proximity can be a major factor. I know more than a few shooters who raved about the whiz-bang they have everything club, only to tire of the commute, and move back closer to home. They may think the drive is worth it, but find themselves going less and less. Or not at all!

I was a long time member of a club with great facilities, and a great membership, and among the members I had many friends. I moved a half our farther away, which made the trip 1hr, 15mins. That was enough. It killed it. I stuck with it for a year, then said my good-byes to everyone, and never looked back.

An additional 30 mins each way probably doesn't sound like much, and some of you may call me a wimp, or lazy, but we all have different limits.
 
commuting time to shoot is important to me, that's why i recommended taunton to the op as he is in fall river.

15-20 minutes each way max.

i'm a member @ ames, which i know has taken a beating here on nes. and i knew that before i joined, that's how i originally found nes, doing a google search on ames. (although since being on nes, i've seen gripes about a lot of clubs around)

been there 5 years, 10 minutes from my house. i stay involved with work @ the club, follow the range rules, and it works for me.

to each his own

for the tiverton folks, i've heard positives about it, closer to fall river, but in R.I. that runs into FOPA concerns. may be an exemption to it w/ R.I. laws, but i never looked into it.
 
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I belong to both Taunton and Somerset, also shoot at Tiverton quite a bit which I will probably join next year. I agree with the comments about proximity and if you are in Fall River, Tiverton is actually one of the quickest places for you to get to, right off 24. They also have the best facilities, 24 hour access like Taunton and both indoor and outdoor but located at the same location unlike Taunton. Much better than the other clubs for state of art facilities but during those after dinner hours it seems a little busy. Taunton is a great club with lots of indoor ranges but not as nice as Tiverton, Somerset is ok but no indoor range. Thus join as many clubs as you can!
 
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