What do you not like about ranges you've been to?
- Thread starter Fireaustin
- Start date
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All for show I guess Cam.
Fireaustin
New Member
- Jun 9, 2013
- 12
- 1
I thought that I had updated the hours, but obviously I didn't. Tuesday through Friday hours will be from 1 to 8 or dark now. Had a brain fart about what time it gets dark as we were talking about business hours during the summer initially.
I hate ranges that make you use their targets, and wont allow any modification. Carters wouldn't let me make 1/4'' dots in a grid patter with a black marker their excuse was "People would love to draw (guess who) on these" WHAT!?! are you insane? I want to make 1/4'' black DOTS IN A GRID whats that have to do with anything?
Needless to say I wanted to shoot pretty bad and had already paid/set up so I shot and left, but I wont be going back anymore.
Needless to say I wanted to shoot pretty bad and had already paid/set up so I shot and left, but I wont be going back anymore.
HKaltwasser
Well-Known
OK, but that's besides the point
. It is for a 53 with a 16" barrel and it looks kind of funky without it. It made the front too heavy and I took it off though. The same reason the HK94 came with a barrel shroud. They just look weid with a 16" barrel when they're setup for a 9" barrel.Also people do it to get to the legal length without an SBR stamp. I was planning on registering mine with a 9" barrel this was temporary
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I was talking to a local gunsmith who showed me a guys rifle with too short of a barrel on it. (He bought it that way ftf-we don't know anything about the seller). The guy wanted to keep the barrel, so the gunsmith put a fake can on it to bring it to length. Thats the only good use for a fake can that I've ever seen.
It is irksome that some indoor ranges will not let you use your own ammunition. Which means I may not bring my older firearms of odd calibers. Let alone I'm at the mercy of whatever they wish to charge. It also eliminates hand load try outs.
Many will not even allow clip tipped and hollow pointed military surplus. Which makes each round fired now cost $1 or more a commercial round. Unless you hand load. Some calibers right now have no commercial SP nor HP to be had. Thanks Obama. I do see why the non magnetic rule though. Must not punch trough those berms.
Then there's the thing about bench rest only firing of rifles. While police and military are allowed to use another area where non bench rest is allowed? Since when will most situations allow me to sit and essentially bipod my rifle? A deer nor hog will not wait and neither will a trespasser.
Many will not even allow clip tipped and hollow pointed military surplus. Which makes each round fired now cost $1 or more a commercial round. Unless you hand load. Some calibers right now have no commercial SP nor HP to be had. Thanks Obama. I do see why the non magnetic rule though. Must not punch trough those berms.
Then there's the thing about bench rest only firing of rifles. While police and military are allowed to use another area where non bench rest is allowed? Since when will most situations allow me to sit and essentially bipod my rifle? A deer nor hog will not wait and neither will a trespasser.
I have to agree with you. Ranges that only allow you to fire their ammunition are looking to increase sales, cool for them. Not cool for me. I go elsewhere.
My only exception are the ranges that rent firearms with the requirement that you fire their ammunition. I totally get that.
Ranges that only allow during from the bench: hate them. They usually have the most hardcore range officers. I avoid these ranges.
I can understand the need for it. Ranges near the metroplex get so many shooters of different experience levels, and I believe they are trying to run a safe facility. Beyond zeroing a new scope, I have little use for these ranges.
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I remember when the first Tamiami indoor range opened in Florida, over 30 years ago. They were in a high-dollar location and part of their lease agreement required no lead ammunition. Back then, there were just a few sintered metal bullets that were commercially loaded and the ammo was expensive. However, they were going after a high-end clientele and, at first, were extremely successful. IIRC, there was a nominal charge to shoot but you had to use their ammo...which was five times more expensive than the best "normal" ammo available. The owners spoke to NRA Range Workshops on several occasions about how great their setup was and predicted that it was the wave of the future.
They were wrong. Personally, I think if a range requires you to buy their ammunition then there's something fundamentally wrong with the design, construction, or management mindset.
Apparently, some sort of fundamental problem with that business model caused the original owners of that original Tamiami indoor range in Miami to seek additional revenue streams. In 1983 they were charged with racketeering and FFL violations for making ~2900 straw sales of handguns. I think that was the end of the only "no lead" civilian range in the country. (If I'm wrong, someone please tell me. I'd be very interested to know if anyone has made that business model actually work, long term.)
Note - There are lots of ranges (and other businesses) that have "Tamiami" in their name. I mean no slander to any of them. AFAIK, none of them have anything to do with the range owners referenced above.
A HUGE +1 on hating the 'per gun' charges. It makes no sense other than another way to grasp for more $$. I can only shoot one at a time anyway since going all "Rooster Cogburn" will get you tossed anyway.
The prohibitions on 'rapid fire' sometimes get silly. One local range the RSO will come out screaming at you if you fire more than 1 round per 5 seconds. You can't practice 'double taps'. Also agree about wanting to keep my firearms cased or in a range bag until I reach the line. If I show up with more than one gun, plus a range bag, etc. it's a PITA to carry all that to the line.
But I guess the biggest thing is RSO's. They can make or break a range. Those that go total "Range Nazi" as well as those that just sit and play with their iPhones all day. Either can make a range day a bad experience. We've all likely experienced the first. But the oblivious RSO worries me more. They're off in their own little world, all the while some Yahoo is doing all kinds of stupid things that make me just pack up and leave. Having a good group of RSO's can make or break you. That will be the hard part. But good RSO's can lead to a lot of pleasant range experiences.
The prohibitions on 'rapid fire' sometimes get silly. One local range the RSO will come out screaming at you if you fire more than 1 round per 5 seconds. You can't practice 'double taps'. Also agree about wanting to keep my firearms cased or in a range bag until I reach the line. If I show up with more than one gun, plus a range bag, etc. it's a PITA to carry all that to the line.
But I guess the biggest thing is RSO's. They can make or break a range. Those that go total "Range Nazi" as well as those that just sit and play with their iPhones all day. Either can make a range day a bad experience. We've all likely experienced the first. But the oblivious RSO worries me more. They're off in their own little world, all the while some Yahoo is doing all kinds of stupid things that make me just pack up and leave. Having a good group of RSO's can make or break you. That will be the hard part. But good RSO's can lead to a lot of pleasant range experiences.
Mexican_Hippie
TGT Addict
Quail creek is pretty good now
Shorts has it pretty well covered. As far as 25 for rifle, let pistol cal rifle shot on pistol 25, including T/C. A 25 for slug/patterning. I think the FMJ only affects the NATO crowd and the rule is probably to prevent ricochets. An Amax will tear up the berm as easily as a FMJ. Oh, no concrete barrels to shoot through. Seems like the NRA has become the 'official' range design approvers. I don't have a problem with the timed cease fires, more organized for the RSO. I think Carter has uncased only and due to the per gun charge. You gotta have a business plan to make money but if I have to pay more than $30 a day to shoot plus buy your ammo I won't show up. Haven't shot ASC rifle or pistol but the SG stuff is really well done. Tactical bay for standing, prone or rapid fire a plus, well protected. I was fishing a creek behind the local range when somebody cut loose on full auto (years ago), rounds hitting the trees above me. Probably some LEO with a tommy he didn't know how to handle.
rushthezeppelin
TGT Addict
Range staff that go off for no good reason. I'll never go back to Cedar Creek Range because the old woman out there is mentally unstable. One of their rules is that you can't have anything in your hand during a cease fire. Not even if you want to drink some water on a 100+ degree day as you're standing in the sun (have to be off the concrete and out of the shade during a cease fire, too) waiting for someone to fiddle with their target. But that lady is a piece of work... she wanted to ban me from the range, accusing me of hitting one of their target sticks.
All of their target sticks are shot up, and I was never given a chance to inspect the one she says I put a hole in. I know I didn't throw any shots that wide that day. I also find their rule against any NFA firearms really goofy...
I hate places with bad customer service in general, which is why I won't go back to Bracken. Walk in with four shooters and a bunch of guns (charging by the gun is stupid IMO, but that's a different argument). No bills bigger than a $20? Even when we're about to pay $40, you won't take a $50? Seriously, you're not going to bend the rule to make money? Fine, I'll drive past your range and spend my money down the road.
All of their target sticks are shot up, and I was never given a chance to inspect the one she says I put a hole in. I know I didn't throw any shots that wide that day. I also find their rule against any NFA firearms really goofy...
I hate places with bad customer service in general, which is why I won't go back to Bracken. Walk in with four shooters and a bunch of guns (charging by the gun is stupid IMO, but that's a different argument). No bills bigger than a $20? Even when we're about to pay $40, you won't take a $50? Seriously, you're not going to bend the rule to make money? Fine, I'll drive past your range and spend my money down the road.
Gilgondorin
Active Member
I notice you are in the San Antonio area. If you're talking about Cedar Ridge and not Cedar Creek (in which case I'm not familiar) Range, then I think I know the lady you're talking about -- one of my shooting buddies got grouched at by her for not having range safety glasses on during a cease fire, and my old man got the "be actively in the process of shooting or stay off the cement platform" treatment, both in the same trip.
Poor customer service is a definite turn-off, as many of the others have already said. Trouble is, I suspect she's (at least partially -- those target stands really are raggedy) more paranoid about new-comers, which is a double-edged sword -- in response to the OP's question, you'll no doubt come to love your regulars since they're both your bread & butter patrons and will (hopefully) prove to be competent in range safety/etiquette, but for god's sake don't let you, your staff, or your RSO's turn into witch-hunting zealots that are totally hostile to every new person that comes along. I understand you guys will probably deal with more idiots in an average business week than I will in a year (and while handling live firearms and ammunition no less), but making yourselves completely and totally stand-offish/inaccessible to every potential repeat customer is not a good business model.
I've only made the sojourn (they're way far from where I live) to Cedar Ridge twice in the last couple of years, and unfortunately it looks like it'll stay that way for the foreseeable future. Their private, self-policing berms are the handiest thing in the world when shooting with a group of friends, and their per-person vs. per-gun pricing scheme is also convenient.... But that lady always seems like she's looking for a reason to shoo you away with her unannounced surprise "safety" inspections.
A few miles north of Cedar Ridge is Dietz Gun Shop & Shooting Range; 1 price all day, all ranges, all guns; no rapid fire (1 shot per second). Good folks, give them a try.
1 price all day, all ranges, all guns; no rapid fire (1 shot per second). Good plan. A separate but controlled 'tactical' area for 'blasters' and standing, prone shooting. Large concrete shooting pads make brass collection and cleanup much easier. One range where I shoot has a 4' wide paved strip - grass & mud everywhere else. Inexpensive but if you're not at the bench, you're standing in mud. The other has 50 rifle & all pistol completely paved - which isn't really needed. As I shoot cast, my brass is MINE. I do use a catcher on the AR. I don't shoot pistol where I can't keep MY brass.
