Shooting range question

VictoriaLyn's Avatar
Wow hold up. A Boston Southie? Really? Originally Posted by Takeshi Miike

Is that a bad thing??
Takeshi Miike's Avatar
Not at all. I'm half Irish out of MA.
Go shoot skeet or sporting clays. Nothing beats trying to hit a moving target. You'll get that same feeling as "hitting a watermelon" except your target is smaller and not so juicy.

Speaking of juicy...

I used to shoot good, but as I have gotten older I can only get off 1 shot before having to wait and reload.

Sorry, couldn't resist!
Hi Victoria,

I would second the recommendation for Eagle Peak. It's not the nicest range in the world, but I bet it's one of the safest. It's also very cheap. Ten dollars and you can use the range all day - pistol, rifle, shotgun - you can even leave to eat and come back - still only ten bucks. One of the few knocks on the place is they'll yell at you if you screw up (approach the bench during cease fire or shoot too rapidly). A lot of guys can't handle that and it hurts their delicate ego. I appreciate it myself as I never worry about some yahoo shooting me while at the range.

I won't go back to Red's. They're too expensive (20.00 per hour?) and the range lanes are too tight. Last time I went there, some guy was shooting a .357 or .44 on the lane next to me. The muzzle blast would have blown my hair around if I didn't have a hat on. I've also seen lots of people with poor muzzle discipline.

Anyway, if a group of you ever want to get together at Eagle Peak I'm in. Getting a group together is a great way to get exposure to different firearms. I'm not going to detail my firearms, but I have a nice variety and don't mind others shooting them.
runswithscissors's Avatar
Eagle Peak is one of the safest ranges I have been to. Yes, you will get yelled at by the drill sargent range officer if you screw up, but I feel very safe there. I received a new handgun as a gift and the guys at Eagle Peak helped me get familiar with it.
mj2749's Avatar
You guys are awesome. I've used Red's and Lone Star many times but I had never heard of Eagle Peak until I found this thread. Looking to break in a new .308 in a few weeks and need something more than 100yd range. Eagle Peak has 300yd....anyone know of any ranges within 45 minutes of Austin that go beyond 300yds? Looking for something that goes out to 800yd or so. I've only been able to locate one which is all the way in Prairie Hill. If anyone knows of one that's closer I'd appreciate the info.
Thanks!
austin_guy08's Avatar
I don't think you're going to find anything in the area with anything further than 800 yards. I've been to Eagle Peak, and it is a cool place, especially for the price. I can't believe what Red's charges!! The Monday ladies deal is awesome for the ladies though. Seeing $20/hr makes me glad that I have 300 acres an hour away where I can shoot until my arm will fall off!
Happy Diver's Avatar
I've never heard of anything with that long of a range anywhere. You're going to have to find a buddy with a hunting lease. I know what you mean though. I've got an old Moisin Nagant I picked up at Cabela's for $100 I'm itching to see just how accurate it is.
mj2749's Avatar
Well Tiger Valley in Prairie Hill has ranges out to 1000yds but when I called today they said they are booked for the next month for classes (DDM course). They recommended Tac-Pro which is supposed to have ranges out to 800yds but when I looked them up they are in Mingus, Tx, about a 3+ hour drive from Austin. They seem to have some open range time. Unless as you suggest, I find someone with some land that's willing to let me shoot that far.
The thing is it's a new rifle, with new scope so I'd like to gather some data for my scope settings out to 800.
Red's is outrageously high. Lone Star Gun range is currently running their "Gun of the Week" program. Each week they are letting shooters use a different weapon. You only pay for the ammo. This week it's the Kimber Raptor .45 that they're letting people shoot for free.
@ Happy Diver-that's a nice gun. I'll be heading out to Eagle Peak for sure to at least shoot and gather data out to 300. If you want to meet out there Diver, let me know.
TXhandyman's Avatar
Its fun you have to pull your postal shoot, move and shoot, shoot at moving tagets. Your timed and scored on the targets you hit or miss. You need a good postal a hosted 3 clips ear and eye protection. Check out www.texastactical.net. Or www.hosercam.com
Slotgoop's Avatar
I've never heard of anything with that long of a range anywhere. You're going to have to find a buddy with a hunting lease. I know what you mean though. I've got an old Moisin Nagant I picked up at Cabela's for $100 I'm itching to see just how accurate it is. Originally Posted by Happy Diver
Camp Bullis just north of 1604 in San Antonio has a 600 yard range. I've participated in some civilian events there, but not in the last 10 years. Back then before 911 they had days when they were open to the public. If you have an iPhone, there's a neat little ballistic app called "let it fly". You can set your zero wherever you want and figure out how many clicks of drop you've got at any range. If you like to shoot a lot, I suggest the Austin Rifle Club. They have something like 15 ranges on the premises just east of Manor, and it is a very reasonable yearly dues. The range is user maintained and host frequent competitions for both pistol and rifle. Longest rifle range is 300 yards, but they also have an NRA conventional Pistol range (and matches) with rotating targets at 25 and 50 yards, a plinking range, 22 only Silouhette range, and something like 7 bays for action pistol, shotgun, and rifle shooting. Great bunch of folks there too. Google austin rifle club.org for the full skinny.
mj2749's Avatar
Thanks Slotgoop, I have an Iphone so I will definitely check out that ballistic app. That should help cutting down on the time. I'd still like to confirm by actually putting rounds on paper. I'll check into Camp Bullis as well. I appreciate the info! Thanks again.
Does the Austin Rifle Club have good spotting scopes? By good, I mean spotting little .223 holes at 300 yards.

I'm pretty happy with Eagle Peak, even though it's not the nicest range. It's safe and cheap, and that goes a long way with me. However, their spotting scopes are useless past one hundred yards. I only shoot four or five times a year, and don't like the idea of spending three to four hundred bucks for a decent spotter.

P.S. Slot, you almost cost me a new computer with that avatar. I just about knocked the shit out of my screen first time I saw it.
VictoriaLyn's Avatar
P.S. Slot, you almost cost me a new computer with that avatar. I just about knocked the shit out of my screen first time I saw it. Originally Posted by Gump42

you are not the only one