My rifle range is about to close, possibly for good!

I guess I'm lucky that my range is way out in the sticks surrounded by farmland, its a 45min drive from my place. Its a decent drive but the yearly membership is pretty cheap compared to a range thats half the distance.
 
Man I remember shooting club clean ups from 35 years ago. Someone came in and reclaimed the lead for salvage. This was in podunk red neck W CO where no one really watches that sort of thing. Place is still going, too. Pretty sure that stuff has to be dealt with, as silly as it seems. I don’t think it would be all that difficult to trap bullets at an outdoor range in a similar fashion as they do indoors. Probably expensive to construct though.

Sorry, this would be a real bummer to me as well.
 
I got a confirmation from Parks Dept today stating that yes, it will be about a year for the cleanup which has not yet started
I suspect they wont actually start work for some time.
Oh and get this.
While it will be closed to further shooting from the public.... LE will continue to have the range to shoot on.
 
We've had our local LE range and my local members only range closed down for a FEW months when they mined and recycled the lead from the berms. They have machines that do it now and it's not a big deal. Hopefully, it won't take a year for your range?
 
CoElkHunter said:
We've had our local LE range and my local members only range closed down for a FEW months when they mined and recycled the lead from the berms. They have machines that do it now and it's not a big deal. Hopefully, it won't take a year for your range?
Click to expand...
It wont take a year to do the actual work, but it will be a year of closure is what I am told. Or more....
 
sestoppelman said:
It wont take a year to do the actual work, but it will be a year of closure is what I am told. Or more....
Click to expand...
Wonder what the recycling company(s) make on the lead and much more so on all the copper they find in the berms? It must be pretty profitable?
 
CoElkHunter said:
Wonder what the recycling company(s) make on the lead and much more so on all the copper they find in the berms? It must be pretty profitable?
Click to expand...
You just need to head down to the range and file a mining claim on it.
 
375Fox said:
I was wondering where you were from, but I see it’s New Zealand. I generally agree with you but I’ve never seen any attempt at lead clean up at the two ranges I use in Pennsylvania, USA. I don’t know of any ranges that are managed as you describe.
Click to expand...

Isnt lead management/recycling pretty common on US shooting ranges?


One can disagree as much as one wants on lead, noise and safety. But beeing a bit proactive is the smart way here..
 
sestoppelman said:
...

My only other practical option now is a place another half hour to 45 minutes north of where I was shooting, adding at least an hour of drive time to my range days. Mind you I shoot weekly year round, so its kind of a big deal.
...
Click to expand...

Welcome to my world in CA. For anything over 100 yards it is 1:45 hours each way for me. The "local" range I go to a couple of times a week or more is about 45 minutes each way.
 
curtism1234 said:
But it is much easier to mismanage and then blame the government...
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In this case, the range is Owned and Operated by the County and that makes it GOVT. No private party here to blame, just GOVT.
 
I‘m a member of a hunting club that has a nice homesite with a 200 yard rifle range and a small trap field. Even the weekend before rifle deer season, it’s practically empty. It’s a great place for wringing out new loads. At the public ranges, you have to stop every 15 minutes for a cease fire…during which the range safety officer screams nonstop at the idiots who cant follow the rules and leave their firearms racked! Missouri passed a law a few years ago that grandfathered shooting ranges already built. People who build their houses next to an established range have no right to sue for noise. This is a good thing because 20 years ago our range was in the country. Now it’s getting surrounded by suburbs.
 
Doug3006 said:
I‘m a member of a hunting club that has a nice homesite with a 200 yard rifle range and a small trap field. Even the weekend before rifle deer season, it’s practically empty. It’s a great place for wringing out new loads. At the public ranges, you have to stop every 15 minutes for a cease fire…during which the range safety officer screams nonstop at the idiots who cant follow the rules and leave their firearms racked! Missouri passed a law a few years ago that grandfathered shooting ranges already built. People who build their houses next to an established range have no right to sue for noise. This is a good thing because 20 years ago our range was in the country. Now it’s getting surrounded by suburbs.
Click to expand...
Same thing with the Kenmore range near Seattle. Its been there since the earth cooled and folks buying up homes and building new housing developments nearby have been whining for years about the noise and making the usual "bullets in my barbeque" claims like they always do.
So far at least they are still whining.
 
sestoppelman said:
Found out today that EPA is going to shut down the country run range I have been shooting at for 30 years for lead cleanup. Its been an ongoing threat for a while. They recently closed off most of the rifle ranges 15 benches, down to a half dozen, the trap range and outdoor pistol range and were planning to reopen the indoor pistol range, not sure how that is going.

But starting next Tuesday, the 100-300 yard rifle range will close for an indeterminate amount of time, they say a year, I suspect longer or permanent. Its EPA after all, which is Bident and our gun hating Gov Inslee is likely on board and happy to help shut down shooting any way he can.

My only other practical option now is a place another half hour to 45 minutes north of where I was shooting, adding at least an hour of drive time to my range days. Mind you I shoot weekly year round, so its kind of a big deal.

And no the woods etc is no longer practical around here for various reasons. Too far, dealing with Forest Service, road closures, winter coming on, snow, dealing with the "casual plinking" crowd which sadly is almost unsafe anymore. No. The country run range I have been using is/was by far the best option.

To say I am pissed off today would be a gross understatement.
Click to expand...
@sestoppelman
Sorry to hear that mate.
Your lucky my closest range is just over 60 miles away and the fuckwiths up there have deemed that anything over 357 pistol cartridge must now be loaded with black powder. Imagine a 338WM, 9.3x62, the Whelen shit even a 44 mag lever action loaded with black powder if you want to use them.
We are in the process of getting that thrown out but who knows how long that will take.
It was bad enough when the introduced the nothing over 8mm could be used.
Fortunately they aren't real bright up there as my Whelen is an 8mm/06 for range purposes.
They walk past and think it just an 06. As I said not real bright.
To me golf courses are just a waste of a good rifle range
Bob
 
I buy a season ticket so I can shoot every week and not have to pay range fees every time. By going every week I get my moneys worth out of that $200 over a years time.
I asked the county about refunding me some money since my ticket was good till January. I thought they might actually send me a bill, LOL
Todays mail is a check from the county for $38! Whoo hoooo.
 
curtism1234 said:
But it is much easier to mismanage and then blame the government...
Click to expand...
Management is an important part of shooting ranges for a variety of reasons, that being said as our country is rife with career politicians (paid liars) the government should never be trusted.
 
Challer said:
Our ranges in NoVa harvest lead regularly. It doesn’t take long and the club always makes money.
Click to expand...
This range opened in 1971 and has never been cleaned for lead. It wont take a year to do the actual work I dont think, but between all the fact finding and afterwards decisions and what not BS, it will be at least a year and maybe more, or permanently.
 
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