How often do you guys go to the range? I go just about every weekend and to think about it the last time i didn't was back in July. Personally for me, the best way to start off the weekend is blowing up some clays at the skeet & trap fields....

Usually every sunday, clays in the morning and rifle range in the afternoon. Starting with rimfire then moving to larger cals. The odd time i shoot at the short range pistol. Quite often i am the only member at the range in the winter months.

We dont go as often as I want, but we do try and get out regularly, once to twice a month as we're able.

We dont go to the range as much as we do a friends property. We can do what we want at the property we use, which is where we shoot video. We arent as restricted by any means.

I know where your coming from. When i need more freedom i have the use of a large limestone gravel pit. It offers privacy and 400 yrd shots.

Wow, thats pretty sweet!

The property we use... I could fire a rifle I guess, but the property is about 200 yards long, wooded and with brush, backed by the levy the RR tracks sit on, about 8 feet high. The longest clean shot I have is about 75 yards. I dont mind using shot, even slugs and a handgun, but I'm not totally comfortable with a rifle there.

I average around once a week...usually on a weekday, because of the volume of range goers on the weekends.

Being retired does have it's advantages...like having the whole range to yourself every Wednesday at 10am !!

Yea, I agree with shooter13, now that I'm recently retired too, I go to the range at least twice a month, always on a weekday. The range gets really busy on weekends. For many years I had to either get there when they first opened, or else sit and wait for a couple hours. Now I have the place to myself. Nothing like a day the range!

From March to November, I make it there two to three times a month. During the winter, I get there about once a month, mainly to shoot handguns only. It's quicker!

I try to make it to Athena Gun Club, the ultimate indoor range here in Houston by the way, every two to four weeks for my pistol work. When the wind is light and in fair weather, I'll take my long guns to American Shooting Center's 300 and 600 yard fields with my pre-64 Winchester Model 88 in .308 WIN. Well, the .22LR semi-auto gets to shoot on the 100 yd when I get in a quiet mode. That's my old Winchester Model 74 (1941) that I grew up with. I'm also going to call Texas Parks & Wildlife and the U. S. Forest Service about how safe it is shooting in the Sam Houston National Forest. We used to shoot there when I was a kid. Dad took us there at least once a month to learn about guns, accuracy, and their safety protocols. Last time there (late-60s) was pretty safe for shooters since there was such a strong respect for the fellow hunter or shooter out there. These days, so many uneducated & untrained people with no respect for people and property carrying their "new" toys, ARs & such out in the sticks really make me wonder if I'm going to be the next object that their careless shooting strikes. You'd think the Hunter's Safety Orange color would give them a hint of what direction NOT to shoot in.

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:I try to make it to Athena Gun Club, the ultimate indoor range here in Houston by the way, every two to four weeks for my pistol work. When the wind is light and in fair weather, I'll take my long guns to American Shooting Center's 300 and 600 yard fields with my pre-64 Winchester Model 88 in .308 WIN. Well, the .22LR semi-auto gets to shoot on the 100 yd when I get in a quiet mode. That's my old Winchester Model 74 (1941) that I grew up with. I'm also going to call Texas Parks & Wildlife and the U. S. Forest Service about how safe it is shooting in the Sam Houston National Forest. We used to shoot there when I was a kid. Dad took us there at least once a month to learn about guns, accuracy, and their safety protocols. Last time there (late-60s) was pretty safe for shooters since there was such a strong respect for the fellow hunter or shooter out there. These days, so many uneducated & untrained people with no respect for people and property carrying their "new" toys, ARs & such out in the sticks really make me wonder if I'm going to be the next object that their careless shooting strikes. You'd think the Hunter's Safety Orange color would give them a hint of what direction NOT to shoot in.

I know what you mean. It's good that so many more people are getting into shooting, but there is a down side as well. Here in Indiana, the winters make it tough to shoot all year around. Most of the time, during November to March, I will do more pistol shooting than anything else...it's just too cold to sit at the shooting bench with a rifle. You literally freeze to death. Well, everyone else has the same idea, and when you show up at one of the two ranges I belong to, it is a cluster. Half of the people there are just there to shoot up a lot of ammo, and don't really try to work on marksmanship or anything, just make a lot of noise. Then, when the weather starts to warm up, the ranges are packed and you can never seem to have a relaxing time and work on your shooting basics...a hundred people with AR's and AK's just "blasting" away and making tons of noise.

I guess that is the price to pay for more people getting into shooting. Too many people, and not enough land/shooting fundamentals to go around.

I am a busy man with my business. I can only spare time during summer vacation of my 10 year old son. I went out shooting with him so that my son could share the fun with me.

My dad taught me well 60+++ years ago. Safety and accuracy started every shooting day. Safety reminders, all of them, every time one crosses your mind, state it and state them often and enjoy the shooting times together... with confidence. Those safety rules cannot be overstated. When you retire, it's so much easier to just go shooting whenever you feel like it. But then, the kids can't get away because they've grown up and got busy, like you are now. Seize every opportunity you can, because time starts going faster & faster every year.

Although I am still working, I sell real estate full time, so I only go to the ranges on weekends when I am in registered shoots. During the week out local club has a regular following of retired guys and I usually shoot on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If the weather is good them it might be 4 rounds of skeet each day or an occasional round of Trap, 5 Stand or Sporting Clays. Then followed up on the rifle range. Bad weather, then it is rimfire or pistol inside or maybe just some club house verbal shooting!

Bob

This time of year, it's all indoors shooting for me. Winter has finally showed up here in Vegas after a record setting few weeks of 70's in February. I'll be back in Houston in a few days and I'll be back in my favorite indoor range by next week doing what I enjoy most. Then the season will kick-off the Spring saltwater fishing action here on the Texas Gulf Coast, my other home away from home, so I'll be busy buying new hooks and spooling new line on all my reels.

Every Sunday to the trap range with my TB 1100. I ain't the greatest shot but am happy with that gun. Cost me $330 new back in 80. Glad I bought it then.

I can usually be found on the local range at least twice a month...

7 years ago I was going 5 times a week 4-6 hours a day!! I was off work on disability which didn't hinder my ability ! Wife was working kids we're in school and I found it to be a great place to sort of relax !! I found the beating control used in long distance shooting totally relaxed me to the point that it became theriputic to me ! I made my own bullets at night and for a bit I brought out a little table with a Lee single stage with me so I could create recipes on site !! I became well known there !! Not having any bills and being insured for disability it became quite the passion for about 4 years getting paid to shoot all day !! There was a heated lodge with 12 hatches that allowed you to shoot out to 100 Meyers from indoors with just a sweater on !! I enjoyed it so much I ended up with 12 calibers and 9 pistols 3 revolvers and 11 rifles !!! I've slowed down on shooting now to twice a week but I still am perfecting bullet making skills 12 years now !! My 300 win mag has a spread of 17 fps with hornady brass