Help with Finding a Gun Range or Club

[cwilliams]

wow, it's really gone downhill.
It used to be that you just showed up and any of they bays not being used by a match were first-come, first served for any members and never a charge for members to use the bays.
This was before the whole limited membership thing started.

I think you are misunderstanding. What he is talking about is actually reserving a bay in advance for something not related to daily usage by a full member and their guests. This is a step beyond first come, first served. You reserve it, pay the money, it's yours and no one else can use it for whatever duration is set.

[trigger945]

Lopez canyon has real restrooms in the clubhouse, but I don't know if the clubhouse is unlocked except during meetings.
Angeles has real restrooms at the main range, but it's only a public range.

That's a good lead. Thanks.

[CGT80]

wow, it's really gone downhill.
It used to be that you just showed up and any of they bays not being used by a match were first-come, first served for any members and never a charge for members to use the bays.
This was before the whole limited membership thing started.

It still works exactly as you wrote. Full members are only allowed up to three guests and you take your chances with getting the bay you want.

I think you are misunderstanding. What he is talking about is actually reserving a bay in advance for something not related to daily usage by a full member and their guests. This is a step beyond first come, first served. You reserve it, pay the money, it's yours and no one else can use it for whatever duration is set.

x2
A reservation allows you more than 3 guests. If you want to bring 5 friends on New Year's Day and you really want bay 6, then you can apply for a reservation for that bay and that day.

I did reserve a bay for some friends, at the end of last year. It was worth while. Normally, I go by my self and never have a problem finding a bay, even on the weekends. Other times I will take a few guests and I warn them that it is first come first serve and we will have to be flexible with what bay we get.

When it was really hot, during the summer, I would get done with work early and go up there during the week at 3-4 pm and often times have the main range to myself where I could try some test loads and do a little shooting as it started to cool off. My brother and I went up during a rain storm and setup my dillon 1050 under the shade structure and worked up loads for our pistols. I have done the same in one of the back bays.

For the last couple years, the membership has cost me the equivalent of 20 bucks per month. I save that much just in reduced match fees and I have used the range plenty to justify that cost. Raahauges offered a membership as well, but based on the cost and rules of the membership when I looked at it, it was a joke compared to WEGC, not to mention that the drive there is twice as far for me. West End isn't ideal for everyone, but when I finally went there, I was surprised at how much I liked everything about it and that I hadn't heard much about the range.

[ar15barrels]

For the last couple years, the membership has cost me the equivalent of 20 bucks per month.

When I joined in the 90's, it was $50 a year.
I was membership director and webmaster for a few years in the 2000's and built out the club's website.
I am really dissapointed in what has become of the club and the website since I left.

[CGT80]

Have you looked at the web site lately? The web master does a great job on the site and is quick about making updates. He has changed the web site and the forum is now run with different software, as the other version was way outdated.

What is lacking or what more could you want in a web site for a gun club?

What has become of the club? How was it better when you were there and what would improve about the club?

I have been a member for the last three years and have been on the range development and planning committee all year and attend the meetings and have been filled in on how the club operates. Next month, I will be on the BOD as Sergeant-at-Arms. There are improvements to be made and some of the business side of the club could be made more efficient. The club also has to look at and properly deal with legal and environmental topics to protect it's self. It takes money to do all of that and to pay employees and keep up equipment and the range. With that said, most of the club is run by volunteers. Some people treat it like a job and do all they can, while others can only do a little to help. There have been some that don't do a lot, but out of 1600 full members, only a small portion is willing to help out and only 20-25% of them even bother to vote for elections or bylaws.

$50 per full member would not cover all the costs associated with running the club. Gas used to be 97 cents per gallon and 22 ammo was around 10 bucks per brick, etc. Raahauges charges $30 for 2 hours of use on a private bay. For 2/3rds of that price I can shoot all I want at WEGC. Low prices are nice, but it just doesn't make sense to have dues that are far below the price of using any other range. The club also spent a lot of money over that last decade to pay off the land it owns.

Were things that much different when you were involved, or did I manage to get into the club when things were turning around from what may have been going on before I joined? WEGC seems to get some crappy reviews from others, but we have a waiting list for people to join as full members and I don't see how it is worse than any other range that I have visited.

[SuperSet]

OP, you should look into the Deadwood Boys Action Pistol steel matches at Piru. Once you shoot some of their matches, you're eligible for a membership there.

[003]

Oak tree has everything you seek. 20 minutes from Burbank.

http://www.oaktreegunclub.com/

[trigger945]

@SuperSet - Thanks for the reply. Have you been to Deadwood? Does the place meet the criteria I noted above? I have anectodally heard of the place but do not know about its facilities. If you can share more, that will be great. Thanks!

[trigger945]

@003 - I agree that Oak Tree has all those. I have been to Oak Tree a few times and did their 3-gun friendly matches twice. I have yet to try the pistol matches on Thursday nights. But they do not have matches on weekends and I am hoping to find places that meet the criteria and also offer matches on weekends.

In fact, Oak Tree is a perfect example of a club I am looking for (everyone, please reserve your comments about their recent involvement in Armatix; I am only commenting on the actual range and its facilities), except for the schedules of their matches. Getting there at 6 PM on Wednesday or Thursday and the place closing at 9 PM prove to be a challenging combination for me and my friends.

Thanks!

[trigger945]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I truly appreciate your help.

So far, WEGC's 24/7 access is a fantastic perk (assuming full membership becomes available). Any other tips would be great!

[SuperSet]

Yes I shoot at Piru a lot for all their matches. Have you shot their pistol match yet? It'll give you a good sense of what they offer plus you'll have to talk to the match director about a possible membership.
For amenities though, they do have a wash station and covered shooting areas but not full sized restrooms.
If you're a competition shooter in the area, you definitely want to belong to that club since they leave the steel targets out for the shooters to practice on during the week.
The club isn't meant for the general public. It's for the competition shooters.

[Gene1986]

Should have went to Angeles today, perfect weather. First time shooting in the rain for me.

[trigger945]

@SuperSet - Thanks for the additional insight. Really helpful!

@Gene1986 - Sounds like a fun day for you! How I wish Angeles held some friendly matches. Their pistol bay is wonderful!

[CGT80]

Looks like I was thinking of Irvine when I read the original post , but Burbank is just out the 210 from West End, so it might be better than coming from Irvine.

Last month I made it to Piru for the first time, for the calguns dueling tree match. It is a nice area to drive through and the range was setup pretty well. We used the second range on the left. It only had a porto potti and it was so bad that I only made one quick trip in there. I think I saw a record setting headless brown trout. Unfortunately, I didn't drive further back and check out the rest of the range. Their matches do look like fun and Mike Dalton told me he puts on some of the matches there and he seemed like a great guy who was willing to help get people into the sport. It is a 100+ mile, 2 hour, drive and that is too far for me. Others have commented on the great matches to me.


OP, if you think you may want a full membership at WEGC, get on the list right away. I am not sure if there is a list already running, or if it starts after the first of the year. The first few months of the year are when there will be openings. Current members should have already renewed. I think there are usually 50-100 who do not renew, for various reasons. Existing members have first dibs and then openings are listed for new members. The norm is for new members to attend the board meeting (second Tuesday of the month at 6:30PM at the 10 and 4th street in upland/ontario) and be accepted into the club.

[SuperSet]

Just FYI regarding Piru, the matches at the front of the range are the ISI matches. The matches at the back of the range are the DWB and X3 matches and were the ones I was referencing.