▐▐▐ Pistol - Target Practice locations

View · by **dessoir** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:38 am

Hello,

I'm am looking for places where I can target practice for free. I'm purchasing my first gun intending on practicing with it fairly frequently and would rather avoid range fees.

I've already contacted DNR and it looks like the closest state forest is about 1.5hrs away from the Minneapolis are, my location. My question is, do any of you know of other locations which are legal, closer to Minneapolis yet free to use for target practice?

Thank you in advance for your help!

View · by **Seismic Sam** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:14 am

You might want to re-think that concept. A 1.5 hour drive (or is it 3 hours round trip??) is going to cost you WAAAYYY more in gas than simply paying $20 for an all day range fee at Oakdale Gun Club. Plus we have limited amounts of ammo to sell to paying customers. Plus driving all that was is time pure wasted, and that has to have some value unless you're single and rich and don't need to work for a living. Think about it.

View · by **LarryFlew** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:18 am

Glad you made it here. Not free but reasonable would be Hutchinson Gopher Campfire. $40 a year with unlimited shooting. 2 pistol ranges, 50 yard rifle range and 100 yard rifle range. You just get combo to the gate. Includes 7 free nights of camping (primitive) if you do that. I'm sure others will come along with more info.

View · by **xd ED** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:20 am

All of what Sam suggests, along with the fact that anywhere free, close, and open to the public, if it did exist would be crowded, and pretty unruly, I'm guessing

View · by **grimbeaver** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:27 am

I shoot at Metro Gun Club since it's close to my house. Get a membership for $125/year and it's only $5 per half hour of range time. I think that's the cheapest around.

View · by **Seismic Sam** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:50 am

grimbeaver wrote:I shoot at Metro Gun Club since it's close to my house. Get a membership for $125/year and it's only $5 per half hour of range time. I think that's the cheapest around.

For an indoor range, I think you're right. Oakdale is only $85 a year with an initiation fee and free shooting all the time, but an indoor range we do not have.

View · by **hard h2o** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:29 am

One nice thing, when you are talking your first firearm, about going to an organized and well run range versus just going out in the woods and shooting is you get initiated into safe range practices.

See how a range is run, learn range rules, listen to range officers, observe more experienced shooters...then go off on your own when you feel confident you aren't going to hurt anyone.

View · by **Seismic Sam** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:31 am

EXCELLENT ADVICE!!

View · by **Pat Cannon** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:15 pm

hard h2o wrote:One nice thing, when you are talking your first firearm, about going to an organized and well run range versus just going out in the woods and shooting is you get initiated into safe range practices.

See how a range is run, learn range rules, listen to range officers, observe more experienced shooters...then go off on your own when you feel confident you aren't going to hurt anyone.

+800

View · by **Sigfan220** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 2:00 pm

Rainbow Sportsman's and Gopher Campfire are about $40 per year and have no range fees. Depending on what part of town you are in and what range you go to it would be 45-75 minutes or so. I am a member at both. But really with the price of gas the way it is shooting in town at $20 per day isn't too bad. I just don't like shooting indoors.

Forget about state forests anyway, they are too far and can be overcrowded. I use to shoot at the 3 closest forests and would much rather go to one of the two ranges listed above.

If you want to get on my email list you can come out for one of my testing days no membership needed. I bring out a variety of new and old products to shoot at.

View · by **Mn01r6** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:22 pm

purchasing first gun ever + looking to go shoot unsupervised? Do you have any previous experience with firearms? You could be a navy SEAL that's just never bought their own gun or someone whose parents never let him have a squirt gun.

Based on your level of experience, you might want to take a class or two first - getting the fundamentals from the start is a lot better than trying to unlearn bad habits after you've practiced with them. This doesn't just impact safety, it can also be an accuracy/reliability issue too. If you don't know what the teacup weaver stance is and why to avoid it...take a class.

View · by **hard h2o** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:20 pm

When my daughter took her firearms safety class I was surprised and by the number of adults taking the class alongside the kids.

The DNR runs the classes as an online course in addition to the classroom courses. If you take the online course you just need to find a course that is taking the field portion and join in for that part of the class.

View · by **AX7400** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:23 pm

I also totally agree that this is the best way to learn and get advice from avid shooters. Also I have found that most shooters are quite willing to let you put some rounds through their guns after bs' ing for awhile. Great way to try different guns for free and get solid advice on how to improve technique. I agree with Sam as well Oakdale is a great club!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

View · by **gun_fan111** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:26 pm

Seismic Sam wrote:
grimbeaver wrote:I shoot at Metro Gun Club since it's close to my house. Get a membership for $125/year and it's only $5 per half hour of range time. I think that's the cheapest around.

For an indoor range, I think you're right. Oakdale is only $85 a year with an initiation fee and free shooting all the time, but an indoor range we do not have.

$5 per half hour would add up quick! I buy a ten-pack at Burnsville Pistol Range for about $140. It gives you unlimited time indoors with up to three guns and a guest.

View · by **BigDog58** on Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:13 pm

Sigfan220 wrote:Rainbow Sportsman's and Gopher Campfire are about $40 per year and have no range fees. Depending on what part of town you are in and what range you go to it would be 45-75 minutes or so. I am a member at both. But really with the price of gas the way it is shooting in town at $20 per day isn't too bad. I just don't like shooting indoors.

Forget about state forests anyway, they are too far and can be overcrowded. I use to shoot at the 3 closest forests and would much rather go to one of the two ranges listed above.

If you want to get on my email list you can come out for one of my testing days no membership needed. I bring out a variety of new and old products to shoot at.

Sigfan, I too belong to Rainbow. I was out there Thurs. If you ever see a fat guy with glasses and beard driving a lowered 1990 Chevy Truck (All Red) stop by and say howdy. I'm normally at the 100 yd rifle range shooting from my wheelchair. I sometimes have my chrono setup. I also frequent the pistol range and sit at the benches, also chrono setup quite often.

To the OP, Rainbow is a great place to shoot with rifle ranges up to 300 yds. Pistol, Skeet, Trap and Archery ranges. $45 a yr or 3 yrs for $125. It is located in Cokato, if you happen to be west of the cities.

Now if I can get Sam to pull some strings I'll get off the wait list to join Oakdale too :cheers: