Never going to Bills Range again...

[Don L]

When I'm at BPR we do hear the comment "I live closer to Bill's, but I won't go there." Safety seems to be the #1 issue, with "employee attitude" 2nd. One woman I shoot with went there with her sister two years ago, and had an employee take her Glock away from her and was pointing it at her sisters' mid-section while "teaching the girls about shooting" (which they hadn't requested). When she pushed his hand so the gun was pointed down range, his comment was "but it's not loaded". A complaint made by her dad and others "to the management" was answered with "We'll have a talk with him". They lost some customers that day.

[Shipyard]

i go to bills south because it's the closest to where i'm at. i've never had much issue with any of the employees, but i have to watch the room like a friggin HAWK to make sure no idiots are doing something stupid.

for me, safety is the #1 factor at Bills south. i've seen COUNTLESS idiots muzzle the room, walk aroudn with loaded guns, have uncased AR's sitting onthe back ledge just pointing sideways across the shooting lanes. i've seen people hit the cieling, floor, walls, poles etc etc...

you can't cure stupid, but i would like to see the RO's make a much bigger deal about casing/uncasing at the point and making it clear to people that they keep their guns pointed in a safe direction.

rant mode on:**and i know the rental case is there to generate dollars, but for $15 someone who's never handled a gun before can take one out, buy a box of ammo and head to the point with NO CLUE what the hell they are doing. sorry guys, but a 3 minute run down of how to work the slide on a glock doesn't make me feel very good when they're stadning next to me with a piece of plastic between us. ** rant off

+1 to the fact that bills north seems to be on a dofferent planet. free cardboard, staple gun, no hassle for brass pick up a 50 yd range over the 25. however, the muzzle sweep/safety issue is still a big problem up there.

[traveler]

i've seen people hit the cieling, floor, walls, poles etc etc...

You should have stopped by and said "Hi!"

[Seismic Sam]

i go to bills south because it's the closest to where i'm at. i've never had much issue with any of the employees, but i have to watch the room like a friggin HAWK to make sure no idiots are doing something stupid.

+1 to the fact that bills north seems to be on a dofferent planet. free cardboard, staple gun, no hassle for brass pick up a 50 yd range over the 25. however, the muzzle sweep/safety issue is still a big problem up there.

Ah, come clean, homey!! The real reason you go to Bill's South is so that you only have to drive a few blocks to pick up a sissy-foah of malt liquor after you're done shooting!!

And I avoid Bill's South because of some of the clientele, and also because there is a ledge just in front of the shooting positions, so any brass that bounces forward is gone for good, and a lot of what I shoot is damned expensive.

Bill's North has a nice flat floor, so with a long broom you can reach out ahead of the shooting positions a good 6 feet while still staying behind the line. Yes, you do get muzzled at both places like there's no tomorrow, but unless somebody can come up with a gun idjit tester to screen out thye r00bs at the range desk, I'm not sure what you could really do about it.

Oh, and the BPR $4 one gun $8 two guns does make SOME sense, because if you bring two guns chances are you'll be there longer, so it's partially time related. There is also a reason why there is no $12 three guns and $16 four guns, because it's fundamentally bad for business and pisses off the customers. Oakdale had a $X per gun fee structure for maybe two years, and we had people who would just turn around and walk out the door in a huff, so we went to a $15 flat fee and people quit complaining.

[tman]

Oakdale had a $X per gun fee structure for maybe two years, and we had people who would just turn around and walk out the door in a huff, so we went to a $15 flat fee and people quit complaining.

#1 Rule of pricing. Raise them until SEVERAL people complain. Then you'll know you're high enough.

[plink]

Any time I've been to Bill's it's always been the same guy working the counter who's been nothing but helpful. That does sound uber ******* though.

[mnmike59]

there is a ledge just in front of the shooting positions, so any brass that bounces forward is gone for good

Is there any reason you couldn't tape a piece of cardboard across the floor to stop the brass from rolling down?

[Pezhead]

Last time we where there a couple women in high heels and very tiny dresses. I wanted to point out it wasn't very safe, but my wife was with me.

[traveler]

there is a ledge just in front of the shooting positions, so any brass that bounces forward is gone for good

Is there any reason you couldn't tape a piece of cardboard across the floor to stop the brass from rolling down?

I believe Sam meant to say that the ledge is directly below the front of the table/platform at every shooting station. I dropped a magazine once (having trouble reloading it) off the front of the table and it went directly down to the range floor. I had to get an RO to retrieve it, with the requisite side-ways looks and furrowed eyebrows.

If any of your ejected brass hits the dividers and bounces forward the brass is gone.

[John S.]

Waseca Sportsmans's club, $31.00 per year, outdoors, and 25,50,100,200,300,400,500 yard burms. They give you a key to the gates, one is for shotguns and trap, the other is down below for pistols or High powered.

[recoilguy]

I have purchased a couple handguns at Bills and I thought the staff upstairs were very knowlegable and competent. Downstairs on the other hand is a entirely different thing. Rude dumbazzes behind the counter. The guys shooting, well most of them when I was there had little or no respect for the priticol or rules of shooting and handling weapons. The guys running the place did not seem to notice or too care. They should be cognizant of that, it could be pretty important. When I pay to shoot for an hour and stay 20 minutes because at least 3 times I had a muzzle ponting in my dirrection is not a good thing. The once the brass hits the floor its ours rule is contrary to what is posted and a stupid range rule in my book.

I am glad I don't have to go to Bills and I am pretty sure for as far as I have to drive to get there I will turn south on the free way rather then north and hit B'ville. I a sure not everyones experiance was similar to mine and they seem to be full everytime I go to look at guns so they must be doing something right. I hope they stay in business and I hope they do a very successful and prosperous business. I just wish they had saftey and friendlier employees higher on their priority list

RCG

[Seismic Sam]

there is a ledge just in front of the shooting positions, so any brass that bounces forward is gone for good

Is there any reason you couldn't tape a piece of cardboard across the floor to stop the brass from rolling down?

Uhhh? Hate to be sarcastic, but how many guns do you own where it ejects the empties STRAIGHT UP INTO THE AIR, and comes down in the same 3 foot space that you are shooting in?? I don't happen to own one of those, and have never seen one. In a conventional semi-auto, it always goes up and to the right, anywhere from 6 to 20 feet to the right, and with hot loads it's closer to 20 than 6.

[Rodentman]

I'm rather a fixture at BPR and if I "semi-retire" when my job ends in July, I'll buy the annual pass. Now I buy the 10 shot "card" and there is no added charge for a 2nd person and I can bring as many guns as I want. I limit it to 3 since that's really enough for one trip (for me) and it takes me a chunk of time to clean each one. I've shot a Bill's South, but perfer BPR. I wasn't reloading when I had last gone to Bill's. If I can't pick up my brass I simply cannot go there. It's also 5 times the distance from BPR.

[Grayskies]

What does an annual pass cost?

[MrVvrroomm]

BPR's megashooter pass is about $400/year. My wife buys mine every year for Christmas.