Indoor Ranges??

[Bruce W Sims]

OK...the only reason I am broaching this subject was because I got a little rough treatment
from a range when I broached the subject of using BP indoors. Nothing awful or terrible, but I was left feeling like I had asked
for the birth-right of the guy's First-Born.

Is it really that difficult to find an indoor range that would handle BP pistol? Just askin'.....

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Blair]

Bruce,

Simple answer to your question is YES! It can be.
Part of it has to do with ventilation. Most are not setup to evacuate the added smoke from BP
My best,
 Blair

[Thumb Buster]

In Oklahoma City there are a few indoor ranges and to date I have had no problem shooting BP especially at H&H Shooting Sports Complex.  I tell 'em I'm shootin' .45 Colt or .44 and .36 C&B and they obligingly put me on a bay more or less by myself.  I have had people come in later than me with their plastic guns, see the smoke and hear the 'BOOM' and then go complain to the RO only to be advise politely that they could be moved.  They tolerate it very well.  The other ranges it is 'iffy' at best mostly from the patrons.  In fact, one day there was another man shooting .44-40 BP at the far lane and between us we smoked it up pretty good.  Other shooters were not bothered but rather curious.  Made a convert that day too.

[Advertising]

[Dick Dastardly]

I like your post Thumb Buster.  Sounds like you're a gentleman shooting with gentlemen.  Our sport should be like that.

DD-MDA

[Major 2]

the two within a short drive distance are dead set against it , ventilation is the issue ....

Don't like either place , but anti-BP is not the reason... small , claustrophobic, loud & obnoxious black gun shooters mostly,  is.

[Bruce W Sims]

Thanks, Guys....this is helping. I was pretty sure that ventilation would play a role.
But I was equally sure that accomodations could be made such as have been mentioned.
I wouldn't call the guy's attitude "arrogant" but I could definitely call it "unfriendly" or
"unaccomodating". By comparison the range in Bristol, Wisconsin was not just accomodating but
also rather friendly about things. Yes...they are an outside range....but it was also something
else....something along the lines of not being a "red-haired step-child".....if this makes any sense.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Cliff Fendley]

I have been told here locally it's the lead/non jacketed bullets they don't want because of air quality. If it doesn't evacuate the air from black powder just think of the crappy air everyone is breathing even when shooting smokeless.

Personally I don't care for indoor ranges, I can count on one hand the number of times I've shot at one.

[rickk]

I am on the BOD of a gun club with a fairly modern 20 port, 75 foot indoor range.   We don't allow BP inside. It is simply very difficult to move enough air to handle to BP.

In a properly designed range the air should move past the shooter and continue down range to move bad stuff from the shooting area as efficiently as possible. Even a mild windstorm takes a while to move that much air. Our range volume is about 40,000 feet. To move 40,000 feet of air in a short amount of time takes a heck of a big blower, and the targets would be waving all over the place.

On top of that, in the winter, 100% of the air from the furnace gets dumped right out the back. We tried HEP filters and recirculation and the expensive filters needed changing twice a month... so much for that. So, to move that much air would consume a heck of a lot more heating oil.

So, it isn't that range operators don't like BP shooters, it is just that BP was never designed for recreational indoor use.

Rick

[Blair]

Rick,

Thank you for your reply.

We have a slightly different problem here in the South. Shooters go to indoor ranges to get away from the heat and humidity.
That would amount to being like trying to AC the out-of-doors for about 9 months of the year.
Like heating cost up North, AC costs here are also high.
I'm not at all fond of indoor ranges for the same reasons as Major 2.
My best,
 Blair

[Thumb Buster]

If only there was an outdoor range closer and didn't require a full day of travel!  However, the ventilation at the aforementioned H&H Shooting Sports Complex is adequate on their newer bay with five lanes.  Trouble arises when someone turns on the big pedestal fan thinking they're blowing the smoke away from themselves.  What it does is stirs it up and defeats the overhead vents.  What is interesting is how much the relative humidity plays on the amount of smoke and how badly it hangs.

Then there are the converts...they strike up a conversation about the old single-actions asking if they are accurate.  I find that they are usually surprised at how accurate they can be.  Let them fire off a couple of rounds and the light in their eyes tells the story.  One was a young lady who asked how to load the C&B's, so I showed her and her husband.  Then she loaded one chamber and shot it.  "That didn't kick at all!"  Her hubby didn't want to bother.  Even had rang officers come in to see what the heck I'm shooting.  That 'BOOM' is so different than a 'Ka-bang'.

All in all I wish we had an outdoor range where you didn't have to join multiple organizations just to gain access and one with good safety control.  Oh...if only I was wealthier...