Places to Live & Shoot

[dwcon]

I live in southern Mo Up to 800 yards range out my back door Two ranges 600 and one up to 1000 within 40 miles . Home prices are low and so are taxes I shoot F class and 600 most .I have new home and 80 acres with 600yd range for sale Do you really want to move.LOL Dannie

 

[CaptainMal]

First thing I see is you want to stay west. Anything just east of California has to be better than California.

Next issue is two-fold. Ignoring income issues, weather and activities come into play. Would I be castrated if I said you just can't shoot all the time?

SavageDasher Larry did bring up the issue of other activities. In Florida you can fish, enjoy water sports, find tons and tons of recreational sports and activities and shooting. Sure it rains but mostly in the Summer for a couple hours every third afternoon. Let me check my numbers.

No snow. No cold. An occasional storm and good shooting in Florida. Lousy hunting. I mean awful. I have never ever set foot on Florida ground to hunt. I don't do snakes, gators and bugs well. Hunt in Georgia. Simple as that.

You have to prioritize ALL your interests, factor in political issues, weather, activities etc. Just get the heck out of California and never look back.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I bought out in Wyoming for 2 reasons. 1 and most important is my wife likes it. 2nd I can get over 900 yards on my own property. 20 miles east of my land is Rawlins, which has a public range that goes to 1000yards. This was bought to be seasonal, she doesn't like the cold, so have to ship her back to N.Florida and then catch up later. ;D

 

[butchlambert]

I just have to chime in for our glorious mountain state of West Virginia. We are one of the if not the most gun friendly states in the USA, almost half of our state representatives are card carrying members of the NRA. I belong to 3 gun clubs, one club is within 5 minutes from my house. There is 4 to 6 shooting clubs near me that I can choose which club I want to go to this Sunday and shoot in a match. We have great hunting, great fishing and great camping. At anytime I can be outside and hear gun shots up on the hill near my house in our little community, just like the old days, try that in a lot of places in America. Wild Wonderful West Virginia, Mountaineers are always free.
Dave T

Dave,
Isn't Manchin one of your senators? He is really trying to stifle gun ownership. WV better get rid of him.

 

[expiper]

Butch ,,,we cant get rid of the next VP..!!...Roger

 

[butchlambert]

Roger,
That would be a real tragedy!

 

[Dave T]

butch,
We are putting relentless pressure on Joe Obama Manchin, trust me. He has had to start running ads saying, "you know me, I haven't changed". Well unfortunately he has gotten to Washington and is now intoxicated on power and has changed. Joe Manchin now feeds at the slop trough of Barrack Obama, he stabbed gun owners in WV in the back. His changing views don't change our very gun friendly environment here in the mountain state, but he has brought us SHAME.
Dave T

 

[expiper]

Butch,,get ready to cry ,,,,its him and her in 16,,,my sources are never wrong,,,Roger

 

[mgx1138]

Phil,

I also live in San Francisco and am considering moving because of the politics and cost of living here... but there is superb shooting right here in the Bay Area and surrounding, so I am a bit surprised by that aspect of your post.

Richmond Rod and gun club has highpower matches on the 1st and 3rd weekends of every month. It is a 200 yard reduced course with nice pits and 10 firing points. The matches are 50 shots on both Saturday and Sunday of the 1st weekend of the month, and again on the 3rd Saturday of every month.

On the 2nd weekend of every month there is highpower and long range matches (also F-class) at Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. Sacramento Vally is a nice 1000 yard range (25 firing points). There is also silhouette (to 500m), tactical rifle, cowboy action, IPSC, and more. Many matches there every month. Sac Valley also hosts National and International long range matches every year.

Also on the 3rd weekend of every month there are highpower and long range matches at Coalinga rifle club (about 3 hours from SF). Coalinga is a very nice range with 25 firing points and pits on their 1000 yard range. Coalinga also has F-class, and other matches every month. The State Highpower Championship matches are also shot at Coalinga.

On the 4th weekend of every month there is a 50 shot highpower match at Chabot gun club on their 200 yard range (40 minutes from SF). Chabot's 200 yard range has 15 firing points and nice pits. There are also other rifle and pistol matches every month at Chabot.

I am an dedicated highpower shooter... I can shoot well attended matches (Richmond and Chabot typically have 25-35 competitors for every match) every weekend of every month. Richmond and Chabot have very nice covered firing lines, so we shoot all year long rain or shine. Weekend matches at Sacramento and Coalinga typically have 20-40 competitors, and big matches can have 60-80 competitors.

Eventually I think that I will also leave California... but I don't expect I will ever find an area where I can shoot as many matches every month year round. Many very, very good shooters live and shoot here in Northern California... we all bitch and suffer with the politics, but the weather and the number of very competitive matches make this a great place to live if you are a rifle (or other) competitive shooter.

I am very curious about other good places to live and shoot... the politics in California suck, but I can practice highpower and long range and shoot matches every week all year long in mostly great weather conditions. That is tough to find anywhere else; I think.

 

[expiper]

Phil,,,sounds like you should count your blessings and stay put,,Iv been to CA to shoot and it is a mecca of ranges and great weather,,,even set a Nat record there,,,,if Id a been born rich insted of good lookin Id be there,,,,Roger

 

[Raythemanroe]

If you guy's are right and they win the next election bid it won't matter where you live! That's true with the next mid term and this administration!

 

[Phil3]

Phil,
I know what you are trying to say. What would be wrong with Colorado as it has a tremendous amount of former Kalif. folks there now?
I see myself as an independent, not a straight ticket guy. I do not think our country will get well with either all democrat or all republican leadership. It is more important for our country to forget all the fussing and come together solving our problems.
Phil, you would be welcome here and treated well.

Butch,

The fact that Colorado has a lot of Kalifornia folks there is very worrisome. I am trying to escape these people, not move with them to another place. Secondly, Colorado passed some very bad anti-gun legislation, so bad, recall efforts are being launched, with two efforts failing in initial phases, and two others still moving ahead. MagPul, a magazine manufacturer, threatened to leave the state if Colorado passed these laws. A CO legislator actually said he felt they were bluffing. They weren't, and have moved, their last move dumping 20,000 high capacity magazines in the state to owners just two days before law took effect restricting magazine capacity. This was their final middle finger to Colorado.

I am not a straight ticket guy either, finding plenty I don't like about the party I am most aligned with. I don't see any "coming together", the populace far too divided too reach a compromise. It is like Israel and Iran leadership finding compromise. Compare Democrat John F. Kennedy (ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country) to Obama. They are not even in the same universe. As Reagan even said, "I didn't leave the Democratic party, they left me".

I don't know where it will all lead, but it is plain more and more people are migrating to where they feel they f Witness how people of different ethnic backgrounds migrate to one another. On the set of "Planet of the Apes", Charlton Heston said no one got out of costume for lunch, because it took too much time to get back in costume. At first, the stars, like Heston, Roddy McDowell, etc., all ate together. But, in time, the apes all began to eat together, as did the humans, etc. In Kalifornia, people like me are leaving, for places that are more aligned with our values, this accelerating in velocity as the extremes of places in the country move further and further apart.

I am confident still about Texas. I would be proud to be there to help preserve the existing culture.

Just my $0.02.

Phil

 

[Phil3]

Phil,

I also live in San Francisco and am considering moving because of the politics and cost of living here... but there is superb shooting right here in the Bay Area and surrounding, so I am a bit surprised by that aspect of your post.

Richmond Rod and gun club has highpower matches on the 1st and 3rd weekends of every month. It is a 200 yard reduced course with nice pits and 10 firing points. The matches are 50 shots on both Saturday and Sunday of the 1st weekend of the month, and again on the 3rd Saturday of every month.

On the 2nd weekend of every month there is highpower and long range matches (also F-class) at Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. Sacramento Vally is a nice 1000 yard range (25 firing points). There is also silhouette (to 500m), tactical rifle, cowboy action, IPSC, and more. Many matches there every month. Sac Valley also hosts National and International long range matches every year.

Also on the 3rd weekend of every month there are highpower and long range matches at Coalinga rifle club (about 3 hours from SF). Coalinga is a very nice range with 25 firing points and pits on their 1000 yard range. Coalinga also has F-class, and other matches every month. The State Highpower Championship matches are also shot at Coalinga.

On the 4th weekend of every month there is a 50 shot highpower match at Chabot gun club on their 200 yard range (40 minutes from SF). Chabot's 200 yard range has 15 firing points and nice pits. There are also other rifle and pistol matches every month at Chabot.

I am an dedicated highpower shooter... I can shoot well attended matches (Richmond and Chabot typically have 25-35 competitors for every match) every weekend of every month. Richmond and Chabot have very nice covered firing lines, so we shoot all year long rain or shine. Weekend matches at Sacramento and Coalinga typically have 20-40 competitors, and big matches can have 60-80 competitors.

Eventually I think that I will also leave California... but I don't expect I will ever find an area where I can shoot as many matches every month year round. Many very, very good shooters live and shoot here in Northern California... we all bitch and suffer with the politics, but the weather and the number of very competitive matches make this a great place to live if you are a rifle (or other) competitive shooter.

I am very curious about other good places to live and shoot... the politics in California suck, but I can practice highpower and long range and shoot matches every week all year long in mostly great weather conditions. That is tough to find anywhere else; I think.

I don't know much about NRA High Power shooting, but from what I know, it includes use of an AR-15 rifle, or a semi-auto with detachable mag and pistol grip. Those two, in California, right now, require the use of a bullet button kit (use a tool to drop mag, such as tip of button vs finger). That is not such a deal killer, but if pending legislation goes through, semi-autos with detachable mags will no longer be sold in CA. That would effectively end NRA High Power...as best as I can tell. Not for the guys who already have the rifles, but for anyone who needs to get one. The proposed banning of sales of existing semi-autos to another person will effectively slowly rid the state of such weapons (the intent).

From your post, it certainly does appear there are plenty of places for NRA High Power, but that is not what I do. I am just an amateur guy who does not compete, challenging himself and his equipment to better past performances, and to have fun. If I had a place that went to 1000 yards where I could drive a quad out to the target an and back, I'd be a happy camper. That is not happening in the bay area unless you have a friend with lots of land.

Sacramento is nice, but it is a 4 hour round trip for me, and the 1000 yard range if off-limits except to those that belong to a club and have been given keys to the equipment container box. Range rules mandate a shooter and a target puller, or two people. Up to 300 yards is available without those requirements.

I belong to Chabot and go there. They do have a 200 yard range, but it is open only on Friday mornings. Not good if you have a regular job.

For your shooting needs, the Bay Area serves you well, and hope it continues to, not withstanding pending legislation. I don't think you could find any place that offers as much High Power shooting as you enjoy here. I would have never thought that, but learned something new.

Phil

 

[Phil3]

I live in southern Mo Up to 800 yards range out my back door Two ranges 600 and one up to 1000 within 40 miles . Home prices are low and so are taxes I shoot F class and 600 most .I have new home and 80 acres with 600yd range for sale Do you really want to move.LOL Dannie

After hearing that, and contrasting it with what it here, yes, I want to move. - Phil

 

[butchlambert]

Phil,
I know politics are not discussed too much on the forum and I understand.If you have an opportunity read Ben Carson's book America the Beautiful. Ben is a very intelligent neuro surgeon. His type of conservatism is much like mine. He is an independent. Our new Senator Cruz thinks much like Dr. Carson. I guess you could call Ted Cruz a Tea Party person. Mr Cruz is not afraid of stepping on the establishment's toes. I do not agree with him 100%, but I'm pretty close to that. I get a weekly email keeping up to date on what is happening and wanting feedback from his constituents.

 

[Phil3]

First thing I see is you want to stay west. Anything just east of California has to be better than California.

Next issue is two-fold. Ignoring income issues, weather and activities come into play. Would I be castrated if I said you just can't shoot all the time?

SavageDasher Larry did bring up the issue of other activities. In Florida you can fish, enjoy water sports, find tons and tons of recreational sports and activities and shooting. Sure it rains but mostly in the Summer for a couple hours every third afternoon. Let me check my numbers.

No snow. No cold. An occasional storm and good shooting in Florida. Lousy hunting. I mean awful. I have never ever set foot on Florida ground to hunt. I don't do snakes, gators and bugs well. Hunt in Georgia. Simple as that.

You have to prioritize ALL your interests, factor in political issues, weather, activities etc. Just get the heck out of California and never look back.

My parents live in Sarasota, FL and have a good feel for the area. I also spent 12 years of my youth in Louisiana. I've collected and kept snakes for decades, so no worry about that. Weather in the summer can be tough, and I miss the hills around here, and worry about the purple color of the state politically. Far from family here, but still, FL has good things to recommend it.

Phil

 

[Phil3]

Phil,
I know politics are not discussed too much on the forum and I understand.If you have an opportunity read Ben Carson's book America the Beautiful. Ben is a very intelligent neuro surgeon. His type of conservatism is much like mine. He is an independent. Our new Senator Cruz thinks much like Dr. Carson. I guess you could call Ted Cruz a Tea Party person. Mr Cruz is not afraid of stepping on the establishment's toes. I do not agree with him 100%, but I'm pretty close to that. I get a weekly email keeping up to date on what is happening and wanting feedback from his constituents.

I really like Ben Carson (seen him on TV multiple times), but did not know he wrote the book. On Amazon, there 1,263 reviews with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Even the most critical helpful review was mild. I also admire and love Ted Cruz's certainty of his beliefs, the resoluteness of his resolve, and determination to do the right things. He alone makes Texas more appealing.

Phil

 

[mgx1138]

Phil,

You are absolutely right with respect to long range in Northern California. Sacramento Valley has long range practice during the week (Tuesday and Thursday, I think), but that is organized practice with the Palma guys. It is no problem for a non-competitive shooter to participate, but you have to shoot and pull targets... no just running up and down range to check targets.

The 200 yard line at Chabot is also primarily a competition range. There is organized practice there on Thursday, but it's the same deal... no target pulling, but organized relays.

Richmond has a 100 yard public range and the 200 yard range is open to club members whenever there is a range officer present (Wednesday and Friday mornings). Most weekends on the 200 are taken up with various competitive shooting matches.

So... it's good if you are a competitive shooter (rifle or pistol), but not so easy to just go and shoot however you want.

I will keep watching this post... like you, I think that 2nd amendment politics in California are depressing. Still, in most places you are lucky if you have 6 or 7 months out of the year that are good for shooting. If you can find an organized shooting sport that you enjoy, it's all year here in NorCal; until they finally succeed in banning our firearms.

 

[Steve3]

Boise

 

[Phil3]

I am definitely considering Eagle, ID (near Boise), but somehow, I just don't get the sense it is quite right for me. Maybe it is due to the climate, or having no familiarity with that area at all. I spent the early part of my youth in Louisiana. I have been to Florida innumerable times (Sarasota). I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to Tennessee. A fantastic long drive, that immersed me in sights, smells, peace, and old fashioned values. At one point, I pulled over in our rental car, and looked down the gently winding road, greenery in abundance, steam gently rising off the pavement from a recent shower, and freshness in the air, and I recall saying to myself, "I belong here". Weird feeling, but perhaps more clear when you spend so long in a place you don't belong. Far from CA and family, and wife is not so enamored with the idea, so...
- Phil