# Where Can I Find a Small...Out of the Way....Shooting Range??



## Nalajr (May 1, 2014)

Hey all,

I need some suggestions. I'd like to find a place out in the country, where no one would bother you, to do some shooting. Kinda like to place Chris Kyle was going to that awful day. It looked like a place out in the middle of nowhere with just a few stands sitting there. I've seen similar setups in Colorado and Nevada.

My problem is that I have a Benelli M1 that is set up with a +4 extension to be a Home Defense and possibly a 3 gun shotgun in the future. It hasn't been shot in over 10 years and the extension is brand new. So I need to put it through it's paces for 100 or so rounds to make sure everything is OK with it before I use it for Home Defense use. 
I am in the Houston area and I immediately thought of a range called Hot Wells. I've heard a lot of good things about it so I went to check it out. I go out and check the place out, it looks nice with lots of ranges for handgun, rifle and shotgun. The shotgun range is trap and skeet.

I tell the guy at the desk that I am needing to break in my HD shotgun and want to get a 100 round pack and do some shooting. I ask when the least busy time they have is and he tells me Thursday mornings.
He tells me that there's a problem with what I am wanting to do. He says that my shotgun isn't allowed on the shotgun range. It also isn't allowed on the Rifle or handgun range. I asked if there was another part of the place that I wasn't seeing and he said "NOPE."
So I said "where am I going to be allowed to shoot it then." Here is where I couldn't believe my ears.
He tells me that it's their policy that shotguns like mine are NOT allowed on the shotgun range. I asked why would there even be such an asinine policy. He then tells me that the guys that shoot trap and skeet don't like the shotguns like mine and that it SCARES them. It makes them very uncomfortable to be around people shooting those kinds of shotguns.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It's true though. I ask him what am I supposed to do with this shotgun and then he tells me that there is 1 other option they have for me.
It is a Home Defense Shotgun CLASS held 2 times per month and is $85 for 2 hours and you bring your own ammo. I ask if I'll get to shoot as much of my ammo as I want and he tells me "NO, you'll get to shoot what the instructor tells you to shoot. It might be 40 to 50 rounds." "If you don't get to shoot all the shells you want in the first class, you can pay an additional $25 and wait 2 weeks to come back and repeat it. You can do that as many times as you want."

SO...that's my option to break in my home defense shotgun.


Thinking this was the craziest thing I had ever heard, I called around to several other outdoor ranges. It turns out that many of them will NOT allow you to load more than 2 rounds at a time on their shotgun ranges. A lot of them will even have a range employee right with you at all times when on the shotgun range.

So, pretty much there is no way I have found so far that I can test and break in my Benelli.

That's why I need to find an out of the way place, out in the country, sticks or whatever you want to call them, where I can pull up, pay a fee to someone if I have to, and shoot my shotgun as much as I want and not have to put up with other shotgunners that are AFRAID of my mean, evil looking gun.

I wouldn't mind it being private property or an established place as long as I could shoot my shotgun the way I want to without these 2 round rules and so forth.

Is there any place I can go to shoot without interference? I wouldn't mind driving 1 or even 2 hours to do it too. I also don't have a problem with paying a fee to someone for the privilege too.

Any advice or help you can offer?

Thanks for your time.

Nalajr

Feel free to PM me if you'd rather discuss in private.


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## Bily Lovec (Sep 26, 2005)

where do you live ?

there is a place out in Fulshear like what you're asking.


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## sixshootertexan (Nov 27, 2006)

There is a private range in Magnolia also. Annual membership required.


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

There's a range on the south side of League City off of 96 and 270 if I remember correctly. Shot out there once, real quiet and not crowded at all. They pretty much let me do what I wanted, when I wanted to since I was the only person there.

Texas City gun range will allow you to shoot up your shot gun on the rifle range. Move the target to the 25 yard stand and blast away. Don't get silly with the rapid fire and follow their instructions. Good clean range and very safety conscious. $8 or so per shooter.


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## glenbo (Apr 9, 2010)

Bird, the range you're talking about is Clear Creek Gun Range, on FM 1266 between 646 and 96. It's run by Al Trug, who's a weird little guy but likeable. They usually have a couple of girls who work there in the office and as range safety. Lots of mosquitoes sometimes, but rarely crowded. They will let you shoot what you want where you want.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Go to ASC. They permit shotguns on the 200 yard line, for sure. Maybe even 100 yards. I don't know. Plus, there are no ranger officers, per se, on the 200 to 600 yard ranges. So, you can kinda do what you want.


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## dingbat (Aug 5, 2013)

Bird said:


> There's a range on the south side of League City off of 96 and 270 if I remember correctly. Shot out there once, real quiet and not crowded at all. They pretty much let me do what I wanted, when I wanted to since I was the only person there.
> 
> Texas City gun range will allow you to shoot up your shot gun on the rifle range. Move the target to the 25 yard stand and blast away. Don't get silly with the rapid fire and follow their instructions. Good clean range and very safety conscious. $8 or so per shooter.





glenbo said:


> Bird, the range you're talking about is Clear Creek Gun Range, on FM 1266 between 646 and 96. It's run by Al Trug, who's a weird little guy but likeable. They usually have a couple of girls who work there in the office and as range safety. Lots of mosquitoes sometimes, but rarely crowded. They will let you shoot what you want where you want.


Be advised, at clear creek gun range (hwy 96 & FM 1266) there is water at the far end of the skeet/trap range and you will be required to shoot steel shot.

I have seen people shooting shotguns between the two 100yd rifle ranges and lead shot is permitted on that range


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## Tailshot (Jan 23, 2010)

Ernest said:


> Plus, there are no ranger officers, per se, on the 200 to 600 yard ranges. So, you can kinda do what you want.


 Not exactly...it's still pretty tight on range safety, and should be! Some asian boys with black guns were down there acting the fool back before deer season and an ex-Marine sniper sighting in his rifle thumped their noggins' for em.


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## stammster - temporary (Jul 20, 2009)

Do you have a boat? Launch, head 2-3 miles out in Galveston Bay, and blast away.


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## treeaggie (Sep 22, 2014)

sixshootertexan said:


> There is a private range in Magnolia also. Annual membership required.


Please tell me more. I live in Tomball and am looking for an outdoor range to shoot. I have an membership to Spring Guns & Ammo, which is great for pistols, but isn't really all that good for rifles, as it is only 25 yds long.


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## txbred (May 13, 2013)

treeaggie said:


> Please tell me more. I live in Tomball and am looking for an outdoor range to shoot. I have an membership to Spring Guns & Ammo, which is great for pistols, but isn't really all that good for rifles, as it is only 25 yds long.


Have you tried Hot Wells? Its in Cypress, not far from Tomball. 100 yd max.


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