I have read this thread a few times and I know its a business and as a business owner you are the boss and the maker of the rules however I cannot fathom having a membership at any range where to shoot MY pistols I would have to use THEIR ammo. I reload. A Lot. I am particular about my cartridges. I have a good variety of pistols in a good variety of calibers, and I reload for them all. I can only imagine what you charge for 50AE. Probably something obtuse like 10 bucks a pop like most places. I reload it for 80 cents. Factory is 2 bucks a pop. But it's neat, it's a novelty. I get it. And that 20 year old guy wanting to get laid brings his 20 year old plenty of fish respondee in wearing heals and a thong to the range to fire "the big 50" and 10 bucks a titty jiggle is worth it. I get it, it's profit, lots, and easy money. I love making money! I love capitalism. But I love choice too, and I love a bit of compromise.
Rimfire however I can understand, 100%. 18 bucks for a sleeve of 50 22LR is laughable, but, it's understandable too! People don't have an option to reload that for the most part and it's not like you can blow a 22 up with crap ammo. And it would limit someone from taking up a bay for 8hrs shooting off a brick after paying 30 bucks for the day. That's cheap fun, for the shooter, but not profitable for the owner when the above mentioned 20 year old comes in to flex his fat wallet in front of his would be bedroom partner only to find the bays occupied by John Q Customer and his 20th attempt in sighting in his old mans 22LR Cooey at 25 yards, or fight with his groupings for the 100th time on his M93 Woodsman.. But I'm not a guy that brings a rifle or a 22 for that matter to an indoor range either so I'm on your side there.
Said and done, to have to buy the ranges reloaded centre fire pistol ammo, no thanks. Perhaps you need to have a good look at your business model and offer a proper membership like every other profiting range in the country and let people shoot their own stuff. $314.99 a year to still have to buy your ammo to use in my guns is not right. Raise them and let people shoot their own stuff or something. Offer a Wild West Ultra Premium Blazing Saddle Mega Elite Titanium Unicorn Membership for a bit more coin and let your loyalists have that freedom to fire what they like in their guns, I don't know lol. If I wrecked my firearm as a result of reloaded ammo bought from your business because your policy states I cannot use mine, it would be a very bad day. Waivers or not.
Or, how about you just dont allow people to bring their own firearms all together and run it like an amusement park. Like Go Karting or Klondike days or the Calgary Stampede or a strip joint. I imagine your monthly overhead to be in that location is enough to choke a rhinoceros, its a great location for the flow through traffic and customer acquisition costs are marginal due to its location.
Ultimately I am not you, you are not me, it is your business and you are not in the business of offering a full service range or charity. Your primary clientele is recreational and first time shooters, stags, people passing by, people on dates and the odd criminal. These people are the most profitable. I'm sure most enthusiasts and more adept shooters go elsewhere.
There are several indoor ranges in Calgary here that let you bring your own pistol ammo for your own guns and somehow they seem to turn a profit. They even let you bring in 22lr.. Their range memberships are not exactly cheap to the average person but it's all relative. They have higher membership fees and I don't mind forking over 500 bucks because I shoot a lot, and I would otherwise not have anywhere to go for half the year, I don't enjoy shivering in the cold shooting pistols, I do that enough at work. I pay for that luxury. And I can shoot my own Ammo.
The beauty of our society is we often have freedom of choice on the remuneration for services rendered. Choice on where to spend our hard earned dollars and if I were to live in Edmonton, I would choose elsewhere for my range membership. I have however bought A LOT of product from your retail storefront because, you are correct, you do have very competitive retail prices. I just couldn't see myself being told what I can and cannot shoot in my own gun other than steel core/jacket limitations etc.
I agree with part of both sides on this topic. That was fun.
