Close to Vancouver??

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Mr_Price

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I'm about to start getting back into shooting clays and looking to join a gun club.

The only place I've shot is at the Langley Fish & Game Club (and DVC). I'm thinking either Vancouver Gun Club or Port Coquitlam?

I live in North Van. My preference is for sporting clays but I just like to powder clays, so Trap and Skeet are of huge interest too.

I'm planning on getting my rPAL in the next couple of months (new kid arrives next week so I'm kinda tied up with family life LOL), so thinking PoCo is probably a better choice for the long run.

I'll check out both before I sign up but I'm looking for some local input. Thoughts, suggestions, experiences? Any local like minded shooters want to grab a beer and give me some more insight??
 
PoCo is good, I belong, I like the friendliness of the RO's, they aren't snobby. I can't speak to their trap or skeet offerings…yet;), and I haven't been to any other ranges, usually shoot out in the bush, but even that is getting more difficult, as Squamish has now set up most road accessible land as non-firearms areas (makes some sense with SO many dirt bikers, mountainbikers, etc.)
I'm in the same boat with new kids. I really enjoy the Wednesday night small bore opening, gives me a chance to get out but not use valuable weekend time.
It is getting busy out there, but I'm looking at taking the black badge pistol course so I can use the other 50yard ranges unsupervised.
I'm unfamiliar with the Vancouver Gun Club, I'll have to check it out.
 
I think Vancouver gun has the best shotgun course in the lower mainland, it's been years since I was there though
 
^
I would recommend the vancouver gun club as well. You can get their membership for $50 good until March and see if you like their facilities.

They've got sporting clays, 5 stand, skeet, and trap. People there are usually friendly as well.

Cheers,
Harry
 
woofer2609 said:
Strong preference is given to people who have a Squamish address at the Squamish range, I believe.
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Yeah, the website says that it's basically closed to non-residents. It's been like that for a year or two.

Squamish would have been ideal, it looks like the perfect set up for what I want.

Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps it's VGC for clays and then when I'm thinking of getting a handgun I'll either join PoCo or maybe just DVC. It will literally be "baby steps" for a couple of years.

I'm self-employed so I can be flexible with both family life and hobbies. In fact one of the reasons I want to get back into shooting, apart from missing it, is my other hobbies (racing other peoples sail boats, golf & skiing) generally involve needing other people to be around. Whereas range time doesn't matter if I'm solo. So mid-week I can often sneak off for a few hours.
 
VGC is a fun place to shoot. I used to be a member when I lived in Van. The sporting clays course is fantastic.

Squamish is probably the same distance for you if you account for traffic. Or, if you don't mind a drive PWA north of Whistler is the best range I've ever been to. It's usually empty, well maintained and you're the range office 90% of the time.

We bring our own throwers unless it's a weekend, no skeet but the fact we can shoot hassle free is the best part.
 
Does anyone know why the VGC Is only open 3 days a week?

PoCo only does trap/skeet every 2nd/4th Sunday. I really wish it was open more often than that... I have been a member up there for a year, and while I'm only like 10 minutes away, Sundays are rarely open for me, so I haven't made it out to shoot skeet yet (although I really need to change that...)

There is also a club in Pitt Meadows that is shotguns only, but they are hardly ever open.
 
J_Scott said:
Or, if you don't mind a drive PWA north of Whistler is the best range I've ever been to. It's usually empty, well maintained and you're the range office 90% of the time.

We bring our own throwers unless it's a weekend, no skeet but the fact we can shoot hassle free is the best part.
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This is very interesting. At the end of the day the extra 40 minutes in the car to get to Whistler is double what I would have to do to PoCo or VGC. It might be worth it! I'll put it on my list of places to check out.

Cheers!
 
Mr_Price said:
This is very interesting. At the end of the day the extra 40 minutes in the car to get to Whistler is double what I would have to do to PoCo or VGC. It might be worth it! I'll put it on my list of places to check out.

Cheers!
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I know, it seems crazy, but it's a fun drive, little traffic, and you can get a ski or mtn bike ride in along the way. ;)

Jokes aside, it's a great range and SUPER cheap to join. A bit of volunteering is required though.
 
J_Scott said:
I know, it seems crazy, but it's a fun drive, little traffic, and you can get a ski or mtn bike ride in along the way. ;)

Jokes aside, it's a great range and SUPER cheap to join. A bit of volunteering is required though.
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I love that drive (when the wife is not in the car). I lived in the Swiss Alps for 7 years and dearly miss the driving in Europe, there are parts of that drive that remind me of home. ��

Expect a PM in the summer for more details.....
 
I like Langley because my wife and I (who are not very good) can go out on our own and shoot by ourselves.
At Vancouver, we would always have to wait to join other more experience shooters which was a little daunting for us.
 
jermyzy said:
I like Langley because my wife and I (who are not very good) can go out on our own and shoot by ourselves.
At Vancouver, we would always have to wait to join other more experience shooters which was a little daunting for us.
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In all the sports and hobbies I've ever enjoyed I love being the "less capable" person in a group. Nothing like learning from those that have already put the time and money into a sport.

Fair enough though. Does it need two of you, one to operate the trap?, or do you both get to shoot?
 
Mr_Price said:
In all the sports and hobbies I've ever enjoyed I love being the "less capable" person in a group. Nothing like learning from those that have already put the time and money into a sport.

Fair enough though. Does it need two of you, one to operate the trap?, or do you both get to shoot?
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It's more that we are worried we are holding up the line. We take longer to mount the shotgun and get ready to shoot, so we don't want to ruin the rhythm of other shooters.
The range at Langley uses microphones, so we can both shoot together.
 
jermyzy said:
It's more that we are worried we are holding up the line. We take longer to mount the shotgun and get ready to shoot, so we don't want to ruin the rhythm of other shooters.
The range at Langley uses microphones, so we can both shoot together.
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Their problem, not yours. I was a pro skier and people often had concerns they weren't "good enough" to ski with me. I just love being in the mountains and what bigger buzz than watching someone finding their way on a path to of life long obsession and joy. Whilst not at the same level the same has been true of everything I've ever enjoyed, sailing golf, missing clay pigeons...

YMMV. ��
 
I'm in the same boat with a second kid on the way and trying to find a range to call home. I've been to PoCo a few times in the last year and my experience was good. I work shift work so I can sneak out on weekdays for a few hours from time to time and the drive is quick from North Van. The only trap and sporting clays shoots I've done have been with my inlaws in the cariboo but I'd like to go down here once I join a range. I think I'll be putting my name on the waitlist at PoCo in the near future, although PWA would be fun to check out sometime. Might have to work it into a Joffre ski tour day sometime
 
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