Frustrated with Gun Club Experience
- Thread starter srv2miker
- Start date
Hmm lets talk about that sh!thole
At poco they dont shut down the rifle range to do trap, they dont shut down any ranges to do archery and you can do archery any time that they are open.
they dont turn away new members, they do trap every other weekend some times 2 weekends in a row. theres 1 public range out to 200m , theres 4 pistol ranges that you can use once you have your range user card.
range 7 has heaters running the entire shooting line on the rifle range for those cold days/nights. there open some nights for public, and theres other nights for members / guests.
theres over 40 targets on the archery trails
membership is only 140 for the year.
they do pistol matches and ipsc matches, PPC shoots. pumpkin shoots and much more.
you can check them out at www.pcdhfc.com and if you want to see the range and shoot while your there the day card is $20
I shoot there all the time, i enjoy the club
I also go and shoot at thompson, i shoot ipsc matches there often. good club, good people, just a little hilly but that what a car is for.
DVC indoor range is fun and warm. and just down the hill from pcdhfc. and not far from TSMA.
i dont see why people have to say bad sh!t about other clubs, were all here to shoot and have fun.
Its not High school any more ..
<SNIP> I also go and shoot at thompson, i shoot ipsc matches there often. good club, good people, just a little hilly but that what a car is for.
Each of the lower mainland & valley ranges have their plus/minuses. Just join one or two that you feel comfortable at and have the facilities/disciplines that you are looking for. In no particular order:
DVC
Chilliwack
Abbotsford
Mission
Ridgedale
Thompson
POCO
Semiahmoo
Richmond
Silvercore?
Langley
Agassiz
Did I miss any?
Each of the lower mainland & valley ranges have their plus/minuses. Just join one or two that you feel comfortable at and have the facilities/disciplines that you are looking for. In no particular order:
DVC
Chilliwack
Abbotsford
Mission
Ridgedale
Thompson
POCO
Semiahmoo
Richmond
Silvercore?
Langley
Agassiz
Did I miss any?
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Sounds like the range I shoot at in Cache Creek. We don't have heaters for winter, because it gets snowed in until Spring, and we only have outhouses, but we have a 50m pistol/smallbore range, and the main range goes out to 375yds.
We welcome new members.
Dave_Shotgun
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Ford Nation! :)
I think if you go into a new gun club expecting them to 'roll out the red carpet' for you, then you're probably going to be disappointed. But if you go into it knowing that to them, you're just some stranger whose interested in shooting at their range, then it might be ok. My expectations of the club that I'm planning on joining are not very high. I just need a place to test out my shotgun dangit. I could care less if the people there like me or not.
Hey, don't let a few bad apples ruin your fun. I agree, shooting is a dying sport and we should welcome new responsible gun owners with open arms. As a new shooter, my club welcomed me with open arms, and have given me nothing but encouragment and helpful pointers along the way. We should be united as like-minded people and stand together. So maybe those who want to keep people out because of their lack of experience, should take the time to educate someone in the sport. As someone took the time to educate THEM. It's not a closed sport people! Do you want educated, responsibe gun owners or yahoos to represent us?!
You are welcome to come shoot anytime if you are around Calgary area. don't let them drive you out of the sport. It's too much fun to miss out on.
You are welcome to come shoot anytime if you are around Calgary area. don't let them drive you out of the sport. It's too much fun to miss out on.
If anyone is interested in joining a club simply for the LTATT join Silvercore, it's around $30. There is no actual range IIRC but you still get your LTATT.
Langley blows, I used to shoot there. Lots of good people but I got tired of the rules:
-No magnum loads
-Only five rounds per magazine/cylinder
-No rapid fire
-No centerfire rifle
-Only 20 yards
Abbotsford Fish & Game is awesome, but is limited to 100 yards. They are fine with any type of rifle, load, rapid fire etc. Quite often I am there shooting by myself.
Langley blows, I used to shoot there. Lots of good people but I got tired of the rules:
-No magnum loads
-Only five rounds per magazine/cylinder
-No rapid fire
-No centerfire rifle
-Only 20 yards
Abbotsford Fish & Game is awesome, but is limited to 100 yards. They are fine with any type of rifle, load, rapid fire etc. Quite often I am there shooting by myself.
Anything from North Vancouver to Whistler ? North of Whister, there's one just outside Pemberton.
- Location
- Maple Ridge, BC
I too am always blown away at how rude and unwelcoming the staff and some members can be at gun clubs. I’m a member at a couple of lower mainland clubs and NONE of them understand how to welcome new people or appeal to people considering getting into shooting. They could not be more unwelcoming or intimidating if they tried…The Mission club is brutal in my opinion; crazy rule Nazis…the regulars can be downright rude to new people. ARE you a member here? Did you pay your drop in fee? ..always the first words out of their mouths, never: Hi, welcome to the club my name is….
The sense of entitlement and elitist attitudes exhibited by the “old boys” is amazing sometimes. I simply love to shoot and refuse to take their $hit. When asked to produce my membership card I now always demand to see there’s first and then act like I have every bit as much right to be there as they do…because I do. I call them on their rude behavior and tell them they are hurting our sport and futures by making new members and shooters feel unwelcome…they grumble and mutter about the “old days”.
My advice; join the club you want and ignore the “grumpy old men”…they seem to haunt most gun clubs.
The sense of entitlement and elitist attitudes exhibited by the “old boys” is amazing sometimes. I simply love to shoot and refuse to take their $hit. When asked to produce my membership card I now always demand to see there’s first and then act like I have every bit as much right to be there as they do…because I do. I call them on their rude behavior and tell them they are hurting our sport and futures by making new members and shooters feel unwelcome…they grumble and mutter about the “old days”.
My advice; join the club you want and ignore the “grumpy old men”…they seem to haunt most gun clubs.
- Location
- Maple Ridge, BC
Sadly, this is the best attitude to have and one I have adopted after feeling very unwelcome as a new member most places. Of the 3 clubs I have joined I never ONCE got a tour or a welcome...lots of talk about rules and what I was allowed and not allowed to do though.
punkrockboy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Eastern Bantario!
My former club, The Pembroke Outdoor Sportsmans Club, was not very welcoming to new shooters(the indoor pistol range).
I decided to try the indoor pistol range back in April, everybody was cold, some were even quite rude. They were obviously happy with their own little clique, and didnt feel the need to welcome a new shooter. Needless to say, that was my first and last time using the indoor range. I actually said to one of the guys that was rude, while on my way out, that though they would never be able to discourage me from shooting(I've been shooting for years)I cant help but wonder how many new shooters(the future of our hobby) they have turned away from shooting!
I decided to try the indoor pistol range back in April, everybody was cold, some were even quite rude. They were obviously happy with their own little clique, and didnt feel the need to welcome a new shooter. Needless to say, that was my first and last time using the indoor range. I actually said to one of the guys that was rude, while on my way out, that though they would never be able to discourage me from shooting(I've been shooting for years)I cant help but wonder how many new shooters(the future of our hobby) they have turned away from shooting!
- Location
- Kawartha Lakes
I wouldnt judge the entire club on one a$$hole caretakers attitude. I live in Bantario and have belonged to several clubs in the last 25yrs, and yes there is a lot of mouthpiece know it all's out there, but you will find that most members are helpfull and kind to new members. I currently belong to the Orillia Gun Club and can honestly boast that it is the best of the four clubs that I have belonged to in central Ontario.
- Location
- Kawartha Lakes
Does he frequent the Barrie Gun Club.......LOL
I'm a member at three clubs:
Mission - mostly quiet, has range out to 100m, 200m and 295 yards ( yes, it would be nice to be 300m but c'est la vie ). Has a seperate pistol range where one shot rule doesn't apply and has a nice cowboy action area. The rifle range is occassionally policed by real p.i.t.a Fudds ( recently I was chastised for loading my rimfire Savage 22 magazine and made to follow the one round at a time rule even though the rules allow for discretion by RSO's ) but most of the time it is just a bunch of people who like shooting doing their own stuff safely and quietly. Ideal place for working on accuracy, load development etc.
PoCo - can be a real busy place on range 7 and the RSO's have to be on the safety stuff all the time but people are friendly and usually you get to see a whole bunch of different firearms. If you are able to put up with the crowded facility you can have a nice time there and get to know the staff etc but if you are the kind of person that needs solitude it won't be your kind of place. It has good facilities and is well maintained. I usually shoot the stuff there that would raise eyebrows at Mission ( Ar's etc ) and my milsurps as it isn't really ideal for precision rifle ( but people do ). If you become Range User Certified you can use the much quieter ranges for pistol but until qualification you are restricted to the busy public range. Obviously weekends are the busiest.
Gabriola - A totally quiet, somewhat shotgun-centric, rural place that is perfect for just doing your own thing. Super friendly people and exceptionally nice facilities.
Mission - mostly quiet, has range out to 100m, 200m and 295 yards ( yes, it would be nice to be 300m but c'est la vie ). Has a seperate pistol range where one shot rule doesn't apply and has a nice cowboy action area. The rifle range is occassionally policed by real p.i.t.a Fudds ( recently I was chastised for loading my rimfire Savage 22 magazine and made to follow the one round at a time rule even though the rules allow for discretion by RSO's ) but most of the time it is just a bunch of people who like shooting doing their own stuff safely and quietly. Ideal place for working on accuracy, load development etc.
PoCo - can be a real busy place on range 7 and the RSO's have to be on the safety stuff all the time but people are friendly and usually you get to see a whole bunch of different firearms. If you are able to put up with the crowded facility you can have a nice time there and get to know the staff etc but if you are the kind of person that needs solitude it won't be your kind of place. It has good facilities and is well maintained. I usually shoot the stuff there that would raise eyebrows at Mission ( Ar's etc ) and my milsurps as it isn't really ideal for precision rifle ( but people do ). If you become Range User Certified you can use the much quieter ranges for pistol but until qualification you are restricted to the busy public range. Obviously weekends are the busiest.
Gabriola - A totally quiet, somewhat shotgun-centric, rural place that is perfect for just doing your own thing. Super friendly people and exceptionally nice facilities.
People can be selfish. And when they're cold, people sometimes do strange things. But gun owners, as a group, must have a greater awareness of our own personal space.
A person's personal space should always be respected.
