New member. Anyone with experience with clubs north of Toronto?

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canoetrpr

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Hi there:

Just joined up the forum.

I'm signed up to do the CFSC/CFRSC very soon and am interested in trap, skeet and sporting clay. I'm located north of Toronto (East Gwillimbury) and both the Barrie Gun Club and Toronto International Trap and Skeet would be accessible to me.

I've managed to make contact with the Barrie Gun Club and am going to visit them tomorrow.

Is anyone on here affiliated with Toronto International by any chance? I'd like to find out a bit more about the club and visit.

I'm hoping to find a club where I can get some instruction to get started correctly. I'd appreciate any opinions you might have of these two clubs or if you are a member I'd really appreciate coming up and saying hello at the club when you were shooting and have you point me to the right folks to talk to.
 
I visited Barrie, Toronto International and Uxbridge today.

These are just first impressions so they may or may not be accurate representations of these clubs.

Barrie has some of everything: skeet, trap and an indoor range for pistols. The only indoor range I have been to is one in Utah and man that was pretty high tech with automated targets that moved back when you wanted. This one was nothing like that but more than functional. They had a price list for ammo at Barrie and it seemed quite reasonable. Annual dues are ~$400 recurring and a bunch of initiation fees that amount to about $600 or so in the first year.

Toronto International has quite a nice setup with a number of trap, skeet etc. fields. Seems quite well organised with kids working there to keep score and doing the 'pulling'. Nice looking clubhouse. No one was particularly approachable though. I talked to a guy behind a counter and asked about instruction. He said they did not have formal instruction but there was a guy on Saturdays that helped the newbies out. It seems setup for people that know what they are doing and just want to shoot a game. The only upside I can see of being a member is that they charge a bit less per game. Seems like they don't mind people who are non members coming up and shooting whenever they want. The hours are VERY convenient as is the price - $185 recurring with no initiation fees.

Uxbridge was the most club like atmosphere. I talked to the manager who was a very nice guy and spent time telling me all about the sport. They seem to concentrate on skeet but have one trap station. They also have international skeet. No pistol range. He offered to take me out in the future for an introductory lesson for no charge (jut the ammo) even before I got my license. It seems that one could arrange to have formal lessons which is also nice. Their hours work least for me though as they shoot on Wed nights and Sundays and I have another hobby going on Sundays in the summer. It could work though. Membership is $245 recurring and $250 initiation.

I'm also going to check out the Grange club in Gormley - close to me. They use the Target Sports location which I hear is a good range with the mechanical target return. All pistol stuff though - no skeet or trap. Membership is $550 recurring and $650 in the first year.

I find the ATT portion of the gun regulations really silly wrt. the fact that you have to be a club member somewhere to get an ATT. I'm interested in getting into trap and/or skeet but it would be also good to own a pistol that I can occasionally fire at a place like Target Sports on a per use basis and pay the range fee. Unfortunately you can't really purchase a pistol and take it there to shoot it unless you have a membership at a club somewhere and get an ATT.

I might go take a look at Orillia as well even if I can make it there only occasionally.
 
canoetrpr said:
I visited Barrie, Toronto International and Uxbridge today.

These are just first impressions so they may or may not be accurate representations of these clubs.

Barrie has some of everything: skeet, trap and an indoor range for pistols. The only indoor range I have been to is one in Utah and man that was pretty high tech with automated targets that moved back when you wanted. This one was nothing like that but more than functional. They had a price list for ammo at Barrie and it seemed quite reasonable. Annual dues are ~$400 recurring and a bunch of initiation fees that amount to about $600 or so in the first year.

Toronto International has quite a nice setup with a number of trap, skeet etc. fields. Seems quite well organised with kids working there to keep score and doing the 'pulling'. Nice looking clubhouse. No one was particularly approachable though. I talked to a guy behind a counter and asked about instruction. He said they did not have formal instruction but there was a guy on Saturdays that helped the newbies out. It seems setup for people that know what they are doing and just want to shoot a game. The only upside I can see of being a member is that they charge a bit less per game. Seems like they don't mind people who are non members coming up and shooting whenever they want. The hours are VERY convenient as is the price - $185 recurring with no initiation fees.

Uxbridge was the most club like atmosphere. I talked to the manager who was a very nice guy and spent time telling me all about the sport. They seem to concentrate on skeet but have one trap station. They also have international skeet. No pistol range. He offered to take me out in the future for an introductory lesson for no charge (jut the ammo) even before I got my license. It seems that one could arrange to have formal lessons which is also nice. Their hours work least for me though as they shoot on Wed nights and Sundays and I have another hobby going on Sundays in the summer. It could work though. Membership is $245 recurring and $250 initiation.

I'm also going to check out the Grange club in Gormley - close to me. They use the Target Sports location which I hear is a good range with the mechanical target return. All pistol stuff though - no skeet or trap. Membership is $550 recurring and $650 in the first year.

I find the ATT portion of the gun regulations really silly wrt. the fact that you have to be a club member somewhere to get an ATT. I'm interested in getting into trap and/or skeet but it would be also good to own a pistol that I can occasionally fire at a place like Target Sports on a per use basis and pay the range fee. Unfortunately you can't really purchase a pistol and take it there to shoot it unless you have a membership at a club somewhere and get an ATT.

I might go take a look at Orillia as well even if I can make it there only occasionally.
Click to expand...

Im a memeber at barrie and I must say that it is a very safe club and there are many people that will be willing to teach u anything that you are interested in
 
canoetrpr said:
I visited Barrie, Toronto International and Uxbridge today.

These are just first impressions so they may or may not be accurate representations of these clubs.

Toronto International has quite a nice setup with a number of trap, skeet etc. fields. Seems quite well organised with kids working there to keep score and doing the 'pulling'. Nice looking clubhouse. No one was particularly approachable though. I talked to a guy behind a counter and asked about instruction. He said they did not have formal instruction but there was a guy on Saturdays that helped the newbies out. It seems setup for people that know what they are doing and just want to shoot a game. The only upside I can see of being a member is that they charge a bit less per game. Seems like they don't mind people who are non members coming up and shooting whenever they want. The hours are VERY convenient as is the price - $185 recurring with no initiation fees.
Click to expand...

I have always found the members at toronto international to be quite friendly and it to be a well run facility. Admittedly, speaking Italian helps.
 
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My vote would still be Uxbridge, (even with the limited hours) I turned up one cold winter day fresh of the boat (well plane) and couldnt have wished to meet more friendly people shortly after I was shooting. I just wish I had more time to get back out but Im "working" on that
 
Yeah, some clubs are "ole boy" atmosphere until they get to know you, and then sometimes they never get to know you, lol. Keep looking, I did and found one that works for me. It's the members' attitudes that really make a club.
Good luck, you will find the right fit.
 
I am going to be applying at the Barrie club since the Orillia club says that they do not accept new members. Their loss I guess. Barrie and Orillia are the same distance for me so either would work.
 
I'm new as well, in Bolton Ontario, and have an interested in shotgun shooting in general (trap, skeet, sporting clays) as well as rimfire and centerfire rifle. The closer the better, of course.
 
try asking at the orillia gun club again. its got great everything and the price is right on, 250 a year i believe. call on a sunday
 
Oshawa has a great club for facilities but to the best of my knowledge is and always been a bit of a snobbish community. Nonetheless might still be worth checking out. I imagine for those that just want to go out and shoot it would be easy enough to fly under the.radar of their political bs.
 
I haven't been out to the gun club, but my experience with every other organization in Oshawa is it tries to be the "whatever mafia". Wine mafia, Camaro mafia, Pokemon mafia, doesn't bloody matter they have to find a way to make it profitable and illegal.

Is this gun club composed of the hundred honest people left in Oshawa or something? I guess it would make sense they're holding out with all the guns. :p
 
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