Trying to find a range...

[DeadEyeDan]

Why is everything so hard in MA? September last year took the safety course and then called BPD for an Interview time, Interview 11/27. Go to Moon Island 11/28 to take the shooting test. Last Friday (2/22) I pickup my LTC at BPD HQ.

So I go to Sportsman’s Den on Saturday pickup a pistol and some ammo. I’m ready to go shooting, The closest range to me is Boston Pistol and Rifle... but they are crazy expensive, charging $60 and hour and you can only shoot the SinterFire ammo they sell at $22+ a box of fifty... I go on google and find the next two closest ranges Braintree and Weymouth. Go on the Website and see both are private. Try to join Braintree and see the I need to go to the new member orientation first, make an a appointment on the website and find that the next free slot is in April... Go to the Weymouth Sportsman’s club site and find out the I need to drop of a paper membership app with a check and then wait two week and do an orientation on the in March... all I want to do is a little target shooting! It’s so damn hard here!

 

[fshalor]

Go look at Taunton rifle and pistol club.

Best laid back safe and clean option I was able to find.

 

[enbloc]

Have you tried Mass Firearms School (MFS) in the sponsor link at the top of this page? $25 bucks for All Day Pass... So, shoot for 5 hours at $5 bucks an hour.
Holliston, MA

39 min. from Boston... Map

Shoot as a Non Member
Mass Firearms School has a state of the art facility with 2 indoor ranges totaling 17 lanes with state of the art ventilation and climate control. Open 7 days a week MFS is the place you to enjoy your the shooting sports.

Have a Massachusetts Firearms License?

•$25 per person for an All Day Range Pass!
•$10 gun rental. Click here to check out the firearms we have available.

Don’t Have a Massachusetts Firearms License?

Schedule a personal range session with one of our instructors for only $65 ($15 for each additional shooter. Click here for more information.

 

[slap shot]

Go look at Taunton rifle and pistol club.

Best laid back safe and clean option I was able to find.

Takes just as long to get in though. Same with any private club I guess. Find someone with some land and make friends. The local cops and firefighters always have access to sand pits.

 

[EMTDAD]

American Firearms School in North Attleboro. Right off Exit 5 on 95.

Mass Firearms School sometimes has Groupons for 3 month memberships.. unlimited range time and free rentals.

 

[DeadEyeDan]

Have you tried Mass Firearms School (MFS) in the sponsor link at the top of this page? $25 bucks for All Day Pass... So, shoot for 5 hours at $5 bucks an hour.
Holliston, MA

Shoot as a Non Member
Mass Firearms School has a state of the art facility with 2 indoor ranges totaling 17 lanes with state of the art ventilation and climate control. Open 7 days a week MFS is the place you to enjoy your the shooting sports.

Have a Massachusetts Firearms License?

•$25 per person for an All Day Range Pass!
•$10 gun rental. Click here to check out the firearms we have available.

Don’t Have a Massachusetts Firearms License?

Schedule a personal range session with one of our instructors for only $65 ($15 for each additional shooter. Click here for more information.

I will try to stop by after work tomorrow!

 

[enbloc]

Tell 'em...NES sent ya'.
You're gonna love it there...

 

[DeadEyeDan]

Tell 'em...NES sent ya'.
You're gonna love it there...

Just googled it, 45 minute drive...

 

[enbloc]

Yeah, I got 39mins but only used "Boston" as a starting point as I didn't know where you were coming from...

Remember: The 65mph speed limit... Is only a suggestion.

 

[Caveman]

MFS in Holliston is great. Took a few classes there and loved it. Used to burn 3-400 rds before each class as a warm up. Picked up quite a few firearms through them as well. Good bunch of guys. Wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

 

[42!]

Come north to freedom, Granite State in Hudson, NH. I highly recommend trying the FN SCAR, but bring you credit card, the thing eats ammo.

 

[enbloc]

You know Dan, with the politics of Local Gun and Sportsman's clubs, plus the waiting list (a lot have them) and the cost of dues (many have a joining fee, plus first year's dues)
Being a "Pay as you go" customer has its advantages...

At least in the early stages of the addiction...

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Just googled it, 45 minute drive...

My range is Harvard Sportsmans. Over an hour drive. Worth every minute of it.

Why don’t you join someplace local, and hit MFS until you get in?

 

[John42056]

+1 for MFS although it is pretty busy on the weekends. Weekdays are pretty slow. They do close early on Wednesday’s though, so just be aware of that.

 

[steve8140]

Unfortunately when you live within the city area you are very limited. Get out of the city and ranges are plentiful. If you just want to plink at paper targets then go to any range, if you want more then you should do some research. Options can be anything from IDPA, USPSA, 3 gun, sporting clays, trap, skeet, steel challenge, CMP, and whatever else you can think of. Every club runs different events.

 

[enbloc]

From what I hear, Brockton is a pretty popular place to shoot at 3am on a Saturday night...

 

[VTski4x4]

My range is Harvard Sportsmans. Over an hour drive. Worth every minute of it.

Why don’t you join someplace local, and hit MFS until you get in?

Harvard is the best. Little over an hour from me, but 500x worth it over the ranges that are 15mins closer.

 

[44marty]

My heart goes out to you guys. I am spoiled out in the Berkshire hills where I can step outside and shoot from my deck.

When I first started shooting, I lived in Andover. We would shoot on the "Indian reservation" behind the high school. 1960's

 

[Radtekk]

My heart goes out to you guys. I am spoiled out in the Berkshire hills where I can step outside and shoot from my deck.

When I first started shooting, I lived in Andover. We would shoot on the "Indian reservation" behind the high school. 1960's

It's people like you that make me jealous of people like you.

 

[fshalor]

Tell 'em...NES sent ya'.
You're gonna love it there...

Darn I can't find it. But I have a picture somewhere of my Jeep when I pulled into that parking lot and it rolled over to 8008 in front of that sign. (2012)

 

[Wickedcoolname]

Plenty of woods out there.

 

[Koolmoose]

+1on MFS. You can shoot anything up to 44 Mag, shotguns, and PCC’s on their indoor ranges. My kid and I shoot there regularly. We started off with group on memberships and are well into our second year of full memberships.
Good selection of long guns and pistols/ revolvers to tryout or purchase too.

 

[Tinkermatic]

Just googled it, 45 minute drive...

Don’t know exactly where you are, but most decent clubs are 45 minutes from Boston. I’m about 6 months ahead of you in the same process.

I’ve frequeted MFS while simultaneously looking for a private club the past few months. The rates at MFS are the best I’ve seen anywhere. Especially with $10 rentals, it’s a gem for those of us newer to the sport. I know I’ll still go there to try different guns in different calibers even though I became a member of Hopkinton last month, with generous help from members here. It can be busy on weekends and double up on the ear pro. Indoor 12 gauge in the next bay, is a jarring experience.

Because of the drive, I’m sure to make the most of my trips. Rather than just plinking away, I try to actively focus on new skills and bettering my accuracy, at least for a good portion of the time. Blasting away is a must as well. I’m usually in for 250-300 rounds. Driving out of the city is a far better experience than cutting through it to Braintree, IMO.

Good luck!

 

[Tinkermatic]

From what I hear, Brockton is a pretty popular place to shoot at 3am on a Saturday night...

This is hilariously not helpful. Also, it would appear that more than half the alerts are unfounded and two arrests in a 2-1/2 year span is not something I’d want to advertise as a compelling statistic. Who are they trying to convince with those terrible stats?

 

[millbilly]

Why is everything so hard in MA? September last year took the safety course and then called BPD for an Interview time, Interview 11/27. Go to Moon Island 11/28 to take the shooting test. Last Friday (2/22) I pickup my LTC at BPD HQ.

So I go to Sportsman’s Den on Saturday pickup a pistol and some ammo. I’m ready to go shooting, The closest range to me is Boston Pistol and Rifle... but they are crazy expensive, charging $60 and hour and you can only shoot the SinterFire ammo they sell at $22+ a box of fifty... I go on google and find the next two closest ranges Braintree and Weymouth. Go on the Website and see both are private. Try to join Braintree and see the I need to go to the new member orientation first, make an a appointment on the website and find that the next free slot is in April... Go to the Weymouth Sportsman’s club site and find out the I need to drop of a paper membership app with a check and then wait two week and do an orientation on the in March... all I want to do is a little target shooting! It’s so damn hard here!

Damn. I wish it were that easy to join a club near me!!!

 

[fencer]

I joined MFS a while ago when the company bought a building in Bellingham. It's a pretty cool place, but no rifles other than 22. I try to get there once a week. The only draw back is with the attached retail store.. that shit be calling me like Pookey from New Jack City. And it is one of the best stores in the area.
You can shoot your AR or shotty at AFS but at 75' it is not much of a challenge.
I was a member at Ames for almost 10 years. Best facility around. I put up with their stupid shit for a long time because they had a lot to offer. Then when they lost my membership check and would not reply to my emails, and put a chamber flag rule in place, I was all done. Shame.

 

[jjm1986]

Why is everything so hard in MA? September last year took the safety course and then called BPD for an Interview time, Interview 11/27. Go to Moon Island 11/28 to take the shooting test. Last Friday (2/22) I pickup my LTC at BPD HQ.

So I go to Sportsman’s Den on Saturday pickup a pistol and some ammo. I’m ready to go shooting, The closest range to me is Boston Pistol and Rifle... but they are crazy expensive, charging $60 and hour and you can only shoot the SinterFire ammo they sell at $22+ a box of fifty... I go on google and find the next two closest ranges Braintree and Weymouth. Go on the Website and see both are private. Try to join Braintree and see the I need to go to the new member orientation first, make an a appointment on the website and find that the next free slot is in April... Go to the Weymouth Sportsman’s club site and find out the I need to drop of a paper membership app with a check and then wait two week and do an orientation on the in March... all I want to do is a little target shooting! It’s so damn hard here!

I belong to Pelham fish and game, I’m on the other side of Boston so it’s onky about 45 min for me. Let me tell you it is worth the ride I have never been disappointed in my range. Also I have been to Woburn and a couple others and those were a disgrace. Woburn has about 3 lanes down the exhaust wasn’t working, not a pleasant club. I have only been there a handful of times my cousin is a member and every time I go with him something is closed or broken. That’s why I joined Pelham it’s the best club around by far.

 

[DW357]

I belong to Pelham fish and game, I’m on the other side of Boston so it’s onky about 45 min for me. Let me tell you it is worth the ride I have never been disappointed in my range. Also I have been to Woburn and a couple others and those were a disgrace. Woburn has about 3 lanes down the exhaust wasn’t working, not a pleasant club. I have only been there a handful of times my cousin is a member and every time I go with him something is closed or broken. That’s why I joined Pelham it’s the best club around by far.

Mass rifle or Woburn Sportsman’s Association?

 

[DW357]

Why is everything so hard in MA? September last year took the safety course and then called BPD for an Interview time, Interview 11/27. Go to Moon Island 11/28 to take the shooting test. Last Friday (2/22) I pickup my LTC at BPD HQ.

So I go to Sportsman’s Den on Saturday pickup a pistol and some ammo. I’m ready to go shooting, The closest range to me is Boston Pistol and Rifle... but they are crazy expensive, charging $60 and hour and you can only shoot the SinterFire ammo they sell at $22+ a box of fifty... I go on google and find the next two closest ranges Braintree and Weymouth. Go on the Website and see both are private. Try to join Braintree and see the I need to go to the new member orientation first, make an a appointment on the website and find that the next free slot is in April... Go to the Weymouth Sportsman’s club site and find out the I need to drop of a paper membership app with a check and then wait two week and do an orientation on the in March... all I want to do is a little target shooting! It’s so damn hard here!

How far is Mystic Valley Gun Club in Malden for you? That’s a great club.

Or Woburn Sportsman’s Association in Bedford?

 

[dw617]

I feel you. When I first got my LTC, it was several months before I was able to join a club. And that was behind the 4-6 month wait it took to even get the license. Friends took me as a guest to shoot, but that only goes so far.

Pick a private club and get the process started today.

IMO, Private clubs are the only way to roll in MA.