When I first started shooting, it's all I knew. I'd go exclusively to indoor ranges. Since I'd never been to an outdoor range, I didn't know how different it could be.
I had occasion to go back to an indoor range recently, after not doing so for years.
The reasons I prefer outdoors all came back to me.
Lighting;
Indoors is always dark. It seems like no matter how you crank up the lights out by your target or how many you turn on in the whole place, it's just still dark. With old lady bifocaled eyes, that 50ft target might as well be 100 miles.
Face it. No matter how good the vent system is, it's not even comparable to the slightest breeze outdoors that will carry away the smokiness of whatever you're shooting. In an indoor range, it just sort of hangs there right by your face so you can keep shooting and keep breathing in all that leaded up smoke. Yuck.
Noise;
You're basically shooting in a concrete tunnel. With every shot you take, you not only hear it louder, you feel it. I use some pretty quality electronic earpro...indoors, they are little more than useless. I ended up doubling my hearing protection by putting foam plugs under my muffs. And that was for the lowly .22s. It's bad enough when you're alone... when there are others shooting in any of the other galleries, it's like they are right by your head. Go bigger than .22 and it's just flat out NOT FUN anymore.
Brass;
Every gallery has partitions. Your brass is going to ricochet. It will hit you in the head about 90% of the time. Don't even think it won't.
Expense;
I don't know what it is all over the country, but my outdoor range is $35 for the whole year. Plus, you can take a guest for free.
The indoor range is ten dollars an hour. And that's AFTER you buy the mandatory annual membership. There are no guest passes. If you have a friend from out of state shooting with you for only ONE time...they still have to pay for an annual membership, plus ten bucks an hour.
The only saving grace about indoor ranges is the ease with which you can find your brass and if you need to zero something, there's no crosswind to contend with factoring in.
All that being said, I'd rather shoot in an indoor range than not shoot at all.
5 comments:
Please whine some more. Everybrony is super interested.
Don't want to hear the whinge? Don't click. ;)
and then there is peeps that don't click but end up here anywho doncha know?
glad to hear you're shooting still.
Indoor ranges get one accustomed to what happens at too-dark-sleepy-o'clock.
carry on.
So I have been told.
And yeah, I try to send at least a couple hundred rounds once a week or so. Even through the "omg there's no ammo" panic.
There was a shortage?! ;)
"The best laid schemes of mice and men"
my user name is by choice not by lack of planning lol
Training and practice is important(fun too!), never give up.
Take Care and Keep Shooting.
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