Just putting some feelers out there for a possible business opportunity. Would you guys in the Fburg/Caroline area ever be interested in a rifle/pistol range? A pay per hour setup with a 4-500 yard range? It's not something set in stone, but I'd like to get so,e feedback before I proceed any further.

Membership ? ? ?

Nice idea!
Clays also?

Thinking of doing some sort of annual membership plan, but also have public access; and of course the VAGT discount! . Our initial "wish list" includes rifle range, clay range, and pistol area. Also depending on the available space, a three gun course. For those of us in this area, there's nothing. Depending on insurance requirements, zoning and EPA regulations, I think the ball is rolling on this.

I'd be interested. You're not kidding about nothing in this area.

Id be interested for sure

I'd be interested as well, as long as "evil" rifles are welcome...maybe even class III?

Absolutely! As long as the Insurance Tsars say its ok, anything will be allowed. The only thing that looks like we won't allow is lead shotgun shot. That's an EPA cleanup nightmare.

Definitely interested.

I am very interested in a 400 - 500 yard rifle range, Quantico's 300 yard range is limited to .308 and their 1,000 yard range isn't open very often. A hunter that wants to sight in a rifle for "out west" distances doesn't have any options around here except to sight in at 100 yards and trust a ballistics calculation on a 400 yard shot.

I feel very similar to UBETRUN having also once been a member of Quantico's range.

I would be interested as long as the price is right...I would be even more interested if the range was extended to 800-1000 yards or was in meters instead of yards

Please make this happen, I would be happy to spend all my monies there, and even apply for a job...lol

I am also interested. I am in King George, and the "Northern Virginia Gun Club" that is located here is very inclusive and almost impossible to join. My wife and I found a sponsor to help us join, but a run-in with the "range safety officer" put the stop to the process, because my wife had sent him an email and cc'ed me on the email. He went ballistic, claiming we were "terrorists"! Crazy, much??? I would love to join an organization that is rational in their process!

I'd be very interested as well. the range I am a member of now is being less then accommodating.

I guess before you go too far with the planning, you should probably figure out what the member/by-the-hour shooters would pay. A lot of the go-for-it opinions might change.

For instance, an indoor range I shot at recently was $25 / hr. A friend told me a group of 8 spent about $300 for a day at an outdoor range recently.

If you consider an annual membership, it is hard to come up with a fair to everyone price. If you price it for the high volume shooter, you might scare off the "box per week" guys.

Then of course you have the issue of RSOs. Will you have self directed ranges or controlled ranges? Will you find enough voluntary RSOs, or will you need to pay RSOs?

Will your range have limited hours?

How will you ensure "members" don't share their credentials with non-members?

Lots to think about.

Interested. Current options are less than optimal. Issac Walton is restrictive in it's range rules and tops out at 100yds. NVGC can be difficult to join, is more costly, and tops out at 200yds. Nothing is perfect, but if you increase the maximum range and strike a balance on range rules there is a good opportunity here.

Definitely be interested in something. Have to work around hunt clubs and other places to try n sight anything in. And if course make shift everything to do it versus having somewhere that is really geared for it. Think it could definitely make a go of itself with the right things. Count me in as a patron.

I love the idea... currently only going to CF Phelps which is free but I must deal with the stall hogs as well as the long lines. I would be willing to pay a per-hour fee to sight my guns in a few times a year.

Yes, especially if some sort of competitive pistol shooting gets going. However I used to live in Caroline, and I'd be suprised if many local folks would be interested in that. There's probably potential for business with the Sheriff's office.

Not interested. Paying for time might make sense in NoVA where demand for range time is usually greater than supply, but that's not the case here with so much rural area.


Fredericksburg could do with a 24/7 indoor pistol range. Like http://lafayettegunclub.org/

Very interested!

Have you made any progress on the potential range since you initially posted?

The water run off regs for lead are very strict. Lead of any kind outside in the ground is an EPA nightmare to manage. This is one of the many reasons that there are not many new outdoor ranges being built or opened.

I had found a nice 500 acre lot in Culpeper that a friend was interested in several years ago for a range. I began my research with lead abatement policies and procedures. After much research he decided that the cost outlay would be too much for his business venture due to the requirements of lead capture.

Oh it can be done and there are companies that build outdoor ranges. They also cost quite a bit of money. The two companies I remember are one in I think South Caroline and one in Utah. There is another group in Ohio I think. They do indoor ranges mainly and will come down and do an assessment of your proposed building or area and give you a quote. All for a fee of course.

I spoke to a person who owns a range about expanding his facilty. He told me that he cannot make any changes to his current property because he would have to come up to date with current EPA regs on lead. He would be required to clean up the property which would essentially bankrupt him.

Now if you have a "private" facility that is not open to the public there are some exemptions in the regs for that. But then again you have to get through the zoning board and red tape in the county.

The Fauquier Sheriffs office tried to get a range built for training and the land owners in the area were not to happy with the possibilty of having a "gun range" in their backyards. Range 82 spent a buttload of money for them only to get sacked and stuck holding their crank. Yeah I think they got stiffed by the county in the deal. Typical Fauquier County politics and good ole boy system. In the end I believe the county paid them a good bit if not all of the costs they put out for the research and work they put foreword.

My point is that a county would love the business that can come from the range. But the screaming constituents tend to be more beneficial to some aspiring politician than the money that the range will generate. The range doesn't pad the pockets as well as "political donantions do."

Count me in

Any updates on this?

Very interested for something in the Fredericksburg area. Also, consider the fact that FN Herstel has a manufacturing facility in Fredericksburg, and is headquartered just up the road in McClean. Maybe a chance there to make some friends, secure a partnership, and help with the red tape.

I'd be a lifetime member.