Thoughts on Bayou Rifles Gun Club in Houston?

[badkarma56]

Fellow Houston-Area Shooters:

For some time, I've been considering getting a membership at a private shooting range. I've shot at several Houston-area ranges over the years (e.g., American Shooting Centers, Top Gun, Bailey's House of Guns, etc.), and I've generally had positive experiences at each. However, I've noticed a small but increasing number of unsafe shooters recently at some of the ranges that I frequent (particularly Bailey's). Nothing too extreme, but I've seen some reckless mistakes occur repeatedly (mainly muzzle sweeps, lack of trigger discipline, avoidable malfunctions, etc.). Thankfully, I have not witnessed any negligent discharges or kabooms at these ranges!

Accordingly, I'm looking for a good private range with pistol and rifle firing lines, that's conveniently located (I live in the Medical Center area/near Reliant Stadium) and has reasonable dues. Bayou Rifles seems to meet these requirements, and I'd like to hear some feedback from current range members.

If the feedback is positive, I'll probably attend the orientation on 1SEP and submit a membership application to the range's board.

Thanks in advance,
-BK

[BobCat]

I'm a current member and former membership director. I like the club but you should be aware that Bayou Rifles does not have any kind of action pistol division, and there is a club rule against drawing from the holster and firing. For some people that is a deal killer right there.

The club is very conservative and apparently the board is/was worried someone would shoot themself in the leg, drawing and firing. It is fine to wear your pistol, to draw from the holster, but they want you to put it on the bench before you pick it up and fire. I know it sounds stupid but the club has been around since 1936 and thre is no record that anyone I know is aware of, of any one being shot. Bee stings, twisted ankles, that kind of thing - yes. Firearm accidents - no.

I shoot Highpower at the Juliff range - you might want to come out Sunday to the 600 yard prone match if it does not rain - to observe or to shoot. Bring your AR-15 (with heavier than 55 grain bullets - 80s work well) for service rifle class, or scoped deer rifle and 66 rounds for F-Class. The gate is open during matches.

At Juliff there is a 3, 7, and 15 yard short pistol range, a 25/50 yard pistol / rifle range, a 100 yard rifle range, a 200/300 and 600/1,000 yard rifle - and 800 yard firing line being added for Palma matches.

At Addicks, West of town, no centerfire rifle - pistol and .22 rifle (and black powder pistol / rifle) only. There is a 25, 40, and 100 meter pistol silhouette range, a 25/50 Bullseye pistol range, as well as short pistol and .22 rifle.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a commercial - just trying to be informative. If you want to shoot IDPA and practice for it, Bayou is not the place. If you want to shoot Bullseye, Highpower, Pistol Silhouette, or just go out and punch paper for fun, I think it is a good deal.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[badkarma56]

I'm a current member and former membership director. I like the club but you should be aware that Bayou Rifles does not have any kind of action pistol division, and there is a club rule against drawing from the holster and firing. For some people that is a deal killer right there.

The club is very conservative and apparently the board is/was worried someone would shoot themself in the leg, drawing and firing. It is fine to wear your pistol, to draw from the holster, but they want you to put it on the bench before you pick it up and fire. I know it sounds stupid but the club has been around since 1936 and thre is no record that anyone I know is aware of, of any one being shot. Bee stings, twisted ankles, that kind of thing - yes. Firearm accidents - no.

I shoot Highpower at the Juliff range - you might want to come out Sunday to the 600 yard prone match if it does not rain - to observe or to shoot. Bring your AR-15 (with heavier than 55 grain bullets - 80s work well) for service rifle class, or scoped deer rifle and 66 rounds for F-Class. The gate is open during matches.

At Juliff there is a 3, 7, and 15 yard short pistol range, a 25/50 yard pistol / rifle range, a 100 yard rifle range, a 200/300 and 600/1,000 yard rifle - and 800 yard firing line being added for Palma matches.

At Addicks, West of town, no centerfire rifle - pistol and .22 rifle (and black powder pistol / rifle) only. There is a 25, 40, and 100 meter pistol silhouette range, a 25/50 Bullseye pistol range, as well as short pistol and .22 rifle.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a commercial - just trying to be informative. If you want to shoot IDPA and practice for it, Bayou is not the place. If you want to shoot Bullseye, Highpower, Pistol Silhouette, or just go out and punch paper for fun, I think it is a good deal.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

Andrew,

Thank you for the informative response, I think Bayou Rifles will meet my needs. I wouldn't mind being able to draw/fire, but the club's prohibition against this sort of practice isn't a deal-killer for me. I'm mainly just looking for a secure and convenient place to practice bullseye/silhouette/highpower with my short/long arms...I am not a competition shooter, so I'm amenable to the club's policy.

I also appreciate the invitation for Sunday's 600 yard match. I do own an AR (Bushmaster M4A3, 16 in. barrel/1 in 9" twist, with a Trijicon TA01NSN mounted for optics), but I don't think I'm ready to compete at 600 yards quite yet! I do however like the fact that this range will allow me to try some longer-range shooting, up till now, I've only gone out to 200 yards with my Bushy. I regularly use M855 62 gr. FMJ and Black Hills 68 gr. heavy match HP for practice, so maybe I'll give it a whirl at 600 yards one day soon...I suspect I'll need a new upper with a longer barrel to really get that job done though.

As for the 1SEP orientation class, should I just to show up at the scheduled time or do I need to call ahead to register? I've checked out the website, so I have some general idea of what to expect. Are there any miscellaneous things that you think a prospective member should know about before applying for membership?

Thanks again,
-BK

[BobCat]

BK,

Not in any order:

Addicks floods. It is in the flood plain and that's why the Army Corps of Engineers leases it to Bayou Rifles - it floods. There is a web site you can check to see if it is flooded on any particular day. It floods and then it drys out, and you can go shoot. Juliff does not flood - it can get wet but never to the point you can't walk down and change a target (rubber boots a good idea when it is real rainy).

600 yards is no different than 100 yards, except for the wind. Yes, it would help to have a longer barrel with a 1:8 or faster twist, and 80 grain bullets - but the target is *huge* and the sight picture is the same as at shorter ranges. Once you establish your "come up" - usually about 11 minutes over your 300 yard sight setting - it is no different than shooting prone at 100 yards, except for learning to read the wind flags and mirage. Don't be too impressed by numbers like 600 yards - if you can shoot well at 100 you can shoot well, and all it takes at longer ranges is learning the wind. Not to minimize that, it is something to learn - but if some hot-shot tells you he shoots 600 or 1,000 yard matches and you can't, just don't believe him.

I am no great shooter but no one has told me to go away and not come back until I learn to shoot better - they give advice and encouragement. Next month the prone match is at 300 (alternate months 600 and 300) and your M4A3 will work quite well for that. Optics will put you in F-Class but no big deal - and you will be *amazed* at how well you will shoot that rifle at 300 yards. I know people who were used to zeroing their deer rifle at 100 yards, seldom took a longer shot, who came out to shoot 300 on a lark, and posted very good scores. The wind is not much of an issue at Juliff at 300 because that range is shaded by trees.

No need to phone ahead. The current Membership Director is Clyde, and he is easy-going. The orientation is all about Safety - the scary people at the public ranges you mentioned in your initial post are the reason most folks join a club, and the club needs to emphasize Safety.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[badkarma56]

BK...No need to phone ahead. The current Membership Director is Clyde, and he is easy-going. The orientation is all about Safety - the scary people at the public ranges you mentioned in your initial post are the reason most folks join a club, and the club needs to emphasize Safety...

I concur in full, sounds like I'll be joining that club.

[BobCat]

Update on the 600 yard match Sunday - it is changed to 300 yard since the rain has played havoc with the 600 / 1,000 target area.

Your rifle is suitable for the 300 yard match. If you come, get there to register before 7:30, bring 66 rounds (three 20-shot strings plus 2 sighters each time, single loading, 25 minute block time). I can lend you a mat and spotting scope if you don't have. A sling too - great if you have one, I can lend you one if not.

Next month the third Sunday is still, as far as I know, 300 - they did not switch them, just made this month 3 instead of 6.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[badkarma56]

Update on the 600 yard match Sunday - it is changed to 300 yard since the rain has played havoc with the 600 / 1,000 target area.

Your rifle is suitable for the 300 yard match. If you come, get there to register before 7:30, bring 66 rounds (three 20-shot strings plus 2 sighters each time, single loading, 25 minute block time). I can lend you a mat and spotting scope if you don't have. A sling too - great if you have one, I can lend you one if not.

Next month the third Sunday is still, as far as I know, 300 - they did not switch them, just made this month 3 instead of 6.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

Awesome, I might just take you up on that deal! Of course, with the ridiculous prices on .223/5.56mm ammo, I've just been shooting my pistols for the last four months...my carbine's been hibernating. I do at least have a small stash of M855 (600 rounds or so) and a box of Black Hills 68 gr. HMHP at the ready...

Weather permitting, I'll try to come out. I'll need to borrow a mat and spotting scope, if you don't mind, Sir.

Now, don't mention anything about this to the wife-unit...she can be the fun-ender you know!

[tomneal]

I would be remiss if I didn't jump in with a plug about PSC.

PSC is located in the city of Friendswood. On FM528 near Alvin.

We don't have a 600 yard rifle range but we do go out to 300 yards.

We have:
2 rifle ranges 25 yards to 300 yards.
1 .22 rim fire only range
9 pistol bay. 8 of them are semi-private. You may draw and fire. We have both IPSC and IDPA matches monthly.
1 archery range
4 shotgun fields. Our fields are manned 8-3 on the weekends and one or two days durring the week. $3.50 per round to pay for targets, etc.
1 air gun range.

Tom Neal
Membership Director PSC
http://www.psc-range.com
membership@psc-range.com

[BobCat]

Well, I *was* remiss for not mentioning PSC when pointing out that Bayou has a rule against drawing from the holster and firing. Usually I remember to suggest PSC when it sounds like someone is interested in IDPA / IPSC.

BK - in re-reading this thread I see "Trijicon TA01NSN" and must admit I thought it was a telescopic sight (out-of-touch here) - but in retrospect think it might be a holographic sight. If so, a lot depends on the spot size - if the spot is too large it mightl hamper your shooting at a big round target. In "real life" it might be better than iron sights, but for round ink spots I just don't know. The good thing is, no one cares about anyone's score but their own; the match is fun, not something to feel bad about if you don't "win".

Anyway, my hidden agenda is that Highpower needs to get young people interested. Most of us on the firing line are old, fat, white men. We could *really* use some diversity - especially some younger people, so that as we die off, the sport does not.

Last year the weather was bad one weekend - foggy and drizzle - and only five shooters were pig-headed and stubborn enough to show up to shoot. Plus the match director who was "duty bound" to come. We had two relays, one with with two and one with three shooters. It was a joke but we did get to shoot. Someday, if we fail to attract new Highpower shooters, we will be hard pressed to assemble enough people to shoot a match, and pit changes will take all day while we hobble back and forth on our walkers. Just joking - but you see what I'm driving at.

Anyway, the weather is poor here and now, but I assume tomorrow morning at the range it will be bright and beautiful - and will hold on to that assumption until and unless events prove it incorrect.

Regards,
Andrew

[seamusTX]

Anyway, my hidden agenda is that Highpower needs to get young people interested. Most of us on the firing line are old, fat, white men. We could *really* use some diversity - especially some younger people, so that as we die off, the sport does not.

Getting off-topic here, but I think it's important.

Does anyone know how to activate a CMP chapter at a high school or college? For example, the high school in Galveston is listed as a CMP chapter, but it has been inactive as long as anyone can remember.

I don't have the time or means to do it now, but I thought I'd raise the question.

- Jim

[badkarma56]

I would be remiss if I didn't jump in with a plug about PSC.

PSC is located in the city of Friendswood. On FM528 near Alvin.

We don't have a 600 yard rifle range but we do go out to 300 yards.

We have:
2 rifle ranges 25 yards to 300 yards.
1 .22 rim fire only range
9 pistol bay. 8 of them are semi-private. You may draw and fire. We have both IPSC and IDPA matches monthly.
1 archery range
4 shotgun fields. Our fields are manned 8-3 on the weekends and one or two days durring the week. $3.50 per round to pay for targets, etc.
1 air gun range.

Tom Neal
Membership Director PSC
http://www.psc-range.com
membership@psc-range.com

Tom,

Thanks for the information on PSC. I've seen your range mentioned a time or two by other members here, and the feedback seems great. However, your location appears to be a little further out than Bayou Rifles...but not by too much.

Just the same, I haven't joined anywhere yet...am I able to come out and visit the range and/or shoot as a guest? Do you also require members to attend an orientation?

Thanks again,
-BK

[badkarma56]

Well, I *was* remiss for not mentioning PSC when pointing out that Bayou has a rule against drawing from the holster and firing. Usually I remember to suggest PSC when it sounds like someone is interested in IDPA / IPSC.

BK - in re-reading this thread I see "Trijicon TA01NSN" and must admit I thought it was a telescopic sight (out-of-touch here) - but in retrospect think it might be a holographic sight...

Anyway, my hidden agenda is that Highpower needs to get young people interested. Most of us on the firing line are old, fat, white men. We could *really* use some diversity - especially some younger people, so that as we die off, the sport does not.

Andrew,

Your first impulse was indeed correct, the TA01NSN is one of Trijicon's 4X ACOG telescopic sights. Although it doesn't have the magnification of many other scopes on the market(i.e., 3-9x40 scopes), it's very compact, provides an extemely clear sight picture, and it's built like a little tank! It's mounted directly to the picatinny rail on my "flat-top" M4, instead of on the carry handle. Many of our troops have ACOG's mounted atop their M4's/M16's

The scope has a standard-looking reticle (tritium illuminated in low-light conditions) with an integrated bullet-drop compensator (calibrated for the M855 62gr. round) designed to accomodate shots out to 600 yards.

The furthest I've shot with it is 200 yards thus far, but the scope can certainly handle longer ranges...now the shooter is a different story!

I'm pretty sure that the wife-unit will have some errands for me tomorrow, but If I'm able to get away, should I just sneak out there around 7:00?

-BK

[tomneal]

You are welcome to come out and take a look on weekends between 8 & 3 while the shotgunners have the gate open. You are welcome to look around but to shoot you must be a member or a guest of a member.

Yes, you must attend new member orientation. We have three of them every two months. Take a look at the calendar page on http://www.psc-range.com to find a date that will work for you.