My experience with Bailey's House of Guns

[NcongruNt]

I happened to be in the Houston area this weekend for a crawfish boil with my girlfriend's family on Saturday, and figured some of us might want to go fling some lead at the range on Sunday. I brought some guns with me, and checked to see what was nearby after I arrived. I am no fan of indoor ranges, especially when shooting with a group, so I found the nearest outdoor range and made sure that it was open. From what I could find, BHOG had a 25yd pistol range and 100yd rifle range. That seemed sufficient enough, so off we went on Sunday.

My first observation about this place were the range fees. One of the reasons I dislike indoor ranges is hourly fees make shooting prohibitively expensive. Bailey's does not have this and told us we could shoot as long as we want. What they did have was a per gun fee. I brought 5 guns with me, and at $8/gun, that comes out to $40! I opted to leave one of my rifles in the car and take a $32 hit instead. Once you pay, you have a number of ticket stubs stapled to your shirt to prove that you paid for the number of guns you brought. It's a good thing they don't charge hourly, as everything seems to move at a snail's place at this range.

We arrived at the 25yd range and took several minutes to work out precisely where we were going to shoot because of the diversity of gun types we brought with us. Once that was settled, the range master called a cease fire. Another unique (and somewhat irritating) feature of this range is that only the range master can put targets on the target board. Instead of being given a briefing on range rules and etiquette, this was skipped and we were instead subjected to a kindergarten-style procedure. A cease fire was called and we were all required to stand in a row behind a red line that was painted there for us while the range master went and changed targets one by one. It was nearly half an hour before we got to do any shooting. Additionally, ALL of the targets on the 25yd range are at 25 yards. This is neither practical nor fun, and greatly detracts from the shooting experience for new shooters learning with handguns. The one exception was a single place on the very end of the line. It appeared to be at about 5 yards, and had rules stipulating that it was only for .22, .25, .32, and .380 calibers, with a maximum barrel length of 2 1/2 inches. The target board was also down on the ground at the base of a mound. Apparently this lane was for people who liked to shoot their mouse guns into the dirt.

Then there were the range rules. Most ranges require 1 second between shots. Apparently, Bailey's considers anything faster than 5 second intervals "rapid fire". I found this out while after going through the second magazine of a friend's Sig. I was making controlled shots at intervals of about a second and a half, and was treated to the range master yelling "No rapid fire! Five seconds between shots!" as soon as I finished.

There did seem to be some sort of tactical range off to the side of where we were shooting. Rapid-fire shots could be heard coming from that direction. When I asked the range master about this, I was told that it was for members of a special club, and that he did not know how one could become part of this "club".

The rifle rules are what really perplexed me. Rifles are not allowed to be loaded with more than a single round at any time, even bolt-action rifles. The range master assured me that this was an extra layer of "safety". It seems to me that forcing everyone to constantly loading their rifles between every shot makes it more likely that there will be an accidental discharge. This seems especially true on the "high powered rifle" positions of the 25yd range, which had a large shroud/tunnel of steel mesh grating that you had to put your gun inside to point it downrange. This meant that after every single shot, you had to pull your rifle rearwards in order to load another round. If you're shooting a tube-fed rifle such as a lever action or some .22 rifles at one of these stations, this means you have to pull you gun rearward, then point it upwards to load it, and then repeat in reverse... between every shot. Forcing a situation where guns were constantly being moved around like this seems the antithesis of a safe range environment.

The one positive thing about the range was that there were scopes at every position. They weren't really spotting scopes, but rather rifle scopes in makeshift stands. They did work well, but I imagine they are there as a necessity - as you can't go look at your targets between cease fires and are unable to see them anyway at 25 yards.

All-in-all it was an excruciatingly slow and anemic shooting experience, that sapped nearly all the fun out of shooting and pulled way too much money out of my wallet. I will not be returning.

[seamusTX]

... maximum barrel length of 2 1/2 inches

That is inexplicable.

There are plenty of ranges around Houston. I've been to American Shooting Center. They have a similar per-gun charge, but otherwise normal rules.

I do not understand the per-gun charge. It makes more sense to charge by the hour. There have been times I literally wanted to fire one shot, and I wouldn't pay $8 to do it.

- JIm

[WildBill]

I refuse to shoot at a range that charges per gun. I can only shoot one at a time!

[Lumberjack98]

I went there once and will never go back. It is a terrible range.

I agree that there are a lot of great ranges around Houston. Let us know next time you're in town and we'll give you some good advice on some outdoor ranges.

[NcongruNt]

I went there once and will never go back. It is a terrible range.

I agree that there are a lot of great ranges around Houston. Let us know next time you're in town and we'll give you some good advice on some outdoor ranges.

Yeah, I was planning to post on here a couple of days in advance, but work emergencies had me working like a madman in the couple of days leading up to the trip to Houston, and by the time I was there, I didn't think I would get feedback in time to use it.

I was in Friendswood and Clear Lake while down there. I ought to become a PSC member just so I have a decent range to go to during the few trips a year I take down there. Any good public ranges in that area anyone can recommend?

[tomneal]

My view of Bailey's is a little different. I shoot there one or two times a month on the combat range. We have two USPSA matches. One on the 1st Sunday and one on the 4th Saturday. We don't pause 5 seconds between shots.

I have never shot on the 25 yard range.
My brother-in-law uses the 100 yard rifle range occasionally and seems to like it.

If you don't want to invest in a membership range, you are kind of stuck with what ever public range you can find. Bailey's has been in business for 60 years. They have a neighborhood in the fallout zone. While you may not like the safety rules and procedures, they are trying to keep the range safe.

As membership director of PSC, I get lots of calls from folks that "must" shoot this weekend. I send them to Bailey's. If they have the time and money to join PSC, it's a much better shooting experience.

[boomerang]

I refuse to shoot at a range that charges per gun. I can only shoot one at a time!

I never understood this rule either. If I can shoot multiple guns I'm done sooner. I like to shoot 50-100 rounds of 22 and then finish with a magazine or two through my carry gun. If a range charges per gun I only shoot my 22 and usually shoot a few hundred rounds to practice.

I can deal with a range that charges by time if they only charge for time the range is hot and there is no minimum. Like if it's $6/hour and I can pay them a dollar to shoot for ten minutes.

[locknload]

I went there once and will never go back. It is a terrible range.

I agree that there are a lot of great ranges around Houston. Let us know next time you're in town and we'll give you some good advice on some outdoor ranges.

Yeah, I was planning to post on here a couple of days in advance, but work emergencies had me working like a madman in the couple of days leading up to the trip to Houston, and by the time I was there, I didn't think I would get feedback in time to use it.

I was in Friendswood and Clear Lake while down there. I ought to become a PSC member just so I have a decent range to go to during the few trips a year I take down there. Any good public ranges in that area anyone can recommend?

PSC is topnotch! They, too, have rules, but they are reasonable ones that make sense. DH and I love shooting there! Yesterday, we had the range almost all to ourselves. During the daytime on week days, I am often one of less than a handful of folks out there shooting. I really like that! Other times, a bunch of members and guests go to one of the slots that have multiple backboards, set up multiple targets, and we line up and fire in a line. One person acts as "range master" and calls the range "hot" and "cold." We follow the PSC (NRA) rules, and we have a blast!

I highly recommend PSC!

[asleepatthereel]

Yep. My boss and my instructor are both members. Never heard a bad thing about PSC. I plan on going to the next orientation in April myself.

If you went to Baileys on a weekend, Im surprised you didnt see a bunch of gangsters there. I saw one shooting gangster style on the pistol range once. RO was ok with it as long as the shots were 5 seconds apart.

Tx City is a good range if you arent interested in a membership.

[nuparadigm]

Bailey's is an odd place. When I think of it, the adjective parochial comes to mind.

[baboon]

Bailey's is a decent place to go buy reloading supplies! It's been many years since I shot there. Seems that I remember fire ants & wasps were everywhere that day. Lots of idiots shooting pistols sideways as well.

[arod757]

I guess preferring paying by the gun or not depends on what you shoot. I own exactly ONE gun, my Glock 19 that I'll be carrying soon (I hope). So I got to take my wife and daughter out to the Bracken range this past weekend, paid $9 for the walk-up pistol range and a silhouette target and we got to put a couple of hundred rounds through the Glock. So paying per person is not the best thing for us!

Of course, I'm obviously the minority around here, owning only one gun. Maybe I'll invest in a shotgun for better home protection some day.

By the way, my daughter made me extremely proud. She listened very carefully about range safety and how to handle that pistol. She turned out to be a very good shot. Now I feel better about having the gun in the house with a teenager... whew.

[LarryH]

By the way, my daughter made me extremely proud. She listened very carefully about range safety and how to handle that pistol. She turned out to be a very good shot. Now I feel better about having the gun in the house with a teenager... whew.

Congratulations.

[arod757]

Thank you, LarryH.

[Dub]

Exterminated the house this morning so decided to head over to Baileys (first time since i qualified there) while the fog cleared. Wandered into the shop, paid my $16 for two handguns, had two ticket stubs stapeled to my shirt sleeve before i could say don't! Was told to head on out to the pistol range and R.O. Roy would be there to assist me shortly in hangin my targets and explain the range rules. Only one other shooter there on the bench so laid my shooting bag down and stepped behind the red line to wait. Sure enough, Roy shows up, so I told him I wanted to go over to the short range to which he informed me I couldn't but needed to shoot the 25 Yd targets. I told him I really did care to shoot the longer distances as i'm trying to run some brass through and old 380 i had picked up and would like to see if i could at least hit paper with it. Nope, i could shoot there or go on home with no refund. Roy walked out to post targets (bet this is a real joy to behold with 20 shooters present) came back and declared the range 'Hot" (no range rules other than 5 seconds between shots) got in his golf cart and left. Of course the whole time he is downrange, this other shooter is messing around with his gun and magazine. Left the 380 in the bag, pulled out my Colt and started loading the magazine when i noted the gentleman next to me was having a lot of grief with his 9mm Tauraus. Stepped back behind the red line and noted the guy was loading his magazine backwards (YES! it can be done). Stepped back forward to grab my gear and leave and this lone shooter holds up his handgun (muzzle pointed across the range) and asked me if that looked right???? Hate to see anyone getting ready to get hurt so introduced my self and we went over Gun & Range Safety 101 (also drew his attention to the numerous bullit holes in the tin roof which seemed to get his attention). Turns out the poor guy had bought the pistol right there just minutes earlier and had walked straight out to the range with no instruction on how his new weapo worked). In 50 rounds he hit the paper twice (which is probably better than i did the first time I shot) so at least he has a benchmark . Had to reccomend to him that he might want to visit a range where he could shoot closer targets, and perhaps get some shooting lessons if he could afford them. Also suggested he visit the downrange tv web site and at least review their safety and shooting vids. Finally ran some brass through my gun, then left. BTW, Baileys owes me for a shirt as the staple through the sleeve ruined it. This weekend will be a real joy with all of the gun show buyers heading out to Baileys from the G.R. Brown Center. Roy's gonna be one busy son of a gun.........