Dallas Pistol Club

[Blinking Dog]

Can any members of the DPC tell me the benefit of joining DPC, as opposed to just going to Elm Fork every once in a while? DPC is kind of expensive, and while it sounds interesting I like to shoot my AR but understand I can't shoot it at DPC but can in the tactical bays at Elm Fork. At DPC if all I can do is shoot pistols, I'm not sure if putting up all that money is worth it. I guess my question is, is it worth it?

And, is it really crowded on weekends?

Thanks

[tomc]

Hi BD.

I'm a member and match director at DPC and I'll try to answer some of your questions. I'm assuming you have reviewed our website, Dallas Pistol Club so you know what we have and what we allow. Our location in the city and our boundary restrictions limit what we can shoot.

Our current yearly membership is within the range of other private clubs, not the highest and not the lowest. The benefit of membership is that it is a once a year fee and you pay nothing to shoot there when you visit (except for our matches where the costs are minimum to just recover the costs of our equipment used andor damaged during our matches. You can also bring out guests at no charge as long as you can be responsible for their conduct and safety. There are target stands for paper targets as well as steel targets left out on our tactical bays for use by our members. We have barricades available for simulating cover. You can arrange targets in in any configuration you choose to practice shooting drills as long as they are set up safely. You can practice shooting from concealment requiring drawing, target acquisition, and rapid fire drills. You can practice speed re-loads. You are not watched and criticized by the ever-present "range nazis" you will find at any public range.

We provide several competitive matches for enjoyment by our members and non-members (yes, non-members are allowd to shoot in our matches). These matches are scheduled on the weekends and take upmost of the mornings and early afternoons, after which members can resume shooting. This is what I personally enjoy the most, visiting and shooting with friends, and having fun.

This is my perspective of joining a shooting club. If you don't shoot that much, it may not be worth it to you. If you shoot a lot, it's the only way to go. If you want more info, PM me and I can meet you out at the club and show you around and answer more of your questions. On a negative note, the waiting list to join DPC is currently over 370, which is at least two years out (speaking optimistically).

Tom

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm a member. The range is usually busiest on weekends because we have a lot of matches.

As far as cost... If you go to Elm Fork - which is a nice range - twice a month, you will have more than exceeded the annual cost of a DPC membership. Downside to DPC is no rifles. Downside to Elm Fork is, no working from the holster. At Elm Fork, you have to follow the cease-fires as announced by the ROs. At DPC, you are your own RO, and you have your own cease-fires, whenever you want to - unless you're in a match.

So typically, I go to Elm Fork when I want to shoot my rifles, and I go to DPC to shoot my pistols. And I shoot my pistols more frequently than my rifles, which is fitting if I'm going to carry a pistol.

[djwdjw]

At DPC during the week, you often have the range to yourself, which can be a relaxing environment. Sometimes during the weekends the later afternoons are pretty quiet too. Of course during the summer months the heat of the day has a bearing on attendance.

[Kimber_Fan]

Can you tell me if the matches you have on the weekends are just for bragging rights or is there something that you win for competing?

Kimber_Fan

[jason237m]

Biggest difference for me is you have an action bay to yourself and everything you practice can be straight from your holster.

[extremist]

Can you tell me if the matches you have on the weekends are just for bragging rights or is there something that you win for competing?

Kimber_Fan

Only bragging rights. MOST of the matches in the DFW metroplex are bragging rights only.

Friendly competition.

IDPA forbids giving monetary prizes for club matches. Only at Sanctioned matches can "trophies" be awarded. If it's a large IDPA match, there may be a "prize table" and "random drawings". (I'm not saying that DPC has IDPA matches, so there's no confusion).

There may be a few matches here and there that actually have prizes for top finishes, but it's not the typical match.

Regards,
James

[saltydog452]

I kinda like the safety aspect of the DPC. We 'police' each other. If you see me doing something unsafe, please tell me about it. I will return the favor. It is as safe as we make it. Should there be a belligerent trespasser or shooter who insists on getting into a spitting match, a quick 'phone call to Carrollton PD will resolve the issue.

Elm Fork servs a great purpose. As a Public Park, it is available to all. DPC is a tad different.

Just because it is pretty much 'pistols/revolvers' only does not mean that you can bang away with a .308 TC Contender. We have sensible rules and they have teeth.

Since we share the property with the Carrollton PD, and other agencies on occasion, those good folks are interested in keeping the place open and safe. I have been a member since about '68 or so. Its about as good a place as you're likely to find.

If economy is your only concern, there are places that cost less. Elm Fork is one. There are also a few indoor ranges in this MetroMess that we call Home. Check them out.

salty

[Beiruty]

I go to DPC because of the matches. Other places do not have matches, unless you go to Jacobia and you pay as much or even more.
Great club. Recently renovated too.

[BLDavis]

I'm a long-time member of DPC. Thought I'd chime in.

First, I shoot there because the members are, for the most part, dedicated and advanced shooters. The members all take safety seriously, and won't tolerate unsafe behavior, they will confront problems. Going to public ranges anymore gives me the willies, as I watch newbie after newbie, trying out his new pistol and sweeping everyone in sight with it. I understand, that everyone has to start somewhere, and I've always been willing to help teach, but when I go shooting, I want to be able to focus on my own practice, not whether or not the kid in the next bay, who just bought a shiny new desert eagle for his first pistol, is going to shoot me with it or not. DPC members generally have good gun handling skills.

Second, DPC allows you to practice for IDPA or USPSA style shooting just as you would shoot them in a match. You can set up various drills, practice stages, etc, and bang away. As long as you follow the (very sensible) range rules, no one will bother you (though some may ask to join you). There are 4 spacious action pistol bays. They also have an excellent NRA bullseye competition range, a .22 sillouette range, and an air-gun house.

Since most members are experienced and serious shooters, you don't see much "tacticool" nonsense, have to listen to gunstore commandos, etc. The environment is congenial, and the members are serious about their shooting, not their 5.11 gear. I find it relaxing, and the range is very well kept up, very clean and well thought out, and unless matches are in progress, I seldom have trouble waiting to shoot. They keep the membership numbers to a sensible level.

The cost is minimal for the value I receive. It's a great deal.

The waiting list is fair size, so you really need to have a long term commitment to shooting to bother at all.

[chamberc]

There are four main aspects of the DPC that I love. The action bays, how close it is to where I live in Las Colinas (Hackberry Creek), the value, and the fact that it is not crowded very often.

I don't go as often as I'd like to, but for the value, it's the best club in DFW proper for pistols. I wish we allowed rifles, but with where it is located (a major positive characteristic), it's easy to understand that restriction.

[Beiruty]

I would suggest to build some 2-3 100 yard shooting tunnels and voila, you can shoot rifles safely as much as you want.

[drjoker]

Can any members of the DPC tell me the benefit of joining DPC, as opposed to just going to Elm Fork every once in a while? DPC is kind of expensive,

Err... if you think that DPC is expensive, then you must do all your shooting for free on your buddy's farm or something. If you divide your DPC annual membership fee by 12, you pay a bit more than $18 per month, which is about what most ranges charge in DFW, give or take a buck or two. Now, keep in mind that you can bring guests to shoot for free. So, if you go shoot with your girlfriend, your buddy, or your wife at least once a month, then you've saved some dough. If you're a loner and shoot once month or less, then don't join DPC because it's expensive for you. However, everybody else is gonna say that it's dirt cheap.

and while it sounds interesting I like to shoot my AR but understand I can't shoot it at DPC but can in the tactical bays at Elm Fork. At DPC if all I can do is shoot pistols, I'm not sure if putting up all that money is worth it. I guess my question is, is it worth it?

Err... you've been misinformed. You CAN shoot rifles at the DPC as long as it is rimfire. I have a .22lr bolt action rifle and a .22lr AK-47 that I shoot at DPC all the time. I also plan on getting a .22 magnum rifle and a "Mare's Leg" (a 44 magnum pistol that can be shot like a rifle if you have really short arms or wear a shooting jacket with thick shoulder pads). 44 magnum has just as much ft/lbs of force as .223 remington. They even allow shotguns as long as it is during a match (you're not allowed to shoot shotguns by yourself there).

And, is it really crowded on weekends?

Thanks

Yes, it is EXTREMELY crowded on the weekends, but so are all the other ranges in DFW. That's why I go shoot at 6:30 AM. Nobody else is there and the temperature is cool. I normally do an hour of shooting before work in the mornings.

What the other poster said about the wait to join is incorrect. He's being VERY optimistic. Others who have joined recently told me that they waited 4 and a half YEARS to join.

The thing I like most about DPC is I can use the range to introduce new shooters to the sport. The more pro-gunners I create, the better elections will go for us. I enjoy being a good ambassador of the shooting sports. I've found that over the years, most people who want to vote to ban guns have never shot a gun in their life. They are not basing their decision on facts but gut feelings propagated by the hollywood liberal media. Once they've held a gun and shot it, they'll know that a gun is not going to jump out of your hands and kill people randomly. guns are tools, just like any other, that could be used for good or evil. No tool is inherently evil.

[saltydog452]

Since 'Blinking Dog' asked his question and hasn't seen fit to respond, it'd seem that he has made a decision.

For other folks who read these pages, I'd like to suggest that DPC is as safe as we, as members, can make it.

salty

[rentz]

I know this is an older thread but found it doing a search, everyone still enjoy DPC? I know they had a few openings come up and I'm now undecided since I joined Frisco gun club last year and it's nice being able to do pistol and rifle at the same location especially on 100yrd indoor range.

was reading some of the DPC member info and it sounds really good, though i'm always so limited on time it would be very hard for me to get to those what sounds like mandatory work days.