Tales from a Pennsylvania Range
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:43 pm
I'm up in Williamsport, PA visiting the family for the week and figured I'd go check out this range that opened up just a mile down from my parents. I thought I'd post a description of the experience here as it was a bit different than what I'm used to in Texas. For reference it was Tripoli's http://www.tripolistriggers.com/indoorrange.nxg.
I'm used to going to Red's in Austin, just signing my name to a form along with my address and getting assigned a lane. Here they first asked if I had a carry permit. Unfortunately I'm still with out my plastic so I had to answer no. People w/o a carry permit have to undergo a $10 background check before being allowed on the range. So, I filled out the BG paperwork along w/ a disclaimer of liability. I also had to take a 20 question written test showing I'm not an idiot. To my surprise my uncle, who went with me and does have a PA license also had to take this written test. I had just figured it was b/c I wasn't licensed.
They charged about $30 half hour. This isn't *quite* as bad as it seems since the price of 50 rounds and 2 targets are included in that price. (Still, pretty steep I think, but they're the only range in town so no competition). They won't let you use even factory loads you bring in b/c it's a lead free range so they want to make sure you use appropriate ammo.
Once I was finally able to get into the range itself I was pretty impressed. You have to enter through an airlock to prevent sound blasting into the shop. I guess the general concept is pretty common but this was wired as such to where one door wouldn't open until the other was closed. It was 10 lanes, linoleum behind the firing line. I've been used to a basic zip line for the target with a "back"/"forward" swtich. This was computerized with a keypad. You press in your desired distance and enter and it goes out that far. Press a button it comes back. A couple other buttons let you rotate the target at an angle once it's down.
The targets given were a series of ovals. When I went to go get my second target I noticed they did have a batch of silhouettes (B-27) but they were marked "LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY!".
Oh also one interesting footnote, I saw my uncle's license. They don't get "plastic" up here, just a thing piece of paper to fold up in your wallet.
I'm used to going to Red's in Austin, just signing my name to a form along with my address and getting assigned a lane. Here they first asked if I had a carry permit. Unfortunately I'm still with out my plastic so I had to answer no. People w/o a carry permit have to undergo a $10 background check before being allowed on the range. So, I filled out the BG paperwork along w/ a disclaimer of liability. I also had to take a 20 question written test showing I'm not an idiot. To my surprise my uncle, who went with me and does have a PA license also had to take this written test. I had just figured it was b/c I wasn't licensed.
They charged about $30 half hour. This isn't *quite* as bad as it seems since the price of 50 rounds and 2 targets are included in that price. (Still, pretty steep I think, but they're the only range in town so no competition). They won't let you use even factory loads you bring in b/c it's a lead free range so they want to make sure you use appropriate ammo.
Once I was finally able to get into the range itself I was pretty impressed. You have to enter through an airlock to prevent sound blasting into the shop. I guess the general concept is pretty common but this was wired as such to where one door wouldn't open until the other was closed. It was 10 lanes, linoleum behind the firing line. I've been used to a basic zip line for the target with a "back"/"forward" swtich. This was computerized with a keypad. You press in your desired distance and enter and it goes out that far. Press a button it comes back. A couple other buttons let you rotate the target at an angle once it's down.
The targets given were a series of ovals. When I went to go get my second target I noticed they did have a batch of silhouettes (B-27) but they were marked "LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY!".
Oh also one interesting footnote, I saw my uncle's license. They don't get "plastic" up here, just a thing piece of paper to fold up in your wallet.
