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Hey all

There's a new indoor range right down the street from me. I haven't been the forum in a while, and realized this place isn't appearing on radar here yet. It's very north Austin area, but not as far out as Best of the West. It's closest to Eagle Peak.

It's on 1431 reasonably close to where that intersects 183, out East toward Jonestown.

The range itself has 10 bays. They're good size and can accomadate 2 people without crowding. The A/C and air filtration are top notch. They have classes, ammo is competitive with local chain stores, and they very much cater to women - super clean, not super noisy, etc. It's a great place for a shooting date for that reason.

They are definitely not the cheapest range around - it's about $15 / 45 minutes per adult. Kids shoot free with an adult. They also have a frequent shooter card program. And they also have rentals. But it's worth it to shoot indoors where it's cool & the air flow is excellent. RSO's are very cool but also run a tight range - it's a good balance.

I've been there twice - both times with my son. It was his 1st and 2nd time shooting, and the range played a big role on how that was a very positive experience for him.

Check them out at www.ShadyOaksGunRange.com

RSO's are very cool but also run a tight range - it's a good balance.

Care to expand on this a bit?

I appreciate a range that won't tolerate unsafe gun handling or idiotic horseplay, but I've also experienced some ranges that went overboard with nonsense like loading only a single round at a time and a "no rapid fire" rule even if all your shots are in the black . . .

RSO's are smart about how they will speak with you, to you, or at you.

Being that this range is very clearly designed to be an inviting place, their approach is different than most. Their range rules are here

Before I shot the first time there, I visited them just to check it out. When I got there, the range was not being used so they gave me a tour. The guy at the counter was also an RSO, and I've now shot with 2 other RSO's on the range, too. So I've met 4 of them, plus both owners.

I am sure all of the RSO's are capable of barking - but they definitely prefer not to. They are proactive and actively oversee the range, but handle problem situations with the exact right amount of emphasis. I have not seen a bad problem yet on the range (have shot 2 sessions so far) so everything I have seen is squarely in the "I'm not a range nazi" side of things. There was a CHL class during one of my sessions, too.

The younger man (Paul, I think) who was there when my son shot the .22 in AR platform was very helpful and gave a lot of pointers to my son on how to stand, how to adjust his grip on the rifle, etc. Not know-it-alls, not barking all the time, etc. Rapid fire was not an issue, although to be fair it was just my son & me there right before they closed that night.

They are jonny-on-the-spot policing brass behind you. But if you want to keep your brass, they certainly allow for that.

Shot there three times now. Nice range. So far the folks seen friendly and accommodating. They were freely allowing holster draw at first, but last time it was only if you're alone on the range (think early morning).

HankB wrote:

RSO's are very cool but also run a tight range - it's a good balance.

Care to expand on this a bit?

I appreciate a range that won't tolerate unsafe gun handling or idiotic horseplay, but I've also experienced some ranges that went overboard with nonsense like loading only a single round at a time and a "no rapid fire" rule even if all your shots are in the black . . .

Been there twice, and blasted away with very fast strings. The RSO's have been completely inobtrusive.

I prefer outdoors ranges typically because they are usually less loud and I tend to mess around. But I've been to indoor ranges in LA and several in Houston. This one is the best so far: very clean, well lit, with good air circulation. The employees are very friendly.