Yes, move it to the Big Island 

Yeah, no kidding, these guys whine and we cannot get any sort of range after the corksuckers in Waikoloa killed ours.

All that land and ranges at Pohakuloa and we have squat.

Is Koko Head sad? Yes it is now. I preferred it when we had steel out to 440 yards. I still get enjoyment out of shooting there, tho. Mostly because I have changed the way I shoot/practice and I have purchased firearms more adapted to the way I now shoot. I am still trying to figure out what to do with the firearms I own that were purchased when we had 440 yard steel. Silhouette is still fun and pistol side is good fun as well. Action bay shoots are still a good distraction. So it is still okay for me but I hate having to adapt to the way the range has changed over the years. 

Yeah, no kidding, these guys whine and we cannot get any sort of range after the corksuckers in Waikoloa killed ours.

All that land and ranges at Pohakuloa and we have squat.

I think the best thing for Big Island folks is to get the old national guard rifle and pistol range in Hilo improved.  It was closed down due to encroachment.  Rennovate it and add overhead baffles and it could be reopened.  I think the rifle range went out to 500 or 600 yards and there were a couple pistol ranges.

Is Koko Head sad? Yes it is now. I preferred it when we had steel out to 440 yards. I still get enjoyment out of shooting there, tho. Mostly because I have changed the way I shoot/practice and I have purchased firearms more adapted to the way I now shoot. I am still trying to figure out what to do with the firearms I own that were purchased when we had 440 yard steel. Silhouette is still fun and pistol side is good fun as well. Action bay shoots are still a good distraction. So it is still okay for me but I hate having to adapt to the way the range has changed over the years. 

Shooting the steel was my favorite thing to do at the rifle range.  Shoot some paper to zero or confirm and then steel.  Hated when they took that stuff down, which I heard was due to complaints about ricochet and reverting back to standard range SOP.  After that, I didn't go nearly as often.  I also stopped shooting my 700 much after that as well, but more due to changing interest than change in the range.  But maybe my overall desire to go went way down after the steel was taken down. 

I will shoot in the action bays as much as I can for competition or LIFE/HRA/HDF, but different experiences.  Silhouette is always fun as well too.  I just love shooting steel. 

Shooting the steel was my favorite thing to do at the rifle range.  Shoot some paper to zero or confirm and then steel.  Hated when they took that stuff down, which I heard was due to complaints about ricochet and reverting back to standard range SOP.  After that, I didn't go nearly as often.  I also stopped shooting my 700 much after that as well, but more due to changing interest than change in the range.  But maybe my overall desire to go went way down after the steel was taken down. 

I will shoot in the action bays as much as I can for competition or LIFE/HRA/HDF, but different experiences.  Silhouette is always fun as well too.  I just love shooting steel.

I hear ya about shooting steel. Getting that ring or knocking something over is the best. I like shooting at paper to, but reactive targets are the most fun IMHO.

The reason I heard for the magazine limit is if the firearm breaks and goes full auto then it'll run out of ammo by the time the muzzle rises too much.

That has to be the dumbest reason.

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Each range has their own nuances. The Clark County Shooting Complex has their own target frames and they provide the cardboard but it costs $7 per person. Sometimes it's hard to staple the targets to the hole ridden backdrop. I've been there when someone went full auto. I asked the RSO if that's okay and he said it's not up to them to enforce the firearm regulations. The big bummer is that they don't allow metal targets. They have a 200 yard lanes but they have golf carts to take the shooters to the targets. Otherwise, it would take too long for them to go out and back. The 100 yard range is broken up into 25, 50, 75, and 100 lengths.

You can shoot rapid fire, load more than 5 in a mag, draw and shoot closer than 25 yards.
HDF and other clubs do it all the time in the bays.

I think the distance we have is reasonable given the average shooter there. I can see why there are certain rules. There is not ONE day that goes by without the ROs scolding people for stepping over the yellow line during a cease fire. I hear them repeat the same directions every time before a cease fire. People just don't listen.

Some rules are there because an accident happened or because of some external influence such as this guy:



He's the reason why the steel targets are no more and we have the weird eyebrows. He was there stalking people and capturing people "aiming at the sky".
Besides its a lot of work to set up long range targets both steel and paper.

I hear ya about shooting steel. Getting that ring or knocking something over is the best. I like shooting at paper to, but reactive targets are the most fun IMHO.

When I was growing up on  Molokai, we would shoot at an abandoned dump.  We would shoot old cars, washing machines, TVs, bottles etc.  That's when I found out a 30-06 150 gr soft point was capable of going through the trunk lid, back seat, front seat, and dash board of a 1953 Chevy.

At my home range I like to shoot those targets that spin around when you hit them.

Yeah, no kidding, these guys whine and we cannot get any sort of range after the corksuckers in Waikoloa killed ours.

All that land and ranges at Pohakuloa and we have squat.

When I spoke with County Prosecutor Mitch Roth last week about the laws concerning the legality of shooting on my ag-zoned property he mentioned something about the North Kona range and I said that I had talked to Game Management Commission chairman Tom Lodge prior to the meeting discussing the possibility of a Hilo area range and Lodge gave me the impression that the Kona range was a near impossibility. Roth said he "was working on something" that might make the Kona range a reality after all. Sounded as if he couldn't be specific because it was some kind of "unofficial" process. We'll see. Maybe.

Maybe the answer for Oahu is to relocate the range to a less populated area, but that would mean West side or Kahaluu to North Shore.

how about closing the selfy hiking location bc its above a firing range! As for the houses nearby...... Where they unaware that there was a range there?! Now thats common sense. #dtfs

how about closing the selfy hiking location bc its above a firing range! As for the houses nearby...... Where they unaware that there was a range there?! Now thats common sense. #dtfs

That's not that common.

Second hand info here, so apologize in advance if I get the details off or if someone here was affected by this situation.  Anyways, Iolani school has been at their current location for decades, even when this situation occurred.  They built apartments and I believe renovated some that were located around Iolani's stadium.  Well, during football season, that included football games at night and everything that comes with football games.  Cheering, band playing, etc.  Residents of the apartments in the area, that came AFTER Iolani's stadium was already there for many years, started complaining about the noise!  I don't recall the details, but I believe they submitted formal complaints to the school, city, neighborhood board, and others.  I believe some even started legal action.  I want to say that this was in the early 90s. 

When I spoke with County Prosecutor Mitch Roth last week about the laws concerning the legality of shooting on my ag-zoned property he mentioned something about the North Kona range and I said that I had talked to Game Management Commission chairman Tom Lodge prior to the meeting discussing the possibility of a Hilo area range and Lodge gave me the impression that the Kona range was a near impossibility. Roth said he "was working on something" that might make the Kona range a reality after all. Sounded as if he couldn't be specific because it was some kind of "unofficial" process. We'll see. Maybe.

I hate to say this but I'll believe it when I see it. I will say this much, if it becomes approved I'll retire early. 

Some rules are there because an accident happened or because of some external influence such as this guy:



He's the reason why the steel targets are no more and we have the weird eyebrows. He was there stalking people and capturing people "aiming at the sky".

I Love that Video Ren!
I wish it was longer than 2:35.

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This is what we need on the rifle range.  This is the cheap version. 

That has to be the dumbest reason.

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It does happen and it happened to me. The 1911s go full auto when the sear gets to worn.

1st round hit the target the next 3 went over the berm at Puuloa.

Check out the wood above points 1-10 at Koko Head pistol side. There are a lot of .45 sized holes.

Semi auto rifles with floating fining pins also can have slam fires. I experienced that also.

Shit does happen.

It does happen and it happened to me. The 1911s go full auto when the sear gets to worn.

1st round hit the target the next 3 went over the berm at Puuloa.

Check out the wood above points 1-10 at Koko Head pistol side. There are a lot of .45 sized holes.

Semi auto rifles with floating fining pins also can have slam fires. I experienced that also.

Shit does happen.

My AR went full auto on me at the range. TWICE on 2 different occasions. I had a fully adjustable trigger on it and adjusted it a little too tight. And when it got a small amount of crud in it, it would go full auto. It was fully controllable, BTW.

I guess it's true that "Maui No Ka Oi" (Maui is the best).  Unlike KHSC here that restricts you to 5 rounds in a magazine and you can't fire rapidly really shows how backwards Oahu is compared to Maui.  Yes, not only does Maui have an NHRA drag strip (which we no longer have despite having almost 10 times the population of Maui) and Krispy Kreme, but they also have a COUNTY shooting range that apparently has NO limit on how many rounds you can have in your magazine AND you can shoot as rapidly as you want (obviously you must be "in control" or the RSO will get on your back).  I thought the Ukumehame range was a "gun club" range when I saw the video of them shooting 50 cal rifles and shooting an AR-15 with a slide stock, but I was wrong.  The Ukumehame shooting range IS a Maui County range under the Parks and Recreation department.  We need to urge our City Council to change the rules at KHSC so we can actually practice home defense tactics using our pistols or rifles.  Reality is that you won't shoot a threatening criminal once and count 1-2-3 before shooting again.  You'll be dead if you had to wait.  We need to be able to train at our public range as well as having target positions at perhaps 10-15 yards, not only 25 yards for the handgun range (how many of you have a home that has a 25 yard distance from one end of the hallway or stairway to the other?)  Anyway, it'd be a shame to have to fly to Maui just to practice using my AR or handgun with self-defense tactics.  Check out the video at

Aren't we all here for the same thing?  Since when was there a rivalry about who has the best range?  We do have clubs here that practice self-defense types of drills in the actions every weekend and they are open to the public.  So before you poo-poo something realize we're all in the same boat 

Aren't we all here for the same thing?  Since when was there a rivalry about who has the best range?  We do have clubs here that practice self-defense types of drills in the actions every weekend and they are open to the public.  So before you poo-poo something realize we're all in the same boat 

I feel it's good to have a discussion and get different points of view.  Living on an island, a lot of people don't get to experience something different or know what is possible.  People that only shoot at Koko Head never get to experience what a modern professionally designed range is like.  Same for Maui and Big Island.  I think everyone learned a little something here.

For me, I'm interested in range design.  I've never been to the Maui range so I looked up the videos, pics, and google maps to find it's up against a huge mountain, lots of people use it, and there's less rules there.   I'll have to visit it one day....preferably when the nene geese aren't nesting.

we should try to push to get the steel back at kokohead at a longer distance.
seems like it would be harder for a ricochet to travel over the mountain when it is at a longer distance and closer to the mountain than it would be at a closer distance.  although both distances I doubt it would travel over the mountain.
when the target is closer to the mountain, it would have to ricochet at a more vertical angle to even make it over, and then even if it would go over, it wont go far bc its going more vertically.
when the target is closer it could ricochet at a less vertical angle and have more of a chance of going further if it would go over the mountain, which I doubt it would.
in all the years that the longer distance target was out there, were there any complaints of stray bullets?  or was it only recently when a certain "person" had his "pussy" objections, was there complaints of stray bullets.  coincidence?  I think not.
or what if there were to be a design around a steel target at a longer distance that would 100% contain any ricochet bullets.  that could satisfy any concerns of stray bullets.
I would love to get a longer distance at kokohead.
even if we were to do a 200 yard trial for say a year, and if no problems, place another target out to 300 or more.