Got here extra early this morning around 5:15am. Two weeks ago there were only a few benches available at 5:45am. So I decided to venture here early just in case. Right now it is very open. Not many people here yet.

It's a few minutes after 6am and there are at least a dozen benches available.

Wow...so sad people must be there so early!

7:00am and there are a few benches still available.

7:00am and there are a few benches still available.

Hold one for me and KK.  We will be there at 1.   

Sorry all taken. Big rush about 10 after.

Hold one for me and KK.  We will be there at 1.   

Im at 92. If I'm still here you can have my bench.

It's about 8:45am and the waiting list is only about a dozen names.

At 10:45 the silhouette range had a 12 person + wait, the earliest being at 9:20 (so figure a 1.5 hour wait).

No thanks - when people have lawn chairs set up outside to wait, you know something is terrifically wrong.

Got here extra early this morning around 5:15am. Two weeks ago there were only a few benches available at 5:45am. So I decided to venture here early just in case. Right now it is very open. Not many people here yet.

I thought they open at 9am on Sundays?

it does open at 9... these guys go super early to camp out and drink coffee, so in order to get a bench, we gotta do the same!

I remember the days when you could show up anytime and there would be benches open or you didn't have to wait long for one.

I remember the days when you could show up anytime and there would be benches open or you didn't have to wait long for one.

Does this signal a increase in firearm ownership and participation and greatness?

  x86749

Wow! I didn't know it could get that bad. Does it ever get so bad that you end up waiting more than an hour after they've started firing? Or the wait was so long that you couldn't even shoot that day?

I remember the days when you could show up anytime and there would be benches open or you didn't have to wait long for one.

The number of shooters went up, but the amount of funds went down.  Doesn't make sense.

Its funny how things work here. The amount of shooter and gun ownership goes up. Then funding for the range gets cut and hours get cut.

x86749

Wow! I didn't know it could get that bad. Does it ever get so bad that you end up waiting more than an hour after they've started firing? Or the wait was so long that you couldn't even shoot that day?

The problem is with the waiting list. Some guys come to shoot 10 rounds and leave within the first hour. Others shoot until 12-1pm like me. If you are one of the first names on the waiting list your wait could be less than an hour to maybe 2-3 hours depending on availability. If you get your name in the 10th-20th slots who knows? I went there once and arrived at 7am. Got my name in the 3rd or 4th slot. I didn't get a bench until 11am. I figure if I'm going to have to wait 4 hours to shoot then I get there around 5am and make sure I get a bench. Some people like coming around noon to 1pm. But the last time or two I was there on Sunday the wait was still an hour or two at that time. I would think getting there around 1-1:30pm would be best as they close at 3pm and you could probably get an hour or two of shooting in.

I usually go on the Fridays that I have off and some Saturdays.  When I go on Fridays, you can get there as late as a little after 11 am and still have lots of benches.  A few times I've been there where there were a couple of benches that were open just before noon.

When I go on Saturdays, I try to get there around 6-6:30 am to be sure that I get a bench in the area that I prefer.  If not, I think getting there around 7 ish would be fine.  I've also gone to shoot pistol first and there are usually plenty of benches around 1 pm.  So depends on what you want/need to do, that is an option and usually fine for me.   

What gets me is the disrepair of the facility.  Like the section of roof that is missing and even closed down the range last fall.  There are so many people volunteering to fix up the place, but due to liability and union work BS, nothing gets done.  Still, it's one of the few, or for some the only, shooting facility available.  I'm hoping things get better, but I'm not holding my breath. 

The problem is with the waiting list. Some guys come to shoot 10 rounds and leave within the first hour. Others shoot until 12-1pm like me. If you are one of the first names on the waiting list your wait could be less than an hour to maybe 2-3 hours depending on availability. If you get your name in the 10th-20th slots who knows? I went there once and arrived at 7am. Got my name in the 3rd or 4th slot. I didn't get a bench until 11am. I figure if I'm going to have to wait 4 hours to shoot then I get there around 5am and make sure I get a bench. Some people like coming around noon to 1pm. But the last time or two I was there on Sunday the wait was still an hour or two at that time. I would think getting there around 1-1:30pm would be best as they close at 3pm and you could probably get an hour or two of shooting in.

If I can't do down there early, I've found that arriving about 1 pm is usually ok.  But you really are rolling the dice.  When I do that, I like to bring my pistols just in case I need to kill some time at the silhouette range.  But even the silhouette range is super crowded sometimes. 

If I get there early, I try to get my shooting done and leave.  Yeah, I talk story some and take breaks when I feel the need, but I don't hand around longer than I need to.  While I enjoy my time at the range, I also have plenty of other things to so on the weekends. 

Sorry for the slight thread drift, but does anyone know if all that pre-1030 am bench saving madness has been resolved on the rifle side on weekdays?