Range recommendations for the Lower mainland?

[K-dawg]

looking to join a range in the Vancouver area, any suggestions?

[94sahara]

Bump, I'd like to know this too, 'cept for surrey area.

[Candychikita]

i'm partial since i'm now PR for Abbotsford Fish and Game Club. yes, i liked it that much :D :D my comments though, for what it's worth because i did shop around the other ranges before making my decision.

AFGC good all-around club, lots of space, no one really bugs you when you're on the line if you're looking to just shoot - well worth the drive, LOTS of members from out of town and it's always increasing. got some good things going with the drop-in events if you're looking for a more social atmosphere:

drop in .22 rifle on monday nights for $5, Ammo and guns provided
drop in steel challenge practice on tuesday nights for $5, BYOGear
drop in archery wednesday nights for $5, Bows and arrows provided
drop in pistol skills and drills on most friday nights with one of the top IPSC shooters in canada for $20, BYOGear

psst - open house is july 21 10-3 *shameless plug* free food, free ammo, we supply guns - come check us out. bring your friends. :D

abbotsford also has ridgedale, on the matsqui flats. they have a very active black powder following and the abbotsford police department use their facilities. jun 24th they're having a free youth day. damn, i just saw i missed the may 12th ladies day event. that sucks, their ladies event was well put together and is good for photos.

i like DVC for their gun rental ability when i can't find someone who owns a particular gun i'd like to try and their free ladies' nights on friday nights :D :D free is nice, great for date nights. the mechanical target mover things and no-cease fires is a real treat, so's the A/C and the heat in extreme weather. from the members i know there, there are complaints about waiting though due to limited space. they have an experienced gunsmith on site, which i think is a really good selling feature if you're having issues with your guns. this range also sells ammo. excellent ongoing marketing campaign too - just converted a very vocal anti radio announcer to a very vocal pro-gun radio announcer :D good job boys :D

vancouver gun club - this is a strictly shotgun range only. good for meeting people in the trap/skeet shooting world, lots of experienced souls here. found lots of cranky old men here too, who have problems with black and pink shotguns and female shooters in general.

mission range - heard great things about trap and steel challenge, never been. apparently they've got an excellent 3D archery trail, one of the best in the lower mainland if that's your thing. bit far too travel for myself personally.

thompson - heard great things, very active in steel challenge and IPSC matches. never been, though i should because i hear it's close by. mind the $4 toll on the golden ears there and back...

i've heard things about the city of po co/coquitlam passing bylaws about shooting. not sure about how this effects the po co range (which is a public range) or other ranges in the vicinity but i would suggest doing your homework about this. i love the po co range (it was my first) but there is now quite a bit of construction and waiting on the way up, because there is severe development happening in that area. i'm not a patient person for construction traffic. big pro is that this is a public range.

semiahmoo is really big on hosting weddings, and for me there were concerns about closures and such for weddings. might not be a big issue, but again, homework. i've dealt with enough wedding drama that i would like to stay as far away from that stuff as possible; my need to shoot a few rounds vs. bridezilla is not something i'd like to even entertain.

langley, even though they are the closest in proximity to me, had the worst attitudes towards female shooters of any range i've been to in bc by far. went to their last open house and will not be returning.

that's what i've got.

[jonanddad]

Very Nice write up candy!

[The Yodelling Brakeman]

They sell ammo now at PoCo? That's news to me---is this a recent development over the last few months?

[Candychikita]

They sell ammo now at PoCo? That's news to me---is this a recent development over the last few months?

heh, well everytime i go there's usually a guy selling ammo...if he's not supposed to be there, he's making a KILLING off of me bahhaha

EDIT - i found the guy's card that sells the ammo. must be a lucky coincidence, because he isn't there often. edited OP for accuracy - thank you for that. (heh i'm still buying ammo when i see this guy though - can never have enough and he gives me great deals!)

[bccanadian]

Mission has an excellent rifle range starting at 25 meters then 100, 200 meters and out to 300 yards. The clubhouse has a catering company in the kitchen so some food is available at certain hours (sorry but I don't remember what their hours are).

Cowboy action is another discipline complete with a mock up tombstone shooting area.

Skeet and trap on the shotgun fields.

The Shooting benches on the pistol range are covered. I've even been shooting in January.

You can find mission here www.missionrodandgun.com

[silveragent]

Poco (PDHFC.com (http://www.pcdhfc.com/)) is very well organized however until they finish building their second public range it will remain very busy on weekends. Before I became a full member I sometimes had to wait 2 hours to get in after driving up from Vancouver. As a full member now I can be there at opening at 9 while the public waits until 11.

It's a victim of having a large membership (I think I heard 3800 members), allowing public to pay day cards and that it absorbed the membership of closed ranges such as Barnet. It is also the closest gun range to Vancouver and Burnaby except for DVC (pistols and shotguns, no center fire rifles) and Richmond (Vancouver Gun Club -- shotguns only I believe).

As one of the most high profile clubs Poco also has some of the more stringent rules. It was explained to us in orientation that the CFO holds Poco up to very high standards and that is why they have a lot of supervision and safety procedure classes for becoming members, for being allowed onto outer ranges and for holster policy. The ROs can scold newbies (or oldtimers who feel above the rules) but after a few visits it feels very laid back. I've had hardly any problems with the rest of the membership. Poco has IPSC (and hosted the BC Championship last year), trap and skeet and a couple other pistol clubs. Membership is pretty multinational.

That area of Burke Mountain is also undergoing a lot of development up the slopes so it is a question if it will survive longterm though I would not hesitate signing up now. The closest development so far is still out of gunshot hearing and Poco shares the mountain with hikers and mountain bikers. I've never had any trouble with the construction traffic with the devleopment but I usually only go up on the weekends. Whenever I've spoken with board members they felt fairly confident they would remain for a number of years. Someone mentioned that development couldn't, for some geographic reason, go up much farther than now.

[Candychikita]

great info you guys :D :D thank you :D :D

[DougPeach]

Thanks for all the great info, I am smack dab in between ridgedale and abby fish and game so I think it will be a tough choice for me. Most likely I will be joining Abby and later this year ridgedale.

[Candychikita]

Thanks for all the great info, I am smack dab in between ridgedale and abby fish and game so I think it will be a tough choice for me. Most likely I will be joining Abby and later this year ridgedale.

psst - if you're a member at another club, you can get an associate membership for a discounted price at AFGC with proof of membership elsewhere. other ranges may have the same arrangement.

have fun :D

[stevebc]

Slightly out of the area, but I'm curious about the Hope rod and gun club range I see north of Hope on the Trans-Canada. I've never seen a vehicle parked there. Looks like maybe 100 yds or so. Too far south for me, but might work for some?

[SKULLBOY]

I have been a member at quite a few of the ranges in the lower mainland............

The more known ranges are:

Port Coquitlam - I was a member there for quite a few years.........nice facility, but after my experiences there I will only join private ranges.I stay away from public ranges.......too many morons, and the wait times for a bench on weekends can be hours........

Abbotsford - Great range if you do not want to be bothered. It has a more relaxed atmosphere.The draw back is only 100 meter rifle range. But if you are into shooting pistol, there is a great "Skills and Drills" pistol program run on Saturday evenings and IDPA shoots run on Sunday evenings on the indoor range by a good friend of mine. Excellent "Black rifle" and pistol range.

Mission - The only game in town for shooting 300 yards. Well maintained and great facilities. The rules at Mission are a pain in the a$$ for "Black Rifle"/"Service Rifle" shooters as you can only load single rounds in your magazine unless you get permission from the RO.................and if you are firing too quickly you will get grief from the older members.

I have been out of shooting for the last 2 years, but I will be re-joining Abbotsford and Mission this year..... ;)

[John_in_BC]

Chilliwack Fish and Game is nice. its not fancy, but it has trap, pistol(indoor and out), and 200 yard rifle range. And a fancy 3d black powder setup. Nice freindly members, laid back attitude mostly too.

Candy, that associate membership thing sounds great, I may check that out. some of your events sound good.

[walperstyle]

I can't speak for Chilliwack Today, but in the 80's they were real friendly to kids like me :)

[AnthonyF2]

Hi--I was invited to go hunting at the end of October and totally new to guns and hunting--I have my PAL application submitted, taking CORE in a few weeks, but want to get some experience before going out and buying a hunting rifle and going on this trip. Any places recommended, and do I need to wait for my PAL to arrive before I can practice? Thanks!

[Candychikita]

Hi--I was invited to go hunting at the end of October and totally new to guns and hunting--I have my PAL application submitted, taking CORE in a few weeks, but want to get some experience before going out and buying a hunting rifle and going on this trip. Any places recommended, and do I need to wait for my PAL to arrive before I can practice? Thanks!

Well...there are a few places you can get some experience. I hope you get all your certification in time.

If your hunting buddies would like to take you out and let you use their firearms under their supervision, you can go that route...most ranges allow members to bring guests for a small (insurance) fee. Depending on the arrangement you have with these hunting buddies and their firearm collections (guns are like chips, you can't have just one) ... you might be able to use one of their firearms for your hunt when your PAL arrives instead of making a rush purchase. Plus that way you get used to their type of instruction/directions AND use the firearm you will be toting on your hunt.

Barring that....for pre-PAL shooting experience...you could get general shooting experience at something like AFGC's drop in .22 classes (supervision, firearms and ammo provided - Peter is very nice to work with) or you could try a place like DVC. DVC is a bit on the costly side, depending on what you would like to shoot...but they have a selection of firearms to try (eg shotguns, rifles, handguns)

http://abbotsfordfishandgameclub.org/category/afgc-club-reports/22-rifle/
http://www.vancouvergunrange.ca/first-timers.php

Not sure about what classes the other ranges offer in terms of introducing new shooters to the sport, but those two I know have very supportive and inclusive programs.

Good luck :D

[OEM]

I have been a member at quite a few of the ranges in the lower mainland............

The more known ranges are:

Port Coquitlam - I was a member there for quite a few years.........nice facility, but after my experiences there I will only join private ranges.I stay away from public ranges.......too many morons, and the wait times for a bench on weekends can be hours........

Abbotsford - Great range if you do not want to be bothered. It has a more relaxed atmosphere.The draw back is only 100 meter rifle range. But if you are into shooting pistol, there is a great "Skills and Drills" pistol program run on Saturday evenings and IDPA shoots run on Sunday evenings on the indoor range by a good friend of mine. Excellent "Black rifle" and pistol range.

Mission - The only game in town for shooting 300 yards. Well maintained and great facilities. The rules at Mission are a pain in the a$$ for "Black Rifle"/"Service Rifle" shooters as you can only load single rounds in your magazine unless you get permission from the RO.................and if you are firing too quickly you will get grief from the older members.

I have been out of shooting for the last 2 years, but I will be re-joining Abbotsford and Mission this year..... ;)

Yes, I know dredging up a thread from the past...but lots of good info here, just wanting to find out how current the info is. :eek1:

I find myself in the unhappy position of having to change ranges from Poco, which no longer allows night shooting of centrefire. Used to be a bunch of us would meet up on Weds nights to enjoy some peace and quiet (lol!) it was always a very relaxed atmosphere and everybody kinda knew everybody else. Well, due to the housing coming closer to the range they decided to stop all centrefire. I don't know if anyone complained, but heck, either way, someone like me, who only has time in the evening is now screwed.

Anyways, Mission is closest to me, but if they're only allowing single rounds for semi-auto, then that's out. Why the heck are they like that?

I like what you and Candy say about Abbotsford, and especially the night shooting with pistol and IDPA on Sunday nights, but I can't seem to find anything on their website about it. I also would be moving to battle rifle (does that qualify as "black rifle"?) shooting and it seems they don't have a problem with that.

Any other thoughts to add? Sad to leave poco, but if I can't shoot nights, I basically can't shoot so what's the point. :frown1:

[Sandhu]

Mission changed their single shot rule, now it's 5 rounds max regardless. Even if you have aics 10 round mags only 5 allowed. But honestly with a bolt action who will know difference between 5 vs 10 rounds. Other than the lack of maintence lately it's been a positive experience. If you want to join September is the time, you get the rest of the year plus next year for price of 1 year.

[OEM]

Thanks for your thoughts Sandhu. So if I have an e-lander 10-rounder in an m14, I'd just be able to load up 5? Well, better than 1 I suppose lol!! My enfield takes 10'rounds.

What's nice about mission is that they seem to allow night shooting.


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[Sandhu]

Yep exactly that 5 round max for rifles. However rifle range is unlit, so 9am to dusk or 9pm. The pistol range/trap are lit so pistol is til 9? Trap only when club house open or practies happening. Not sure about trap, haven't been there yet.