Kelowna's best gun range is online!

[Calibre]

Well, after relocating to Kelowna from Vancouver, it looks like I've somehow landed myself in the presidency of one of the local gun clubs: The Joe Rich Sportsman's Association. For those unaware, there are three clubs operating in and around Kelowna: The Kelowna Gun Club, the Oceola Fish and Game to the north, and JRSA to the east. I currently belong to KGC and JRSA. I'm going to check out Oceola as they are/will be opening soon (apparently the road up there is impassable in the winter).

Now some may think I'm biased here, but here's the breakdown on why I think JRSA is the best gun club in Kelowna: 1) It's not forced to abide by a series of inane rules aimed more at maintaining a politically-correct image, 2) it's open year round, 3) it's the least busy, and 4) it's got the longest range.

Again, for those unaware, Kelowna Gun Club is extremely close to the city... as in, it's seven minutes from my house and I live in downtown Kelowna. We all know how that ends. Apparently, a former Vancouver Police detective moved into a house down the hill and has been filing noise complaints almost daily against the club. The club's taken them to court, and long story short, the club is able to remain open but is very image-conscious. Shooting too rapidly earns you some stinkeye from some members. Humanoid targets are disallowed (even zombies). Absolutely no steel ever. Pistol shooting is slow, deliberate, and from reverb-generating booths. The rifle range is strictly benchrest only with baffles above and below that prevent standing or prone. And in the winter the road to the pistol and rifle ranges is 4wd only.

Now I can live with the 4wd road... but honestly, besides testing rifles for groups, the rest irks me and really sucks the fun out of shooting... especially after enjoying a membership at Abbotsford Fish and Game, which is an epic club (with the 700 person wait list to prove it).

Oceola, on the other hand, looks amazing... but is limited to 200m like Kelowna, and closes in the winter. I work with guns year-round, so it doesn't work for me. Plus, it's a bit farther away.

JRSA? Well, JRSA is 60 acres of gun range with crown land on three sides and a mountain serving as the backstop. Good simple rules, and we're actively pursuing things to make the club more fun; steel target installations, fun community shoots like an annual pumpkin shoot, public open houses, etc. There's no one around to complain about noise, really, and we capped the membership at 300 so it's not exactly a bustling place. Most days I'm there alone. And according to the range inspection, as the club grows, we might actually be able to add even more ranges!

So there's my sales pitch: If you're a gun owner in Kelowna, and want to belong to a range that puts safety first and fun a close second, and doesn't care about what shape your target is or how you want to shoot it... check out joerich.org!

[Lee Enfield]

Vernon is close to you and also a good club to join.

The rifle range goes out to 400m and has 3 handgun ranges and a archery range. They have applied to extend the rifle range to 500, time will tell if that is going to happen.

PS

Vernon owns a grader to help keep the range open during the winter.

[Calibre]

I'll have to check it out. How's their attitude? Steel targets?

There's also Trinity for proper long range shooting, but again... it's a bit more of a trek. it's amazing how quickly I've gone from someone that drove two hours to shoot at Abby to someone that thinks an hour's drive to Vernon may as well be a lifetime!

[DanN]

Salmon Arm is good, too. 300m rifle range with steel targets. Trap range, archery range, 2 pistol bays (Steel on one range) and a Tactical range (Still somewhat in development, and shared with LEOs). We are working towards hosting IPSC.

Good attitude, no wait list. ~700 members total right now.

[Lee Enfield]

I'll have to check it out. How's their attitude? Steel targets?

There's also Trinity for proper long range shooting, but again... it's a bit more of a trek. it's amazing how quickly I've gone from someone that drove two hours to shoot at Abby to someone that thinks an hour's drive to Vernon may as well be a lifetime!

We have steel at 300 and 400m and that is the only steel that can be shot. You are not allowed to bring your own steel. Membership is cheap, go to the web site to check that out.

The range is well set up and check out the shoots that are held. The military shoot is great and would make a fantastic article for your magazine.