Another Range Gone

[Stephanie B]

Saw on Faceblecch: The Academi range in Salem, CT is closing on 12/15. No word on whether anyone is taking over.

Bummer. Guess the match I signed up for on the 27th is OBE.

(Mods, feel free to move this if this isn’t the proper section.)

[fatdog]

In greater Birmingham, the largest private non profit member owned range with the biggest membership, Brocks Gap Training Center, home to every competitive shooting sport, and the only 500 yard rifle range in the metro area has sold their property and leased it back for a year while they build out their new rural location well outside the metropolitan area.

Their new land is nearly 50 miles and most of two counties distant. The fact that new place is relatively hard to get to and about an hour's drive for much of their membership is going to cause them to loose many members in this process. This club hosts the only remaining IDPA match in greater Birmingham or Central AL for that matter.

They have been under pressure for years despite Alabama's Range Protection Act which covers them. The city of Hoover where they are located, under pressure from local residents who hate the range, has threatened to "build a connector road" which quite transparently is not needed but would allow them to use imminent domain to condemn and purchase the property.

So even in "gun friendly" states, nobody wants a range nearby.

[TDA]

Maybe I'm a little salty from hauling my junior shooters to Quaker Hill Rod & Gun for the Swanson match every year, but man, that's the middle of nowhere. They did mention that there is new ownership, although that doesn't answer the question of whether it will keep being a range or turn into a condo development.

[ragnar_d]

In greater Birmingham, the largest private non profit member owned range with the biggest membership, Brocks Gap Training Center, home to every competitive shooting sport, and the only 500 yard rifle range in the metro area has sold their property and leased it back for a year while they build out their new rural location well outside the metropolitan area.

Their new land is nearly 50 miles and most of two counties distant. The fact that new place is relatively hard to get to and about an hour's drive for much of their membership is going to cause them to loose many members in this process. This club hosts the only remaining IDPA match in greater Birmingham or Central AL for that matter.

They have been under pressure for years despite Alabama's Range Protection Act which covers them. The city of Hoover where they are located, under pressure from local residents who hate the range, has threatened to "build a connector road" which quite transparently is not needed but would allow them to use imminent domain to condemn and purchase the property.

So even in "gun friendly" states, nobody wants a range nearby.

I'd been out of the loop for a while and it's been years since I've been down there, but that sucks. I was down there for a DMR match years ago and it was a nice range and some good people there. Where is the new range being built?

But I completely understand the sentiment. Moved to North AL in 2014 and lucked out somewhat being close-ish to the Cavern Cove range and, if I want to tempt fate, Swan Creek WMA. Even then, I hardly get out to shoot with the goings on in life for the last couple years and I'm not all that keen on indoor ranges. Hobbs Island Shooting Range opened up a few years ago, but a $500-1500+ per year range membership is out of consideration for me. When CC sold a few years ago, I'm glad that the buyers wanted to keep it going as a range and it's far enough out that it should be safe from development for a few years. If I start shooting more, I may revisit getting a membership.

If I wanted to shoot any farther than about 200-ish, it was either go get a membership at the new HISR (out to 380), Brock's Gap or Strategic Edge in Chapel Hill, both an easy hour and a half drive or more from me. So that was definitely not going to happen. I do worry that HISR could face a fate similar to Brocks Gap in the coming years considering how fast land is getting developed in the Huntsville area.

[fatdog]

Where is the new range being built?

Vicinity of 33.51617728891047, -86.37221333443492

Look up the intersection of Camp Creek Road and Dry Creek Road in SE St. Clair County in Cropwell, about 15 miles south of Pell City.

[ragnar_d]

Vicinity of 33.51617728891047, -86.37221333443492

Look up the intersection of Camp Creek Road and Dry Creek Road in SE St. Clair County in Cropwell, about 15 miles south of Pell City.

Dang, that is definitely out there. It certainly sucks that they had to go that far out to build a new range but, on the upside, I don't know if they'll have to worry about development springing up around them. Doubt I'd be able to make it down there for a casual IDPA match though without it being an all day thing but if the "DMR" matches become a thing at the new range then I'd definitely be making the drive.

[fatdog]

duplicate...site is slow and acting strange for me today

[fatdog]

if the "DMR" matches become a thing at the new range then I'd definitely be making the drive.

They might, the person who told me about this says they are going to create a 1000 yard rifle range out of the move, because they finally have the space. I dropped my Brocks Gap membership when Rockford Gun club opened because I was only in for access to their 500 yard range. I loved Rockford and enjoyed 5 years down there until he got closed in March 2022. I plan to rejoin Brocks Gap after the move as it will not be far for me.

If that all comes to pass and I am a member a year from now, ping me and you can trip down as my guest one day and try their rifle range if they let me back in.

[Jim Watson]

I have shot at Brocks Gap a good deal, 135 miles from here in Florence. The Pell City location maps out at 150 miles, that is getting to be a long way.

The local club had 50 and 100 yard ranges in Sheffield until city officials whose day jobs were in real estate, got us tossed. Nothing we could do about it, the range was on an old industrial site that had been ceded to the city. We are now out in the sticks with smaller membership due to distance and higher dues to pay for our own land.

[Stephanie B]

FB announcement that the Academi range is now Salem Valley Firearms. No word on when they will open.

(They'll be the third operator of that place, as far as I know.)