indoor ranges

[xmohuntr]

Is there an indoor pistol range in the Anchorage/Wasilla area?

[.338-06]

Palmer. Mat Valley Sportsmen.

There are several in Anchorage, all built with tax dollars, but not open to the public.

[Snyd]

There are several in Anchorage, all built with tax dollars, but not open to the public.

That's wierd. What's up with that??

[AKmud]

I don't know about "several", APD has one and it isn't open to the public for obvious reasons. Most other agencies come to our range too (corrections, park service, etc..). I don't know if the FBI and Troopers have their own in Anchorage or not.

[Snyd]

Just curious. Any indoor rifle ranges in the state? The indoor range here in Fairbanks is handguns up to 44mag and 22 rifles unless they changed it.

[Blink]

I know there is a range on elmendorf that is supposed to be able to stop a BMG but the backstop didnt perform as advertised. of course this was in '99. our unit tried to get access but the lawsuit sopped anybody from firing on it.

since the firing line closed a handful of years ago, your only choice for an indoor range open to civilians is in palmer that I know of.

[.338-06]

That's wierd. What's up with that??

There is(or was) a LEO pistol range out past the airport that is/was run by the State for Troopers. APD used to use it too, until they, that is we, built the training center on Diamond.

I'm sorry AKmud, I must be stupid or something, what are the "obvious reasons"? There's plenty of other MOA property that use and/rent for a fee-including parking lots!

Does APD use their range 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year?

And while I'm ranting, why does Juneau and Fairbanks get indoor ranges built by the State, while Anchorge gets none?

Sorry if I sound a little bitter, I was competiting in Bullseye until the Firing Line closed down.

[AKmud]

APD's range gets used A LOT. I have tried to go in and use it myself while off duty and it is a major pain in the rear trying to find it open during the day. I can go in late at night and use it pretty consistently (after the training staff has left the building). I think the major issue is that the building is not set up for public access. It is our training facility and there are always classes of some sort going on (not always on the range, there are many classrooms for lecture). I am sure that the training staff does not want to try to figure out how to allow public access to the range (buried in the heart of the building by the way) without disturbing the classes. Also, it is a locked facility and they don't want the general public to have free range of the building (especially while toting guns).

How about evenings after normal operating hours you say? That just means the city would have to hire more people to be there to run the place while the range was in use. Also, you never know when there will be on shift training which means patrol officers come in at various times and shoot. This scenario could happen 24/7. I think it is simply too complicated to be attempted.

[ak257]

Just curious. Any indoor rifle ranges in the state? The indoor range here in Fairbanks is handguns up to 44mag and 22 rifles unless they changed it.

It's up ".45 caliber" for handguns. I take my son there quite often and he always cringes when we get a lane next to someone with a .45 or .44 mag. He also has a .17 HMR rifle that is not allowed on the range. "Too fast" they say.

[xmohuntr]

Where is the indoor range in Palmer??
There are no others open to the public other than Palmer?

[AKmud]

It is located on the Glenn hwy between the fairgrounds and Kepler lake. If headed toward Palmer from the Parks hwy., as you round the last left hand curve leading into the long straight stretch to the fairgrounds, it is on the left hand side. They have a big pile of tires outside and are doing some ground work behind the building, looks like for some outdoor ranges. It is just before where the train loads up with gravel.

[Paul H]

Not quite indoor, but Rabitt Creek has heated benches that are fairly tollerable. The pistol side should be finished pretty soon, and when it's not crowded you can shoot handguns on the rifle side. For $50 a year, it's a heck of a deal. They will be closing down for the month of December.

[Doug in Alaska]

It is located on the Glenn hwy between the fairgrounds and Kepler lake. If headed toward Palmer from the Parks hwy., as you round the last left hand curve leading into the long straight stretch to the fairgrounds, it is on the left hand side. They have a big pile of tires outside and are doing some ground work behind the building, looks like for some outdoor ranges. It is just before where the train loads up with gravel.

I'm a range officer at MVS, the indoor range in the Valley. Yes, we are in the process of building two outdoor shooting lanes, one 50 yd lane and one 100 yd lane. Hopefully we will have the outdoor range up and running this coming spring. The indoor range is now on the winter schedule:

Winter Hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 6-9 PM
Tuesdays (Ladies Only Nights) 6-8 PM
Fridays, Noon to 9PM
Saturdays & Sundays 4-9 PM

Come on out, join the club and keep your shooting skills current. Non-members shoot for $15 per day and members shoot for $7 per day. An annual membership is $30 and your first day's fee is waved, so if you plan to shoot more than once or twice, a membership will save you money. Annual membership for seniors is $15. In the indoor range we allow rimfire, handguns, any rifle that shoots straightwall pistol cartridges, and shotgun. Range length is 25 meters. We also allow bottle neck rifle cartridges if you handload cast bullets at reduced velocities (2000 fps or less). We have a reduced load, cast bullet competition on Wednesday evenings, come out and try to hit those tiny targets at 25 meters, offhand! This is a great way to keep your skills up to date. We have regularly scheduled IDPA, Bullseye, and Cowboy Action matches.

Doug in Ak

[Blink]

Doug, thanks for the info, I always wondered about that range and what they allow, etc.

[Float Pilot]

As for the old Airport oudoor Range. It still gets limited use L. E. and military use. There was a problem with the Safety People at the airport when they saw some tracer composition flying up in the air. They drove over to the range and asked me if I was letting my students shoot bottle rockets. (thats why they work safety, they could not figure a range with 14 people shooting m-16s might have something to do with what they saw)

Anyway, we later had to stage a shooting drill using 9mm tracer ammo as well. A couple pieces of tracer compound flew up in the air and everyone had a cow.

Later the Air Guard and the Airport pilice hauled in a BUNCH of tires and new sand. It helped some. But winter firing is pretty much a no-go.

Besides the APD/DOC training center, which can't just open the doors due to liability, there used to be an indoor range under the Federal Building. I taught a few classes in there. Plus when I was working nights for the State, a couple of other firearms instructors and I would stop by once a week in the middle of the night to stay current.
The vent system was not very good and the overhead had MANY holes shot through it by various folks. The common legend was that was what happens when you let the Postal Inspectors or IRS investigator hold a gun.

The Elmendorf Range regularly gets 5.56mm ball fired against the backstop serveral times a week. Other groups have been allowed range access at different times. Usually until somebody does something that ruins it for everyone.

Since there are highschools and college shooting programs around Anchorage, where do they shoot?

The guys at the Pamer indoor range are a good bunch of folks.

Now that I am back in my Home town, I keep trying to figure out a way to make some sort of set-up that will keep me from freezing solid during a little range session.

[Bill S.]

High schools rifle teams use .177 caliber air rifles. Most of the high schools have 10 meter ranges. The university uses .22 single shot rifles. Cheap ones are $1600.

[akav8r]

If someone were to open an indoor range in Anchorage stocked with a variety of firearms so people to try shooting various makes and calibers, they would do a brisk business. I know it would be more complicated than that, but if it can be done in CA it can be done here.

[.338-06]

It was done in Anchorage. It was called The Firing Line and it went belly up.