Club Membership

[jcwit]

I am a member of 3 clubs and soon to be 4 clubs. One of the clubs I belong to I'm on the Board of Directors and have been for 10 years or more, this club I represent at our bi yearly meeting of our association. The association has a large range, covered 100 place, with control tower for the match leader, for both handgun and rifle out to 100 yds./100 meters, shotgun range, etc., etc.

But the membership of the assoc. range is only approx. 70 members with a few of those as non paying members being Honorary members. To me this seems to be way out of the ordinary as it seems to me our membership should be in the 100's.

For those of you who belong to a club range what is your membership numbers?

My meeting is tonight.

[dragonrider]

$100.00 yearly

I think our membership is right around 300

[mac60]

I'm a member of a club located in Pascagoula, Ms. - I seem to remember reading somewhere that membership was limited to 1,000. I would bet that number is exceeded by quite a few. Very often the range is jam packed. Yearly membership is $100.00 - if you participate in a "work day" you can save $30.00 making your membership dues $70.00 - not bad. All you shooters with a private range are fortunate.

[jcwit]

Membership as in number of members, not dollar amount to be a member.

[Walla2]

Just less than 1000 in a population area of 35,000

[rockrat]

We have about 300 members. Dues are $85/nra and $95/non-nra, with a $100 initiation fee. We came up with the initiation fee as we had alot of members that would wait until July to re-join, at a discounted rate, instead of paying in September. Finally put a stop to that. You don't pay by the first of October, your membership lapsed and you had to pay the initiation fee when you came in July to get a discounted rate. Cost them more to wait than they would have if paid on time. LOT of complaining, and we lost about 75 members at first, but for some reason, we didn't have as much trash shot up at the range and left in place. Have had many join, that we are past our earlier numbers and have voted in a limit of members. We feel we have the best range in the state.


We are in an area of about 20,000 ,but in a kind of depressed economy area too.

[therealhitman]

Our club is capped at 5,000 members. $170 a year. I bet less than 500 actually use the facility more than once a year.

[Freightman]

425 this is all that will be accepted $125 a year NRA required.100% NRA all matches are sanctioned we always have a waiting list.

[garym1a2]

I think mine is about 1200 members with $175/year. plus an extra 175 to join. NRA membership required.

[dragon813gt]

To many for almost all of them. It's starting to be a problem.

The one w/ the 300 yard range is is around 1,200. There really aren't any issues and it's rarely crowded. But a month before rifle season you will be waiting hours to get a seat at a bench. In comparison it takes less time at the public range.

The main range I belong to just went over 900 members. It was 350 when I joined in 2006. I used to be on the board but resigned three years ago due to the current president. Ranges are always crowded. Lots of trash left all over the place. Law enforcement has been called multiple times. Street signs shot up outside the gate. And the president won't do anything because it's all about revenue. No one wants to clean up the mess and bylaws were changed to make it hard for anyone to run against him. How that happened is a whole can of worms.

There is a population of around 500,000 that these ranges serve.

[Hamish]

The club was opened about 1960, so, much of our membership are the sons of the founders, and they would very much like it if it had been maintained at fifty members, but the total has been flawed and scratched up to 110 over the last twenty years. Seeing another member is a rarity. I've always been of the opinion we could up it to 300. NRA required.

[skeettx]

Amarillo Rifle and Pistol club limited to 375, NRA required, $100 per year, never crowded, good internet schedule of activities.
http://amarillorpc.com/

Texas Panhandle Pistol club limited to 1000, NRA required, $110 per year, indoor range 50', never crowded, good internet schedule of activities.
http://www.texaspanhandlepistolclub.com/

Amarillo Gun Club (shotgun) unlimited, $125 per year 17 trap fields, 5 skeet fields, never crowded, good internet schedule of activities.
http://amarillogunclub.org/index.htm

NOW the big question, JC, why are you trying to increase range membership? Need more money to run and repair the club?

[bdicki]

Around 400 I mostly shoot skeet, trap and 5 stand. The public skeet and trap days are Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. I have a key to the shotgun stuff so can shoot trap or skeet at anytime with voice activated. There is a rifle range with up to 200 yards and an indoor pistol range but I seldom use them. Yearly dues are $75.
The city I live in has a public range much closer to my house that isn't crowded until a couple of weeks before deer season cost is $5 a year but will increase to $10 next year.

[RayinNH]

We are in the 400 range paying members but when you add in family members (spouses and kids) it jumps to around a 1000 or so.

[quack1]

Membership is capped at 500, there is a waiting list to join. $30 a year with a first year initiation of $20. Area population is roughly 30,000-40,000. There is another public range in the area that is bigger. I'm retired and only shoot on weekdays, and am the only one shooting most of the time. Although, I'd guess the weekends and a few weeks prior to hunting season are busier.

[foesgth]

We have just over 85 acres and a 1500 member limit. It is busy on the weekends. We usually have several events every weekend. I sometimes get the place to myself during the week.

[jcwit]

NOW the big question, JC, why are you trying to increase range membership? Need more money to run and repair the club?

In answer to your question, it's my belief a range consisting of over 100 covered shooting positions for small bore and handgun and a 20/30 position covered highpower range should better serve the community with more active members which at present it is not.

This is the range in Northern Indiana that the NRA has held the National Small Bore Matches the last few years, both Std. and Metric.

Our biggest problem is with the requirements we put to the prospective member, one of the biggest is that we expect all members to be competitors, not just folks who wish to shoot. we also support a youth league, less than 10 kids, this is pitiful. The indoor range I'm a member of supports the youth also, we have somewhere around 800 kids involved every year.

If it wasn't for the monies received from the NRA I doubt we would be selfsupporting with just the fixed expenses.

So yes we need more members, and this issue is brought up every meeting, and then with nothing resolved or accomplished.

With all of the above said what we do need are members that do not trash or destroy the range or the equipment. The range at present is CLEAN, NO TRASH or papers blowing around. I guess we need responsible folks. We shall see how the meeting goes this evening. Gotta go!!!

[dragon813gt]

Competitors only is extremely limiting. Especially w/ that many shooting positions. If anything make it where a prospective member needs a sponsor. And make the initiation fee high. This weeds out the riff raff.

[sundog]

"And make the initiation fee high. This weeds out the riff raff."

It also weeds out the kind of members who will come out for a work day. The value of a membership would in some way reflect that member's 'share' of the total value of the business. Yes, a gun club, private, public, or otherwise is a business and needs to be operated as such.

[dragon813gt]

"And make the initiation fee high. This weeds out the riff raff."

It also weeds out the kind of members who will come out for a work day. The value of a membership would in some way reflect that member's 'share' of the total value of the business. Yes, a gun club, private, public, or otherwise is a business and needs to be operated as such.

No it doesn't. There are still plenty of volunteers at the higher end clubs I belong to. A lot of the members are the business owners. So they don't mind bringing their equipment to help w/ the work.