Shooting Range Closed

[richhodg66]

While in Salina yesterday, I had a good bit of time to kill and had been wondering lately about it, so I drove out to the little state built, unsupervised shooting range on the Maxwell Wildlife refuge between Canton and what's left of the town of Roxbury. It never was a great range, but I used to use it before they built the good one in Randolph much closer to me, and I had some good memories of the place from when I used to take the wife and my boys when they were small out there to shoot. I had heard KDWP was going to discuss changes to it, turns out that meant closing it.

About all they did was remove the benches, the rest is still un touched except a sign or two saying "authorized personnel only". I parked outside and walked in just to see, three foot tall grass and brush over everything. The berm is still full of lead, someone should mine it.

I got to thinking, I hadn't been out there to shoot in probably 15 years. It really is way out in the middle of nowhere, but there are several houses nearby now which I am pretty sure weren't there last time I went there, no doubt that had something to do with it.

Gotta admit, it made me rather blue to walk around on an abandoned rifle range. Like any unsupervised range, it had the problems of Bozos showing up and doing things that were against the rules, I used to always make sure I had a loaded .357 on my person all the time when I went there, but I also met some nice and knowledgeable folks out there too. I usually tried to time trips there such that I was unlikely to run into other people though and had some good shooting sessions and was always nice not to have anybody looking over your shoulder.

I shoot mostly on my own place now, but it sure is a shame that to be a shooter nowadays you either have to have your own place or put up with a lot of expense or hassle or both. Gonna miss that little range, it's always been in the back of my mind if I needed a place to shoot and now I can't.

[WRideout]

The nearest State Game Land had a small public range when I first moved to Butler, PA. A few years ago it was closed, but the Game Commission has done a good job of upgrading the bigger ranges close to Wexford, also on SGL. You need a permit, or a hunting license to use it.

Wayne

[Big Tom]

We had something similar in Adams Couty, OH (Tranquility Shooting Range). A public range that was in decent shape and people I met there were typically responsible ones.

Ohio DNR then stopped maintaining roads, a bridge collapsed and you could only get to teh range from the other side, then somebody at ODNR decided that the 150 ft high ridge/hill as a backstop "was eroding and unsafe as a backstop" and they completely stopped any maintenance, resulting in the drainage being clogged and then they closed it because of "unresolvable drainage problems and an unsafe backstop", lying to the public about it being fixed. That was 6 years or so ago and despite massive complaints from a lot of people, the Ohio DNR stays completely unresponsive and will not re-open it. It would probably take a weekend or two of work with volunteers to clean the mess they allowed to develop up, and the backstop being "unsafe" is a complete BS to begin with - a flat out lie. People can shoot another 1000 years into that hill and nothing would be "unsafe".

I stopped donating to the ODNR, only buy the license I need and am seriously disgusted how our government agencies can treat the people that pay their salaries without any accountability. Only takes one left wing, anti-gun ranger chief for such an area and everybody gets screwed by that person.

[white eagle]

I have to same as you my own range on my land
but I still hate to see urban sprawl take down a range

[oldscool]

That is a shame. Haven't been there for years, but have planned going this fall to check it out and shoot some.

Don Brown Memorial Shooting Range was built in 1983, and I used to go there every so often when in the area. The KDWPT website shows this: *NOTE: This range is closed, until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Public places to shoot or even private are very few and far between around here anymore.

[richhodg66]

I have to same as you my own range on my land
but I still hate to see urban sprawl take down a range

No urban sprawl, this place is out in the middle of nowhere, several miles outside a town called Canton that I doubt has 1000 people in it. Roxbury, the other town nearby has maybe three or four occupied houses and a lot of abandoned stuff, I noticed one wall of the school building that's been abandonded for 50 years had fallen down since my last visit.

I shoot at one in Randolph which is a great range, but still has to be supervised, has limited hours and costs a (very minimal) fee to use. I like it a lot, but it was always nice to know there were places a guy could go unimpeded, not anymore, I guess.

That berm must have tons of range scrap in it, I wonder if the state will ever do anything with it?

[richhodg66]

There's a thread going now about "that guy" at the range. I'm pretty convinced that's what killed this one. People used to go out there and be irresponsible and unsafe. It is pretty remote, but there are farmers and such who live within a mile or so and I'm sure they didn't appreciate random bullets flying around. The berm also was adjacent to an intermittent creek, so there were probably environmental concerns.

[richhodg66]

That is a shame. Haven't been there for years, but have planned going this fall to check it out and shoot some.

Don Brown Memorial Shooting Range was built in 1983, and I used to go there every so often when in the area. The KDWPT website shows this: *NOTE: This range is closed, until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Public places to shoot or even private are very few and far between around here anymore.

That's the one. I have no idea who Don Brown was, but it seems the state set this up as a hunter safety training site. It was a nice little place when I needed a place to shoot and had the time. Picture of what it looked like before they closed it and let it grow over.

[jsizemore]

Maybe the diminishing number of folks in the area made it hard to justify the upkeep by the state/fed. I bet most farmers in the area have a place to shoot on their property.

[Huskerguy]

I live in Salina and went to that range a few times. It was a decent place to shoot, decent rests, but you never knew what idiot was going to do there. The problem, as I heard, was with people nearby and some water supplies nearby also being affected by the lead.

[richhodg66]

I live in Salina and went to that range a few times. It was a decent place to shoot, decent rests, but you never knew what idiot was going to do there. The problem, as I heard, was with people nearby and some water supplies nearby also being affected by the lead.

Where do you shoot in Salina? I noticed what looked like a range over on State street once while driving over there and never looked into it.

[lightman]

Its always sad to hear about a range closing. Anytime I go to a remotely located range I keep a loaded handgun on me and I try really hard to have a buddy or two there.

[jsizemore]

I live in Salina and went to that range a few times. It was a decent place to shoot, decent rests, but you never knew what idiot was going to do there. The problem, as I heard, was with people nearby and some water supplies nearby also being affected by the lead.

If lead is getting in the water from the range, has the state or fed done anything to eliminate the source of the lead contamination? If they ain't doing anything, then it sounds like some BS.

[oldscool]

That range berm is to the west if I remember right. I don't believe there is a farm or dwelling for 4 miles either west, north, or south. Only danger would be back of the firing line.

Brown's family donated money, and possibly the ground to start this facility.

[bruce drake]

You should offer the state free deleading of the berms although the required environmental impact statements and mandatory reseeding efforts would delay the approval process until some KS legislator's cousin got the contract to remove the lead before it leaches into the local watertable...

That said, why aren't you planning to return on Saturday with a couple of sifter screens and a shovel to harvest the lead??? I'd love to mine my gunclub berms but they recently rebuilt the berm and the old layer is now under several feet of topsoil so I know it won't be a decent grubstake for a lead miner...

Regarding urban sprawl. The Marion County Fish and Game association (biggest club in Indianapolis) has been encompassed by the city and now its only smallbore and black powder cartridges on the rifle "Range" (covered pit with range limit stakes and overhead deflection and archery/pistol/shotgun on other ranges). It once stood on the western border of the 400 square mile county but the neighboring county (Hendricks--mine) has grown sleeper communities towards Marion alongside Indy growing westward and thus they have squeezed the MCF&G into the situation its currently in with rapidly diminishing safety range fan.

The other large public firearms range in Marion County was once on Indianapolis City Park land and was a gift from the city by way of a private bequeath of the land titles to the neighboring city park (Independant City Park System). It had all the range safety equipment you could hope for in a modern range. electronic targets for Bullseye as well as for casual shooting, high berms and bullets abatement screens along the firing range (left right and many center) an active skeet and trap league. And the usage fees paid by the Indianapolis community (including a nice dog park for the liberals,more than covered the expenses of the shooting range even when the Indianapolis Police and Marion County Sheriff's office would lock out 5 workdays a week for annual refresher or qualification training. leaving the citizens only Saturday and Sunday to shoot.
Flashback to 2016 with a shift in the City Council makeup to Rinos and Democrats and a new democratic mayor Joe Hogsett, with his new crony Police Chief decide that the public doesn't needs to have 2 open days a week and then closes the the entire week out for their EST and police officer firearms training every week. Mayor's spokesperson said it would be replaced by another firing range but the since the original actual grant from the US Federal government, was to ensure that it stay open to the public and finds an equivalent piece of property to move too Federal government. More details in the article below:
https//www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/03/16/eagle-creek-pistol-range-closes-public-after-35-years-amid-contract-dispute/81856640/

Bruce

[ThomR]

The range that I used to go to back home recently closed down. It was an outdoor range and a small gun store. They closed down due to the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act. Almost half of the gun stores in Illinois closed down due to that law.

[richhodg66]

You should offer the state free deleading of the berms although the required environmental impact statements and mandatory reseeding efforts would delay the approval process until some KS legislator's cousin got the contract to remove the lead before it leaches into the local watertable...


That said, why aren't you planning to return on Saturday with a couple of sifter screens and a shovel to harvest the lead??? I'd love to mine my gunclub berms but they recently rebuilt the berm and the old layer is now under several feet of topsoil so I know it won't be a decent grubstake for a lead miner...

Regarding urban sprawl. The Marion County Fish and Game association (biggest club in Indianapolis) has been encompassed by the city and now its only smallbore and black powder cartridges on the rifle "Range" (covered pit with range limit stakes and overhead deflection and archery/pistol/shotgun on other ranges). It once stood on the western border of the 400 square mile county but the neighboring county (Hendricks--mine) has grown sleeper communities towards Marion alongside Indy growing westward and thus they have squeezed the MCF&G into the situation its currently in with rapidly diminishing safety range fan.

The other large public firearms range in Marion County was once on Indianapolis City Park land and was a gift from the city by way of a private bequeath of the land titles to the neighboring city park (Independant City Park System). It had all the range safety equipment you could hope for in a modern range. electronic targets for Bullseye as well as for casual shooting, high berms and bullets abatement screens along the firing range (left right and many center) an active skeet and trap league. And the usage fees paid by the Indianapolis community (including a nice dog park for the liberals,more than covered the expenses of the shooting range even when the Indianapolis Police and Marion County Sheriff's office would lock out 5 workdays a week for annual refresher or qualification training. leaving the citizens only Saturday and Sunday to shoot.
Flashback to 2016 with a shift in the City Council makeup to Rinos and Democrats and a new democratic mayor Joe Hogsett, with his new crony Police Chief decide that the public doesn't needs to have 2 open days a week and then closes the the entire week out for their EST and police officer firearms training every week. Mayor's spokesperson said it would be replaced by another firing range but the since the original actual grant from the US Federal government, was to ensure that it stay open to the public and finds an equivalent piece of property to move too Federal government. More details in the article below:
https//www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/03/16/eagle-creek-pistol-range-closes-public-after-35-years-amid-contract-dispute/81856640/

Bruce

I really wasn't supposed to be in there looking around and while not likely, could have an LEO or game warden discover me there. It's also a pretty healthy drive out of the way for me. I have quite a bit of lead, the vast majority of which is going into a berm on land I own now, so will eventually be recovered unless I die first, so really can't get too motivated to mine this one. I haven't in a while, but can generally go to the range I sometimes shoot at and leave with a bucket or two of range scrap.

I may still come up with a plan to go and get some of it, maybe combine it with a camping trip out there on the wild life refuge, but right now, it just seems more trouble than it's worth.

[Huskerguy]

Where do you shoot in Salina? I noticed what looked like a range over on State street once while driving over there and never looked into it.

I think the range you are referring to on State Street was a failed private attempt. They were signing people up with memberships, it sounded shaky to me at that time and low and behold it feel through. They did approve $5 million for a local law enforcement range and other facilities.

I have some friends with property in the country for rifle and I belong to membership gun club, Quivera. It is an indoor range out to 50' that was built for the Air Force when it was here in Salina. A nice place to shoot out of the weather for $100 a year.

[richhodg66]

I think the range you are referring to on State Street was a failed private attempt. They were signing people up with memberships, it sounded shaky to me at that time and low and behold it feel through. They did approve $5 million for a local law enforcement range and other facilities.

I have some friends with property in the country for rifle and I belong to membership gun club, Quivera. It is an indoor range out to 50' that was built for the Air Force when it was here in Salina. A nice place to shoot out of the weather for $100 a year.

Is that over on the old Schilling Air Force Base?

[BigBore45]

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