Indoor full power full-bore rifle ranges UK

[zzr1100]

Fulwood club in Liverpool has a lane where full bore is allowed.
Its underground, 50m with an absolute MOUNTAIN of sand behind it !

[phaedra1106]

Nearest indoor option (for Blackstuff) for now is either Stead Hall near Harrogate, or the range I previously mentioned in Livingston

And for me too, problem for me is getting there, Otterburn (only 3 or 4 dates a year) is almost a 100 mile round trip and that completely buggers me up for at least a week afterwards

A nice warm indoor 100m range would be lovely, a cold and wet 100m range I could use at least weekly within say 30 miles would be a decent second choice :)

[dodgyrog]

There seems to be a demand for a decent indoor full bore range but not the wherewithal to finance it.
I suspect planning permission would be a major hurdle to overcome as well.

[HH1]

Fulwood club in Liverpool has a lane where full bore is allowed.
Its underground, 50m with an absolute MOUNTAIN of sand behind it !

Yes, that's where I was referring to.... I shoot .308 and .45/70 there. It is part of the old armaments factory and is underground..... if a bullet did get through the backstop it would be going through sub-terrain Liverpool.

Top left & bottom right pictures show the 50m full bore range:
http://www.fulwoodshootingclub.co.uk/ranges/

[ukrifleman]

I have shot full bore rifle on Kynamco's 100m underground range in Suffolk, including a 500 nitro express double rifle and let me tell you the noise and muzzle blast is something else.

I believe their range is cleared up to 20mm ammunition.
ukrifleman

[nickb834]

There seems to be a demand for a decent indoor full bore range but not the wherewithal to finance it.
I suspect planning permission would be a major hurdle to overcome as well.

For an indoor range the latter isn't too bad (subject to noise and pollution etc), it's the former that kills it.

For instance a club in the midlands was trying to drum up interest between the manufacturers in this country, the governing bodies, the lottery etc to invest in an indoor range - you'd think for instance the Ammo suppliers would love it - but no, not a sausage.

It's a pet project of mine to try and get something going but the more I look at the finances the less viable it becomes. Membership fee's alone cannot sustain a range as a business looking at my figures - there needs to be an RFD tacked onto it I think. Lottery investment precludes it being a money making business so somebody has to stump up some serious cash, project manage it for a good long while to completion, then run it and then receive a paltry return on investment that doesn't cover ones own salary.

A possible alternative is a like minded group of individuals invest there own hard earned as a labour of love to get a range going, easy enough to form a club - but the cash side of it not so much.

[Kungfugerbil]

^

Agree with all of that.

It's a peeve of mine that I live in an area that is hugely rich with land and opportunities to build shooting facilities but light on actual opportunities. The only shooting that takes place round here is Grouse and driven Pheasant for the rich folk.

Build it within a drive from me and I'll chip in and help out :)

[Brookers]

I'm in the process of doing this at the moment and it's not that difficult. Planning was not an issue but made sure that we carried out a sound survey to prove we would not be heard. The biggest factor with any range is noise, if you can prove they wont hear you then you are well on your way.
Money will always be an issue but I'm lucky that my club has been saving for this for many years.
Don't forget when calculating rent you also need to allow for rates which can come to a very large amount, best thing is to get your club registered as CASC and you will qualify for 80% rates reduction. Your local authority then has the ability to give a further 15% rates reduction if you are CASC.
If you want full bore rifle then you will really need to think about your backstop. I'm going for a system of 300mm thick rubber blocks backed up with HARDOX 400 steel plate.
If you want to keep your club rates reasonable you will need lots of members.

If you have any questions please ask, I'm happy to share my experience. The range I'm building should be open in a few months time.

Brookers

[Brookers]

Do you know when they, the NRA/NSRA, actually stopped certifying ranges?

Also do you know of where the self certifying ranges obtained their insurance cover?

I'm not sure when they stopped certifying ranges, however I was pointed in the direction of an independent range designer/safety consultant (EX British Army and the last officer who certified ranges).
He is very good, offers a sizeable discount for NRA affiliated clubs and his "sign off" covers a range for insurance purposes, which we get through the NRA.

If you have any questions please ask, If you want his contact details please PM me.

Brookers

[nickb834]

I'm in the process of doing this at the moment and it's not that difficult. Planning was not an issue but made sure that we carried out a sound survey to prove we would not be heard. The biggest factor with any range is noise, if you can prove they wont hear you then you are well on your way.
Money will always be an issue but I'm lucky that my club has been saving for this for many years.
Don't forget when calculating rent you also need to allow for rates which can come to a very large amount, best thing is to get your club registered as CASC and you will qualify for 80% rates reduction. Your local authority then has the ability to give a further 15% rates reduction if you are CASC.
If you want full bore rifle then you will really need to think about your backstop. I'm going for a system of 300mm thick rubber blocks backed up with HARDOX 400 steel plate.
If you want to keep your club rates reasonable you will need lots of members.

If you have any questions please ask, I'm happy to share my experience. The range I'm building should be open in a few months time.

Brookers

Thanks for the info Brookers - I hadn't realised the rate reductions were quite as much for CASC's (My sons amateur rugby club is registered as a CASC).

Previous discussions with Mike at Icon had led me to conclude that rubber granules was the way to go but dependant on premises I'll revisit this to see if it's still the solution to go for.

Locating premises is proving tricky - but no rush, this is a side venture after all.

Good luck with your project - the more shooting opportunities the better for all of us.