Gun Community in Eugene

mniemela · Apr 23, 2012

Hey guys (and gals),

I'll be moving to Eugene towards August and I was wondering what the gun community is like down there or around central Oregon?

I've done a little research and I've found Eugene has a local IDPA club which looks enticing. Does anyone have experience about that club?

What about gun shows? Washington has the WAC and you can go to their shows for free if you're a member. Does Oregon have a similar group that hosts gun shows?

I've also seen a few ranges in the area like the Barons Den. If I understand their page correctly (<broken link removed>) you have to pay for a membership then also must pay to use the range as a member? The forest seems fairly close and a bit cheaper, are there some good shooting places in the woods? Do people shoot in the forests around the area?

Finally, what is Eugene really like? It's got a reputation as a more "hippy" area. I've spent the last three years in Seattle's U-District, but it doesn't seem that way to me for the few days I've visited, but maybe I'm desensitized?

SteelyDan · Apr 24, 2012

Pretty firearms tolerant area in and around Eugene. Lane County Sheriff Office staff is pro carry. Open carry not unusual in this local, heck occasionally you still see a gun in the gun rack of a pickup!

I can think of at least 5 gun stores in Eugene/Springfield metro area off the top of my heading, not counting Bi Mart, etc plus Cabelas.

Barons Den, Isaac Walton league, Emerald Empire Gun Club, Cottage Grove Sportsmans Club for places to shoot besides rural areas. Several prominent NRA Instructors teaching classes in the area.

The gun shows are frequent but unremarkable, usually Willamette Valley Collectors shows, etc.

mniemela · Apr 24, 2012

Thanks for the info. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

How is the sheriff about giving permits to non-res? Being a college town with a decent amount of people from out of town, are they pretty stingy with permits for out of staters?

4dogs · Apr 24, 2012

The Albany Rifle & Pistol Club is about 35 miles north of the Eugene area and is very popular. Also, some of the best gun shows in the mid- to southern willamette Valley happen in Albany, at the Linn County Fairgrounds. ARPC holds two a year, Sept and March, and the East Albany Lions Club does one in February, I think.

OregonPlinker · Nov 5, 2012

I grew up in and around eugene. Its a nice place if you like the outdoors. Lots of fishing and hunting close by. You could go snow skiing and surfing in one day. There are lots of hippys and liberals around but you also have the other end of the spectrum as well. I dont know about non resident chl but Its not hard at all to get one as a resident. I would imagine them giving a chl to anyone with a somewhat clear record. Resident or not... It seems like we have a lot of gun shows at the lane county fairgrounds but like steely said they arent really anything special. When I was a kid they were bigger and had all kinds of stuff to try out. I got to mess with an antitank simulator when I was like 12-13.

Its likely the first place you will be exploring for free shooting is McGowan creek and shotgun creek. Its the same place really just different ways to get in... Emerald empire range is on McGowan creek road as well. I dont go up there except to the range anymore cause every time I do I find stolen cars or other crime scenes...lol. It is a nice area its just where everybody knows to go to the woods. When I was like 11 or 12 my dad and I found 2 dead kids a little older than me in our favorite spot up there. We left and called it in from the store. There was actually 3 bodys at the spot but we only seen two. Some teen romance triangle if I remember right... Lovely childhood memory. Anyway welcome to Eugene! lol