How to find a place for recreational shooting?

h4344 · Sep 16, 2016

So i have only ever been to shooting ranges so far but i would like to go out to the forest someplace near Portland where i wont feel rushed (Most ranges i have been to charge by the hour) to have a fun afternoon.

I'm just trying to figure out what exactly i need to look for when researching an area so i leave in my own truck and not the back of a police cruiser.

bolus · Sep 16, 2016

If you are on the West side you can go out to Tillamook forest at North Fork wolf creek road. Volunteers from here and the forest service built a 4 lane range free for public use. Clean up after you are done and if you can pick up any extra trash it makes us look good and we may get more built.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//45.7850153,-123.3650965/@45.783973,-123.3636124,827m/data=!3m1!1e3

h4344 · Sep 16, 2016

bolus said:
If you are on the West side you can go out to Tillamook forest at North Fork wolf creek road. Volunteers from here and the forest service built a 4 lane range free for public use. Clean up after you are done and if you can pick up any extra trash it makes us look good and we may get more built.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//45.7850153,-123.3650965/@45.783973,-123.3636124,827m/data=!3m1!1e3

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oooooooooh shiny. 55 Minute drive but still spend less on gas. So what then? Just pull up and find a free lane to unload on? Pretty sure i read somewhere you can only shoot between sunrise and sunset but i just wanna be sure.

ORYGUNHolsterCompany · Sep 16, 2016

h4344 said:
oooooooooh shiny. 55 Minute drive but still spend less on gas. So what then? Just pull up and find a free lane to unload on? Pretty sure i read somewhere you can only shoot between sunrise and sunset but i just wanna be sure.

I suggest at least a quick introduction with anyone else at the range, making sure to always let people know you intend on shooting near them. Also common range etiquette is to wait for anyone currently shooting to finish before trying to setup target for obvious safety reasons.
Also introductions let's you know if the people around may not be "worth" shooting around.

The shooting hours out of city limits comes down to noise restrictions for the most part, if you are in an area far enough away from other people you can shoot all night long, the police will only show if someone calls in a complaint.

Fire season, bring an extinguisher or 1 gallon water minimum, and a shovel.