Shooting at the Darrington pit.

[HighlandLofts]

We will be going out to shoot early tomorrow morning up in Darrington if any new wants to get on out. I want to leave Arlington 7 - 7;30 in the morning.

 

[n1kmontanari]

Hi just joining this forum. Glad to hear there is a spot nearby to shoot and guys like you who help keep it clean. Definitely willing to help out. Never been out to the pit, what's the longest range to shoot from? I got a pistol and iron sight rifle that are fine at the shorter range, but I really need a spot to stretch out my other rifle, 100 yards or more.

 

[coltemp]

Hi just joining this forum. Glad to hear there is a spot nearby to shoot and guys like you who help keep it clean. Definitely willing to help out. Never been out to the pit, what's the longest range to shoot from? I got a pistol and iron sight rifle that are fine at the shorter range, but I really need a spot to stretch out my other rifle, 100 yards or more.

You should consider shooting at one of the clubs nearby. Also consider joining so you can shoot regularly.
Marysville rifle has a redicoulously long wait time. Everett Sportsmans Club on the island usually has plenty of opening but don't get to shoot pout there year round.
Seattle Rifle is one of the better in this area. If you want a tour let me know

 

[HighlandLofts]

The clubs and indoor ranges in this area are high priced to other regions.
I personally like the shooting pits and other free places to shoot at.

The two pits on the 435th ave in Darrington has one real bad spot on the road leading to the pit off the 18 Road.

You can get about 85 yards in these to pits.

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There are two pits on the Suaittle River Road
Where we did a major pit clean up on June 5t with a lot of volunteers. Despite rainy miserable conditions it was a major success.

We went shooting at the small pit this past Sunday afternoon. You can get just over a hundred yard at this pit.

The big pit you can reach out to about 200 yards.
I prefer shoot at the small pit, but it gets taken early.
At the big pit you get other groups that set up and shoot and things can get awkward.
I don't like shooting with other groups.

Last weekend I took my grandson and one of his friends
My friend Bill brought two of his grandsons and Jim from Granite Falls came up to the small pit on the Suaittle River Road for an afternoon of shooting.

We got there around 1pm.
Bill & grandkids left around 4:30.
Jim from Granite Falls left shortly afterwards.

We stayed unto 8pm. We picked up two 5 gallon buckets of trash shotgun hulls and two small buckets of steel rifle and pistol cases.
There was only a handful of brass.

This coming weekend we might get together for a just adult shoot, military gun shoot.
M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, SKS, AK47, Mini 14, old military Mausers.

After this weekend we will be taking the grandkids back out for a regular shooting trip.

Send me a PM if you want to join us one of these weekends.

 

[n1kmontanari]

You should consider shooting at one of the clubs nearby. Also consider joining so you can shoot regularly.
Marysville rifle has a redicoulously long wait time. Everett Sportsmans Club on the island usually has plenty of opening but don't get to shoot pout there year round.
Seattle Rifle is one of the better in this area. If you want a tour let me know

Yeah I looked at the clubs. I'm currently applying to become a cop and I've applied all over the state so not sure if I want to join a membership yet but I would still take you up on the offer of touring Seattle's range. Never thought of it. I guess I figured it either wouldn't have one or be crowded.

 

[coltemp]

Yeah I looked at the clubs. I'm currently applying to become a cop and I've applied all over the state so not sure if I want to join a membership yet but I would still take you up on the offer of touring Seattle's range. Never thought of it. I guess I figured it either wouldn't have one or be crowded.

Just sent you a PM. Happy to show people around and see if it might be a good fit. Phone is in the message.

 

[HighlandLofts]

Mason is gone for the weekend so I am going up to the 435th pit to do a little clean up and then stop.by to visit with Scuffy.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I went to the 435th ave pit saturday afternoon.
Got there a little after 3pm and left a little after .
Picked up a five gallon bucket of shotgun hulls, five gallons of steel rifle and pistol cases and a gallon of brass.

Stopped by Scruffy's place to visit and had a few drinks with him.

 

[n1kmontanari]

Sorry I missed you @HighlandLofts. I ended up going to the different pits on Sunday. I camped out there and was there Monday as well. They are looking good compared to other places I've been. Hopefully we will get out there together sometime.

 

[HighlandLofts]

We will be going back out there probably late Saturday around 3pm or so. If you can make it let me know and we can set it up.

 

[HighlandLofts]

Things have been busy lately with work and home projects. I took Mason out late Sunday afternoon. We went to the two pits on the Suaittle River Road and the 435th Ave pit. It was late so Mason got to shoot a little and I picked up half a gallon of brass to mix in with all the other range brass. I did buy eighty-five pounds of brass a couple of weeks ago.
I also have fifty to sixty pounds of brass that we picked up. Don't know when we will have the time to process it to sell.
Money in the bank. I do have to get out a hundred pieces of 30/30, a hundred pieces of 30/06 and two thousand pieces of 223/5.56 for someone before our two week hunting trip back in Upstate New York.
We will be going back out to shoot this Saturday morning.

 

[HighlandLofts]

With everything going on we haven't been out shooting since last October.
The last two weeks of October I took Mason back to New York for small game hunting. He did quite well. . We came back to Washington, then I left Washington again on November 17th until December 14th for deer hunting.
Then with work & Christmas we didn't do much. After Christmas we got two separate snow storms which shut everything down.
Today I took Mason up to Darrington and they still have a foot of snow on the ground up there. We couldn't make it to any of the pits so we had lunch up there and come back home. We'll have to wait until the snow melts before we can get to the pits.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I took Mason up to the small pit up on the Suiattle River Road this morning for three hours. He had a great time. He got to shoot one of the 223 AR15s,the 357mag Ruger GP100, the 22lr Ruger Single-six, and the 20 gauge Steven's double barrel.
He totally enjoyed himself. I have to load up more ammo for next Sunday if it doesn't rain.
I did manage to pick up fifty pounds of old shotgun hulls.
There is a lot more there to pick up next weekend.
When I took him up there last month we couldn't get to any of the pits. Now the snow is receded I'll get him out more often.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I took Mason up to the Suiattle River Road pits on February 19th and they were both occupied so we went to another pit that doesn't get much traffic. Mason shot the new AR15, 22lr Ruger Single-six, 357 Ruger GP100 and the 20 gauge Steven's side x side double barrel.
He loves exploding milk jugs full of water with the rifled slugs. I add food coloring to the water for more visual when they explode upon impact. We stayed there for about three hours, he started to get cold so we cut it short this time. It was cold and windy that day.
I did manage to pick up a bunch of spent shotgun hulls.

 

[Pewpew762]

I took Mason up to the Suiattle River Road pits on February 19th and they were both occupied so we went to another pit that doesn't get much traffic. Mason shot the new AR15, 22lr Ruger Single-six, 357 Ruger GP100 and the 20 gauge Steven's side x side double barrel.
He loves exploding milk jugs full of water with the rifled slugs. I add food coloring to the water for more visual when they explode upon impact. We stayed there for about three hours, he started to get cold so we cut it short this time. It was cold and windy that day.
I did manage to pick up a bunch of spent shotgun hulls.

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I tried going to the 435th location today for the first time and came across a power plant, there was a "no tresspassing" sign with a closed gate, but to the right there was another road. Would you happen to know if I was in the right area? I would've pushed on to the right but was with wife and child. Going to attempt to find the Suiattle River Road pits tomorrow morning.

 

[Blacktails]

With the weather getting better, I'd like to try to find all of the Darrington area pits mentioned so I can do some outdoor shooting with some new guns. Any chance of getting exact directions from Arlington to the various pits? Thanks.

 

[EPS]

I tried going to the 435th location today for the first time and came across a power plant, there was a "no tresspassing" sign with a closed gate, but to the right there was another road. Would you happen to know if I was in the right area? I would've pushed on to the right but was with wife and child. Going to attempt to find the Suiattle River Road pits tomorrow morning.

That gate is always closed.
If you go right there is a way to get around the gate.
But they blocked it off with big cement blocks.
And the DNR officer said it is illegal to drive down the creek bed.
The other way to get to the pits .
You have to go north on the street across from the gas station stay on that road for a ways past all the house's.
Then you will see a logging road off to the right.
@HighlandLofts can probably tell you better than me.
Once you get up there a ways the road splits off and you drop down to the pits.
4X4 is a good thing to have also the road gets pretty bad in some places and if it's raining or has been raining could have a hard time getting out .

 

[EPS]

They closed the gate because the road goes through a section of private property.
And people were dumping trash.

 

[Pewpew762]

That gate is always closed.
If you go right there is a way to get around the gate.
But they blocked it off with big cement blocks.
And the DNR officer said it is illegal to drive down the creek bed.
The other way to get to the pits .
You have to go north on the street across from the gas station stay on that road for a ways past all the house's.
Then you will see a logging road off to the right.
@HighlandLofts can probably tell you better than me.
Once you get up there a ways the road splits off and you drop down to the pits.
4X4 is a good thing to have also the road gets pretty bad in some places and if it's raining or has been raining could have a hard time getting out .

I actually ended up finding the two other pits off Suiattle River Road!! Ended up being a great day for shooting

 

[HighlandLofts]

From Arlington to the pits.
To get to the 435th Ave pit you go to the shell gas station on the corner og 530 and Sweede Haven Road. (About three miles before you get to Darrington).
At the shell station take a left on to the Sweede Haven Road.
You will go across the stillaquamish River bridge. About a mile past the bridge there is a dirt road off to the right, like a Y turn.
That is the forest service 18 Road.
A mile or so up the 18 road there is a stone quarrel on the left. Go another mile or so and take the first road to the right, that takes you to the pit it is about a mile & a half from.the 18 road to the pit.
It is a double gravel pit, the smaller top pit and the larger lower pit.

There is one real rutted up section, it was really bad last fall and probably got worse since then.
Last fall cars made in & out but I wouldn't take a car down there. I talked with the head DNR guy last October and he said it was slated to fix that road some time this year.
I'll have to give him another call and see what's going on with it.

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To get the the other two pits from Arlington you got into Darrington, at the four corners in town take a left at the other shell station like you are going to Rockport.
About 7 miles or so you will cross the steel deck bridge that crosses the Suiattle River.
Right when you cross the bridge take the first right on the curve. The first pit is the small pit about a mile up the Suiattle River Road on the right.
A little over have a mile more the large shooting pit on the right. It has a yellow steel gate.

These pits are a popular shooting spot, you might have to wait to get a spot to shoot if they are busy.

I generally take my grandson up there shooting every weekend from spring until the snow comes. I generally pick up three to five plastic buckets of junk shotgun hulls and steel rifle & pistol cases.
This week I bought 2,100 pounds of lead for casting and worked on it getting it processed in to ingots.
I was planning on taking Mason out shooting today, but I have to get 500 pound of lead processed for some guys that wanted to get casting bullets.

I buy brass cases if you guys pick up your empties.