Thinking about not renewing membership at TCGC, crazy?

[Member 52301]

I haven't been to the range since I last paid dues (last summer). Dues are going to be coming up again soon and I am thinking about letting my membership lapse. I have been justifying it based on cost of gas to travel to coast range to shoot but in reality I do most of my shooting at my cabin anyways.

For those who haven't been shooting much lately how do you justify the membership fee?

Use it or lose it is my motto!

I think that it is GREAT that you have a safe place to shoot at your cabin too.

Now, if you have ranges or clubs that put you on a 'waiting list' - I would consider keeping your membership whether you USE IT often or not.

I am not used to small or large ranges (Indoor and/or outdoor ranges.) or Sportsmen's and Conservation Clubs putting people on waiting lists back east or out here.

My husband and I can shoot on a LOT of public land but we will always keep a membership here:

Western Montana Fish & Game Association - The WMFG is a membership based organization that privately owns and operates the Deer Creek Shooting Center in East Missoula Montana

www.wmfga.org

And that goes even if he and/or I MOVE AWAY to another part of MT or to another state for good or for part of the year.

Years ago, when he held more 'shooting events' on a regular basis before his work schedule went CRAZY - we bought a membership for a WA state friend of his too. A gift.

Some of the membership rules changed for our range (WMF&GA's range.) and he and I did NOT LIKE some of them but we still kept up the membership. Some other ranges back in the Great Lakes region - farm/lake country AND on the East Coast changed some of their membership rules too. Mainly due to covering their BUTTS due to stupid and careless shooters, lawsuits, insurance costs even with a discounted price, etc.

Another thing, with ALL of the building going on in specific states and some new homeowners who KNOW or KNEW where there was/is a small, medium or large range when they BOUGHT or built new homes... some of THOSE homeowners want to get rid of or restrict those gun ranges. Ugh.

One other thing, NASTY, careless - unsafe and dirty shooters (Pigs!) who LITTER and don't clean up their shooting spots on county, state or federal lands will only CONTINUE TO RUIN those places for GOOD, CLEAN and SAFE SHOOTERS. They will make them get shut down due to the filth, vandalism and CRIME no matter how many GOOD PEOPLE go in and CLEAN UP those areas.

The thing that gets me is if EACH SHOOTER just cleaned up his or her OWN MESS when they were done shooting - you would not have to have all of the clean ups.

And if a shooter didn't decide to use PUBLIC LAND (Or private land - trespass.) to be a dumping ground for his personal garbage dump - trash run including dumping LARGE household items and ITEMS that could hurt/cut/wound other people - things would not get to be a MESS. But those PIGS don't observe the Golden Rule and respect public and private properties!

That kind of STUFF really ticks me off royally as it does my husband.

Free shooting places get ruined.

Camp sites get ruined.

Waterfront areas, beaches, creeks, rivers, lakes and the ocean would be clean and so would free BOATING DOCKS all across this nation.

When I hear about clean up the rivers time - I always think that if some PIG who was not taught to be respectful and dumped his crapola all over... maybe these places would be clean.

The PIGS who ruin ONE or MORE of these places are kind of like the HOMELESS CAMPS that POP up all over the nation and ruin a nice place in so many ways.

Cate

 

[arakboss]

Sorry to those on the TCGC waiting list but I renewed my membership for another year. I think I made it there twice since I paid dues last summer. This membership year I am hoping to double that level of range visits

 

[Hueco]

Sorry to those on the TCGC waiting list but I renewed my membership for another year. I think I made it there twice since I paid dues last summer. This membership year I am hoping to double that level of range visits

I ended up moving away but, even if I hadn't, was planning on letting my membership lapse.

The silhouette range had become my go to - great practice for NRL and I liked only having to bring specialty targets (KYL steels). But some months, especially starting when the weather got nice, there were events planned every Saturday and Sunday of the month.

Having to wait 5 to 8 weeks to practice really made me rethink things.

Only being able to place targets at 50 and 100 on the general use also really bites. Similar range I went to in AZ had stakes every 5 yards from 5 to 100 and then went out to 300 after that. THAT'S a "general purpose" range.

Already found a dude here in VA that rents out his property to shooters - $30/day to secure the place. 500 yards ish. I imagine I'll be seeing him a bunch this year.

 

[arakboss]

I ended up moving away but, even if I hadn't, was planning on letting my membership lapse.

The silhouette range had become my go to - great practice for NRL and I liked only having to bring specialty targets (KYL steels). But some months, especially starting when the weather got nice, there were events planned every Saturday and Sunday of the month.

Having to wait 5 to 8 weeks to practice really made me rethink things.

Only being able to place targets at 50 and 100 on the general use also really bites. Similar range I went to in AZ had stakes every 5 yards from 5 to 100 and then went out to 300 after that. THAT'S a "general purpose" range.

Already found a dude here in VA that rents out his property to shooters - $30/day to secure the place. 500 yards ish. I imagine I'll be seeing him a bunch this year.

The BP range is my favorite spot too at TCGC. I am fortunate to have weekday mornings free to visit the range and there is rarely many people using the BP range on weekday mornings. Less concussion/boomy feelings at that range too probably due to openness of the shooting bench cover and types of firearms being used there. I didn't see too many shooters using there ARs there, I was an exception.

 

[P7M13]

Renewing is still a no-brainer for me. Visited at least a dozen times in the last year. On track to do the same this year.

 

[ronin223]

I quit TCGC or rather wife forgot to pay and i got kicked out. Anyways, always hated TCGC, RSO are rude you are limited to what you can shoot at. I.e. no steel plates except at the pits and 22 range which is gone i think. Also you need certificate to do anything like shotgun trap or using the bays.

It is not worth it. I did get membership again at douglas and could not be happier even though it is an hour away from me.

 

[arakboss]

Wife and I went today and shot my Rossi 44-40 for the first time. We also shot the rusted Savage mark 2 heavy barrel rifle I bought from a member for the first time. It shot well also. We took a heavily patina'd 38spl model 10 that I picked up from mom & pop FFL out in Dundee. I shot reloads I bought from another member and they shot great. I let the wife shoot the factory loaded rounds. There were very few people there today.

 

[spookshack]

@arakboss Not sure how much your wife enjoys shooting, but if she does, she should check out A Girl and A Gun now being hosted at TCGC. They meet up on Thursday evenings. It might be another activity to add value to your membership.

 

[arakboss]

@arakboss Not sure how much your wife enjoys shooting, but if she does, she should check out A Girl and A Gun now being hosted at TCGC. They meet up on Thursday evenings. It might be another activity to add value to your membership.

Does she need a membership to attend?

 

[spookshack]

I don't believe so. My wife is the facilitator. She is out of town today (firearms training) but I will confirm once she gets back.

Here is a like to their website.

Home

Friendly Certified Firearms Training for Women Since 2011. Shooting classes, gun safety, new friends! A Girl & A Gun Women's Shooting League

www.agirlandagun.org

 

[SurlyJohn]

Belonged to 3 ranges in OR, TCGC was the worst consistently. When the .22 range was closed, and some of the other members were just pricks to me and my wife, and honestly for no legitimate reason. RO told me the couple that had issue with me and the wife were "Always like that..." but did nothing about it. That was enough to move to Chehalem Valley Sportsmans Club. Half the price, about a quarter of the members. Works for me and my circle.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

Chehalem Valley Sportsmans Club.

Stopped reading the website when I saw this:

Membership in the National Rifle Association is a prerequisite for club membership.

Free country, they can agree to associate with who they want, and I can not associate with an Org that embraces someone that's 3 letters shy of "country'

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Stopped reading the website when I saw this:

Membership in the National Rifle Association is a prerequisite for club membership.

Free country, they can agree to associate with who they want, and I can not associate with an Org that embraces someone that's 3 letters shy of "country'

Many times the only way , or at least the cheapest way to get range insurance is by having the range members or a specific percentage of , be NRA members...or go through the NRA itself to get the best deal on insurance rates.
Hence the requirement to be a NRA member.

Just pointing this out....not wanting to get into a discussion of the merits ( or lack thereof ) of the NRA.....
Andy

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

Many times the only way , or at least the cheapest way to get range insurance is by having the range members or a specific percentage of , be NRA members...or go through the NRA itself to get the best deal on insurance rates.
Hence the requirement to be a NRA member.

Just pointing this out....not wanting to get into a discussion of the merits ( or lack thereof ) of the NRA.....
Andy

Fair enough point and one I was unaware of

 

[spookshack]

TCGC has the same requirement for new membership. After that however, you are not required to continue your NRA membership. Not sure if the NRA still has the "associate" membership, but I used that when I joined and it was only $10. YMMV

 

[Dr Prepper]

I will admit there would be times when a range would be nice with a good, solid (and covered) bench for sighting in, load development etc. but that gets over and done with quickly then its on to woods shooting with random targets, maybe some hiking along with it that can't be done at a range.

Ranges for me get boring pretty fast.

This is very true, but I only (get to) go a few times a year and around my parts it wouldn't be worth it. It only costs $20-23 as a non member to visit and I usually get most of my test loads done in a day sometimes two.

Everything is a nightmare distance to travel to beyond the cities and get into the woods. So its easily worth the price saved in Gas time. If I had a place to shoot where I stayed.. Man I'd be in heaven.
As others have mentioned I do love shooting clays. That would be worth it to me.

 

[spookshack]

I don't believe so. My wife is the facilitator. She is out of town today (firearms training) but I will confirm once she gets back.

Here is a like to their website.

Home

Friendly Certified Firearms Training for Women Since 2011. Shooting classes, gun safety, new friends! A Girl & A Gun Women's Shooting League

www.agirlandagun.org

Just confirmed that you do not need to be a TCGC member. They meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday's of the month at 5:30pm at the conventional pistol range (just left of the entrance gate). There should be a banner permanently displayed.

 

[arakboss]

Just confirmed that you do not need to be a TCGC member. They meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday's of the month at 5:30pm.

That's awesome, I will let her know. She has a friend that might want to join her.

 

[spookshack]

It's a great group of ladies. They will have a great time. Feel free to send me a PM if you/they have any questions.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I haven't been to the range since I last paid dues (last summer). Dues are going to be coming up again soon and I am thinking about letting my membership lapse. I have been justifying it based on cost of gas to travel to coast range to shoot but in reality I do most of my shooting at my cabin anyways.

For those who haven't been shooting much lately how do you justify the membership fee?

I am going to, for one last year I think, though I will likely move before it runs out again. I will be sure to resign membership when I move so as to let someone else in line have my slot. A couple of Rsos refer to me as Mr Thompson because of my extensive use of my T/C encores. You will generally find me on the bp range shooting silhouettes. I do love shooting steel at 200 yards with 38 special. The time delay I find funny.