The Liberal Gun Club Forum

Hallo everyone! I'm a New Guy from Fort Wayne, Indiana!

I'm not new to firearms, but I am new to Pistols. A few weeks ago I bought my First Handgun, A Remington R1 1911 .45 ACP. I first learned to strip, clean, and reassemble it, of course. Then took it to the closest Privately Owned indoor Range. $14/hour rental, Paper Targets= $1.50, I brought Bulk Ammo and 2 mags, They left me alone in an empty 4-bay section. I Burned through 200 Rounds with no problem, but there was NO Range Master, Cameras, that no one was watching in the empty booth, and the number of NEGLIGENT Discharge holes in the set of 4 bays was HORRIFIC! I should have taken pictures. Not Just above the shooting bench, but on both sides of the area where you stand too. All over the ceiling and walls and everywhere else there should never be bullet holes. I did purchase 2 expensive Wilson Combat 8 Round mags though. Other than my safety, It was a good first day. I'd gotten over my nervousness about recoil and was already planning to correct my grip and trigger pull next time (as I was jerking the trigger and hitting down, left a lot)

I decided to make this my weekly Wednesday Morning thing now, I have a regular Allergy Shot appointment, then Breakfast, then shooting. SOunds like a great day off right?

This Week I repeated the process, except when I got to the range, there was a LONG line of people waiting to check in, and most of them did not look prepared for a responsible day at the range. I followed this gut feeling and left. I decided to head to another indoor range at a shop out of town, and I'd stop by a gun shop over there and see if they had any mags. I found two Springfield Mags for $14 ea, and was pleased when I asked the owner's advice on ranges. He guided me to a STATE PARK Outdoor SHooting range called Rousch Lake Shooting Range! It's a bit further drive, but I had the time, the gas, and it was perhaps the FIRST beautiful day of the year. 54 degrees, hoodie weather. It's funded by the Indiana DNR, and was apparently built by the US ARMY Corps of Engineers. There is an old Park Ranger dude with a microphone who does not take any shit at all. Calls Cease-Fires Every 10-15 mins or when new shooters register and walk up. Actions need to be locked back, mags removed, behind the yellow line. He walks around and bullshits, helps people out, like it's really his JOB to be good at it, and it's only $4 for ALL DAY! Paper targets are $1.00, they have ammo, but I did not check prices, as I'd raided all 5 Metropolitan Wal-Marts of their $15/box Remington UMC earlier in the week The restrooms were clean, there is donation coffee inside, lots of Indestructable State Park Picnic Tables, and there is also a Shotgun Skeet range and Archery too.

I left feeling safe, happy, 300 Rounds of ammo lighter, and I improved that trigger jerk...SOMEWHAT. I have much more work to do. All in All a fantastic, cheap day at the range! I'll definitely be going back again! my Taxes put to GOOD use!

Great report. The range sounds really good. We have a DWR range here, public and unsupervised. Not nearly as nice as the one in the OP.

CDFingers

Range days are good...range days at good ranges are great.

I have publicly funded outdoor range about a half-mile from my house. We hear it all the time.
It's publicly funded but it's not open to the public. It's the township's police training range...

YankeeTarheel wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:03 pm I have publicly funded outdoor range about a half-mile from my house. We hear it all the time.
It's publicly funded but it's not open to the public. It's the township's police training range...

About a decade ago, our City and County put their heads and money together and built a New State Of The Art Police Training center, complete with the big indoor CQB panel system, top of the line Tech. I worked on a contract for it running CAT6 cable and setting up switches when the paint was literally still drying. It's not public either, but I got to check it out

Steiney wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:20 pm

YankeeTarheel wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:03 pm I have publicly funded outdoor range about a half-mile from my house. We hear it all the time.
It's publicly funded but it's not open to the public. It's the township's police training range...

About a decade ago, our City and County put their heads and money together and built a New State Of The Art Police Training center, complete with the big indoor CQB panel system, top of the line Tech. I worked on a contract for it running CAT6 cable and setting up switches when the paint was literally still drying. It's not public either, but I got to check it out

Good report

Those Wilson Combat Magazines are nice, they are better than the standard stamped mags with the flimsy followers.
The first range you went to sounds fine - if it's empty. Use at your own risk like a shark infested beach with no Life Guard!
Learning how to dissemble-clean-reassemble your new pistol is good thing, You Tube is replete with Field Strip and Detail Strip "How-to" videos.

I bought a Wheeler Engineering Bench Block, it has more holes and slots on it for a 1911 that are quite useful.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/26572 ... ench-block

Nice looking pistol that Remington R1 - it's close to an old school 1911 - Let us know how you like it.
Happy target shooting!

A great find and great pics. Nothing like that in my area though I do have a map of public lands in the county where shooting is allowed. I'd much prefer a public range that was designed for shooting. Thanks for sharing.

MaxwellG wrote: Thu Mar 28, 2019 9:24 am Good report

Those Wilson Combat Magazines are nice, they are better than the standard stamped mags with the flimsy followers.
The first range you went to sounds fine - if it's empty. Use at your own risk like a shark infested beach with no Life Guard!
Learning how to dissemble-clean-reassemble your new pistol is good thing, You Tube is replete with Field Strip and Detail Strip "How-to" videos.

I bought a Wheeler Engineering Bench Block, it has more holes and slots on it for a 1911 that are quite useful.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/26572 ... ench-block

Nice looking pistol that Remington R1 - it's close to an old school 1911 - Let us know how you like it.
Happy target shooting!

I've heard people say that all over the Internet. I had the Guy at the Shitty Range Shop tell me that the FIRST THING I needed to do with ANY new 1911 is immediately throw away the stock mags. He really told me that! but the ONLY failure to Chamber malfunction I had yesterday was from the Wilson mag! The Stock Remingtons are actually stronger and built better than the stock SPringfields. Much better spring and rounded, softened steel corners. That suprised me too (Although those stock mags have already had 200 rnds through them) I think in 2010 When the first 1911s rolled off the Remington Plant line in NY, they had some QC problems, but now, 9 years later, they've figured it all out in the new Alabama Plant. Yet the Internet Repets it. I dislike the plastic look the Wilson Mags give the Classic A1 GI look, but +1 round is cool too