Looking for a Rifle Range in Seattle

S

Skorzeny

New member
Is there a place where one can shoot centerfire rifles in the metro Seattle area (say, within 45min-1hr radius of downtown)?

I will be visiting the area for a quite a bit and would like to know especially if there is an OUTDOOR range.

If it has a facility for handgun shooting, that'd be great too!

Thanks.

Skorzeny
 
Thanks, Dorcas.

In my state, there are Department of Natural Resources-run ranges that are either free or cost very little to shoot. Is there such a place near Seattle?

Lastly, are WSI and Wade's just about the best indoor ranges and gun shops in the Seattle area?

Thanks again.

Skorzeny
 
My favorite gun shops are Federal Way Discount Guns and Weapons Safety, inc. (WSI). Federal Way Discount consistently has the best prices and always seems to have a real steal in the used case, too. WSI and Wade's are probably the best indoor ranges. I'm not up on many outdoor rifle ranges, but I've been to Kenmore and it's a full sized facility, that's for sure.

- Gabe
 
I'm unaware of any DNR run ranges. For that matter, I really don't know a good gravel pit either. If anyone does, I would love to hear about it.

AFAIK, WSI and Wade's are the best indoor ranges around. I tend to shoot at Wade's solely because it's a little more convenient based on where I live.

As far as favorite gun shops go, I've bought at both Wade's and WSI, but my favorites are Adventure Sports in Edmonds and Central Gun Exchange right in downtown Seattle. I like them primarily because they are small shops with a whole bunch of atmosphere. They both smell like Hoppes #9 and leather and look nothing like a boutique. Ugh...

bkm...
 
Tacoma Sportsmen's Club, 16409 Canyon Rd E, Puyallup. About 1 hour drive from deep downtown Seattle, and about 3 minutes from my house. It's either $5 or $10 to shoot all day. It's your basic outdoor club range. Nothing fancy, but it get's the job done, and if you go on a weekday, you may have the whole place to yourself. The rifle range is 200 yards.
 
deanf,
We must be neighbors...I live about 5 min from Tacoma Sportsmen's Club and been a member there for the past 14+ years.

If you're looking for pistol or rifle shooting Tacoma Sportsmen's Club has a public pistol range and public rifle range. Pistol range is real nice and the public rifle range has dirt bank stops and target stands at 25, 50, 100 and 200 yards.

$5.00 is the price to shoot for the day.

TSC has a real nice club house, Trap, skeet, archery range, archery walk through, members only rifle range, match range, public pistol and rifle ranges, hunters education facility, and sporting clay events. It even has a camping facility with an outdoor kid’s pool.

Real nice place to shoot provided you don't shoot like a wild man. Range officer won't put up with unsafe / unruly shooters.

TS
 
So Target Shooter, what's it cost for membership there? I've been thinking about doing it, but keep forgetting to stop in.
 
Seattle is not a gun-lover's paradise...

deanf-Greetings from the Seattle University Marksmanship Club!

There are a few ranges outside of Seattle, but nothing in Seattle. WSI and Wades are for rimfire and handguns only. The Kenmore range is the nicest, but you have to be a member.

Most ranges require memberships, these include: Issaqua Gun Club, Innerlake Gun Club, and Renton Gun Club. I think Issaqua is the cheapest at $50 a year. I am not sure if the others have daily rates. I have shot at all: Wades, WSI, Renton, Issaqua, Innerlake, and Kenmore.
 
blarney:

What city is nowadays? I live in a rural Midwestern state. It has no "shall-issue" CCW law (meaning sheriff discretion, which means NEVER in my left-leaning university town).

There is no decent indoor range for 125 miles (and even then that one charges $10/hour to shoot). The two gun stores in (or near) town are made up of a high priced mom & pop style operation with unfriendly service and a large, high priced, sporting goods store with unfriendly service.

When I do go to the local "gravel pit" (about 30 miles away) to shoot, I run into guys who bring (and drink) six-packs and fire wildy into the "backstop" (which means I walk away and drive back home).

Thank God I travel for business!

Does Seattle still not seem like a "shooter's paradise" to you? Sure, it is a liberal city, but there is a state-wide "shall-issue" CCW law that cannot be pre-empted by local municipalities. It actually has more than two gun stores, which means competition and lower prices. And there are professionally run indoor ranges and outdoor shooting clubs!

Sure seems likes a shooter's paradise to me!

Skorzeny
 
While I am at it, what are WSI and Wade's like?

Do they have nice indoor ranges (okay, for handgun and rimfire shooting)? How friendly are the staff? How good are ventilation and air quality control?

Just for information purposes, what stores in Seattle have the best prices and service, particularly for long guns?

Thanks for all your replies.

Skorzeny
 
I don't know about WSI, but you can shoot rifles at Wade's. They object to .50 calibre rifles though, after some idiot was shooting prone at 50 feet, and the rounds chewed up the ceiling.

Both Wades and WSI have fully ventilated indoor ranges. Neither allows centerfire lead bullets though.

As for outdoor ranges:

Interlake
http://www.oz.net/~wendellj/interlake.htm

Snoqualmie Valley (out I-90 East a bit)
http://www.svrifle.com/

There is another one in the Kenmore
http://www.kenmorerange.com/
 
seattle ranges

WSI will let members shoot rifles and shotguns in their training bay. They have a friday night rifle league where anyone can shoot the course of fire with their rifle. Wade's also requires you to be a member to fire rifles the last time I was there. Their indoor rifle league has folded. Things may have changed. They both have decent ventilation. The range is nicer (better paint, target hangers) at Wades, the store side of WSI is open longer.

As for outdoor ranges, there are Interlake, Kennmore, Renton, and Snoqualmie valley rifle club. Interlake, Kennmore, and Renton all belong to the "load one, shoot one" school of thought when it comes to rifles and will allow non-members to shoot for a slightly higher fee than for members. They also have pistol ranges.

Skorzeny, where in Seattle will you be located? All these ranges will be less the 45 minutes away from downtown under low traffic conditions.

Washington as a whole is pretty gun friendly. The I-5 corridor is less friendly since it has a higher population density and keeps things from being perfect. The lack of privately owned NFA items like SBS's, SBR's, and full autos is a drag, and the law that allows you to possess a suppressor but not use it (in the state) is down right silly.
 
Seattle Ranges

Well, lets see...

Skorzeny,

I guess the grass is always greener. :) The laws of the state are pretty cool in regards to some guns and gun issues, but that's because of the state's schizophrenic politics (the diference between the east side of the state and west side is amazing). The shops around here are pretty good. I'm not a very good judge of the customer service on account of my youthful appearance. Some of the shops haven't treated me very seriously when I've gone in to look around. My new favorite store is Kesselrings-but that's way out in BFE-and I've only been there once. They never talked down to me, and were full of helpful advice, and not salesman BS (it might have helped that I was helping my club blow some grant money from the NRA). I've also had some good experiences on the sales floor of WSI. That's where I bought me first pisol, and I thank the kind man who pointed me to my baby (a CZ 75C) and away from that Ruger.

I would call both WSI and Wades to make sure that you can shoot your rifle. The Interlake range is not that far away from downtown. From the heart of the city, where Seattle University is, it takes about 20-30 minutes to get to the Interlake range. The problems I've foud getting to the Renton and Kenmore range is that you have to travel for prolonged periods on 405 and that is just plain UGLY, even during non-rush hour times.

Hope this has been helpful,

Blarney
 
One last question:

When you buy guns in or near Seattle, do you buy from established stores such as Wade's and WSI or do you use local FFLs to order from discount/web stores (or to handle out-of-state private party-to-private party transactions)?

Skorzeny
 
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