Deer Creek Shooting Range is open

[Winamac]

The more I read this thread about folks not having a good, free, safe, etc... place to shoot. Makes me glad I live just 40 min south of the Winamac FWA range. Its free, clean, well maintained, in a beautiful setting and my experience with the range officer/s has been good.The FWA clay pigeon range is just right next to the rifle range.Like the rifle range it also is clean, well kept etc... It appears to be a well kept FREE secret. Life is good.

 

[singlesix]

Is Deer Creek a public range, or do you have to be a member? It seems public but someone tried to tell me it’s members-only.

Public, $4 to shoot all day

 

[rhino]

Is Deer Creek a public range, or do you have to be a member? It seems public but someone tried to tell me it’s members-only.

Perhaps there is some confusion of this place with the much older Deer Creek Conservation Club near Gas City, Indiana. The latter is a very, very nice facility that used to be the home range of a USPSA affiliated club (that evolved into Central Indiana Practical Shooters at Atlanta Conservation Club).

 

[jspy5]

Public, $4 to shoot all day

$4 for all day ? Did something change because when I shot there last summer it was around $7/hr if I recall right.

 

[COOPADUP]

Sounds like a great new option for some outdoor plinking.
Thanks for sharing this.

 

[singlesix]

$4 for all day ? Did something change because when I shot there last summer it was around $7/hr if I recall right.

New contract. Yeah I asked twice.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Perhaps there is some confusion of this place with the much older Deer Creek Conservation Club near Gas City, Indiana. The latter is a very, very nice facility that used to be the home range of a USPSA affiliated club (that evolved into Central Indiana Practical Shooters at Atlanta Conservation Club).

i am a long standing member of DCCC and know not of this public range discussed?

 

[COOPADUP]

Gonna try this range out on Sunday this weekend.
I am hopefully taking my 70 year old brother in law with me. He hasn't shot in quite a while.

 

[1nderbeard]

The range is now being run by DNR employees, instead of the private contractor that was running it when it opened.
IMO the new staff is fairly terrible compared to the private guy. The old guy would help with scope mounts, sighting in, and other general shooting advice. He now runs the SNR shooting supply store in Plainfield.
The new DNR staff is fairly inattentive to anything beyond the check in procedures. The "RSO" staff they have is not at all safe compared to the old procedures. There is no safety check prior to going downrange (they have about 5 seconds between the ceasefire command and the all clear command to go down range). They also don't really have any set down range times; you essentially have to ask in between the staff making general conversation with shooters.

It's still a beautiful facility and a nice place to sight in a hunting rifle. I'm just a little down on it because anything run by the government will be run terribly in comparison to a private contractor. I'd rather pay a little more to receive better and safer service.

 

[COOPADUP]

The range is now being run by DNR employees, instead of the private contractor that was running it when it opened.
IMO the new staff is fairly terrible compared to the private guy. The old guy would help with scope mounts, sighting in, and other general shooting advice. He now runs the SNR shooting supply store in Plainfield.
The new DNR staff is fairly inattentive to anything beyond the check in procedures. The "RSO" staff they have is not at all safe compared to the old procedures. There is no safety check prior to going downrange (they have about 5 seconds between the ceasefire command and the all clear command to go down range). They also don't really have any set down range times; you essentially have to ask in between the staff making general conversation with shooters.

It's still a beautiful facility and a nice place to sight in a hunting rifle. I'm just a little down on it because anything run by the government will be run terribly in comparison to a private contractor. I'd rather pay a little more to receive better and safer service.

It's odd that DNR personnel wouldn't be as safe in this facility.
Do they sell paper targets there as well ?

 

[singlesix]

I shoot at the range several times, never concerned about safety. Required to have bolt open with ECI inserted, they checked to ensure this happened.

 

[jspy5]

I shoot at the range several times, never concerned about safety. Required to have bolt open with ECI inserted, they checked to ensure this happened.

I shot there about 3 weeks ago and I was amazed that NOBODY came to check my rifle (or anyone else ) before going down range to place targets ......