First Things First
Whenever you handle a gun, you owe society a debt of responsibility to obey the safety rules. With that in mind, onward to...

Places to Shoot in the Bay Area

Memorial Day 2001...
Monday night pistol league at Target Masters has finished any-caliber Bullseye and is about to swing into Police Pistol Combat season (the two alternate quarterly). At Livermore Pleasanton Rod and Gun Club, Tuesday-night trap shooting has resumed for the duration of Daylight Savings Time. Note: their rifle and pistol range remains self-closed, pending the NRA safety review they've requested.


This is not yet a sensitive map.

Contents

The ranges are listed in order of accession, which preserves my sanity with regard to map updates. I invite corrections or additions to this information.

Chabot Gun Club, Castro Valley, 510/569-0213


A large, active club with a lovely regional-park setting and a no-nonsense safety attitude, Chabot has many organized competitions (they do almost all the acronyms, including DCM, PPC, IPSC, IDPA...), plus classes and less formal activities in rifle, pistol, and shotgun. A special favorite of mine is Rimfire Plinking the fourth Saturday afternoon of the month. Activity in Cowboy Action Shooting has been building up the last couple of years. No gun sales, and no rentals in the usual sense (DCM rifle matches and some classes offer loaners).

They've now joined us here in cyberspace, so for further information, see Chabot Gun Club's own Web site.

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Livermore-Pleasanton Rod and Gun Club, Livermore, 510/449-8780

Trap (and lots of it) and five-stand sporting clays on summer Tuesday nights, plus various rifle and pistol activities and competitions, including at some times a running deer at about 150 yards. Mostly a daylight club, but summer Tuesday nights you can do wingshooting (not rifle & pistol) under the lights. Membership is a great bargain, and the members-only cholesterol appreciation barbecue in May is not to be missed. Call 925/449-8780 (trap area) or 449-3616 (rifle and pistol area). For more information, go to their own Web site.

Note 3/13/01: their rifle and pistol range has been closed by their board, effective March 13, pending the NRA safety review they've requested—refer to their Web site for news on this.

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Los Altos Rod and Gun Club, hills above Saratoga, 408/867-3106


A nice, friendly range for rifle, pistol, and shotgun, offering plinking at cans and plastic jugs at any time with any caliber on one of their firing lines (this is unusual in the area). They'll pull trap for your squad, or you can bring your own birds (just regulation trap birds, not sporting-clays ones) and use their hand traps. Try out the red one that slings 'em at exceptional speed over a canyon so you have plenty of time to fantasize that the unbroken thing is laughing at you as it sails out of range. No skeet or sporting clays. "Guns requiring a special license to own" and .50 BMG are not allowed.
Sales and Rentals
No gun sales or rentals. Some ammunition and supplies are for sale.
Eats
Vending machines.
Directions: Here's a map.
The LARGC entrance gate is on Skyline Boulevard, 1.6 miles south of the stop sign where Skyline intersects with California 9 a.k.a. Big Basin Way. This is west of the town of Saratoga and north/east of Boulder City, Felton, etc. Drive with extra courtesy and care, as these steep, winding roads are favorites with my motorcyclist friends.
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San Leandro Optimists Rifle and Pistol Range, San Leandro, 510/638-9605


An indoor pistol range and outdoor pistol and rifle range. Outdoor firing points at 25/50 yards (smallbore rifle, any pistol) and 100 yards (highpower rifle); several 15-yard indoor bays (magnum pistols not allowed indoors). No wingshooting facilities. Hours of operation are Monday - Saturday 9 - 9 and Sunday 9-5; check out their Web page for the definitive scoop.
Directions: Here's a map.
West end of Davis Street, a few blocks west of 880 (Nimitz Freeway).
Instruction
 Call or check their Web page for the current facts. Things you are likely to find there include beginner courses that issue the Basic Firearms Safety Certificate, NRA instructor courses, private lessons, and security guard training classes.
NRA First Steps Pistol Course generally offered the third Wednesday and Thursday (both nights) of each month, beginning at 7 pm. The fee is $50 plus the cost of ammunition. Advance registration and $20 deposit required. Loaner handguns are available for those who do not own one.
Hunter Education is being taught at least one weekend each month (9:30-4:30 both days). Advance registration is required.
An NRA-affiliated Junior Marksmanship Club (ages 10-20) meets every Friday night, 7-9 p.m. The fee is $25 per year and covers range fees and the use of Club rifles.
Eats
Onsite, vending machines. There are some burger places and restaurants on Davis on the other side of 880 as well as in the big-box shopping area at the corner of Davis and 880; just to the north on Doolittle; and on Hegenberger (yes, there's one called Hegen Burgers), which connects 880 to Oakland Airport and crosses Doolittle less than a mile north of Davis. During the workday, there are also vending trucks and pushcarts on Davis quite close to the range, serving vending-truck and pushcart kinds of things to workers from nearby industries.
Sales and Rentals
No rental handguns are available anymore. Ammunition and basic supplies are for sale.
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Target Masters West indoor pistol range, Milpitas, 408/263-7468


An indoor range to 25 yards and a gun store. Extensive night hours. Note that an unaccompanied shooter who is not known to the staff and who does not bring a gun of his own cannot rent one at this range. So bring a friend— it's more fun anyway.

Ask about competition leagues. One that shoots on Monday nights— show up at 7 with an appropriate gun and 60 rounds of ammo and ten dollars —alternates Police Pistol Combat (PPC) and any-caliber Bullseye seasons more or less quarterly. You can start either one at any time and there's no obligation to shoot the whole season, so consider getting into this beginner-friendly league with your favorite pistol. In each season we have a safe good time for about a dozen matches (7 qualifies you for the trophy hunt), plus fun and transition shoots between seasons that are not for the record, and gather at season's end for awards and dinner. As of this writing (November 14) we are between seasons and will probably go into PPC with the new year.

Directions
Exit 880 on Dixon Landing Road and go east. At the second light, turn right onto North Milpitas Boulevard/Warm Springs Boulevard. (That street also crosses 237, for those of you coming from the San Jose area.) In less than a mile, you will see a police station and a large karate studio on the west side. They are on a little dead-end street called Minnis Circle. Turn there and you'll find Target Masters to the left.
Sales and Rentals
A fair assortment of handguns are available to rent, and numerous new and used handguns and long guns are available for sale. Ammunition and many supplies are sold.
Eats
Onsite, it's snack vending machines, plus free coffee. Offsite, there are fast-food and sit-down places and also a large grocery store at the corner of Dixon Landing Road.
Target Masters at now has a Web site .
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Montana Hawk, Cotati, (707) 795-HAWK


Nice indoor pistol range with sales and a lot of rentals at 7950 Redwood Drive, Cotati. Also carries many long guns, accoutrements, etc. Take the California 116 exit off of US 101, go west, and you'll almost immediately find Redwood Drive. Turn north on Redwood and then almost immediately east, into a roadside business park, and there they are— 7950 Redwood Drive.

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Jackson Arms Shooting Range & Gunshop, South SF, 415/588-4209

I have never shot there, but have stopped by briefly; it proved to be an indoor pistol range with sales and rentals. It is at 710 Dubuque Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080-1803. You'll also still see references to its previous name, Aimark, and even its original name, Top Gun.
I believe this is the public pistol range closest to San Francisco (see also the entry for Bullseye Precision in San Rafael).
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6-B Sporting Clays, south of Tracy, 209/832-5672

Note: Although they still have their sign out at the side of I-5, I have heard from multiple local shooters that the range may be closed, at least for the time being, so call ahead before driving out there.
Field-style sporting clays in dry upland terrain, plus five-stand sporting clays. Birdhunting excursions are also offered.
From southbound 580 or southbound 5, either one, go east on 132, then south on Koster Road, then west on Gaffrey Road, crossing under I-5, for a total of several miles on tertiary, or quaternary, or, judging from the pavement condition, possibly Quaternary roads. The reward for your navigation and perseverance will be field clays for $30 8-5 Wed-Sun. (Ask if Wednesday-night and Saturday specials, at something like $20 including a nice meal, are in effect.) Five- stand is $5 from 8 to 5. No rifle or pistol ranges are apparent, and I do not believe they have trap.
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Field Sports Park ("Metcalf"), south of San Jose, 408/463-0652

Note 2/16/99: Trap and skeet are apparently back (bismuth shot only, no lead), 9-3 weekends. Call first on this.
South of San Jose off Highway 101. It is a county-run park with pistol and rifle ranges and both trap and skeet fields. There are a variety of distances available, out to at least 25 yards for pistol and 100 for rifle. There is also a 200 yard rifle range used by two different DCM clubs for highpower rifle matches, which makes for a club match almost every weekend. This range is open for public practice the fourth Sunday of the month if a volunteer rangemaster is available, so call first (for this or to ask them how to get involved in DCM matches). They are in the phone book under the Santa Clara County government listings. Winter hours are M-W closed, Th 10-6, Fri 10-4, and weekends 8-4.
Instruction
Call and ask. Basic pistol, at least, is occasionally offered, though I do not know of regularly scheduled instruction.
Eats
Looks like vending machines.
Sales and Rentals
No gun sales or rentals. A small selection of ammo and basic supplies is available.
I'm sure the locals are quite used to giving further directions.

The San Jose Zouaves, a Civilian Marksmanship Program and National Rifle Association affiliated club that has various activities, most prominently highpower-rifle matches, at this range.
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Coyote Valley Sporting Clays, Morgan Hill, 408/778-3600

Their brochure mentions two sporting-clays courses (Main and Mountain) plus 5-Stand. The place seems like a classy operation (I blew through at the end of a trip but haven't shot there yet) in a beautiful mostly-upland though not waterless setting. "Reservations are appreciated" —required, in fact, for the Mountain Course. A "training station" for Clays is available. Both American and Olympic skeet are available. Open to the public year-round, though closed Mondays and Tuesdays except for special private events. Open national holidays except Christmas. Daylight hours.
Instruction
Hunter education is offered approximately once a month. "Certified professional instructors are available for private lessons," and special classes are offered from time to time.
Eats
Looks like vending machines. A nonshooting function they have is renting out picnic facilities, with do-it-yourself barbecueing and the possibility of arranging catering.
Sales and Rentals
Shotgun rentals are available. Ammunition and supplies are sold. It looks as though electric golf carts can be rented, though they might just be for club errands.
Directions: Here's a map.
The address is 1000 San Bruno Avenue, Morgan Hill, which is the next town south of San Jose on US 101. San Bruno Avenue crosses Hale Avenue (which is the southern extension of Santa Teresa Boulevard and runs N-S west of and roughly parallel to Monterey Highway and 101). The appropriate 101 exits are Cochrane Road, which is about 4 miles to the south, and (I think) Metcalf, about 8 miles to the north. Neither one goes through to Hale, so take Monterey Highway in the appropriate direction and turn west onto San Bruno. Silicon Valleyites can take 85 or 87 and go south on Santa Teresa. Any way you get there, once you are on San Bruno it is pretty obvious what to do.
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Not Yet Reviewed / Reviewed by Others

National Shooting Club, Santa Clara, 408/982-0525


An indoor pistol range with twenty firing points divided into two bays, located at 1100 Duane Avenue. I have not been there. Eric Ching, he of the Ching Sling for the Cooper-style scout rifle, describes it as "well maintained, with a good store attached."
For further information, you can jump to NSC's home page or the home page for Ching's business, Defensive Pistolcraft.
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Bullseye Precision (indoor pistol), San Rafael, 415/453-7465

Described to me as a nice, classy indoor range with some sales and rentals. 1281 Andersen Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901. I have not been there myself. They have a Web site now.
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Richmond Rod and Gun Club, 510/620-9492

Pistol and skeet in the East Bay, out there on Point Richmond. Claybird shooting is steel shot only (they'd probably accept bismuth) because of the shotfall area. There is a public 100-yard rifle range (and a 200-yard range for highpower matches and members' practice). A public pistol range is also available. This is a major range for IPSC (matches the first and third Sunday of the month, practice every Saturday), and other such events are held there.
Directions
These are modified from the Richmond Hotshots IPSC page (see my Links section below). From the Bay Bridge: Follow I-80 east. Take the 580 west turnoff, which is marked 'Richmond San Rafael Bridge,' near the Golden Gate Fields horse track. Proceed approximately 5.25 miles to the Castro Street exit. Stay to the right and make a right turn at the stop light at the bottom of the exit ramp. This will put you on Castro Street, which becomes the Richmond Parkway after winding about for awhile. Follow the parkway for around 4 miles to the 7th stop light (Goodrick Avenue). Turn left on Goodrick and proceed 0.3 miles where you will find the club on your left.
You can follow the same route from the Richmond San Rafael Bridge by exiting at Castro Street and going under the freeway to the left, where you will be at the first stop light mentioned above.
Eats
A snack bar offers sausages, pizza, etc. (possibly afternoon/evening only).

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United Sportsmen, Inc., Concord, 925/676-1963.

I have not been there myself. Described by correspondents thus:
  • An inexpensive place to shoot for a few hours [$8/day for nonmembers] with a bunch of different arms. They have rifle and/or pistol benches at 15, 25, 50, and 100 yards, with 25 and 100 predominant. Some are covered against the weather to some extent. Human-silhouette targets may be disallowed. Both trap and skeet are available. Many improvements have been made in recent years. Clubs within the organization run various competitions such as Action Pistol and metallic silhouette. Call them about hours, and about any qualification requirements for the pistol sports. A correspondent reports that the trap and skeet schedule is now 12-8 Wed and Thu; Sat and Sun 10-6. He also reports that as of holiday season 1999 the silhouette range should be back up after extensive rebuilding and that an effort is being made to set up 200 yard shooting. Meanwhile other functions are up and running as usual.
Sales and Rentals
No gun sales or rentals. Some ammunition and basic supplies may be purchased.
Eats
Soda machines; on weekends maybe a hotdog vendor in the rifle/pistol area.
Directions
In Concord, take the Willow Pass Road exit off Highway 4. At the end of the exit, turn north. At the end of the road (about 50 yards), turn east. Go left at the second road, in about a quarter mile or so.

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Coyote Point, bay shore near the San Mateo/Burlingame border

I have not been there. It is described to me as a county-operated 100-yard rifle range where you can also shoot .22 rimfire pistols (no centerfire) at 25 yards. The range is outdoors but enclosed in some way. Hours are 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (admission to the park closes at 9, and shooting stops at 9:45).

The range is said to be quite strict about its rules, and also to be a perennial target for shutdown by anti-gun forces; but also exceptionally clean and sparsely populated.

Directions. My correspondent describes it thus: "The range is in Coyote Point County Park, east of 101. The nearest exit on northbound 101 is Peninsula Avenue. From southbound 101, take the Poplar exit, make a right at the first stoplight, then another right at the next stoplight; this gets you back over to Peninsula Avenue on the east side of 101. Off the freeway, there is an 'S' curve. If coming off 101 North, bear right, if coming off 101 South, bear left, and go into the park. Signs direct you to the park and the range." Personally, I recommend laying this out on a roadmap before leaving!
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Birds Landing Sporting Clays, Birds Landing (707) 374-5092.

I have not been there but the place comes well recommended. It is near the hamlet of Birds Landing, which is north of Concord, on the north side of the river. Apparently you take California 12 (the road connecting Fairfield to Isleton) to Birds Landing Road, which intersects 12 at about the same place as 113, turn south, and follow the signs.
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Black Point Game Bird Club, Petaluma/Novato (707) 763-0076.

They now offer sporting clays— call ahead for reservations. I have stopped by but have not shot there. The physical setting is lowlands. Members can shoot pheasant, which appears to be the main purpose of the club, over their own dogs or dogs rented from the club. (Both membership and a dog seem to be required for hunting.)
Operations less resemble a storefront business than at any range I've ever seen, and you may not find it obvious where to go and what to do— my usual strategy of wandering around and beaming a look of amiable disorientation toward people wasn't enough. But the folks who run it are very friendly once located (hint: they're probably in the houselike building with weather instruments on the roof, which is the office).

Directions.The address is 7711 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma, but it is closer to Novato. To get there, take California 37 to Lakeville Highway— that's the first light to the west of the Sears Point (California 121) intersection— and turn south. You will go a couple of miles down a gravel road (speed limit 15), bearing left when there is an option (signs are posted at most decision points). This is actually quite easy unless you mistakenly take the Black Point Road/Atherton Boulevard (Renaissance Faire) exit, which is further still to the west.
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Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, Sloughhouse, 916/925-3759

Operated by Folsom Shooting Club, Inc. Features extensive outdoor multipurpose facilities (trap, skeet, sporting clays, pistol and rifle), located approximately 30 miles East of Sacramento. Reputed to be a good place for long-range rifle shooting, up to and including silhouettes at 1000 yards (where they're pretty much safe from me!). Not really in the Bay Area, I'll admit, but I don't think there's anything over 200 yards that's closer, so I mention it. I have not been there, but some pages have been put up or identified by a correspondent, so to learn more, leave this page and jump to
Hours Of Operation,
Map, and
Range Fees.
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Sunnyvale Rod & Gun Club, 408/873-8255

This club, which I have not yet visited, offers public rifle, pistol, and trap shooting on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and the first and third Sundays of each month, as described on their Web site.
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Markley's Indoor Range and Gun Shop, 408/722-6945

An indoor range (rentals available) and gun store in Watsonville, which is off my map but to the south of the Bay Area on US 101. They also have a store-only location in Scotts Valley. Jump to the Web page for their store .
A correspondent tells me "14 Blanca Lane, off Freedom Blvd. behind Ferrell's Donuts, Watsonville, CA, (408) 722-6945.".

Martinez Gun Club, 510/372-9599

A small, friendly club with a variety of shotgun activities. They offer several fields of American trap and can throw International (aka Olympic or bunker) trap. They also have skeet and sporting clays. From the August 2000 edition of their newsletter, the prices for trap and skeet are $4 members, $6 nonmembers for the usual 25 birds; sporting clays is $28 members/$36 nonmembers for 100 birds.

They ask 48 hours' notice to throw sporting clays or bunker trap, and further require a squad of at least 4 shooters for bunker. For the other games, no advance notice is needed and individuals are welcome. Their bulletin shows no large activities scheduled for the year 2000 after November 23 (turkey shoot 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), but as with any trap club, check their bulletin or call first to see if one of the leagues that rotate around the Bay Area clubs is shooting there that weekend.

Sales and Rentals
No gun sales or rentals. Some ammunition and basic supplies may be purchased.
Instruction
Hunter education is offered, according to the August 2000 newsletter. Beginning and advanced shotgun (through private instructors), and reloading classes were mentioned in a 1997 brochure. It seems to be the sort of place where mentioning a desire for either formal lessons or some informal pointers is likely to yield an introduction or at least a name.
Hours
Wednesday noon to 9 p.m. (night hours all year? Best to call first if it isn't summer or the weather is questionable). Thursday through Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
Eats
Some snacks and refreshments in the clubhouse; "a modest dinner" for "$1 members, $2 nonmembers" around 6 p.m. Wednesday nights.
Directions
Take the Marina Boulevard exit off of I-680, but instead of going west down Marina into downtown Martinez, go east. In about half a mile you will see a road heading south, with a sign pointing toward the club and a larger sign pointing the same way for the recycling/waste transfer facility. The club is about half a mile down that road (Waterbird Road); keep going straight at the place where the recycling traffic forks off to the left.
See also their part of the California Golden State Trapshooters Association Web page
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Yolo Sportsmen, Vacaville, 916/662-2349

A correspondent tells me that Yolo Sportsman's Association (YSA) has a range at the Yolo Municipal Airport. Hwy 80, Woodland (up Vacaville way), then N Hwy 505 to Rt 29, E for 3-4 miles. 2 shotgun ranges including 5-Stand sporting clays, covered 25 yd pistol, 50 yd. rifle, 100 yd rifle. Numerous events held there; has a stocked pond for ducks and recreational fishing. [I assume we're talking about tame ducks for the kids to throw bread at, or something. -jc]
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Willow Pass Range and Tactical Training Facility, Concord, 510/246-7822

Circa 1998, a correspondent told me that a new range has opened just down the road from United Sportsmen, Inc. He describes it thus: " 4650 Evora Road, Concord, CA 94520-1004. (510)246-7822 (voice), (510)246-7843 (fax). Regular hours Daily 1000-1900. Constructed as a tactical style range. After completing their Range Qualification course, you are allowed to use the range when you desire. The good thing about this one is that shooting from the holster, rapid fire, i.e. double taps and Mozambiques, and shooting while moving are allowed. The range is part of an operation run by a group called Specialized Training and Consulting. The main guy is a 22 year law enforcement officer and SWAT team leader/instructor. Things are still very much under construction there, but it seems to be something to definitely look into."

Another correspondent in October 2000 had this to say: "The Willow Pass Range and Tactical Training Facility, Concord has a sign outside allowing military and Law officers, but "no walk in's allowed - all others by appt only" . I called the number given, (925) 246-7822, and it led me to The HALO Group who run the training there for Military, Law and civilians. "
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Pacific Rod and Gun Club, San Francisco

One of San Francisco's city parks — Lake Merced— apparently offers trap and skeet shooting at a range at 520 John Muir Drive, near the zoo. This is what I gather from correspondents, pending more-definitive information from the club: They are open 11 to 5 on Wednesdays and weekends. They are open to the public, with discounts and special privileges for members of the club. There is also a .22 LR rifle/air rifle-only range open to members on Thursday nights. They have a Juniors Club as well, using Model 52 Winchester match rifles from the DCM. Call for hours and days of operation. The club has been there for a *very* long time. Only steel and bismuth shot are allowed (no lead) because of the shotfall area.
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The Hearsay List

Other ranges of interest are listed here. It is especially important to call first with these, because I've not been to them myself. The list probably mixes thriving businesses, clubs that do not maintain a range of their own, ranges that are not open to the general public, fondly remembered ghosts, and figments of my imagination. (Fig mints! Yecccch!) I welcome further information from people who have been to them lately.
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Some Good Gun Pages Elsewhere

New to the Bay Area and/or the Gun World?

All of the ranges listed here either offer or can tell you where to find a National Rifle Association-style basic safety class that meets California's requirements for purchasing a handgun, or the Hunter Education class needed before you get your first hunting license. Give them a call and you'll generally find friendly, helpful people who have welcomed many a beginner into the community of safe gun owners. California law, the house rules of most ranges, and good sense combine to require that you enter and leave the premises with your gun unloaded, cased in some way, and (if it is a handgun) locked up. Transport must additionally be outside easy reach of the passenger compartment. For further information, consult one or more of these resources:
Own a Gun and Stay Out of Jail, California Edition by John Machtinger
A book, available at many gun stores or through a bookstore (ISBN 0-9642864-5-9), in which an attorney discusses our numerous and baroque gun laws (plus Federal ones) in layman's terms. He is at jmach@netcom.com.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about California Gun Laws by Peter Alan Kasler
Another lawyer-writing-for-the-layman book, this one may be out of print. But books and classes by Kasler et al. have a great deal to recommend them.
California Firearms Laws by the Department of Justice
A three-dollar (if you want hardcopy) pamphlet containing the state's firearms laws from the Department of Justice Firearms Program .
Peace Officers' Guide to California's Dangerous Weapons Laws by Rick Bruce.
Published by Barbary Coast Publishing, 888-GUNS-888, $19.95. This is a quiz-type workbook intended for police officer training programs. I have not read this book yet but it was recommended by a correspondent.

About These Ranges

All of the ranges described on this page as "indoor pistol," to my knowledge, rent handguns for use on the premises unless otherwise indicated, and most also have handguns, ammo, and accoutrements for sale. Some also deal in rifles and shotguns, though they usually will let you fire only birdshot or .22 indoors if they let you fire long guns at all. Most of the outdoor ranges neither sell nor rent guns, though most sell ammo and basic supplies.

I would imagine that most of the indoor and outdoor pistol ranges will let you practice with airguns, and some have airgun matches once in a while.

The "shotgun" ranges offer some combination of sporting clays, trap, skeet, and birdhunting, but not rifle or pistol shooting.

Black powder is usually restricted to outdoor ranges, and not all of them at all times; ask also about their special rules for handling the stuff.

Beyond the basic rules of gun safety, every range has its own rules and procedures. For instance, some (mostly outdoor ranges) forbid human silhouette targets, some of both kinds prohibit rapid fire except in competition, and most around here forbid guns that require a special license to own (for example, National Firearms Act weapons like machine guns and sawed-off shotguns), at least in civilian hands and/or on the public line. See the posted rules and, if in doubt, ask a range officer.

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Administrivia

This page consists of my personal opinions and observations, not any organization's official positions. I have no vested interest in where you shoot, train, or buy, though I am a member of the Chabot and Livermore clubs and an occasional shooter at many others mentioned here.

I maintain this page as a public service to others who want to enjoy gun-related sports or learn how to defend themselves (and stand up for our right to do both). If you appreciate this, pass it along the next time you get a chance to work for the cause or guide a newcomer.

Before pinning your hopes on conducting an activity at an unfamiliar range, especially if a long drive is required, phone ahead and ask. The information on this page is conscientiously maintained, but I've been mistaken before and it could happen again.

After consideration of law and ethics, as well as artistic temperament and the amount of Web space I get for free with my account, I decided that this page's mission is to list proper supervised gun ranges only. I respectfully decline to discuss unmanaged places out in the country (however safe and well tolerated) where the locals just go out and shoot; nor do I advertise gun stores (however worthy) that do not offer a range.

I keep no records of who accesses this page.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped me develop this page. If you've contributed and would like your name here, write to me and say so. By default, I leave names off, since some people are understandably touchy about letting it be known to the public that they're into guns or hunting.

Feedback:: I have had to remove my hot Mailto: link because of the spam crisis. But I welcome correspondence nonetheless. Just send it manually to the user jtchew at california.com using your favorite mail program.

Shoot straight, shoot often, and above all shoot safely,
—Joe