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Whidbey Island shooting?

T

theduke

Registered User
What are my options for shooting on Whidbey Island? I know there's the North Whidbey Sportsmen's Association, but I don't really want to have to pay monthly dues or go to monthly meetings. I have too many other hobbies and expenses to obligate myself for more time and money.

Also, I'm not opposed to going off the island to the north (like up around Anacortes) if there's a good place up there.
 
theduke said:
What are my options for shooting on Whidbey Island? I know there's the North Whidbey Sportsmen's Association, but I don't really want to have to pay monthly dues or go to monthly meetings. I have too many other hobbies and expenses to obligate myself for more time and money.

Also, I'm not opposed to going off the island to the north (like up around Anacortes) if there's a good place up there.
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North Whidbey (save your time & money -- too many idiots and sub-par facilities, IMO), Central Whidbey (better -- and the best long gun facilities on the Island), Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club (kinda an ol' guys social club, but nice shooting facilities -- but quite a little drive from NUW). All of these require a membership and/or safety checks, and, of course, dues .... that seems to be a deal killer with you.

Greene's Gun Shop (near Deception Pass) USED to be very satisfactory and run by Richard Greene -- a cranky 'ol former NAP who flew SOC's and OS2U's off CA's and BB's in WW2 -- REALLY!!! I saw pictures of him in his back room -- get your minds out of the gutter -- his workshop. His Holy of Holies, if you will. Saw pictures of him getting an award from the CO of the CA Salt Lake City and some BB with the old fashioned cage masts. What a good lookin' young stud he was .... He died 4-5 years ago a broken, cancer-ridden wreck -- still a good guy (he only let you in the Holy of Holies for a cup of Joe if he liked you :) -- actually, I'm pretty sure he liked Trophy Wife better, as he always "lit up" when the two of us visited his range and shop :D). Now, his range is crap and not run safely, IMO. You can pay each visit and shoot or "join" for an annual membership -- no monthly dues.

There is also a GREAT public (yes, taxpayers' expense) range just north of Alger on I-5 (about halfway to Bellingham). Call Kesselring's for exact directions or google it.

All of the above is subject to change, at any time, of course. It's called .... $$$$$$$$$.

At first ... I thought you meant someone got "shot" on Whidbey today .... :)
 
central whidbey always seemed like a good place to me...just north of coupeville olf....
 
FMRAM said:
I used to make the drive up to Bellingham ever so often to go shooting. There is a decent public facility up there called Plantation. http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?&addr=5102+Samish+Way&csz=Bellingham+WA+98229

I can't remember exactly how to get there, but there was a pretty cool couple of rock quarries that everyone uses to shoot about two exits north on I-5.
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We may be talkin' the same place .... north of Alger on I-5 .... your link looks like what I remember of the I-5 off-ramps. It's been a few years since I was up there .... good facility, if it's the same one.
 
Yea I didn't catch that in your first post. It's the same place. The road is crazy on the way up there though...blind corners and hairpin turns. :eek:
 
haha, I drive a Lancer Evolution...I love hairpin corners!

I went and shot at Green's Gun Shop the other day...it was ok. Nothing spectacular, but it got the job done. No safety problems like I've seen at some ranges--but then again, it wasn't crowded (only 3-4 other people out there besides me and my 2 roommates)

I live pretty close to Central Whidbey...I'll have to check them out, too.
 
Actually the North Whidbey Sportsman's Association is quite reasonable. No monthly fees, just a $60 annual fee and a one time $25 application fee. Additionally, as a member, you can bring along nonmembers to shoot for free. In my opinion it's much more reasonable than paying a daily usage fee of up to $25 at some of the other ranges.

Lastly, I haven't ran into too many "idiots" and quite often when I go there I am the only one using the range. Not saying it's for everyone, but it works for me.
 
Bird Dog said:
Actually the North Whidbey Sportsman's Association is quite reasonable. No monthly fees, just a $60 annual fee and a one time $25 application fee. Additionally, as a member, you can bring along nonmembers to shoot for free. In my opinion it's much more reasonable than paying a daily usage fee of up to $25 at some of the other ranges.

Lastly, I haven't ran into too many "idiots" and quite often when I go there I am the only one using the range. Not saying it's for everyone, but it works for me.
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Excellent. They've dropped their monthly dues and copied Greene's former "membership" policies. Bully for them.

BTW ... when I was a member @ NWSA --- women were persona non grata on the range and anywhere in between except for bringing food to the monthly pot-luck dinners. My then girlfriend/now wife and I (she's a current NRA certified Womens' Instructor) fought the battle (successfully with a few others) against the "idiots" and "good 'ol boys" who did NOT want women to be members OR use the range. BIG shit-storm followed before the women could become full-fledged members and many of those former "idiots" are still members ... but now they are just "reformed" or members with short memories.

I used to teach NRA sanctioned classes there and we bailed because of the unsafe range practices we continually had to compete with --- practices that were common amongst the unsupervised and unsafe "idiots" who frequented the range. Many of them were Navy personnel, BTW ...... the IC Sheriff's department stopped using NWSA for the same reasons. Poor range conditions, a general lack of facilities, and poor policing of the firing line(s) in general.

They almost got shut down @ 15 years ago for range practices and a lack of safety supervision that left .223/5.56 bullets lying on the taxiways @ NAS. It was traced to NWSA. Don't ask me how, I'm not in forensics or .223 ballistic trajectories. That's when we moved on, became formers members, and haven't looked back. We haven't missed 'em, either. :)

Perhaps in the past 15+ years they have learned a few things. From your post, it sounds like they have cleaned up their act to a degree. If they hadn't, they would have been shut down years ago. If you had a good experience with them, then bully for YOU.

It changes none of my former comments or observations re: NWSA and the original poster's query. I've maintained a residence on the Rock for over 35 years and have done a lot of shooting in the NW for 50+ years. It's last choice (for me) for shooting ranges on the Rock because of my personal, past experiences with them. There's better alternatives ....

Of course, if money is the bottom line for you in selecting a shooting range ..... then good luck and full speed ahead with NWSA.:)
 
Resurrecting an old thread for the benefit of anyone inbound to NUW looking for a place to shoot long guns. I went out to give my AR a workout today. Apparently there was have been a few "incidents" of some sort at Greene's recently, and they've closed down the rifle range to the public. The signs say when they open it back up again, it'll be for members only. So as of a couple weeks ago, it looks like you're gonna need a membership somewhere to shoot anything other than handguns on the Rock.

Oh, and they were careful to note on their website and on their signs that all of the "incidents" had occurred with people using "AK style rifles." And this matters . . . why? That little aside has me seriously considering whether I've spent my last dime at that place. It's the fault of the careless shooter, not his/her choice of weapon.
 
Interesting. I belongs to NWSA when I was out there and generally I was the only person on the range I found it a great arrangement but I had no SWMBO then and certainly the one I have now would not stand with being dissed like that.

I'll echo A-4's on what a great place Greene's used to be. Don't know now but I spent a lot of hours in the back room with Mr Greene discussing customizing Mauser actions and the history of Hawken rifles. They actually owned the trademark at the time and were producing new ones. We had our Friends of the NRA banquets out there and got to shoot some neat stuff. Shame it's gone downhill.

I still rue handling a lesser known British double rifle in 7x57R at Kesselring's that was priced at $4K. I put it back on the rack, knowing it was too much for my Lt paycheck. Came to my senses and went back the next day and it was sold. *sigh* I've not seen one for less than four times that since. I learned my lesson.
 
nittany03 said:
....Apparently there was have been a few "incidents" of some sort at Greene's recently, and they've closed down the rifle range to the public. The signs say when they open it back up again, it'll be for members only. So as of a couple weeks ago, it looks like you're gonna need a membership somewhere to shoot anything other than handguns on the Rock.

Oh, and they were careful to note on their website and on their signs that all of the "incidents" had occurred with people using "AK style rifles." And this matters . . . why? That little aside has me seriously considering whether I've spent my last dime at that place. It's the fault of the careless shooter, not his/her choice of weapon.
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Yeah ... about that: most recent problem --- apparently there was a chick-ie shooting an AK-style-whatever ... and she didn't know how to/when to STOP !!! She kept pullin' the trigger as the muzzle went skyward & several rounds went over the berms and trees at the end of the rifle course and hit a barn --- downrange --- w/ the owner IN IT !!!

There's been many people (locals) around Greene's over the past few decades trying to shut 'em down ... and Colette & Greg (of late) have NEVER been onboard w/ HI-CAP mag style weapons (neither was Richard, but that's another story ... )

Soooooooooooooo ... at the risk of having the range shut down: EVERYONE is on PROBATION until 'you get it straight'.

Sometimes a good thing ...
 
So the customer was indeed an idiot. Copy all. And I'm sure they were scrambling to limit their liablity or keep the barn owner from suing the pants off 'em. Every gun owner's worst nightmare, short of accidental blood on the floor. And I know I'm preaching to the choir here.

That said, it still flat-out bothers me when fellow firearms enthusiasts dog on assault rifles. As if they're something "you don't need." As if everyone should limit themselves to a nice Remington bolt-action and a Mossberg 12 gauge. There are people who are afraid of all of the above. We as a shooting community have to stick together for our sport. Otherwise, they'll just get more laws passed to harass you in your attempts to buy, own, or operate a gun, regulate ranges for "environmental considerations," etc.

I don't care if Elmer Fudd chooses not to buy military-style arms. Heck, he doesn't even have to like them. But he'd damn well better stand together with me and everyone else to protect OUR right to bear the arms we choose. If my AK or AR is an evil "assault weapon," guess what? Your nice Remington 700 with the fancy scope, bipod and custom trigger job is a "high-powered sniper rifle" with a "hair trigger," too.
 
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