Rio Salado/Usery range

[youngbuck]

My parents moved within a couple miles of Usery (rio salado) Range when I was 1. I grew up shooting there and have spent a lot of time there. I was a member for 3 years and so was my dad and many of my neighbors. I used to sell the rangemasters the masking tape for the range at my hardware store. It was really handy being able to work on some loads, drive 5 minutes and shoot. I dont know how many days or dollars I've spent there, but it is plenty.

 

The range has being going down hill steadily in the past few years. First you couldn't shoot less than 12 yards. Thats not much good for my snubby or any other CCW guys. Then DB brought up that there is no more 300yd target placement, he was right. Yesterday afternoon is the last time I'll go to Rio Salado. I'm used to being treated like kid at Rio Saldo(even though im 24). I dont really blame them. They have to deal with people who dont know what they are doing all day long.

 

Anyways, I was taking my younger buddy to practice with his 7mag before his deer hunt. I was with 2 other non shooters and the 1 shooter. The range master copped an additude when I informed him I wasn't shooting. He said "If you walk through these gates you have to fill out the form"

I said alright I'll fill it out no biggie. Then he asked for my 7 bucks. I said one more time, I wasn't shooting. He said he didn't care, "if you wanna do anything on this range its 7 bucks" I said that must be new, Ive never had to do that. (I was there the preivious week, no form, no charge) Then he asked me "you paying or not?" There wasn't a line or anything. I told him no, Ill wait in the truck. I dont have a problem paying 7 bucks to watch, and coach my biddy, but not to this guy.

So he huffed and puffed off mumbling something and crumpled up my paper and continued on like a kid throwin a fit. I'm used to the rangemasters not having much patience, but this guy was off his rocker. I understand that policies and rules must change. I also know that one of the reasons Rio Salodo is safe is because the rangemasters aren't the most forgiving guys.

 

Anybody else getting this kind of treatment?

[oz31p]

Par for the course.

 

This may come out wrong but it seems like anywhere you go there are always a few "older gentlemen" that are knowitalls and are very rude. I do know that they are the minority as most I've learned about the outdoors or life for that matter has come gray hairs that were eager and willing to teach me.

 

 

The archery range is still awsome

[whiteeye]

Interesting....

 

I was there last week as well with my 9 year old son. There were 3 "retired" guys (you know, the Leisure World type) working the range. I overheard one of them say, and I quote "I will be glad when this week is over and all the little kids are back in school. I am tired of all these kids coming out here."

 

I was shocked at his attitude. The kids are the future of this sport and that range.

 

I agree. Things out there have taken a turn for the worse. I never noticed it before. But I also have never seen any of these "retired" guys working out there before. Maybe they need to make some changes in the personalities working out there. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against 'retired' people. But the bunch they had out there the other day seemed to have little patience.

[DesertBull]

I've never been treated bad there and have always felt safe shooting there...until the other day.

 

A man and his two son's come to shoot hand guns and take the bench next to me. I didn't think anything of it. After the RM announces that the range is hot, I sit down and prepare to shoot and notice the guy has 3 or 4 targets out and one of them is clear over on my side. In fact, it was blocking my path to my target that was set up at 200 yrd. I didn't say anything because there was nothing he could do about it now that people were shooting. I just took a couple of shots as the steel targets and waited for the next break.

 

I'm sitting there at the bench getting ready to shoot and BOOM, the guy starts shooting his gun and I swear it' 2 feet from my ear. What the ****? Before I could get up, he starts going wild...shooting his 9mm as fast as he can pull the trigger and with each shot the gun is getting closer and closer to me because he can't keep the thing under control. When he is empty I jump up get behind the bench and see that one of the range dudes are standing there looking at him and didn't say a fricken thing. Just walked on by.

 

Next up is his son. Looks to be about 12 years old. He tries to mimic his dad and by the time he is empty the bullets are hitting the dirt 3' away and the gun is almost completely out of his hand. One or two more shots and I know the gun would have been hitting the ground.

 

Gathered up my crap and left.

[Rag Horn]

I never really liked going to that range. I think the crowd the range seems to draw on the days I am there is always a crowd I do not want to be a part of. For example on my last trip

 

there on my right I had 4 guys ranging in age from I would guess 18 to 25. They had their target about 12 yards from the bench blasting away the cardboard with their 12 gauge. Why? To

 

make sure there was no cardboard left on the metal rack. Least that is what the guys’ three buddies were cheering him on to do. Then his other buddy steps up to the bench with his Glock.

 

Proceeds shooting it with the gun 90 degrees off straight up and down popping of shots like he is in a drive by. Then on the left I had a guy with his target at 25 yards and his sks blasting

 

away seeing how fast he can shoot all the while his brass is bouncing off the side and top of my head. This all going on while I was trying to sight in my gun.

 

Now I realize anyone can go the range and shoot and shoot whatever firearm they want to. That is their prerogative. If I do not like it then I don’t have to go. This is exactly what I have

 

started to do. I have started using other locations to sight in and shoot my guns. The above mentioned incident was describing my last visit but could be applied different people same sort of

 

frustration for any of my last 10 visits.

 

This crowd that seems to be attracted to the range coupled with the same piss poor “customer service” I have similarly experienced has made Rio Salado my last resort option anymore. It is

 

just not worth the headache of it all anymore.

 

Thanks for letting me vent on the subject.

[Chef]

Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm out there.

Every time I go there, I swear up and down that it's my last.

 

Lately, I've been going the extra mile to NOT go there.

I've been happy ever since.

[luvdemcoues]

I took my 6 year old out there last week while I shot a few rounds. The rules say no kids under 6. I get there and the range master tried telling me I could not bring him in. After I pointed out the rule to him, he reluctantly let me bring him in, of course there was a charge for that. It is almost like they are discouraging youngsters from getting involved in the sport. It's sad.

[AZbowhntr]

Well I had to go sight in a new scope the other day and had a wonderful time. The guy next to me decided not to put up a target at all and just started shooting everyone's around him. Luckily I was shooting at 200 yds so I didn't have to worry about him hitting mine. When I finished shooting I went and got my target and showed him the number on the front of his bench and the number that his target should go in. Nothing like trying to sight in your rifle and wondering what all those extra shots are.

[ron b]

I have heard alot of complaints about Rio, but I have always had a positive experience there. I shoot Tuesday Night Steel almost every week. Great bunch of guys and gals there. I haven't done the sillouette lately or the 500 prone, but will start up after the elk season. By the way, was helping my frined's son on a youth hunt and he bagged a nice cow at 421 yards with my 7mm, sighted in at Rio. I guess if you have the punches to use the other ranges it is not as bad as the main range.

 

I used the main range a month ago and it was a bummer that we could no longer set up at the 300 yard mark. Like I said before, only positive experiences at Rio.

[elkhunter]

about 2 years ago a range master told me to wear ear muffs....I am deaf and so he got pushy and forced me to wear an extra one he had.....5 minutes later he told me I could not chew tobacco........really weird stuff

[fido]

I have seen a few of the same situations recently there also. I really like the convience but, I am a bit frustrated too. I am holding off on my year membership til I see what happens.

I spoke to one of the RM's there last time and he told me they are working them something like 11 hours per day Fri-Sun. and they are overworked and tired. This may explain some of the "attitude"? I'm not defending them but just trying to figure this out from a common sense point of view. Some of my other observations are: It's basically a double-edged sword. With all the closures of Trust land to target shooting there are more people going to ranges.

This is good because it keeps our open land cleaner/safer (I've been on a couple cleanups and some people are unbelievable) BUT, you still have the same jackwads now forced to display their stupidity in a more public forum and the RM's have to babysit them. Hopefully they will learn the right way to do things but who knows?

BUT....It also helps to keep them out of our hunting units and messing up hunts (hopefully).

Also as we all know everyones budget is tighter now so the staffing thing may not be fixable immediatly and they need all the funds they can get to keep what we have. The 300 yard targets may have been shut down due to time constraints with the new volume of shooters? Like I said I'm not defending them but take a few seconds to think about the alternative. Believe me, we don't want this state to turn into another California!!!

I will continue to support them with my $7 when I need to and use my vote etc to change what I can and pray for more ranges!

Joe

[480 stu-ffer]

I was a rifle range instructor and A Butt NCO (target pulling & scoring area) in service ( if you are a jarhead you have to qualify every year up to Lt. Col. I can tell you when working the line day after day you'll get a few coments .. from the Lt's and Capt's. mainly) As a young grunt just trying to keep things moving, safe and compatable (attrition,attrition,attrition) I found there ain't much schooling for the later but should be the last concideration for a range master. There was one fellow killed by a bullet following the wire rim of a speaker that stuck up above the the butt, messing with firarms is a serious business.

[azmetalman]

I have never shot on a range where the range officers were as rude and seemingly indifferent as Usery. I thought about an annual membership but decided not to buy after thinking about it. I had 1 trip out of 7 to Usery since August that was pleasant. Although it is a very long way to Ben Avery from Fountain Hills I am going to give it a try. I shot there for many years when I lived elsewhere. I hope it hasn't changed much. Does anyone have any thoughts on this matter?

[.270]

this makes me feel a lot better. i thought maybe i was thin skinned. i hate usery. most of the guys working there appear to be retired military, a couple of em are definitely ex-DI's. they are used to being able to kick the heck outta anyone that gets outta line and i think they have a hard time dealing with the reality that they can't do it legally and it ain't a good idea to scream at guys with loaded guns. i have a spotting scope mounted on an old rifle stock. once when the line was cold a guy next to me wanted to look through it and the ranger dude came down there screaming like a maniac because he thought he was handling a rifle. after he saw what it was he was still pissed. a little later when i was leaving i picked it up when the line was cold to carry it and some other stuff to the truck and here he came again. i mean it was like he wanted to have a stroke. then i got pissed and started backing him up and he reached down and put his hand on his .45 and i told him in no uncertain terms where that gun would end up if he drew it and kept him going backwards. by then a buncha folks were sorta in on it and the guy that was the rangemaster came down there and grabbed the guy and told him to go home. i've never seen that guy there since. he was there all the time before. i talked to the rangemaster right after the incident and he said the guy really had an attitude. he was an ex marine and figgerd that meant you had to do what he said, even when he was wrong. most of the time the guys there are ok. some of em are real good. but on the days when all the a-holes are there, they can be rough to deal with. and they don't do much to the morons to educate em much either. seems like they size ya up when ya come in and decide they're gonna teach ya a lesson. i'm glad we have the place, but i don't go there unless i have to anymore. i found a good place in the desert that is a lot nicer and the only jerk i hafta put up with is me. Lark.

[jwdodge01]

Unfortunately there view of our generation is lazy and careless. I haven't been there since october and won't ever go agin between the range masters and the idiots out there it's just not enjoyable to shoot there anymore! I have just had to many bad experiences and it used to be such a great place to go and have fun shooting. WHAT A SHAME!