Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

How far are you willing to drive to shoot a local club match?


Recommended Posts

I tried to search and see how far people are willing to go to shoot a match. Not an Area or National match, just your typical local club USPSA/IDPA/Steel Challenge. If if you want to give some reasons why or why not for going to your local shoots also, I am just curious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted "less than 100", but its really less than 150 - you don't have that option in the poll, so... ;) Basically, anything past 2-2.5 hours, and I'm done driving :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess you drive as far as you need to drive to get to an available match, but I can get to about 7 matches per month well within 100 miles.

Edited to add: This is one-way travel distance.

Edited by L9X25
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that one way or 'round trip?

Roundtrip.

Also, do any/many people carpool to matches?

What does a match have to have to make it worth the trip if it's out of your typical distance? Number of competitors? Stage design? Round count?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, dang... then I'm really in the 150+ boat (I'll go just shy of 300 round trip - basically a tank of gas).

Stages have to be solid. Has to be decent round count. Helps if there's some competition and fun people to hang out with :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is funny you bring this up. I was just thinking earlier this week how lucky I am to live where I do. I am able to hit three USPSA matches and two steel matches every month. All for less than $10 each. If I want to shoot IDPA too, I can get in two of those a month also for $10 each. All of these matches are within 20 miles of my house. The farthest I have driven for a local weekend match is about 120 miles each way. I was over in NC a couple of summers ago, and we drove for about two and half hours for a match. I couldn't believe it.

TG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I drive 250 miles every week!! for IPSC match. i really enjoy the sport plus it puts me together from work and

from a lot of stuff. I also enjoy the long drive because I get to think of my goal for the day and how to aproach my shooting etiquete. By the time I get there, i do my routine, shoot the match solid and under control. then I kick back and enjoy the comraderie among my fellow shooters.

Edited by shooterbenedetto
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted "less than 100", but its really less than 150 - you don't have that option in the poll, so... ;) Basically, anything past 2-2.5 hours, and I'm done driving :D

I voted 150+, but feel the same way.

ETA:

I didn't realize you meant round trip, not one way. I meant one way, 2 hours or so.

Edited by GeorgeInNePa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I drive ~50 miles RT for my "local" club match and to practice at the range. The other club I shoot at regularly is 170 miles RT and the one I hit once or twice a year is over 300 RT. For the 300 mile club there are usually two or three of us that carpool but even to join the carpool I drive 35 miles RT to catch the pool.

But I will only drive that far if the matches are of consistently good quality. Start throwing bonehead stages, promise six stages and deliver three, etc. and I stop travelling to your club.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been to 2 matches in Mass. this year. One in Springfield, and one at Harvard. Springfield is somewhere around 5 hours, Harvard somewhere around 4. We don't have a whole bunch of options for matches to shoot up here, so a trip about once a quarter out of state is in order. Traveling south gives me the opportunity to get tromped by far superior shooters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not closer than 100 miles to any USPSA range. I'll gladly travel 150 miles one way to shoot in Mike and Stephanies monthly ICORE match in Tontitown. Because of the people and the competition. There are good revo shooters there. And besides the Pizza is good too. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a club that is a 3+ hour drive BUT they usually have a 7 or 8 stage match, you can show up anytime 9-5 and shoot and you can reshoot it over and over for $5. I don't get to go every month but its a good one and worth the drive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

North Mountain is 52 miles R/T. Fredericksburg is 230 (and I drive that twice). Black Creek is 324 and York (about my day-trip limit) is 382. I only make York for the Blast and multi-gun matches. That's monthly stuff - the there's RM3G, Tri-Gun, Benning .... yes, I drive them all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a club that is a 3+ hour drive BUT they usually have a 7 or 8 stage match, you can show up anytime 9-5 and shoot and you can reshoot it over and over for $5. I don't get to go every month but its a good one and worth the drive.

I missed that one this month (we were all at the Summer Blast). They ran an 8 stage local. B)

The $5 reshoots (whole match) and the 'show up anytime" stuff is fantastic. (though, I would like to see them go to a morning and an after lunch session...the hard core could stay later than the afternoon session)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've said before we're very lucky in the Atlanta area as far as quality matches go. Literally, every weekend, there are 1 or 2 matches produced with well-planned and constructed stages. A couple of clubs are newer and growing into their own, so an occasional stage that doesn't fully comply with the rulebook is OK since it's a learning experience for the club.

From my house, it's 75 miles North for one, 85 miles North to the next, 85 miles South to another, and 65 miles East to my "home" club, and 100 miles South to the last one (all are 6-7 stages). Our little Tuesday night fun shoot match is about 25 miles each way. I like piling folks in my 4-Runner to share the fun of the trip, but I will go alone if I have to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted 50 or less miles round trip. My local match is only about 3 miles round trip and I have another club match that is 35 miles round trip. There is yet another club working on starting USPSA within this area also. Without having others carpool or it being a WI point series match, I am not going to spend the money on gas. I am way further ahead just practicing at the club 1.5 miles down the road. However, with carpooling I may venture as far as Holmen (284 miles round trip). I usually ride with 3 other guys and we split the gas 4 ways if we go on longer trips...... :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My local club is less than 40 miles round trip. They put on one USPSA match and one steel or 3gun match ever month. If i want to shoot on my off weekends its 360miles round trip. Its not worth it to me to drive that much to shoot a local match. Especially w/ current gas prices. It would cost me $45+ in gas to shoot a 3-4 stage match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I regularly drive up to 250 RT miles to matches.... but I have more than one club less than 40 miles away.. and I rarely bother going to their matches.

I will drive the extra distance for:

----a well organized match

----a match that starts on time

----matches with 8 - 10 stages (for less than 7 why start the car?)

----challenging and fun stages

----some competition (especially shooting a wheel gun this year-- it's not uncommon to have no compeition at some clubs.)

----a club that has well trained ROs/SOs

edited for spilling errors:)

Edited by MichiganShootist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...