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

[bruce282]

I picked 150+, but if I can get there in 2 hours or less and it's a good match, I'm in.

Bruce

[38superman]

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

+1

I voted wrong.

I said up to 100 but I calculate all my numbers based on a one way trip.

I'll travel to a local match that is within 100 miles.

Travel to a sectional match or area match within 300 miles.

(Although I have traveled as far a 700 miles for Targeting Education)

I travel to the Fla Open every year which is 600 miles.

I have no problem traveling 600 - 700 miles for Nationals.

Basically, if it's a big match and its within a days drive, I'm up for it.

If I have to fly to get there, no.

I don't want my guns stolen by some airline baggage handler and I don't care for the ammo hassles.

Tony

[HoMiE]

So I am getting the consensus that most people are willing to drive over 100 miles or around a 2-2.5 hours one-way to get to a match, but the match has to have 6 or more stages. I like the idea of paying the extra $5 to shoot again. I myself usually drive 100+ miles to the closest range round-trip. Every other club is almost 240-380 miles round-trip. During this past winter/spring I drove to CA just to go shoot. I was tired of shooting in the cold snow covered ranges up here.

[Jman]

I try to shoot the Payson, AZ match in the summer 'cause it's cooler up there. About 3 hours round trip. It sucks that it conflicts with Drillmasters but oh well.

Jim

[Azone41]

My local club is 14 miles from home and we shoot two matches a month. On the weekends that we don't have a match then Doubletap Ranch does and its 80 miles from the house. I go to Doubletap on my motorcycle so its about 10-12 bucks for gas.

[mscott]

The closest thing for me USPSA wise is 1 1/2 hours each way. Luckily I have a shooting buddy with a car that gets good gas mileage. There's a steel match just over an hour each way.

[CDRODA396]

First Sat of the month...USPSA match...90 miles

Second Sat of the month...USPSA match...8 miles

Second Sun of the month...Steel Challenge match...108 miles

Third Sun of the month...USPSA match...108 miles

Fourth Sun of the month... .22 Steel Challenge match...108 miles

Four times a year, Fifth Sun of the month... 3 Gun match...108 miles

All distances One Way.

[j1b]

Haven't shot a match in a while - that said I plan to start. The issue is it's 90 miles to the closest. I picked 100 - it doesn't matter. I'm in middle America and have no choice. It's drive - or don't shoot a match.

J

[LPatterson]

Your poll is a little biased it that you assume a choice of distance for shooting a match. The 7th of July I drove a 170 miles for a 5 stage 155 round match then drove 200 miles for a match on the 8th that was a 5 stage 98 round match. The drive home was another 170 miles.

However 400 miles r/t for a 125 round 5 stage Section match with 75 shooters was more than I could handle.

[herky]

We usually travel 150+ miles round trip for three of the four monthly matches. The other is just under 100. The upside is there are 3 to 5 guys in the car for each trip. Two weeks ago we traveled 370 miles round trip to a very good match over north of Detroit, eight stages in their monthly local match. Probably would not do that every month, but this was a weekend without a closer match. The quality of the match makes all the difference.

[Bill Nesbitt]

Does everybody go by how many miles instead of how long it takes?

I drive up to one and a half hours one way for a local match. We have some crooked roads around here. I don't have any idea how many miles it is.

I didn't vote.

[HoMiE]

Your poll is a little biased it that you assume a choice of distance for shooting a match. The 7th of July I drove a 170 miles for a 5 stage 155 round match then drove 200 miles for a match on the 8th that was a 5 stage 98 round match. The drive home was another 170 miles.

However 400 miles r/t for a 125 round 5 stage Section match with 75 shooters was more than I could handle.

I proposed the question because I drive a lot to get to "local" matches. I wanted to get an idea how far people drive to go shoot. Not big matches, no sectional, area, national, or special event matches. Just your typical 5 stage 1 classifier stage 125+ round count match. I typically drive 240+ for local match. Usually 2.5 ~3 hours one way. Many of the shooters were I go are local (45 minutes or less) and when I ask them why don't they come over and shoot at the range that is closest to me, they mostly respond with "it's too far". Sure you have a choice of distance you are willing to travel. I just wanted to see what the limit people are willing to drive is and what are some of the motivatinig factors to make the trip.

[Gwhiz]

I shoot the local match (20mi) that has 5-6 very good stages;sometimes a side match. I try to make one or two matches 200 miles to the south that also have very good stages. I don't go 125 or 150 miles north because one club's stages look like they set up targets wherever they fell out of a truck; the other club makes you feel like a bastard at a family reunion.

I have gone to a good club almost 400mi one way. The last time down I got there just in time for the rain to hit; ended up having a nice shooters dinner and headed home.

[Don45cal]

The miles I drive are less important thean the driving time. O more than 2 hours each way.

[SLM]

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?

The closest club to me is just about an 85 mile round trip. Every other Saturday I shoot a small indoor match around 120 miles round trip. The club I consider my "home" club is right around the 120/130 round trip. I usually look more at time than miles even though there is a correlation. Anything under two hours isn't out of the question and I'm planning a 4 hour one way to the Ohio Sectional.