Where to shoot in Phoenix?

[jasmap]

Anybody shoot there? How is it on a scale of suck...to great ?

I think forum members Jiggy and Steve Horsman have shot there. I'll ask Steve about it the next time I talk to him.

[ChuckS]

Flex,

I was in one of the Az 400 state matches some years ago. It was a high round count USPSA match. Great fun. The facility is (was) probably a little nicer than Rio but not significantly. These guys run matches there http://www.cactusmatch.com/. If you friend lives in that area (south of the range, I hope?) getting to Rio is not that big of a deal with the 101 loop and the 202. That is not a big deal except at rush hour!

Later,

Chuck

[Flexmoney]

He is north of 101. West of Scottsdale Rd. Off Dynamite, if I recall. He is a hop, skip and a jump from 74/Carefree Hwy.

I stayed near Catus and Scottsdale Rd when I was out for the A2. (I didn't realize how close I was to Dillon.)

I get the driving distance and know that Rio kicks ass and has a gravatational pull like the sun.

He shot with me once before, back when he was still in Ohio. When shooting comes up, he and his wife always mention that Ben Avery is so close.

[Jman]

Rio kicks ass and has a gravatational pull like the sun.

No question.

I shot a 'very' early combat pistol match at Ben Avery which at the time was named Black Canyon Shooting Range.

We used whistles and stop watches. I remember how scared I was of the 'Hostage' targets. One additional penalty for

shooting one was required. And that consisted of wearing one of those placard type signs. Had the same message hanging

from the front and in back. It said, I Shoot Innocent

Women and Children

Damn I didn't want to hit

those. I took mikes instead if I didn't see the shot. Fast forward to 1983 when Rio Practical was just starting. TGO was actually

skinnier than Brian then. This is no longer the case. Left the game soon after for love, money and golf. Something

"political" developed between the two clubs back in the 90's resulting in two separate USPSA sections. Most don't care and

shoot both clubs. I'm 20 minutes from Rio so no need to drive. Ben Avery might be the country's finest practical range if it

didn't suffer from its location. In our case the bulk of shooters seem to reside well east and southeast.

So my rating is 2-1/2 stars out of 4

Sorry about the post length. I have the flu and I'm bored as hell.

Jim M

[badchad]

Looking for a local range report. Anybody shoot there? How is it on a scale of suck...to great ?

When I was out for the A2 I thought I heard that they only shot into the back berm (at BA)? If so, does it still work out good? Anything else?

I'd like to get my buddy talked into shooting. Being so close to Ben Avery would be a plus.

I shoot at Ben Avery 1-2 times per week. Cactusmatch.com has their match schedule for most matches and thunderstrikes.com has info on the steel challenge matches. On sucks to great, I'd say they are great. The Thursday night matches are a lot of fun (4 stages scored on time minus one second for A zone hits and steel knocked down), and on Sunday's they have a USPSA match with a qualifier, a threegun match, or a Steel Challenge match, and all the matches usually have 30-50 shooters.

Rio has a lot bigger crowd, and the famous shooters (I just started making the hour and 10 minute drive across town to RIO for that reason, and it’s worth it) but I think the Ben Avery matches are equally fun.

[jbullgpd]

Looking for a local range report. Anybody shoot there? How is it on a scale of suck...to great ?

When I was out for the A2 I thought I heard that they only shot into the back berm (at BA)? If so, does it still work out good? Anything else?

I'd like to get my buddy talked into shooting. Being so close to Ben Avery would be a plus.

I shoot at Ben Avery 1-2 times per week. Cactusmatch.com has their match schedule for most matches and thunderstrikes.com has info on the steel challenge matches. On sucks to great, I'd say they are great. The Thursday night matches are a lot of fun (4 stages scored on time minus one second for A zone hits and steel knocked down), and on Sunday's they have a USPSA match with a qualifier, a threegun match, or a Steel Challenge match, and all the matches usually have 30-50 shooters.

Rio has a lot bigger crowd, and the famous shooters (I just started making the hour and 10 minute drive across town to RIO for that reason, and it’s worth it) but I think the Ben Avery matches are equally fun.

I concur, I was a westsider for 10 years in Phx and Ben was closer. It was easier for me to make there matches and they do put on some good ones. Thurs night matches are easy going practice and one a month USPSA with some three gun thrown in. I would still make the 1hr 45 min drive to Rio on ocassion. Quite a few do both clubs. I even would shoot Phx Rod and Gun 3 gun match every month. In essence you could shoot 3-4 times a week there between the three clubs. Phx is really the Mecca of shooting. I miss it, only for that, but I do miss it.

[photog]

I would like to offer a different viewpoint.

Having lived in Flagstaff and Sedona for years, I can tell you that, while there may be great shooting opportunities in Phoenix, the rest of living/working there is awful. awful hot for half the year, awful smog. a really dirty and ugly city with no soul. It epitomizes everything wrong with American cities: unchecked growth and urban sprawl, horrible traffic, no regard for beauty or quality of life.

Arizona is my favorite place to live, but I won't ever live in Phoenix. Its a hot, dirty Los Angeles, with no beach or mountains.

I would rather live in a better place and only get to shoot once a month - like I do now - than have to look at that city every day.

[Viggen]

Regardless of the Range - Rio, Ben Avery, or South Mountain, you have to adjust a little bit. But you find a fair number of the shooters shift to all three ranges depending on which match is happening. I tend to like Rio, but the others have wonderful matches also. Shoot at any of them and you are not likely to be disappointed. Now as we move into September and the silly season we will also get a lot of folks coming from other parts of the country to soak up the sun so watch yourself in traffic.

[outerlimits]

it's the one place were you could be anywhere and a pistol match will break out.

[Viggen]

it's the one place were you could be anywhere and a pistol match will break out.

Ahhhhhh......... You must be thinking Chicago, or Detroit, or DC, or Somewhereastan - here, there are schedules. :-)

[davidwiz]

Regardless of the Range - Rio, Ben Avery, or South Mountain, you have to adjust a little bit. But you find a fair number of the shooters shift to all three ranges depending on which match is happening. I tend to like Rio, but the others have wonderful matches also. Shoot at any of them and you are not likely to be disappointed. Now as we move into September and the silly season we will also get a lot of folks coming from other parts of the country to soak up the sun so watch yourself in traffic.

Not to disagree with you, but Mesa seemed really nice, when I was out there for the SMM3G. At it only took me about 30 minutes to get to the Airport. I would think that Scottsdale and the other suburbs of Phoenix are nice too.