Worst Handgun Range in TN - Stones River TWRA

[mikegideon]

Southside is great. especially if you carry a lot of stuff to the rifle range. I bought a wagon to carry my stuff thru the check point at Stones River. Everything is more laid back.

The two ranges came from really different origins. There are some things I like better at Stones River, but would prefer to shoot at Southside. I'll go back there. Too bad it's a 4 day drive from my place

BTW... AR looks nothing like Obama in person

[MikeW]

You might want to check it out before you say that.

I suspect egos are involved more than anything.

I agree... I put of going to Stones river for years becasue of the word of mouth press. After I went a few times to check it out I became an annual member and go every chance that I get. If I can find time today I will slip up there for a couole of hours.

[srhecmanager]

This thread has hit on a topic that is near dear to me. This is my job and the RSOs are my close friends. With that being said I will try not to let my reply get personal but only state facts.

Let me give you some facts about Stones River Hunter Eduction Center. This facility is just that, a hunter ed facility. The gun range is second. We are funded soley through money for hunter ed. There are two full time employees here. Myself and one tech. All the range safety officers(RSOs) on the range are volunteer.

Last year we had 27 RSOs that worked a total of 5541 hours of volunteer time. We had 13,001 total shooters for the 09-10 fiscal year. Of this number, about 20 percent of them are new to Stones River Gun Range shooters. There were 29 hadgun carry permit classes that did their live fire portion at Stones River with 287 people being certified. There were also several advanced handgun courses and armed security courses taught here. To help put these numbers into perspective, John Seiver in Knoxville had 4550 shooters, Montgomery County Shooting Complex had 4500 shooters, Cheatham had 2200 shooters, and Bartlett Gun Range had about 2000. Stones River did nearly as much as all of these ranges put together.

The range consists of a handgun range with 30 lanes(we only use 29 because the FAN takes up one lane). This range is 50 feet long and has four different positions to place targets. The rifle range consists of 18 lanes that extend to 100 yards. We have two lane that extend to 200 yards but you must be an annual member and qualify to shoot on these lanes. We also have a 50 yard range. This range is used for handgun carry permit classes and spill over from the rifle range. We have a large paved parking lot and a office building with clean public bathrooms.

These are some facts about the range. I will post more later. I am out of time.

Tim

[I_Like_Pie]

You might want to check it out before you say that.

I suspect egos are involved more than anything.

Agreed...I would trust the long time range master's judgement over any of the members here.

[mikegideon]

Tim just reenforced what some of us have been saying. They run a lot of folks through there with all levels of experience. I'm on my second annal membership, and I'll renew when it's up.

[srhecmanager]

Guys, thanks for continuing to follow this thread giving me a chance to respond.

Continuing my post, there is one more piece of information you need. Those 13,001 shooters fired aprox. 1.5 million rounds. I based this on data that we used to collect from shooters on the number of round fired. This also lets me estimate the amount of lead in the berms and to determine when I need to remove the lead.

Let talk about the range rules. First let me say: "I hate rules". If every shooter that came here would use good, common sense then there would be no need for all the rules. Like Fred Thompson says: " why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon". So I have to come with rule for the idiots ( sorry, inexperienced, no sense shooters) that come to this range. The problem is that when I make a rule, all shooters must follow the same rule.

I have picked three rules that seem to attract the most attention. First, No silhouette targets. Second, All guns must be unloaded and in a case. Third, Only one target at a time on the handgun range.

NO SILHOUETTE TARGETS: This is not a safety thing nor is it a politcal thing. We strive to run a family oriented range that is safe for all ages and gender. Lets say that silhouette targets are allowed. Would you limit them to black only? What if a shooter brought a target of Osama? Fine right. What about a target of President Bush or Obama? One lady was sick of Barney and brought in a silhouette of him to shoot. Can you imagine trying to explain to your child why that lady was shooting Barney? One man brought a picture of his exwife to shoot at. Where do you draw the line? Also, our target frames are only 18 inches by 24 inches and most silhouette targets are much larger than that. This would cause a problem trying to post them on the range. For these reasons, no silhouettes.

ALL GUNS MUST BE UNLOADED AND IN A CASE: We teach in hunter ed to transport your firearms unloaded and in a case so that is a rule for the gun range as well. We had a shooter come straight to the range from a gun show with a gun in a plastic bag. Half way across the parking lot, the gun busted through the bag hitting the pavement. The whole time the gun was falling the man was trying to grab it. Anything could have happened. We also don't allow shooters to bring guns in holsters. You cannot draw and shoot from a holster on the range because most people cannot do this safely. I know some of you are thinking bull----!! What about a cross draw shoulder holster? Every time the shooter draws from this type of holster, they would sweep the line with the muzzle. Unsafe right! Again, where do you draw the line? I am concerned with safety, safety and oh yeah, safety!

ONLY ONE TARGET AT A TIME ON THE HANDGUN RANGE: This rule was put into place because shooters placing target close to the edge of the frame was shooting up the frame. And more importantly, when a shooter brings the target up to five yards and shoots at a target placed near the side, they are shooting at an angle down range and striking the post holding up the overhead baffle cutting them in half. I have to repair and maintain this range with a minimal budget and fixing things that are getting shot unnecessarily is not something that I like to do.

You can see that I have a lot to worry about with a facility this large.

More to come,

Tim

Edited August 2, 2010 by Daniel

[bubbiesdad]

This thread has hit on a topic that is near dear to me. This is my job and the RSOs are my close friends. With that being said I will try not to let my reply get personal but only state facts.

Let me give you some facts about Stones River Hunter Eduction Center. This facility is just that, a hunter ed facility. The gun range is second. We are funded soley through money for hunter ed. There are two full time employees here. Myself and one tech. All the range safety officers(RSOs) on the range are volunteer.

Last year we had 27 RSOs that worked a total of 5541 hours of volunteer time. We had 13,001 total shooters for the 09-10 fiscal year. Of this number, about 20 percent of them are new to Stones River Gun Range shooters. There were 29 hadgun carry permit classes that did their live fire portion at Stones River with 287 people being certified. There were also several advanced handgun courses and armed security courses taught here. To help put these numbers into perspective, John Seiver in Knoxville had 4550 shooters, Montgomery County Shooting Complex had 4500 shooters, Cheatham had 2200 shooters, and Bartlett Gun Range had about 2000. Stones River did nearly as much as all of these ranges put together.

The range consists of a handgun range with 30 lanes(we only use 29 because the FAN takes up one lane). This range is 50 feet long and has four different positions to place targets. The rifle range consists of 18 lanes that extend to 100 yards. We have two lane that extend to 200 yards but you must be an annual member and qualify to shoot on these lanes. We also have a 50 yard range. This range is used for handgun carry permit classes and spill over from the rifle range. We have a large paved parking lot and a office building with clean public bathrooms.

These are some facts about the range. I will post more later. I am out of time.

Tim

Guys, thanks for continuing to follow this thread giving me a chance to respond.

Continuing my post, there is one more piece of information you need. Those 13,001 shooters fired aprox. 1.5 million rounds. I based this on data that we used to collect from shooters on the number of round fired. This also lets me estimate the amount of lead in the berms and to determine when I need to remove the lead.

Let talk about the range rules. First let me say: "I hate rules". If every shooter that came here would use good, common sense then there would be no need for all the rules. Like Fred Thompson says: " why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon". So I have to come with rule for the idiots ( sorry, inexperienced, no sense shooters) that come to this range. The problem is that when I make a rule, all shooters must follow the same rule.

I have picked three rules that seem to attract the most attention. First, No silhouette targets. Second, All guns must be unloaded and in a case. Third, Only one target at a time on the handgun range.

NO SILHOUETTE TARGETS: This is not a safety thing nor is it a politcal thing. We strive to run a family oriented range that is safe for all ages and gender. Lets say that silhouette targets are allowed. Would you limit them to black only? What if a shooter brought a target of Osama? Fine right. What about a target of President Bush or Obama? One lady was sick of Barney and brought in a silhouette of him to shoot. Can you imagine trying to explain to your child why that lady was shooting Barney? One man brought a picture of his exwife to shoot at. Where do you draw the line? Also, our target frames are only 18 inches by 24 inches and most silhouette targets are much larger than that. This would cause a problem trying to post them on the range. For these reasons, no silhouettes.

ALL GUNS MUST BE LOADED AND IN A CASE: We teach in hunter ed to transport your firearms unloaded and in a case so that is a rule for the gun range as well. We had a shooter come straight to the range from a gun show with a gun in a plastic bag. Half way across the parking lot, the gun busted through the bag hitting the pavement. The whole time the gun was falling the man was trying to grab it. Anything could have happened. We also don't allow shooters to bring guns in holsters. You cannot draw and shoot from a holster on the range because most people cannot do this safely. I know some of you are thinking bull----!! What about a cross draw shoulder holster? Every time the shooter draws from this type of holster, they would sweep the line with the muzzle. Unsafe right! Again, where do you draw the line? I am concerned with safety, safety and oh yeah, safety!

ONLY ONE TARGET AT A TIME ON THE HANDGUN RANGE: This rule was put into place because shooters placing target close to the edge of the frame was shooting up the frame. And more importantly, when a shooter brings the target up to five yards and shoots at a target placed near the side, they are shooting at an angle down range and striking the post holding up the overhead baffle cutting them in half. I have to repair and maintain this range with a minimal budget and fixing things that are getting shot unnecessarily is not something that I like to do.

You can see that I have a lot to worry about with a facility this large.

More to come,

Tim

How do you conduct a HCP class without sillouette targets?

[srhecmanager]

Sorry, I meant to say unloaded and in a case.

Tim

[srhecmanager]

Handgun carry permit classes are done on a separate range from the public and they are allowed to use silhouettes.

[mikegideon]

Handgun carry permit classes are done on a separate range from the public and they are allowed to use silhouettes.

Here's the layout. They do HCP on the 50 yard range (as I understand it).

[kb4ns]

I am concerned with safety, safety and oh yeah, safety!

Can't blame you there.

Folks are gonna complain regardless. It helps when there is an understanding as to why the rules exist, and I am glad you came on the forum here to do so.

I've told folks in other threads to be happy about what they have. Unless you pay (a big chunk of change) to join one of the very limited number of private shooting clubs in the area here or know someone who owns a bunch of land, you don't have anywhere that you can shoot a rifle.

[Guest Supergo]

Stone River is just a couple miles from my house and I have been there twice so far. I have never experienced any of the horror stories I am reading. One of the RSO's did mention one time that my pistol was not pointed down range.....it was just at a slight angle towards the rifle range.....no worries thats what their there for everyones safety. I will continue to go there because of the cost and proximity to my house.

[iyaoyas98]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. A little explanation goes a long way!!

[Chucktshoes]

Can't blame you there.

Folks are gonna complain regardless. It helps when there is an understanding as to why the rules exist, and I am glad you came on the forum here to do so.

I've told folks in other threads to be happy about what they have. Unless you pay (a big chunk of change) to join one of the very limited number of private shooting clubs in the area here or know someone who owns a bunch of land, you don't have anywhere that you can shoot a rifle.

this is a big ol' +1

Personally I really like Stones River when I went, and was quite jealous that ya'll in Nashville had a place like that to shoot.

[srhecmanager]

Thanks guys for supporting Stones River Gun Range. This weekend we had 346 shooters. We did have one new hole shot in the roof of the rifle range. A shooter let the bolt slam on a SKS and it fired. He had the gun pointing straight up. He did a good job of controlling the weapon. RSO Jenny was standing right there when it happened and she assurred me that the shooter did not have his finger on the trigger. I wished the gun had been pointing down range because now I have to fix a hole in the roof. No one was injured. All in all, it was a good weekend just a little too hot.

There are still some issues that have been raised here that I have not addressed yet. I don't have time today, it will probably be the weekend. Stay tuned.

@mikegideon

That was an up to date aerial photo. It was taken sometime early this spring. I can tell because it is obvious where an idiot ran off the road going behind the range spinning his tires through the grass and mud. This photo is newer than anything that I have. I would like to know where you got it from so that I could get a copy. Thanks.

Thanks again for supporting Stones River Gun Range,

Tim

[srhecmanager]

Also feel free to ask me some questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks,

Tim

[mikegideon]

@mikegideon

That was an up to date aerial photo. It was taken sometime early this spring. I can tell because it is obvious where an idiot ran off the road going behind the range spinning his tires through the grass and mud. This photo is newer than anything that I have. I would like to know where you got it from so that I could get a copy. Thanks.

Thanks again for supporting Stones River Gun Range,

Tim

Google Earth. I live close to the range, and the shots of my neighborhood are real recent too.

[kb4ns]

This photo is newer than anything that I have. I would like to know where you got it from so that I could get a copy.

You could always right click on the picture and select "Save Picture As..."

[DaveTN]

We did have one new hole shot in the roof of the rifle range. A shooter let the bolt slam on a SKS and it fired. He had the gun pointing straight up.

He learned a lesson. I won’t drop the slide on a pistol, or the bolt on a rifle on a live round, in the house. Those that say guns don’t fire unless you pull the trigger don’t know about slam fires.

It’s good no one was hurt but its too bad he had shoot a hole in your roof to learn that.

[mikegideon]

He learned a lesson. I won’t drop the slide on a pistol, or the bolt on a rifle on a live round, in the house. Those that say guns don’t fire unless you pull the trigger don’t know about slam fires.

It’s good no one was hurt but its too bad he had shoot a hole in your roof to learn that.

They usually happen after Bubba has been working on his trigger

[monkeylizard]

NO SILHOUETTE TARGETS: This is not a safety thing nor is it a politcal thing. We strive to run a family oriented range that is safe for all ages and gender. Lets say that silhouette targets are allowed. Would you limit them to black only? What if a shooter brought a target of Osama? Fine right. What about a target of President Bush or Obama? One lady was sick of Barney and brought in a silhouette of him to shoot. Can you imagine trying to explain to your child why that lady was shooting Barney? One man brought a picture of his exwife to shoot at. Where do you draw the line? Also, our target frames are only 18 inches by 24 inches and most silhouette targets are much larger than that. This would cause a problem trying to post them on the range. For these reasons, no silhouettes.

Some ranges require shooters to buy targets from the range. That's one way you could draw the line and keep silhouettes. Still allow the ones you do now, but for silhouettes we'd have to buy yours. I'd go for that, especially since you don't charge stupid crazy prices. Of course people would complain that they can't bring their own silhouettes . The frame size limits it anyway, and without rebuilding some stuff, it doesn't look like you can change that easily. Still, it's something I hope you might consider for down the road.

I was one of your 346 last weekend. Me, D3vo, and another buddy had the place to ourselves. It was great. Keep up the good work.

Edited August 2, 2010 by monkeylizard

[Guest motonut]

I've shot at Stones River quite a few times over the past couple of years. Tim, I think you run a great range. I've never been "yelled" at by anyone there. I've been corrected at least twice, very politely and it was my error. Once I was busy talking with a buddy I brought to the range while we were setting up our gear. I was not concerating and removed my rifle from the case back by the bench instead of at the table, he just came over and reminded me that next time to do that at the shooting table. There was only 1 other shooter on that range at the time. My error and no big deal.

The only issue I have is VERY minor, you can't move a target frame from one lane to another. If you want to shoot on say at 7 yd, the target frame is at 10 yd. but there is a frame in the next lane at 7 yd you can't swap target frames between lanes. I understand you don't want 2 frames in the same lane which is why I would swap BOTH frames. Obviously, this wouldn't be done if there was a shooter in the other lane. Again, this is very minor and since I know it's against the rules I don't try to do it, but I am curious about it.

My only other complaint is I wish you were open a couple of extra weekdays!

Thanks again for your effort and the effort of your RSO's.

[BigK]

Tim, I think you guys do a great job up there. I knew you had a lot of folks in and out, wouldn't have guessed over 13,000...wow!

I bring my kids all the time and appreciate the emphasis on safety. I see what you mean about silhouettes. Maybe it IS easier to say no than to judge case-by-case.

BTW...this is Kevin from high school and I wanna know why knowing the boss hasn't gotten me any discounts or special privileges yet , LOL.

[THE COOP]

Guys, thanks for continuing to follow this thread giving me a chance to respond.

Continuing my post, there is one more piece of information you need. Those 13,001 shooters fired aprox. 1.5 million rounds. I based this on data that we used to collect from shooters on the number of round fired. This also lets me estimate the amount of lead in the berms and to determine when I need to remove the lead.

Let talk about the range rules. First let me say: "I hate rules". If every shooter that came here would use good, common sense then there would be no need for all the rules. Like Fred Thompson says: " why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon". So I have to come with rule for the idiots ( sorry, inexperienced, no sense shooters) that come to this range. The problem is that when I make a rule, all shooters must follow the same rule.

I have picked three rules that seem to attract the most attention. First, No silhouette targets. Second, All guns must be unloaded and in a case. Third, Only one target at a time on the handgun range.

NO SILHOUETTE TARGETS: This is not a safety thing nor is it a politcal thing. We strive to run a family oriented range that is safe for all ages and gender. Lets say that silhouette targets are allowed. Would you limit them to black only? What if a shooter brought a target of Osama? Fine right. What about a target of President Bush or Obama? One lady was sick of Barney and brought in a silhouette of him to shoot. Can you imagine trying to explain to your child why that lady was shooting Barney? One man brought a picture of his exwife to shoot at. Where do you draw the line? Also, our target frames are only 18 inches by 24 inches and most silhouette targets are much larger than that. This would cause a problem trying to post them on the range. For these reasons, no silhouettes.

ALL GUNS MUST BE UNLOADED AND IN A CASE: We teach in hunter ed to transport your firearms unloaded and in a case so that is a rule for the gun range as well. We had a shooter come straight to the range from a gun show with a gun in a plastic bag. Half way across the parking lot, the gun busted through the bag hitting the pavement. The whole time the gun was falling the man was trying to grab it. Anything could have happened. We also don't allow shooters to bring guns in holsters. You cannot draw and shoot from a holster on the range because most people cannot do this safely. I know some of you are thinking bull----!! What about a cross draw shoulder holster? Every time the shooter draws from this type of holster, they would sweep the line with the muzzle. Unsafe right! Again, where do you draw the line? I am concerned with safety, safety and oh yeah, safety!

ONLY ONE TARGET AT A TIME ON THE HANDGUN RANGE: This rule was put into place because shooters placing target close to the edge of the frame was shooting up the frame. And more importantly, when a shooter brings the target up to five yards and shoots at a target placed near the side, they are shooting at an angle down range and striking the post holding up the overhead baffle cutting them in half. I have to repair and maintain this range with a minimal budget and fixing things that are getting shot unnecessarily is not something that I like to do.

You can see that I have a lot to worry about with a facility this large.

More to come,

Tim

I've been shooting there all summer and I really like the range, I also like shooting out doors rather that indoors all the time, and the price is right, $5.50 for 2 hours is a great deal. So thanks for the job that you and all the volunteers do at the range!!! COOP

[JPS]

I like the range - I go as often as I can afford target ammo. I often take my kids, and know that the rules make it a good safe learning experience for them. (But now they want to try those Barney targets sometime..!)

Thanks to you Tim, and to all the RSOs!