Youngs Longshot - You owe it to yourself to go at least once.

[teddy12b]

Now that we have a place where us Indiana boys can chat I wanted to tell you all about my favorite shooting range that I've ever been to, Young's Longshot.

http://www.geocities.com/youngsrange/

I joined up almost two years ago and I haven't shot anywhere else since.  They have steel targets at 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000 yards. 

What I like about the facilities:
1   They have a stocked fridge with snacks and cokes.
2   They have a porta-potty that's actually pretty clean.
3   They have an inclosed heated building to shoot from in the winter.
4   They have a deck on top and a covered bench to shoot from outside.

What I like about the way the targets are setup:
1   They took some time and set this range up right.  It's easy to go from shooting at one distance to another without getting up and walking around and moving gear.
2   When you shoot steel targets you get a feel for what kind of power your bullet hits with.  For example hit a target with a 55gr 223, then hit the same target with a 220gr 30-06 and you'll know what I'm talking about.
3   The targets are painted white so it's easy to see where you hit the target.

**Above all else the people there are great.  Everyone has been genuinely nice and helpful for a rookie like me and the owners are good honest people.

If any of you ever want to go as a guest or are already a member and just want to meet up and shoot let me know.  This range is like Heaven on earth to me and I think every person who enjoys shooting should go there once in there life, no other range I've ever been to compares to this place.

[GRIMJIM]

That looks like a really nice place. About a three hour drive for me though.

[Dinny]

Teddy,
  I knew there was a reason I always wanted to be your friend.

I'm there!  It's only 3 1/2 hrs from the wife's family home that we visit way too often. 

I will let you know when I have time, I would love to visit this place and shoot a long ways out there too.

Thanks, Dinny

[LaOtto222]

I drive by it all the time, I thought it was a trap range, did not know they had a shooting range for rifles. It is about a 30 minute drive from my home and about a 6 minute drive from my lake place I am just North of the range about 4 miles on Royer lake. I go right by it on my way to the lake place. I am going to have to check them out. It would be nice to have a place I could shoot when the temp dips down and be able to shoot at some longer ranges. My backyard range is only 100 yards which is fine for sighting in and load development.

Teddy - are you located close to Wolcottville? I went to high school in their school district - Lakeland High I am very familiar with the area.

BTW - As you could guess; the Young family has lots of acreage - they are one of the biggest if not the biggest farmers in the county.

[teddy12b]

I'm just over an hour away from the range in Fort Wayne.  I usually make a trip there about once every month to month and a half.  It's a little slice of heaven for me.  I don't know what it is about pulling a trigger, seeing a black spot form on white steel, then waiting a second or two and then hearing the sound of the gong.  With my 30-06 it takes two seconds for the bullet to leave my barrel and get out to 1000 yards.  Then it takes another second or two for the sound of a hit to come back.  I love it.

[LaOtto222]

We are in the same neck of the woods. I am North of Fort Wayne about 20 miles. Just off of State road 3 (Lima). We do most of our shopping in Fort Wayne. I have a LaOtto address, but live North a little more. I really do drive by Youngs Range almost every week. They have that flag out when they are open by the road. You have me thinking. I really do not have a long range rifle, but I am building one right now - a 22 BR with a fast twist rate to handle long, slippery bullets. Are there very many shooters when you go to the range?

[teddy12b]

There are days when I go there and have the whole place to myself and there are days when I've been there with half a dozen other people.  Normally, it's one or maybe two other people for part of the time while I'm there.

[bigvarmnt]

WOW! I've seen the signs in Wolcotville several times. I too thought it was a sporting clays place. A friend of mine called me a couple months ago and told me he and his boys shot clays there and I should check it out. He DIDN'T mention the sweet spot of long range. I was going to take my son there to shoot clays when he came home last month and we never got to it. I've shot at a similar place in Tucson AZ. a couple of times and was trying to get back there this winter. This place is a lot closer. Now if they could just turn up the heat.
Is there a membership? If so how much? My wife said I should go tomorrow.
I have 3-400yds at home but will check this out.
Looks like that 308 maybe coming sooner.
Thank You Thank You Thank You!

[LaOtto222]

Bigvarmnt - check out the link that teddy12b has provided at the top of the tread.

BTW - you must live up here some where are you from Fort Wayne?

[bigvarmnt]

LaOtto, I'm not far down the road from you. I'll try to look at that link again. I have an old hand me down computer and it didn't like that link. I stopped at the Sittin Bull several times 30 years ago on the way to or from fishing up north. FOR A SANDWICH of course. I spent a lot of time when I was young at Fish lake and my wife and I put in there two summers ago just to see if it had changed. Went through the channel and fished a little on the south end of Royer. I used to belong to FWR&R club by Harlen years ago but it was inconvenient and I bought a little land and didn't have to pack up and drive. It was a nice place 35 years ago. I'm sure it's nice now and crowded. I've been thinking there had to be a place like this but didn't expect it to be this close I had planned to go there in a couple weeks to try some clays again and thanks to teddy12b I'll take a rifle or two along.

[teddy12b]

I used to belong to FWRR also.  After I joined Youngs, it was more than worth it to me to drive an extra 20 minutes to Youngs.  Nothing wrong with FWRR, but it's crowded and paper targets get old fast.

[LaOtto222]

If you can't get into the link, the fee is $300 for the first year and $200 after that. For a family it is $400 and $300 every year after that. It looks promising to me. Their sign says Sporting Clays - this is why I thought it was shotgun stuff. I am at the South end of Royer lake. When coming down the lake from the North I am in the right bay - the only cottage there with a huge yard to mow. I have shot a few woodchucks on the hill behind my place and my brother has shot a few deer on the backside there too. I mow that hill behind my place too.

[bigvarmnt]

LaOtto, Thanks for the info, I couldn't even get into Greybeards last night. Can't see myself driving there enough to pay for it. :'(I definately will check into it though. Still cheaper than flying to Tucson. 1000yd, a couple 300yd and a few other ranges with various steel silhouettes. Nice 100 yd rimfire with metal animals to scale targets. I think I paid $35. years membership. Cost of getting there with gear and ammo is a little steep. Mastercard commercial says (PRICELESS)

We went to the far southeast bay then went north along the west side of that bay to a point and there was a guy working in that yard at the first cottage you come to. Nothing on that west side of that bay but trees and weeds. I think the hill would be to the west a little more. Be wild if that was you. I used to rabbit hunt that whole east side of the lake about 30 years ago. Old farmer named Luke owned it. He lived east of the lake across the first road. Think his kids may have built between the road and the lake. I'm sure he's dead now and that was a while back. My Beagles used to get a lot of rabbits in there. Great fun. Miss it. A guy that was married to my moms aunt or something lived on the west side of Fish lake a couple cottages north of the small dead end channel. I think there are cottages there now. He used to go in there and shoot bullfrogs with a 22 birdshot. I called him uncle Pete. He got me started into reloading and got me my first shotgun. Great guy, hunt, fished, and shot trap all over, all his life. Miss him too. In his seventies, with a pacemaker he would still jump off the pier into the boat and fish all night with us and go back to the cottage and fix us breakfast. I haven't found ANY like him.    

[Saloon slug]

Sounds like we are gonna have to all meet and check this range out. I am just here a bit south of Auburn. What say you all?

[teddy12b]

I plan on going there at least one more time before deer season opens up.  Usually in the winter, you have the place to yourself.

[Lon371]

  Sounds like a nice range. But a little high for my wallet. Not to mention on the other side of the state.

  We do it the hard way. Walk out the back door and shoot up to 50 yards. Or we load stuff on the 4 wheeler, go a couple hundred yards up the street to the open farm field. Set up targets and shoot up to 300 yards. A lot cheaper, and we can run to the house if we need more ammo. Or we load the 4 wheeler in the truck and go to the bottoms. I don't shoot long ranges, but we could set up across fields for close to 1000 yards. Oh and it is never crowded

 We were siting in muzzle loaders one day, in the field next door. Had a young 6 point come out of the woods, straight behind my target. Almost lost all my morals. Instead I waited and snickered, he had no idea I was watching thru my scope

Lonny

[teddy12b]

Bump.  Now there's more people in the Indiana forum I thought I'd mention this again.  Yesterday there was about a dozen deer out in the next field over for viewing pleasure and November motivation.