Hi, Apologies if this is in the wrong forum... My buddy and I are heading over from England next month and traveling around North Georgia. We are both members of a rifle range here in the UK - he is a completely novice shooter (he knows basic safety of course) and whilst I am by no means an expert I have been in the British Army reserves and shoot a lot whenever I am in the states and have done various pistol and rifle courses. I had hoped to arrange a pistol training session for our visit but the provider I had lined up has had to drop out and I have not heard back so far from the others I have contacted. So instead I was wondering if anyone had access to an outdoor range and a few of their own pistols (Glock 19/23 a must for me!) and would be interested in meeting up with two Brits for some plinking, running drills, friendly competitions and overall just some fun shooting? In return we will buy all the ammunition and cover the range fee, just need to know the calibers required and if you have a preferred brand/are happy with bulk. Looking at Sunday 17th September, we are at the gun show at the Atlanta Expo in the morning so sometime mid-afternoon would be perfect and happy to shoot for as long as the ammunition lasts! We are in a car so an hour or so drive from Atlanta is fine. Looking forward to hearing back!
For shooting outdoors, the South River Gun Club is only about 30 miles to the east of the Atl Expo Center. They have rifle ranges out to 300 yards and several pistol ranges at 25 and 50 yard distances. It's a private range, but members can bring guests. Any time they have a match or training class, it's usually open to the public. I've done highpower rifle matches there, and I've never been a member. Sunday Sept. 17th they have a basic handgun class (maybe this would be good for your less-experienced friend) and an advanced rifle and tactical gear class (good for you?). On second thought, most matches either start early a.m. or, on Sundays, right after church lets out (noon-ish). So, if you want to go later in the afternoon on Sunday, you'd probably need to just go for plinking as guests of a member.
Just a quick update - a forum member recently PM'd me to warn me that non-immigrant aliens in the US cannot possess firearms and ammunition without a valid exemption (such as a hunting licence). I have already checked into this to ensure we stay on the right side of the law and I have it confirmed in writing by the ATF that... - Non-immigrant aliens legally in the country WITHOUT a visa (as residents of the UK we enter the country under the visa-waiver program) we are NOT prohibited from aquiring, posessing, transporting etc. firearms OR ammunition. - To possess, aquire, transport etc a FIREARM however we MUST meet the state residency requirements. - NO state residency requirement is required to purchase or possess ammunition. - If a firearm is rented/loaned for use on-site (ie: not rented to be taken elsewhere) then the firearm is not considered to have been transferred to the non-immigrant alien and the residency requirement is not required. The situation is different for those WITH a visa however that is not the case here. I have this in writing from the ATF so if anyone is concerned and doesn't want to take my word for it (and why would you?!) I can forward copies on to you for your own peace of mind. Many thanks to the forum member that messaged me though - it is always better to stay on the right side of firearms law I find (coming from a country with strict gun laws!).
Since we have rifles here in the UK (although watered down) and I am a member of a rifle club I would prefer to shoot pistols on the most part as it's the only opportunity I get to do so. If someone did want to take us as guests for some fun pistol shooting that would be fantastic, as I say, we will supply all ammunition for both ourselves and our host(s).
If you guys are OK with pistols only, at an indoor range that goes out to 25 yards, we can go to Wild West Traders on Austell Rd. in Marietta. That's a reasonable driving distance from the west side of Interstate 285 which leads right to the airport. Sundays they're open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They have rental guns, and I could bring a few pistols (Springfield XD-9 with 5" bbl, Taurus PT-111 G2, Browning Buck Mark (with suppressor), S&W model 66-2 revolver with 6" barrel.) Heck, I might even bring out The Victor (serious target pistol with a red dot scope) if you want to aim carefully and shoot a tight group slow-fire. Their website: www.wwtguns.com/range.html
Hi, We are already planning a visit to an indoor range when we arrive however I am hoping for an outdoor range as indoor ranges don't allow drawing from holsters, fire and maneuver, engaging multiple targets etc. I'd like to run some drills from standard Bill Drills and Box Drills to El Presidente, Triple Six, 15 to the Third... I'm going to pick up a pack of IPSC targets too.
Novice? I assume your "completely novice" friend won't be doing all these run-and-gun tactics? That's for more experienced shooters, don't you think?
No, not at all! He just wants to try some different guns out, learn some of the basics. To be honest, the "running" would pull the lazy git off anyway! Plinking for him, a bit more advanced for me.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed, I have taken up a very generous offer from someone with a private range and a very impressive set of credentials to so and spend the day shooting. Roll on September!