Our demographic is changing as we continue to grow and more folks move in from elsewhere. Something that remains the same, however, is the popularity of shooting sports here. We are a mecca for people who love the various disciplines and firearms in general. A lot of people forget that Yavapai College is one of the top gunsmithing schools in the country, the local phone book is full of firearms instructors and gunshops and I'll bet our gunsmiths-per-capita is the highest in the US.

The influx of new residents includes uncounted numbers of more enthusiasts looking for a safe place to shoot; within the next few years we're very likely to see a major new range open in the quad cities area. But there are plenty of places to go right now, all within about an hour's drive of wherever you picked up this magazine. Let's go!

BASF has it all

"A shot in the dark" doesn't mean what it used to. With the correct application of high-output photon emitters, nighttime is no reason to eschew shooting this summer. Especially if we're talking about summer in the desert, nighttime is going to be the right time, at least at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility near Phoenix.

The biggest, bestest shooting facility in the state is on, shall we say, "irregular" summer hours that include a 100-degree caveat for the Main Range and Clay Target Center: when the temps are consistently hitting the century mark, the ranges are open 7am to 1pm, closed for siesta from 1pm to 5pm, and open again 5–9:30pm. But that's not true every day; the hours at BASF are so irregular that it's best just to show you the different operating hours each day (see sidebar). Of course, all the specialty ranges at BASF – highpower, silhouette, action pistol, etc. – are on whatever hours and days the directors of their particular idioms have decided. Check the website (below) to get the info.

After a hiatus for construction, the BASF Clay Target Center has resumed offering nighttime trap, skeet and sporting clays shooting; they had suspended night shooting last November when Arizona Game and Fish Department began renovations on the westernmost trap and skeet fields. Those renovations, which included installation of a new electrical system and lights, are mostly complete now. And by the time you read this, AZG&F should have some of the archery ranges lit up for nighttime archery shooting, too.

The BASF Main Range (general rifle and pistol target shooting) and the Clay Target Center and archery ranges are all within the same 1,650-acre complex that includes a host of other ranges set up for various shooting disciplines. Arizona Game & Fish Department operates BASF.

COSTS: The Main Range fee is $5 per day; kids under 18 shoot free. There are a lot of different disciplines – silhouette, highpower, long range, action pistol and more – that use the various specialty ranges at BASF, and they charge various fees, typically anywhere from $5 to $10, but I've paid close to $100 for formal highpower rifle competitions that last three days. Generally speaking, though, you can go and have fun for less than $20.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Safe shooting always requires eye and ear protection; everything else is optional but, again, will vary with the particular shooting discipline. There's a little bit of common ammo for sale (by Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association, I think) at the Main Range, but don't count on finding your particular flavor – bring your own. BASF has plenty of soda machines scattered about, but you'd be wise to take your own drinks and some food if you intend to spend the day. A guy with a hot dog stand usually shows up at the Main Range on weekends. There's a playground to occupy the kids when they get bored with shooting.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take I-17 to Phoenix and get off at the Carefree Highway exit (exit 223). Turn right, and the Main Range entrance is a quarter mile down on the right hand side; the Clay Target and archery ranges are another quarter mile further down, also on the right. It's about an hour's drive from Prescott Valley.

MORE INFO: http://www.basfaz.com/; (623) 582-8313.

Closer to home

Prescott Sportsmen's Club offers a much closer place to shoot your rifles and pistols at paper targets. Range hours are essentially 9am–5pm daily with, of course, a few caveats you should know to avoid the disappointment of showing up with all your gear, only to be turned away.

Sunday mornings are reserved for competitions and the range doesn't open for general shooting until 1pm. There's a bullseye pistol match on the first Sunday; an informal muzzleloader match the second Sunday; a formal Smallbore (.22 rimfire) rifle match on the third Sunday and an informal Highpower rifle match the fourth Sunday. On those months with a fifth Sunday, PSC hosts a Vintage Military Bolt Rifle Match. You're invited to all the matches.

The second Saturday morning of each month the pistol shooters again have the pistol range until noon for bullseye matches, though the rifle side is open 9am to 5pm. On all the other Saturdays, general shooting hours are 9am–5pm.

COSTS: Range use fees for non-members is $10 per visit. Membership is $50 per year with a one-time $15 initiation fee. PSC liability insurance requires that you also be an NRA member.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Nope; just the usual eye and ear protection and run what ya brung. A spotting scope helps. No full auto and no armor piercing or tracer ammo.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take Iron Springs Road out of Prescott and turn right on Granite Basin Road; the range entrance is less than a quarter mile up on the right hand side.

MORE INFO: http://www.prescottsportsmensclub.com/ and (928)771-9616.

Shotguns only, please

If you prefer to throw patterns instead of bullets, you're in luck. Prescott Trap & Skeet Club is dedicated to clay target sports; their tiny pistol range is an afterthought and for members only.

PT&SC has two skeet fields and four trap fields, the latter of which are voice activated. As if that weren't fun enough, the club also has a 5-stand and FITASC field. In skeet, the targets cross from left or right; in trap, they fly straight away. In 5-stand and FITASC they may cross, fly straight away, shoot straight up or even roll along the ground. It's a game that'll sure get you thinking about lead and shot patterns...

When you're ready for a break, you can sit in the shady covered area or head for the big clubhouse where you'll find cold drinks, coffee, a ton of shooting magazines, conversation and satellite TV.

PTSC is open on "T & S days" – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday – from 9am to 2pm. Formal competitions sometimes take up the fields. They usually get in some nighttime shooting under bright lights, and some days formal competitions take up the fields, so check their schedule to see what's going on when.

COSTS: $6 per round for non-members, $5 for members. Members can also buy a "shoot card" that discounts 10 rounds at $4.50 per round. Membership costs $55 per year for NRA members, $75 for non-NRA members, with a one-time $50 initiation fee.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Not necessary. A lot of folks just bring their field guns for some quail and dove season practice. Serious shotguns for serious competitors, however, literally run into five figures, though they start at around $1,000. The range routinely has 12 and 20 gauge shot shells for sale; if you bring your own, make sure the shot size is no larger than #7 ½ .

HOW TO GET THERE: The range is located on Highway 69 between Prescott Valley and Dewey-Humboldt. Look for the sign just west (uphill) from the Orchard Park RV park.

MORE INFO: http://www.prescotttrapandskeetclub.org/; (928) 772-9539.

Speed it up

If you like lots of action in your pistol shooting, check out the Yavapai Recreation League. Their specialty is in playing gun games that require fast, accurate shots. Some of that shooting is at "reactive targets" – typically, steel targets that ring and fall when struck with a bullet. The games are a lot of fun and offer the instant gratification of seeing your target react.

One of the most fun is IPSC, pronounced "ip-sick," an acronym for International Practical Shooting Confederation. This game features multiple, reactive, moving and partially obscured targets at pistol ranges (typically seven to 50 yards) in any combination and course of fire the match designer comes up with. Unlike bullseye or silhouette competition, not much about IPSC is formalized, which probably helps account for its increasing popularity around the world the past 25 years.

The US Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is the American arm of the IPSC. Yavapai Recreation League regularly hosts USPSA matches on the first Saturday of the month; a USPSA three-gun match for handgun, rifle and pistol happens on the third Sunday.

IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) games are similar, but are intended as "real world" practice scenarios for those who carry handguns for self defense. To that end, the game does not allow expensive "race guns" specifically built for competition; indeed, if you have a concealed carry permit, IDPA games at YRL are the ideal place for practice. Using drag racing as a comparison, IPSC is the double fuel funny car category, whereas IDPA is strictly street rod.

Every week Yavapai Recreation League puts on a "Thursday steel" or "Thursday paper" match, loosely based on the USPSA/IPSC format. Less formal than IPSC or IDPA matches, it's a good place to start if you're new to the idea of safe, competitive gun games. This is also the venue for Cowboy Action Shooting and a few other interests. Check the website for more.

COSTS: Match fees generally range from $5 to $15, depending upon the particular match and whether you're a member. After the base fee, YRL charges a small fee for each extra gun you bring to shoot. It's best to go to their website to get specific information on specific matches. Membership is $36 per year, with a one-time $50 initiation fee.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Yes and no. You can shoot USPSA/IPSC with any handgun firing a cartridge powerful enough to drop steel targets (9mm is marginal, bigger is better), but more serious competitors spend more serious money on "race guns" to give them speed and handling advantages. IDPA does not allow such specialized – and expensive – handguns, so one of its advantages is that you can shoot whatever you own right now.

HOW TO GET THERE: From Prescott, take Highway 89 south (White Spar Road). The range is 12.7 miles from the White Spar Safeway in Prescott. As soon as you pass mile marker 298 look for Forest Service Road 71 and turn left. This is tough because neither USFS or ADOT have signs marking the road. Range personnel sometimes put up an IPSC target to mark the road whenever they're hosting an event, but don't count on it.

MORE INFO:http://www.yavapairecreationleague.org/ and (928) 778-0155. Also, http://www.idpa.com/; http://www.uspsa.org/.

An indoor sport?

If it's just too hot out there for you, Prescott Valley is home to the only indoor shooting range for many miles around. At High Noon Indoor Shooting Parlour you can shoot handguns and .22 caliber rifles out to 50 feet. High Noon also hosts informal fun competitions each week. Because it's a gunshop, it's also bound to have the ammo you need right there, and you can buy your new pistol there and take it for a test drive right away. High Noon rents pistols for shooting on-site, as well.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: You may want earplugs AND ear "muffs" if you end up shooting next to a guy with a magnum handgun.

HOW TO GET THERE: High Noon is at the intersection of Highway 69 and Glassford Hill Road in PV. The number is (928) 772-0750.