Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
I went to a Paletown Rod and Gun club meeting once, never again. I never felt so unwelcome in my life. I tried saying hello to ppl, but got a less then warm reception everytime. They looked at me as if I was a tax-collector looking to take their spread. I asked a cpl ppl how to become a member and most either shrugged their shoulders or said you have to talk to so-and-so who isn't here and was left at that. It's a shame because I live about 3 min from the range.
Anywho, I am a member of Springtown Rod and Gun club now. It is about 10 miles north of Quakertown on Rt. 212 in Springtown(go figure). Membership is $25 a year with a $25 initiation and can be obtained once a month year round. Apps can be had at the Gulf station next to the entrance on Rt 212. The range is normally empty, which is the part I like the best.
I am in the process of becoming a member of Trevose gun club which deals with Wicens Shooting Range. Wicens is great, but $15 everytime is kinda pricey if you want to go a few times a month as I do. But, if you are a member of Trevose gun club, your yearly dues cover you at Wicens for the year.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
That springtown club sounds really good! my uncle lives up in bethlehem, so I go through springtown on the way up there. It's tough for me to justify spending a few hundred on joining a gunclub, since I don't go as often as I used to. If I went more than 3 times, I would come out better than going to wicens. And the gas isn't a factor, cuz I'd be going that way anyhow. I wanna check the place out and see if I'd like it there as much as I like wicen's. Thanks for the help.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
QuakertownRich
I went to a Paletown Rod and Gun club meeting once, never again. I never felt so unwelcome in my life. I tried saying hello to ppl, but got a less then warm reception everytime. They looked at me as if I was a tax-collector looking to take their spread. I asked a cpl ppl how to become a member and most either shrugged their shoulders or said you have to talk to so-and-so who isn't here and was left at that. It's a shame because I live about 3 min from the range.
Anywho, I am a member of Springtown Rod and Gun club now. It is about 10 miles north of Quakertown on Rt. 212 in Springtown(go figure). Membership is $25 a year with a $25 initiation and can be obtained once a month year round. Apps can be had at the Gulf station next to the entrance on Rt 212. The range is normally empty, which is the part I like the best.
I am in the process of becoming a member of Trevose gun club which deals with Wicens Shooting Range. Wicens is great, but $15 everytime is kinda pricey if you want to go a few times a month as I do. But, if you are a member of Trevose gun club, your yearly dues cover you at Wicens for the year.
Wow, sorry you had a bad experience at Paletown. So far, everybody I've met and talked to at the meetings and such have been nothing but courteous and friendly. I'm very surprised to hear this.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Digging up an older thread to update. Since last year, I've decide not to renew my membership to Springtown Rod and Gun club. From the time I posted on it last year, I must of visited the club about 2 dozen times. During the summer and fall, practically every Friday, Saturday and Sunday there was either a dog show, boy scout jamboree, family reunion, camper club..or numerous other gathering going on without a single notification on the monthly flyer. So, you basically drove from wherever you live to the club thinking about doing some shooting, only to be turned away. This happened to me at least a dozen times last year. I was also walked up on by an elderly gent with some range officer patch telling me there was a three shot limit on shooting there. Now, this was when there was only me on the range by myself. I had never heard this before and pretty much killed any thought of rejoining Springtown again.
I am currently a member of Guthsville Rod and Gun club, which is about 20 miles north of here. It's just north of Rt 22 off of Rt 309 above Allentown. Nice club, clean and normally only one or two ppl there. I'm in the process of joining a closer range, Ridge and Valley Rod and Gun club which is in Coopersburg.
As far as Wicen's Shooting Range..good grief. They raised their already stiff $15 a day all day price to $15 to walk onto the place, then $10 for the first station, be-it rifle, pistol or clay pidgeon and $5 for each of the other two. So, if you've got $35 you can shoot what it cost you $15 for just a few months ago. I can remember it costing $5 per person when I was a kid, but those days are obviously long gone. The Trevose gun club turned out to be a bust, as the person handling the applications either bagged the whole idea or died. I tried for several months to get hold of him and received response the first time or two, then never again.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Wicens is still $15/all day - but now, because of territorial attitudes of neighbors and questionable media coverage, are obliged to make sure that all shooters have an interest to use the range properly. Hence, they will now charge you $10 for first station and $5 for each of the next two. If you're put out by this, such is life in a busy world. You certainly don't have to get qualified at all three - pick one and stop there, if you wish. Subsequent to that qualification, it is $15/day - no more.
This is not a change of their desire or greed. It is a purely pro-active measure designed to enable this 80-year old range to continue....for ALL our benefit.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PikeStaff
Wicens is still $15/all day - but now, because of territorial attitudes of neighbors and questionable media coverage, are obliged to make sure that all shooters have an interest to use the range properly. Hence, they will now charge you $10 for first station and $5 for each of the next two. If you're put out by this, such is life in a busy world. You certainly don't have to get qualified at all three - pick one and stop there, if you wish. Subsequent to that qualification, it is $15/day - no more.
This is not a change of their desire or greed. It is a purely pro-active measure designed to enable this 80-year old range to continue....for ALL our benefit.
Saying you're raising prices is one thing.
False justifications piss me off (and most people I know as well) and your excuse reeks of bull.
The only way I see of higher range fees encouraging more responsible behavior would be if irresponsible people were a discreet market segment and the hike priced them out of the range.
Futhermore, if I get this correctly, a claim that prices have not gone up is a straight up lie. This is the situation as I see it:
Wicen's used to be 15 for all the shooting you could get in in a day.
Aroma's, a bar a few miles from my barracks, has $10 wednesdays for all you can drink.
Wicen's now charges 15 to get on the land, 10 to get on to the first range, and 5 for the next 2 ranges.
This is like Aroma's all of a sudden charging a $10 cover, and charging for drinks on top of it, and claiming it is not a price increase.
In the bar case, it would be fairly obvious. Unless I'm really missing the boat, its the same thing in a different business at Wicens.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PikeStaff
Wicens is still $15/all day - but now, because of territorial attitudes of neighbors and questionable media coverage, are obliged to make sure that all shooters have an interest to use the range properly. Hence, they will now charge you $10 for first station and $5 for each of the next two.
Oh, thanx for clarifying that.:rolleyes: Isn't that exactly what I already posted?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PikeStaff
If you're put out by this, such is life in a busy world.
Umm...ok. Or, how's this..I can just say no f'n way and don't give them any of my business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PikeStaff
You certainly don't have to get qualified at all three - pick one and stop there, if you wish.
Right. So now I can come to the range and shoot 1/3 the amount at a 66% increase.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PikeStaff
This is not a change of their desire or greed. It is a purely pro-active measure designed to enable this 80-year old range to continue....for ALL our benefit.
At $35 a pop with as many ppl that are there when I have gone on Sundays, if it's not greed, then the bills to keep this range open are too far out of control to be practical enough to keep it open. Just sell the land and be done with it. It is definitely not worth the extra money being asked for. No improvements have been made in years, so the money is obviously not being put into that. At that price, you are practically at what it costs for membership to numerous gun clubs for a year! I have several memberships, and don't really need to go to Wicens. I have only gone there in recent years as courtesy to friends who live in S. Bucks, and for nostalgia sake. It will soon only be visited by, for a lack of better word, "yuppies" with BMW's and Escalades who $35 means nothing to and want to shoot their high-priced o/u shotguns and sigs.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
QuakertownRich
As far as Wicen's Shooting Range..good grief. They raised their already stiff $15 a day all day price to $15 to walk onto the place, then $10 for the first station, be-it rifle, pistol or clay pidgeon and $5 for each of the other two. So, if you've got $35 you can shoot what it cost you $15 for just a few months ago.
Nope. THIS is what you said. A whole lot different than what you think you said. The extra $10 and $5/$5 are ONE TIME charges - I suppose I should have been clear on that, too. Tried - the "subsequent to that qualification, it is $15/day - no more" part I guess just wasn't clear enough.
As to giving them no business, that's most certainly your prerogative. Nobody's going to force you into going there.
p.s. - I'm 55 yrs. old.....so yuppies really don't bother me any more.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
WinterBorn
Saying you're raising prices is one thing.
False justifications piss me off (and most people I know as well) and your excuse reeks of bull.
The only way I see of higher range fees encouraging more responsible behavior would be if irresponsible people were a discreet market segment and the hike priced them out of the range.
Futhermore, if I get this correctly, a claim that prices have not gone up is a straight up lie. This is the situation as I see it:
Wicen's used to be 15 for all the shooting you could get in in a day.
Aroma's, a bar a few miles from my barracks, has $10 wednesdays for all you can drink.
Wicen's now charges 15 to get on the land, 10 to get on to the first range, and 5 for the next 2 ranges.
This is like Aroma's all of a sudden charging a $10 cover, and charging for drinks on top of it, and claiming it is not a price increase.
In the bar case, it would be fairly obvious. Unless I'm really missing the boat, its the same thing in a different business at Wicens.
Kindly read the post above, in reply to QuakertownRich. Yeah, you did miss a part of it - and, like I said above, I should have been more direct in stating that the qualification charges are ONE time.
As to price increases, I never said they didn't go up. That there are new charges is an increase, to be certain - but to characterize this as "false justification" is sour grapes on your part. You doubtless are aware of the numerous lawsuits the Wicen's have endured over the past 10 or 12 years, right? Costs money. The latest escapade, whether or not it originated at the range, has been attributed to it, and there is pressure from the community to ensure there are no repeats. If you go to Wicen's 5 times over a one year period, the additional $20 getting qualified at all three stations represents a whole additional $4 to each of those 5 trips. Too steep? - I guess that depends on one's perspectives.
You are in control of your dollars. If you have better elsewhere, by all means go there.
Re: Shooting Range Recommendations - Perkasie, Quakertown, etc. Area
Quote:
You are in control of your dollars. If you have better elsewhere, by all means go there.
I am, I do, and I will. Predicition: Wicen's goes under within 2 yrs. Sad to say, but not a stretch of a prediction. For instance: This weekend, 4 co-workers wanted to go there to do some shooting. Due to the new pricing, there went $75 + 2 cases of clay birds sold in the attempt to squeeze more money out of us. I'm sure we won't be the only ones, not by a long shot. Next thing there will be a $10 charge for parking. Then target fees, clay bird littering fees, breathe clean air-fees, etc. If you're happy to pay whatever fees they ask, then by all means, do it. I hope you are they're best customer. I just don't see any justification for the cost.
I also don't like their RO Steve. He screams at you when you haven't even done what he is screaming at you for, just for the sake of him having the power to do so. Another reason to just say no.