# Places to shoot around Athens?



## ScottSt

i go to university of georgia, and i'm looking for some places to shoot my 870. just like an open field or a dirt road i can pull off to and won't be bothered. the closest public land i know of is oconee national forest, but then again i'm not that familiar with the area. i know of sweetwater lane over at alatoona, yall know of any other places like that?


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## hoochfisher

> just like an open field or a dirt road i can pull off to and won't be bothered.



you wont find a place like that. there is allways someone that WILL call the law.  

there is a range at charlie elliot WMA in walton county. take hwy 78 to monroe. go left on hwy 11. keep straight and you will see it on your left.


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## Twenty five ought six

Athens Rifle Club has skeet fields that are open to the public on Sunday afternoons.  It's on the Commerce Highway

Shooting a round of skeet there is probably cheaper than the gas to drive somewhere to shoot.

Elbert County Gun Club is a little further away but it's shotgun fields are open to the public, and it has an excellent sporting clays course.


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## ScottSt

Twenty five ought six said:


> Athens Rifle Club has skeet fields that are open to the public on Sunday afternoons.  It's on the Commerce Highway
> 
> Shooting a round of skeet there is probably cheaper than the gas to drive somewhere to shoot.
> 
> Elbert County Gun Club is a little further away but it's shotgun fields are open to the public, and it has an excellent sporting clays course.



I've been to Athens Rifle Club and went and talked to some of the member on a Sunday, but they're no longer open to the public. They said they stopped that a few years back. I'm thinking about joining, but they have a 2 month process to join and i think its only open on sundays even for members.


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## Papa Steve

*Wison Shoals WMA*

Wilson Shoals in Banks county on Homer Lula road has a nice outdoor range.


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## cbw611

there is an indore range on the atl hwy $8 PER HALF HOUR and a rifle range in lexington ga you just pay to shoot no membership required I have been a member to the elbert co gun club it nice for $80 a year but I dont feel like driving there that much the range there is 400 yards the one in lexington is 700 I think $20 per day


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## dbausano

We used to go to Redlands WMA.  They have a 100 yard range that is free and open to the public.  It is a bit of a drive, but it's worth it if you plan on spending a fair amount of time there.

I would go during the week if possible; it gets pretty crowded on the weekends.


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## Philbow

dbausano said:


> We used to go to Redlands WMA.  They have a 100 yard range that is free and open to the public.  It is a bit of a drive, but it's worth it if you plan on spending a fair amount of time there.
> 
> I would go during the week if possible; it gets pretty crowded on the weekends.



I think the Redlands range is closed. (at least it was last time I checked). Idiots had completely trashed it and the Forest Service closed it to repair/rearrange the ranges. The DNR web site still has it listed as closed.


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## Dr. Strangelove

Redlands range is closed.  It's illegal to just pull off the road in the National Forest and shoot, don't even think about it, it's not worth the ticket.  Target shooting is not allowed in National Forests.

Charlie Elliot (Clybel WMA) range is a great facility, and free, but only allows patterning of shotguns.  The rangemaster will  hassle you if you just go blazing away with a shotgun. (I know for a fact) That range is set up for rifle/pistol only.  Try to go through the week, weekends get a little scary and very crowded. The range is closed on Sunday.

I'm a member of the Athens Rifle Club (ARC), the skeet ranges are open to the public from 2:00 pm to close (dark) on Sundays.  A round of skeet (25 shots) costs $3.00 for the public for the clays, bring your own shells #7 shot or smaller.  A member does have to be present to operate the range, sometimes we don't have any members interested in shooting and the gate remains locked.  Otherwise, the gate should be open, drive on in and proceed to the skeet range.  The rifle and pistol ranges are not open to the public at any time, you are welcome to check them out but not to shoot on them.  The club is open to members 7 days a week.

The skeet folks are very helpful to new shooters, and enjoy shooting with experienced folks but take safety very seriously.  It's a good time but not like shooting in the backyard with your buddies.  

For those not familiar with formal shooting ranges, the rules are actions open (break guns open, bolt guns with bolt open or removed, semi-autos with bolt locked open), no ammo in magazines/chambers unless on the firing line.  For skeet shooting, actions open until you are on a shooting station, do not handle or load ammunition until you are on the shooting station.  Load only the rounds required at that station (normally 1 round, sometimes 2). 

Please do come on out and feel free to shoot me a PM if you're interested in more info about the ARC.


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## hayseed_theology

When I was at UGA a few years ago, we had a gun club on campus.  I think they called it S.A.F.E.R. Gun Club, look 'em up if they're still around.  We used to go out to ARC and that indoor range past Franklin's.  I used to go out to Redlands as well, but I did hear it was closed.


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## tdot527

shoot me a pm when ya wanna shoot some my grandparents have a farm here in statham and we normally shoot rifles (100-500 yds) about once or twice a week...we have skeet throwers to


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## Tunacash

Brush Creek in Colbert, GA its about 10 min away from Athens


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## arcame

gun site hills. 78 tward washington.


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