Warmer place to live and shoot

I live in eastern PA and it is a great place to live if you shoot Bullseye. Matches available every weekend within a 100 miles, league shoot every night of the week within 20 miles. The problem is winter is just too long. What are some suggestions on places to live and shoot that have a shorter cold season and good bullseye participation.

Tucson, AZ seems to be a gathering spot for a lot of the top pistol shooters.

Hey Pistol Champ:

Comon up here to Michigan!

Our average winter temperature is a tropical 10 degrees and today we are enjoying a balmy 23 degrees with overcast skies. 

Ok, the weather stinks but we survive with winter indoor bullseye leagues. 

Regards,
Crankster

(all weather reports are displayed on the Farenheight scale-sometimes it gets so cold it doesn't matter what scale your using, its cold!)

I was in the same boat as you, I live in northern lower Michigan, I shoot Bullseye back home at the Houghton Lake Club in Michigan but have been snowbirding for a few years in Florida.

I'm mostly a rifle shooter, and came down to the big mid range matches here during the winter. The only club that has a 600 range (there is no 1000 yards here) that has regular matches is Port Malabar club near Palm Bay.


Its a big club, over 3000 members, and have all the competitions. For Outdoor Bullseye, they have a 900 every Saturday, and two or three matches after it. I don't remember the order, when they send out the results, they say what is next week, like a CF, Harry Reeves revolver, snubby, air pistol, etc. Lots of variety, can shoot about any pistol you have in a match.

About 25 firing lanes, air turners, and under cover.  Mostly older BE shooters,  retired guys that don't care about upgrading classification, so not NRA approved, which keeps the price down.

They run a NRA league in the spring that is optional if you do want to upgrade, and an added cost added for the NRA fees.

The cost for the matches is $5 for club members, and $10 for non-members, for most two and three matches. But, double when they have the CF 1800 also.

A great bunch of guys, and if a member, you can shoot on the BE range anytime during the week after qualifying.

Its a locked range for BE shooters only, you get a key after qualifying. Not a big deal, just show the MD that you can keep it on the repair center at 25 yards.

Everybody thanks for the information Port Malabar sure does have a lot of bullseye matches every Saturday for the next 1000 weeks.

I'm so sorry that I will not be able to shoot with the Crankster this winter. My Pardini would not know what to do in 10 degrees. When it is warmer it is shooting really well. Crankster do you have the 22 as well as the 32ACP?

I just came back from AZ the winter is pretty good out there but everyone said you need a second cooler place to live in the summer.

I might like the Snowbird system but still looking.

pistol champ wrote:...
I just came back from AZ the winter is pretty good out there but everyone said you need a second cooler place to live in the summer.

I might like the Snowbird system but still looking.

A lot of shooters in Phoenix have summer homes nearby at higher elevations.  Some summer leagues are also found there from what I've been told.    You may want to look into Sierra Vista, AZ.  It's fairly close to Tucson but higher in elevation.  I often hear good things about it.

I really liked Prescott when I was stationed near there. High enough to still have seasons and warm enough that you don't need 2 different places to live.

Rob Kovach wrote:I really liked Prescott when I was stationed near there. High enough to still have seasons and warm enough that you don't need 2 different places to live.

Completely forgot about Prescott, AZ.  Nice indeed as is nearby Sedona, AZ.

Phoenix is great, you can shoot all year long if you want to.
The bullseye shuts down around end of June and resumes around September cause it is too dang hot outside

Kind of funny reading the OP's question cause we are moving back to the cold in Wisconsin.

The snowbird idea is great if we win the lottery.

Good luck in your search.
Clarence

Don't have to win the lottery, you just got to down size. I spent many winters in a small travel trailer on I-10 between Florida and Arizona figuring out what I wanted to do. I spent a month each winter at the Ben Avery range in AZ, and shot the SW Long Range Nationals (rifle). The Range has an RV park very reasonably priced. AZ was my first choice because they have a 1000 yard range. Probably the best range in the country. Then to FL for the Snowbird Christmas match, back to AZ,  then back again for the March Orange Blossom in FL.

 The trip in between, I overnighted in rest stops, Walmarts, Home Depots, etc. Didn't matter if I made 100 or 400 miles a day. I had my home, fridge, bed, etc with me.

But, housing prices were way more there, than the depressed Florida areas for settling in buying or renting a house. I also liked the much warmer nights in Florida. I picked up a foreclosed house very low priced, although they have come up since.

You have to shut down the house in the north, you cant have the heat as some say they do keep the pipes from freezing, you need to pump RV anti freeze through the lines and shut the main breaker off for zero electricity use.  Disconnect from phone, cable, Dish, etc. Only takes minutes to do it, not a big deal.

My friends up north spent more for propane last winter, than they would if they rented a place down here in FL. Propane got close to $5 a gallon during the shortage, and very cold temps last year. They had horror stories of their bills.

There is no perfect place, I feel I have the best of both worlds. I wouldn't want to spend the whole year either place. I'm an old guy that's been divorced for many many years, so my lifestyle wouldn't fit for most.

58 degrees on Christmas Morn, in Raleigh.  We get snow, we get ice, but it rarely sticks and temps rarely get in the teens.  If you can shoot if >50 degrees, you'll be able to shoot most days throughout the winter.  It is humid in the Summer, but rarely >100 degrees.

Indoor league twice a month, nearby, sactioned matches between April and October.

Pistol Champ,
There's always the pacific northwest, "not too hot, not too cold, it's just right".
We have plenty of matches in WA, Oregon, and Idaho, here's a link to the Washington State Assoc. http://www.wsrpa.net/
Wes
"ERMA 32acp rules"

My wife and I are going to go up there this spring to look around so thanks for the shooting areas. I would want to live near one of these.