I am a former member of the Sycamore Valley Gun Club. I did not like it. The range is located near the river, and if the river is up at all you are NOT permitted to shoot.
even if the water is not covering the range. Range Rules are loosely enforced. i.e. the gate is often left standing wide open for anyone to come onto the range and steal your weapons or gear while you are down range checking targets. There are only 2 positions to shoot at 200 yards and they are usually always in use.
You have to pay membership dues and then later you have to pay dues to belong to the foundation. That is a total crock.
At one time they had this chicken Sh++ rule that banned human silhouette targets. Often club meetings erupt into bitter arguments and most people are wearing guns. Not a good thing.
I was a member for one year and that was one year too many. Most people that belong to this club are from Bloomington. Soooo! if you are not from the Bloomington area
you are treated like an outcast.
Does anyone remember the location or address of the old Bloomington range? I remember competing in handgun silhouette there in the 1980’s, but someone else drove on those trips and I don’t remember where it was.I belonged to the old range that was on IU property for years until it was unfortunately closed down and knew of the search for new ground which took a long time. Ground was found, and purchased albeit in bottom land. Land prices aren't cheap, and it takes a lot of money to pay off the purchase price and even more to start improvements. The rise in gas prices, the distance to the range determined my decision not to stay with the club as a member but have shot in a match before. Range rules were strictly enforced, and as for meetings and bitter arguments I have no clue but can only guess that undisciplined folk just could not handle following the rules. As far as silhouette targets, it sounds like someone got butt hurt because they couldn't play out their Rambo dreams on the range. Wearing guns to a meeting? Does that not fall under the 2nd Amendment? Why is that not a good thing? If it were such a terrible act, then one could only wonder why it was not brought up in one of the meetings, and a vote was taken to discourage it. As far as most of the members are from Bloomington, I can't recall anyone ever being treated as an outcast because of where they resided, but welcomed because they were interested in shooting and hunting and liked the rules of the club. Last conversation with a current member was that when funds were available, the existing dike along the river had been grand fathered in through a myriad of paperwork, was to be rebuilt to alleviate the flooding. The idea was to eventually have a 600 yard range which would be wonderful addition to Indiana as over 90% of the ranges in the United States have only a 100 yard distance. Why the anger toward a fine shooting range that is always a work in progress, leaves some unanswered questions as to the validity of those statements.
It was in a valley (Sycamore Valley ) at the north end of Range Road (Now renamed East Discovery Road) off of East 10th Street. You turned north on Range Road off 10th and went past the IU Surplus store and apt complex. There was a locked gate just past the Service Building before you dropped down into the valley. The range areas are still visible on Google maps.Does anyone remember the location or address of the old Bloomington range? I remember competing in handgun silhouette there in the 1980’s, but someone else drove on those trips and I don’t remember where it was.
It seems like maybe it was near where the new hospital is now…?
I was telling my wife about the range and she couldn’t imagine where one could have been with s safe backstop.
Yeah, his first name was Mike. Good guy, knew his stuff. I think he said he was in the Marines, possibly on the pistol team.I graduated in 86. I shot in the evenings, more as training, with a guy named Mcnaught or something like that.
Yeah, that's him.Yeah, his first name was Mike. Good guy, knew his stuff. I think he said he was in the Marines, possibly on the pistol team.
Yeah, his first name was Mike. Good guy, knew his stuff. I think he said he was in the Marines, possibly on the pistol team.
Are you trying to remember Mike Grannon?Yeah, that's him.