Thread: New Shooter Looking at McLeans Island Shooting Club

Hi all,

Finally finished my vetting and planning where to go to practice using a .22 rifle to get confident in using a rifle. I am looking at heading to McLeans Island Shooting Club (NZ Handloaders) and am curious if I can just rock up once I get my license and just get a feel for how everything works. I don't have any one in my area with a license to show me the ropes so just looking for some advice on how to get started at a range.

If I do go there for the first time with a new rifle I have never fired, do you think it's possible I would get assistance for my first time? I feel like I might be over thinking it and I should be good to just rock up on a public night, pay the fee and away I go. I just haven't had the experiance yet.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated.

Tuesday nights are public nights. The RO's are helpful and will help you get on paper and properly zeroed. But depending how busy it is, they may have lots of people to get through and will want to move you along shortly after.

If you want to sit down and spend time just practicing, get your membership sorted.

Cheers, membership is the way to go it seems then. Looks like I'll get the public night sorted so I can get on track for a membership, thanks!

Often go out Monday mornings, good quiet time for one on one, you would have to pay the range fees 25 bucks. Be happy to help.

Also a public range day at the deerstalkers next door this Sat 23rd Aug 10am to 3ish from memory - again $25 for non members and generally some pretty knowledge folks who can help you get started.

@Sh3eep

You might be overthinking it, but it’s much better than under thinking it. Going to a club and getting confident with a .22 probably doesn’t happen as much as it

At most clubs there will be someone willing to help out a new person, just don’t pin your hopes on it happening on the first visit. You should expect to get a good lead tho.


I think most clubs these days have a contact, worth getting in touch ahead of time. You will have more idea of what to expect and the members will have some idea to expect a new person.

Look at NZDA
They do monthly shoots
They also will help with things if you want them to and if you want to go during the week they will try their hardest to get someone to open then range for you

Originally Posted by flock

Often go out Monday mornings, good quiet time for one on one, you would have to pay the range fees 25 bucks. Be happy to help.

That would be awesome, I am just waiting for my license to arrive so I can go get my .22 but would really appreciate it

PM you

Massive thanks to Flock for taking the time out to take me to the range and show me the ropes. Legend.

Any one know how busy it is on a Tuesday and what my chance of getting the garmin for a bit of work is?

Originally Posted by Wildman

Any one know how busy it is on a Tuesday and what my chance of getting the garmin for a bit of work is?

No idea what Tuesdays are like these days but theres a Garmin in all 4 bays now.

Regarding @Wildman 's chrony use question.

Tuesday nights at the rifle range can be busy. A good option if you don't have someone you can do drop-in with on another day is to talk to the committee and see if one of them is willing to come out early on the Tuesday night so you can get set up and chrony your loads without them having to worry about creating a backlog in guests.

Also I thoroughly recommend Sh3eep to get a range membership. It's a 24 hour range, so no messing around trying to line up a range warden, you can go whenever you want, for as long as you want.

It's the best range I've ever been to, especially because it's always open, which is really important for me because I mostly go to the range at the last minute when i find a spare hour or two to myself, and usually in the evenings or night after all my other work and family stuff is done.

Thanks for the advice @canross. I'm more of a 1 or 2 sessions a year sort of guy so the membership hasn't made sense. Sounds like a great setup though if they have garmins in each bay now...