Florida Shooters Network

338 LM or 375 CheyTac rifles are indeed awesome, but there don't seem to be any places where you could shoot such a beast that aren't many hours away I envy our Arizona brethren in this matter.

Manatee gun club has ranges from 100 to 1,000 yds.
It's east of Bradenton.
Manateegunclub.com, I think is their web site.

g.willikers wrote:Manatee gun club has ranges from 100 to 1,000 yds.
It's east of Bradenton.

That's what, four hours away? Driving 8 hours round trip to get in an hour or two of shooting seems a high effort to reward ratio.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office range on Southern Blvd has 200 yards every month and 300 yards several times during the year. Look at the schedule in the South Florida forum.

Markham park, okeechobee shooting sports

Have to say it has been a concern of mine also when thinking about where to move to in florida. To be honest though its not a prority to me at all.

But still If I owned saiud calibre rifles I would still keep them i think someone will pick up on the lack of ranges and spend some money.

Several years ago, I built a .358 Norma mag (just neck a .338 Win up to .358 and that's it) just because I always wanted a really powerful medium bore rifle.

I have no possible use for this gun, but it's fun to shoot. I take it to the Titusville R&P Club. The last time I took it to the Indian River range, they got upset that the blast was shaking the sand and gravel out of their overhead baffles.

randian wrote:338 LM or 375 CheyTac rifles are indeed awesome, but there don't seem to be any places where you could shoot such a beast that aren't many hours away I envy our Arizona brethren in this matter.

The short answer is "no", not unless you travel semi-frequently to places where they make sense.

randian wrote:338 LM or 375 CheyTac rifles are indeed awesome, but there don't seem to be any places where you could shoot such a beast that aren't many hours away I envy our Arizona brethren in this matter.

Fl in my opinion is a horrible state if you want to shoot a big caliber gun. With that said i still plan on buying a .50bmg and taking it back out to AZ to shoot when i go back several times a year. Even if i didn't have the ability to go to AZ whenever i would still get one just because i have the legal right to.

I took a 458 Win Mag to Shoot Straight on 301 & MLK. I had fun shooting it. Seemed silly using a rifle that big to put a hole in a piece of paper, but it was an enjoyable time. That makes it worth while.

creophus wrote:I took a 458 Win Mag to Shoot Straight on 301 & MLK.

You shot a 458 indoors? The sound and blowback must have been enormous. I'm surprised they allowed you to shoot it.

The Tampa/Sarasota area seems to have the better of things in terms of ranges for big-bore and long-range shooting. Unfortunately the 4-hour drive each way means I couldn't do it very often.

creophus wrote:I took a 458 Win Mag to Shoot Straight on 301 & MLK. I had fun shooting it. Seemed silly using a rifle that big to put a hole in a piece of paper, but it was an enjoyable time. That makes it worth while.

you're my hero!

I sure did shoot that 458 Win Mag at Shoot Straight!

I asked 3 times if it was ok and they all said yes. First time was over the phone, other times were actually at the counter.

I warned the folks on the range before shooting it. It made a big BOOM! I already had everyone's attention. After firing 2 rounds I asked if anyone else wanted to shoot it.

I didn't get any takers but convinced a 20 something guy there to give it a try. I told him that he just saw me shoot it and I'm still in one piece (5'7" 170 pounds) so he would be ok too (6'+ 200ish pounds).

Pride and curiosity are powerful motivators and he agreed. It put a big smile on his face!

That's the point of having a big bore gun in Florida! The fun!!!

I'm having a rem 700 in .30-06 blueprinted right now to be a nice accurate 1000 yard rifle, but I doubt il
Shoot it to it's potential here. Hopefully St Augustine pd hires me cuz there is a 750y yard opening there soon :)

deathpriest wrote:Markham park, okeechobee shooting sports

Okeechobee shooting sports has a 500yrd shoot once a month.

Manatee Gun and Archery. Make a long weekend out of your trip. Camp in the Manatee River State Park and shoot all day at the range when you get bored fishing. They are open Thursday thru Sunday. And there is a bunch of other stuff to do in the area, too.
Yeah, you are right, it isn't a day trip for you. If I had a big bore and wanted to warm the barrel up and see how good I could hit at long range I'd make a weekend out of it. And FSN has one coming up in October, Right Sweep?

Both can be awsome deer calibers if you handload. Just think of it as a bolt-action .35 remingon (an excellent deer caliber). If you load it to velocities just over .35 Rem, you'll have a suitable deer caliber that will drop them dead quickly.

randian wrote:338 LM or 375 CheyTac rifles are indeed awesome, but there don't seem to be any places where you could shoot such a beast that aren't many hours away I envy our Arizona brethren in this matter.

So dont waste your money on one.
Unless you go on big game hunting trips to Alaska or Wyoming ETC...

I'm working on a 375 H&H. Should be lots of fun!

Shoot a 338 and my 375 at Manatee all the time. It's fun. Used the 338 last year to kill a nice buck in Georgia. Scheduling the 375 for this year.

You do it because you can.

As to Manatee being too far - move. It's arguably the greatest range around.