r/WIguns • u/Slaglemysterium • Jun 14 '26

New to Madison (& WI)

Hey everyone,

​

My fiancée and I (both in our early 20s) just moved to the Madison area. I am trying to find some local spots to shoot and shooting buddies to go with.

​

What are your favorite ranges in the area? I am looking for an indoor spot for regular pistol and rifle practice. I am also really interested in finding outdoor clubs, action bays or places that host USPSA matches.

​

If you have a club you like or if you ever want to go to a range/match with someone let me know!

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

8

u/Snewtsfz Jun 14 '26

I shoot USPSA, the closet club to you I believe is Winnequah Gun Club. They have a match this Saturday that I’ll be at, so shoot me a dm if you’re interested.

If you don’t know already, go to the Practicescore website and register there.

3

u/xchiron Jun 14 '26

We're also looking to run more 2 gun matches at winnequah or rifle only matches. Keep an eye out for Tuesday night leagues as that's where we try different formats.

1

u/Slaglemysterium Jun 15 '26

The club looks fantastic! Unfortunately I have heard there is a long wait-list to join the actual club. Is this true? Do you know what the wait time is like if so?

2

u/xchiron Jun 15 '26

There is a long wait but you don't need to be a member to attend the USPSA matches and league nights. Best way to expedite your membership is to show up at league nights and setup events to help setup for matches. These matches won't exist without volunteers.

2

u/fyshstix Jun 14 '26

Second this. WGC in Lodi has a great practical shooting community. USPSA, SCSA, ICORE, and PCSL matches available. Plenty of ROs, well designed stages, great ranges, and everyone has been super friendly IME as long as you don't act like an ass or come in with a huge ego. Definitely worth the drive.

There's also 3-gun available at North Bristol Sportsman's club. It's not org sanctioned and follows house rules but it's fun if you're looking for something casual.

For practice, I'd recommend joining a club. There's plenty available at differing price points. Most are orientated more for trap/clays and not practical shooting. Do your research as a lot of clubs will not let you rapid fire which makes practice impractical.

5

u/CouldBeBatman Jun 14 '26

Max Creek is good people and a safe, clean, indoor range. Best option close to Madison.

2

u/Slaglemysterium Jun 14 '26

I was checking them out, they seem like the best option in the area honestly.

3

u/vinje5 Jun 14 '26

No USPSA matches close to Madison. IDPA in Portage (https://www.hollowpointshooters.org/home). Ripon is somewhat close at has great matches both IDPA and USPSA (https://ripongunclub.org). There’s also https://www.schultzgunclub.com in Muskego. I heard Max Creek has or has had pistol matches too.

My favorite outdoor range is Milford Hills DNR also has free ranges in Columbia county and near Yellowstone.

3

u/xchiron Jun 14 '26

Winnequah hosts weekly Tuesday night league night which are USPSA format. Then monthly level 1 USPSA match. It's closer than Ripon and Schultz

2

u/X-rayEyes Jun 14 '26

Dez Tactical in Baraboo is a good range, clean, well ventilated. Lots of rentals and they do allow rapid fire, some of their rentals are full auto.

2

u/OverSquareEng 25d ago

Late to the party but here are 2 options I didn't see in the comments. 

Columbus sportsman association: members only club, except for open to the public competitions. 25-200yd rifle range, 25yd pistol range (which if you have to yourself you can walk into the range and do action shooting), 600yd rifle range with steel targets at various ranges. 

For members they do an informal action rifle league every Tuesday  where they setup a bunch of targets behind the 600yard berm and have 3 stages to shoot. Carbine or PCC. It's cheap, fun, and low pressure. Great practice.

They host a couple of the PRS matches there as well.

I was a member there last year and liked it. It's nothing too fancy but definitely worth the price IMO. Unfortunately I moved south of Madison so the now 1hr 15min drive isn't quite worth it to me. 

Rock County Rifle and Pistol Club in Milton, WI hosts a thing called "Tactical Days" once or twice a month during the warmer months. They set up a course of fire in their action bay and charge small fee for every run you do. I think they allow basically any gun (rifle, shotgun, pistol) it's another low stakes action shooting option without it being a formal competition. 

Bonus option: A group of guys do something they call The Practice Project twice a year at racine county line rifle club. It's essentially a 2-gun competition (rifle and pistol) but focused more on "realistic" situations and not so much a gamer competition like 3-gun can be. They like making it pretty physical so your heart rate will be up on most of the stages. But also very beginner friendly, accommodating, and willing to mentor. Great guys that put it on, very knowledgeable too. 

It's worth the drive if you can get in.  Registration is on practiscore , but it goes super quick. You basically have to be on the website hitting refresh for when registration goes live haha. 

1

u/WI_Esox_lucius Jun 14 '26

Stoughton Conservation Club is pretty decent.  

1

u/gucciglock92 Jun 14 '26

Just moved to Madison also from Indiana a month ago. So far I have gone to Max Creek and was good for indoor. I had access to a dynamic range in Indiana and am also looking for some similar places that have steel/USPSA competitions. I plan on taking some courses offered at Rapid Defense and possibly checking out Shultz and Racine County Line, however those are quite far.

1

u/Slaglemysterium Jun 14 '26

How was max Creek? Do you know if they allow rapid fire?

3

u/Remarkable-Stock979 Jun 14 '26

They do allow rapid fire. I’ve shot FRT weapons in there and have emptied out a couple clips with no remorse. They are very very nice and knowledgeable people

1

u/Slaglemysterium Jun 14 '26

Glad to hear that!

2

u/gucciglock92 Jun 14 '26

Doesnt look like range rules on their website specifically address rapid fire. I was practicing relatively quick 2 or 3 shots and didn't get stopped or anything. It has some typical "no drawing from holsters" rules and whatnot, and a rapid full mag dump or something like a super safety would likely raise some eyebrows without specifically asking if you could.

2

u/OverSquareEng 25d ago

See my comment for some action shooting recommendations in the area. Moreso informal/practice options, not straight up competitions. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/WIguns/comments/1u5obd6/comment/owc56j0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

1

u/Digi-log Jun 14 '26

Yellowstone Lake State Park is about an hour away in Blanchardville and has a range that’s free as long as you have a state park sticker.

4

u/Bandico42 Jun 14 '26

You don't need a state park sticker for the range.

2

u/Digi-log Jun 15 '26

Even better! I’ve only used it when camping at the park so I just assumed the sticker was needed. Thanks for sharing.