Going to Vegas on a Hen do and we want to go shooting stuff, anybody been to any of the ranges that do sessions and any recommendations?

Don't ask about the hen do.

Not been to vegas but I imagine you will enjoy whatever they have if you have not shot much before. Watch out for range safety, it can be interesting in the US to say the least!

Yeah we went to one. Can't remember the details but it was fun…

"You boys keep your guns pointing down the alley or I'm gonna have to come in there and shoot you" He was serious… 😯

What you looking for accuracy or a big bang? If it's accuracy go for small calibre pistols but for the fun package go for full-bore pistols – .357 Mag/.44 Mag or .45ACP and enjoy it. Having owned and used all those calibres I can tell you know it's great fun.

Machine Guns…..it's all about machine guns….

Actually be nice to have a selection of the famous ones

357 Magnum, Colt 45, Desert Eagle, Uzi, Mp4, Mac 10. M16 etc etc

Dont do what a lot of people who have never fired before do and go straight for a Magnum revolver.

A .38 revolver or 9mm short automatic is enough for a beginner a nice bang but not enough recoil to put someone off. If its for a girly girl start off with a .32 revolver or a 7.65mm auto or even a .22LR revolver.

If your shooting rifles you cant beat the Armalite M16 5.56mm barely any recoil and a wonderful instinctive rifle to fire.

Try a Desert Eagle if you can, otherwise go for the big bangs! AKs are laugh.

I would avoid a .50cal Desert Eagle, unless you've got very strong wrists. A friend of my brother's in Denver favours an Heckler & Koch USP Custom Combat Pistol, 40 S&W Caliber, 16 Round Capacity.

I was recently in a gun shop in the SouthLands of the US of A. A chap was trying to decide between a Desert Eagle and a Glock G17. I overheard the decision making process, which was as follows;

(Holding the DE) – "Sure, but I think this one's more, you know, "me" doncha think?"

So he bought it.

Now, I'm a huntin', shootin', fishin' kind of chap, but I really fail to see quite how or why anyone should be allowed to buy such a weapon, let alone why they should be allowed to choose it because it suits their "look".

Firing a big calibre handgun and experiencing the recoil is something to behold. You will certainly know it once you've had a go. I did longe-range pisol shooting – 300 yards! I had a pistol that was 7.62 calibre – yes the rifle calibre and boy was that a handfull. The shock it could put through your body was in incredibly.
Never fired a full-auto rifle (AK/M16 etc) but owned the semi-auto AR15 and HK91 SLR's. Sadly some stupid prat went round shooting a town up and gun controls meant they were outlawed and hence my hobby went with that. I really enjoyed shooting and competing in all disciplines and miss it loads.

Vegas, guns, hen do?! To offer informed advice; I think we need to know just a bit more about this hen do.

Sadly some stupid prat went round shooting a town up and gun controls meant they were outlawed

Indeed. Kneejerk reaction which has done nothing to curb the growth of illegal guns, but has just hurt those with fully legal ones.

Still not sure that anyone should own anything for personal use outside of air rifles, target weapons, hunting rifles and shotguns, however.

We were being shown round a data centre in Dallas. The centre manager was giving us the tour and we started in the reception area where the people granting access through the doors were behind a plate of bullet proof glass.

/Thick texan drawl

"Now that guys are safe because that glass is three inches thick and will will stop a bullet from anything…… c'ept maybe my Desert Eagle.'

I'd disagree that the .45 should be lumped with the other "big" calibres in the "big bang vs. small accurate" category.

Last time I was in Florida I shot a Kimber 1911 in .45 ACP, and it was a highly accurate pussycat of a gun to shoot, as this photo will show:

There is a firm in Vegas that has the license to build its own version of the AK. I'd say go for that for some long gun fun, a .45 ACP and a 9mm for some pistol fun, then the big boys when you feel like showing off and hurting your wrists.

Hadge – I saw a guy at bisley one year who had mounted a shortened parker hale mechanism on a pistol stock.

Bolt action full-bore pistol 😮

more like a pistol carbine really 🙂

nearly took his face out with the recoil….

for maximum enjoyment (although not sure you'd get to fire one) i'd go for a full on tricked out STI 2011 38 Super

I used to do this before some fool made an **** of things and got guns banned in the UK

Let's face it, shooting like any other hobby is fine in the right hands, it's when ****ts get a hold of them they screw thing's up for everyone else. I used to shoot every weekend and usually twice through the week, it kept me fit, i had loads of friends and i was a certified UK range officer. I loved it and have never really enjoyed any hobby as much as I enjoyed shooting

I once had a play with a proper old western type revolver that you had to pack each barrel with its own powder, lardy type stuff (to prevent it flashing over between barrels) and a ball bearing about 10mm in diameter. It was amazing, had a lovely feel to it. But for accuracy you want a rifle, not a handgun.

For fun watching others :

This whole thread reminds me of a uni "friend" who was caught with soft-porn women-and-guns images blue-tacked under the desk in the commonroom.

😯

I went to a range in the states when my mate moved over and got married there. For our boys afternoon out we did some shooting, drank beer and watched "football". Very manly.

One of the guns we used was his now brother-in-law's 9mm S&W and the other was a .22 range pistol owned by his now father-in-law. The 9mm was fun to shoot (and I was surprisingly accurate with it) but the .22 was more enjoyable for trying to be accurate. With a bit of practive even at 30 yards you could nail that little spot in the middle of the target. Much more satisfying then a big BLAM and ripping half the target off. The guy in the alley next to us some sort of hand-cannon. I don't think he hit the target once.

It's a shame that range shooting is illegal here. I'd really enjoy it as a hobby.

aslongasithaswheels – Looks like a great fun hobby. I suppose there's now a paintball equivalent…

Stoner, some people used a Thomson Contender for Long Range pisol shooting which had a breech action and you put the round in that way. My pistol had a bolt action with an electronic trigger and it's barrel was about 14" long fitted with a Leupold scope. You sat down and rested the gun on a frame to support it and then fired it off. The recoil was incredible but I re-loaded my own ammo so "tried" to soften it's blow as much as poss but as it's a 7.62 NATO calibre there ain't much you can do lol.
Willard, I did Combat Pistol shooting and the 45ACP is a lot softer than the Magnums but they can still be a chunk of a gun. My fully "loaded" Colt Gold Cup had no end of mods on it to help shoot in the discipline and was a fabulous gun to use. Sadly long gone now but still have very good memories of shooting against the Americans and South Africans in competitions.

If you want to shoot guns – join the Army! 😉

And an Eng I find this one far more exciting though!

RepacK – Or more specifically, the Royal Artillery or RTR.

"Guns are pulled behind horses, that a rifle laddie", as an instructor once said to me.

😉

Although an FAC holder myself, having recently returned from the stamping ground of these fellas I do find the obsession to firearms by some of our colonial chums a little disturbing.

To answer the question though, we used this place a while back when we were in Vegas on a stag do and the non-military folk within the group wanted to find out what brassing up a target is all about.

Grip it in both hands and squeeze till it goes off

Oh! you wanted to fire a gun?

LOL @ pantsonfire!
That STI 38 Super's a nice looking piece of kit, love to try one of those out on a range.

That STI 38 Super's a nice looking piece of kit, love to try one of those out on a range.

i used to shoot with a guy who had one, i had a stock Tanfoglio (like this) with metal sights and i just couldn't keep up with him…….as soon as i got the 38 super in my hands (his was custom) the speed just kept on coming, a serious race gun 😀