JB Firearms - - - Featured Clubs

On a flattened hilltop in the foothills above Sacramento, the El Dorado Rod and Gun Club is more than just a shooting range. Although what they do is provide a place to shoot shotguns, rifles and pistols, it also provides a panorama of green hills and blue sky. I drove up on a mid-spring morning, fresh and crisp. It had rained the previous evening, making the clear and clean morning drive quite enjoyable. As I drew close the club, I saw dozens of wild turkeys out preening and strutting.
I was tagging along with Joe Beagle this morning. He had an appointment with one of the club’s instructors later that day, and had invited me shoot some trap with him this morning. His first visit to the club was earlier that week, and being one who is always up for shooting at a new place, I accepted his invitation. Through the front gate and up the dirt driveway, we passed the turnoff for the pistol and rifle ranges. At the top of the hill is the trap range. The summit has been flattened, and you have a 360 degree view of the foothills.

This was the first Saturday that they were open, so at 9am, there were only three of us shooting. For the day I shot 4 rounds of singles trap, and 1 round of doubles trap from the 16 yard line. It was quite fun, and the experienced members of the club helped us less experienced shooters with helpful tips. There was a great feeling of camaraderie and openness that sometimes is missing at a shooting range. I was very impressed with the facility, and though it was a bit primitive, they were obviously making rapid strides to add features often lacking at remote locations.

I really enjoyed the people I met at the club, and look forward to going back and shooting there again. There web site can be found at: http://www.eldoradorodandgun.com. They have directions to the range, as well as range hours. I also suggest you browse around the website, as there are some great articles in their past newsletters that are must reads.

The range is located on a breathtaking hilltop in the Sierra foothills, which provides a backdrop other ranges just can’t compete with. The driveways that lead to the ranges are all dirt and gravel and a little steep, which could make for access difficulties for small cars or during/following a rainstorm. There is covered seating, and an outhouse at the trap range. There are no facilities for water, so you need to bring your own. The rifle and pistol ranges have covered stations with benches and seats. There are two trap stations, one of which can throw doubles and wobbles.

The rifle range has thirteen 50 and 100 yd stations, and the pistol range is 25+ yards and has steel and paper targets. There are two trap stations, which offer 16-27 yard handicaps, one of which will throw doubles or wobbles. The website cites a five-stand station, which must be new, as it wasn’t set up when I was there. Also, the club has some very active members, and they frequently hold special events with varied games and competitions. The staff spoke about the variety of events they held, and encourage anyone to come out and join in. Many of these events are scheduled on their website calendar.

The staff and club members I met on my visit to the club were the highlight of the day. The people there were VERY friendly and open. It made the experience well worth the trip. I will definitely be returning because of that. They were up front with the business side of the range operations, making sure we had ear and eye protection. They also had a small shop with some shells, ear and eye protection for sale. The staff was up front with the recent improvements they had made to the facility, and I’m sure they’ve done more since my visit.