Gun clubs and shops in the Boston area

October 1, 2007 4:17 PM

Pistol club and gun shops near Boston / Somerville, MA? Where do I go to learn?

Hey everyone. I was recently introduced to the fun that is pistol shooting through a course at my university. We've been mostly shooting Smith and Wesson Model 41s that are .22LR. I enjoy it very much, but I'm looking to step it up a notch. I'd like to step it up a notch, to 9mm, .38 and eventually .45.

Are there any good places to learn in the Somerville area? Eventually I'd like to own a pistol of my own so I'd like to learn all about safety and usage as it applies to ownership.

Also, I was curious about good gun shops in the area. Where do you all recommend?

posted by swhitt to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

You can get a list of ranges from the NRA's Range Finder, here. That's not guaranteed to be exhaustive, but it's pretty close. A lot of those places are going to be private clubs, which you may not be able to just walk into and use. Apparently there is a place in Lowell that looks like it's commercial; you might want to investigate it.

If you're willing to drive as far south as Springfield, Smith and Wesson has their factory range there, and it's open to the public, and they do a lot of instruction, along with league shoots. I've used it and it's a nice place.

There used to be a nice little pay-by-the-hour place in Monson, MA, but I think it's gone out of business. Not sure of anyplace closer in to Boston (I used to drive up from CT).

The Gun Owner's Action League of MA is probably the best place to start looking for training. That'll also put you in touch with locals who can give you an idea of where to shoot, and possibly sponsor you into a private club if that's the best bet in your area. Here's their site for training: GOAL Foundation.

As you are no doubt aware, you're kind of in the worst part of one of the worst states, in terms of firearms law and ownership, and you should be prepared to run into a bit of "siege mentality." Just a warning.

Also, the rec.guns Usenet group is pretty active and has some Massachusetts people on it frequently, as a last resort.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:35 PM on October 1, 2007

Check in at Roach's up Mass Ave from Porter. I have mixed feelings about the place - they set up a friend of mine with a shotgun and the resources to get certified/licensed to use it, but played fast and loose with his waiting period application. He later shot himself with the gun that they set him up with.

Suicide aside, he did speak highly of the service he received from them.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:49 PM on October 1, 2007 [3 favorites]

American Firearms School in North Attleboro is great.

There's also the Mass Rifle Association in Woburn.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 8:41 AM on October 2, 2007

I will also endorse the American Firearms School. I've been there several times (including the first time I ever fired a gun) and they have been great.
posted by LouMac at 7:25 AM on October 3, 2007