Johnson Creek Gun Club

Look, this place isn’t new and shiny, but so what. It’s a good place to go shooting. You can bring your own targets (but they’re cheap if you want to buy them). You can go whenever cause of the key card. And all the interactions I’ve had with the owner have been plesent and professional. All and all it’s definitely the best place to go shoot in the Portland area.

I’m giving five stars not because JCGC is the most advanced shooting range, it’s not. Nor that it’s the most salubrious of facilities, by no means. Nor that there are a wide variety of disciplines you can practice here, handgun and rimfire rifles only. But because it’s just a nice place to shoot. I’m a new shooter and have been doing the rounds of all the different ranges in the area, and I like this place. Simple, good atmosphere and in my limited experience, nice people.
You have to be a member to shoot here, and to become one you have to take an orientation of about 90 minutes (rules, etiquette and safety) and drop $ 210 which covers the orientation fee and $ 150 yearly membership. After that there are no range fees, you can bring your own ammo and targets and you can shoot from 8AM to 8PM every day. Anywhere else, even if you are a member, is going to charge you at least a $ 10 range fee and you have to use their ammo $$$ or pay a fee to use yours and buy their targets. And at JCGC you can even bring a guest with you for free (all the other ranges charge you). Bearing that in mind the $ 210 you have to spend to join is a very small price to pay. Do the math! Also you can take the orientation and if it doesn’t suit you you’re not out of pocket.
You need to know that they do not sell ammo or rent weapons here.

I just joined this club last month, and there are tons of pro’s but a few con’s. First, the pro’s:
*YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN AMMO AND TARGETS!!! This saves a ton of money, and is the primary reason I joined.
*You have unlimited access from 8am-​8pm every day with your electronic keycard, kind of like a gym membership. I like to go after work since I’m near by.
*I’ve visited 4 times in the month and half I’ve been a member, and I didn’t have to wait once for a lane, even on the weekend during peak shoot times.
*People are friendly and SAFE, and all seem to have prior gun safety training. This was my biggest concern with a facility that, at times, have no staff members working the facility. It is essentially member run, and you may even have to turn the lights on or off as you enter or exit. I don’t necessarily view this as a con, but I would if I felt unsafe because of others. Again, I did not witness anything I would consider unsafe, and I’m a very cautious person by nature.
*COST! It’s inexpensive for a membership compared to others. Add the fact that you can bring your ammo and targets, and it becomes very cheap.
Now for the cons, and I’ll nit pick a little here:
*Parking is extremely limited, but then again, there are only 10 lanes to shoot from, so it only has to hold so many. Chances are, if the parking lot is full, so are the lanes, in which case I’d grab a coffee and check back in a few.
*The facility is old and a bit outdated. They use an old fashioned hand crank system to send and retrieve targets down range. I honestly don’t mind this so much, and I have to factor in the overall cost I pay for my membership which I don’t consider to be a lot.
*You can’t shoot at variable distances, only at a set distance of 50 feet, which is a bit extreme for handgun training. I also can’t shoot more than 1 round per second, which limits training at this facility. Again, I have to take into consideration cost and safety, but it would be nice to have more training options.
*No real barriers between lanes. This is a pro and a con. It’s a pro in that I can see what people are doing and how they are handling their firearms or clearing malfunctions. If I notice they are doing so in an unsafe manner, I can act accordingly. It’s a con because if someone has a negligent discharge in an unsafe direction, I have no protection. Hopefully as they continue to grow their membership, more upgrades will follow in the future.
Overall, I really enjoy this place, and again the cost is something you really can’t argue with. All factors considered, I give it 4 stars with some room for improvement!