Oklahoma’s Best Gun Ranges

Depending on how long you've lived in Oklahoma and whether or not you enjoy the sport, you've likely watched at least one beloved gun range open, exist, and close forever at some point in time.

That's the nature of the beast. Just like gun shops, ranges come and go as those who run the place move on in life and death.

So, when the topic of the best ranges in the state came up during one of our epic lunch table debates, we put together a list of the best OK has to offer.

The elephant in the room... 

Oklahoma's famous and often-beloved H&H Shooting Sports in OKC came up quite a bit. They have a long history of shooting sports in the Sooner State, but after years of degradation - whether it's due to the government hemlocking them with mandatory requirements, or just not wanting to invest money in themselves (lots of unsubstantiated opinions and rumors about H&H), you're not going to see them on any Best Of list in Oklahoma.

That doesn't discount the great times many of us have had there in a time without any other options. The pungent smell of burnt powder, thick clouds of spent ammo floating about, the ridiculous summer heat in the shooting lanes, and the black boogers we'd all pick after any amount of time spent in the range. It's nostalgic at the least, and generally many people's first experience in shooting in Oklahoma... That being said, here are the best gun ranges in Oklahoma.

Also, this is the cumulative opinion of a bunch of gun-happy idiots sitting around debating any and everything. If I miss a range you hold dear, chalk it up to you not being at the table.

Best Shotgunning Range. 

While we may all cut our teeth shooting the fun rifles and pistols in a controlled environment, it wasn't until my late 30s that I discovered Sporting Clays. It's like golfing with guns, and a 10/10 from anyone who has done it.

There are a handful of places around Oklahoma that offer this and more... clays, traps, etc... but sporting clays is THE most fun a person can have at the gun range. That being said, we all agreed the Tulsa Gun Club has the absolute best shotgun range in the Sooner State.

Several factors went into the conversation... Cost, convenience, staff, amenities, and junk, but all in all, it was the course. Like a walk through the forest to the different stations, and TGC changes it up all the time to keep things fresh. 10/10.

Best Rifle Range. 

When you really want to test yourself by reaching out and punching a hole in some paper at great distances, the range options are few and far between across Oklahoma. That being said, the agreement between my stupid friends and me was the long-range in Ninnekah - Fouled Bore Precision - takes the cake.

Long-range rifle shooting is as close to zen as Americans can get. It's generally quiet. There's a lot of time to think and reflect between shots. It's almost cathartic how your concentration on perfection can tune out even the loudest everyday annoyances that eat at you through the week. It's you, your rifle, and a target as far out as you can hit it.

Sure, the locations in and around Tulsa and OKC are more convenient, but when you want to turn the world off for a few hours, small-town Oklahoma is where it's at.

Best Public Free Range. 

There are a handful of places around the state where anyone who has a current hunting license can shoot for free on state-maintained, public shooting ranges. I think all of them are located within the OK Wildlife Management Areas around the state.

The nicest by far is Kaw WMA in Northcentral Oklahoma. It's also the newest. Give it time, and everyone who enjoys it now will end up paying fees at another range soon. It's just the nature of free-ranging; they get rundown, and the state is slow to maintain its properties.

Best Pistol Range. 

This was the topic that generated the most heat during our lunchroom debate. We all have our favorite ranges we frequent, but there wasn't much to agree on.

For example, I really liked to shoot at Gun World in Del City for a few years when my office was only a few blocks away. It was convenient to me at the time, $8 to shoot, came with a target, and I always brought my own ammo so I wouldn't have to pay GW's stupidly high prices.

Same/same with 2A Shooting Center in Tulsa. Convenient at the time, affordable, cool staff, but a little rundown these days, and in the worst neighborhood in T-Town.

What we did agree on was the Wilshire Gun Range in OKC. They broke the mold of what a range could be when they opened, and while it has had ebbs of flows of maintenance, upkeep, and appeal over the years, it's all in all probably the nicest range in the state.

Wilshire also doubled as the best indoor range in Oklahoma.

As for the best outdoor range, we all agreed our own private lands are by far the best places to shoot outdoors when the weather is cooperating. You don't have to worry about the Fudd's snatching up your brass, or newbs covering you with their errant muzzles (accidentally pointing guns at you)... It's just you, your trusty steel, and the great Oklahoma outdoors.