A lot of times newer shooters have trouble finding or deciding on where they should go to get some practice in. And finding a good place to shoot should be hard. One question people ask fairly often is whether its better to shoot indoors or outdoors, so I thought I would offer some advantages and disadvantages to each, to offer some insight into what will work best for you. This post does focus on dedicated shooting ranges of both varieties. If you have private land available to you that you can shoot on, that is a great thing, as long as it is done in a safe manner.
I will start by talking about indoor ranges, which, when they are done right, can be pretty awesome. You are in a comfortable, climate controlled setting, which is also sheltered from the elements. Indoor ranges almost always have some sort of motorized pulley system to send your target downrange and retrieve it, which can mean more shooting time, because you don't need to wait for a cease fire to put up a fresh target. Often indoor ranges are attached to gun shops, which means you can window shop while you wait for a lane to open up, they have ammo on hand to buy if you need more, and sometimes they have guns for rent, which is helpful if you want to get a feel for a gun before you buy it.
But, more often than not, the indoor ranges I have seen are less than ideal, and leave a lot to be desired. The biggest issue that many indoor ranges have is their ventilation system. If an indoor range is not properly ventilated, then all that smoke, unburnt powder and lead residue from shooting is just hanging in the air. Obviously that isn't the sort of thing that you want to be breathing into your lungs, so good a good ventilation system is key. I have been on indoor ranges with great systems, and indoor ranges with terrible or non-working systems. This is definitely something to look into when choosing an indoor range.
The next issue indoor ranges also have is size/space. Usually indoor ranges don't allow for real distance shooting. One hundred yards is about the longest indoor range I have seen, with 25 yards being much more common. This is perfectly acceptable for pistol shooting, but generally too short for rifle work. Many indoor ranges also don't allow rifle's to be fired at them, because their backstop (the part of the range that stops the bullets) isn't built to withstand the higher power that rifle cartridges have. Another point against indoor ranges is that there is generally less space per shooter on the firing line. Your lane might just be three feet wide. And then there can be a person on each side of you. If someone in the next lane over is firing a pistol with a large muzzle blast, it can be uncomfortable to be next to them. Also, the partitions tend not to be bullet proof, so if the person next to you has poor firearm safety skills, it can be a safety hazard. The same is true on an outdoor range, but they tend to be more open, and without partitions to block your view of other shooters.
The lighting in indoor ranges also is often not very good the entire distance of the range. It would be very expensive to have lights all the way down every target lane on even a 25 meter range, so the lighting conditions can shift, depending on your distance to the target. Also, most indoor ranges tend to amplify the sound of the gunshots, so they are much louder than if fired outdoors. Hearing protection should always be worn when firing a gun, but ear muffs are almost always needed for an indoor range, because of how much the sound is amplified, in order to protect your hearing. I haven't found any ear plugs that work well for me indoors, but I have never tried the really expensive ones.
In my experience, outdoor ranges are usually a better place to shoot, and the first reason is space. You can find ranges out to 1,000 meters and beyond, so that you can really stretch out your shooting distance. They also generally have more space on the shooting line, do you aren't right next to your shooting neighbor. Ventilation is provided naturally, and the sound of a gunshot is much quieter because there are no walls for the sound to bounce off of. Outdoor ranges are also generally less expensive to shoot on, and you get more time on the range. At indoor ranges you usually pay by the hour or half hour, at an outdoor range it is often a lower fee to begin with, and for the day. You can also find an outdoor range for rifles, pistols, or shotgun sports. I have seen a video online for an indoor shotgun sports range, in Germany, but it doesn't seem very practical to me, and it would certainly be expensive. Outdoor ranges also often allow more target types to be fired on, most indoor ranges only allow paper targets.
Some of the downsides is that often there is not a gun shop attached to the outdoor range, so you need to bring all of your supplies with you. Which also means you often can not rent guns there. But, since you have more time and can fire at a more leisurely pace, you can talk to other shooters if you are so inclined, and many would be willing to let you shoot a few rounds through their firearm if you ask nicely (or they may not, but I will often let someone shoot a gun if they ask nicely and handle their own firearms safely). You also will probably have to wait for a cease fire on the range to replace targets, so that no one is handling firearms with people downrange. You also may need some sort of optic, like binoculars or a spotting scope, to see where you are hitting on target between cease fires. The distance to the target is also often set, so you need to shoot a whatever distance all the other shooters are firing at.
The other big "disadvantage" of an outdoor range, isn't really a disadvantage to me. And that is that you are exposed to the weather and the elements. There is no A/C or heat, although some outdoor ranges do have overhead structures, to keep the sun or rain off of you. But I have shot year round, in the snow, rain, and baking sun. Maybe it is the Marine infantryman in me talking, but you need to train in uncomfortable conditions.
As much as we might like every self defense encounter to happen when it is 75 degrees and sunny out, that is seldom the case. When people are exposed to the elements, they tend to internalize their attention. Instead of paying attention to their surroundings, they worry about how cold/hot, wet, and miserable they are, and how soon they can remedy that. This makes you a more attractive target to someone who wants to do you harm, because you aren't paying attention to the world around you. So, aside from the practical applications of things like making sure you can hold your gun when it is wet (from rain or sweat), there is another advantage to shooting in the elements. It forces you to focus on something outward while outside of your comfort zone. When shooting a gun, your attention should be on how you are interacting with the gun, making sure you are handling it safely, and focusing on good fundamentals of marksmanship to get good hits. So it also trains you not to internalize with self pity when you are cold and wet, or baking in the sun. Which will help your situational awareness when outside of your comfort zone.
Maybe everyone else doesn't see it the same way as me, but I see exposure to the elements as one of the biggest advantages of shooting outdoors. Of course, if you are out in wet conditions, firearms maintenance will take slightly longer, and more detailed attention, that is something I will cover later. I hope this cleared up somethings for anyone who was having a hard time deciding between shooting indoors or outdoors. Thanks for reading.
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