Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
HIGH RIDGE, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has approved a contract to replace the rifle/pistol bullet trap at the Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in High Ridge.
The current bullet trap was taken out of service because of structural failures that prevented the trap from operating properly. This created ricochet hazards and unsafe gaps where projectiles could escape. Because of these safety concerns, MDC closed the rifle/pistol range.
Since the range improvements were completed in 2010, MDC has experienced ongoing problems with the existing bullet trap installed by Action Target Inc. MDC attempted to resolve the issue by working with the original contractor. Unfortunately, MDC was unable to expedite the project because of a lack of cooperation from the contractor. As a result, MDC secured an outside firm to document the damage to the range’s rifle/pistol bullet trap. Following that assessment, MDC wrote and posted a request for competitive bids to repair and/or replace the damaged bullet trap.
Jackson Building Group Inc. of St. Louis was awarded the contract after the competitive bid process, and the contract was approved by the Conservation Commission at its October meeting.
The approved scope of work calls for removal of the original bullet trap, followed by construction and installation of a new and improved unit. The new bullet trap will be similar in design to the one used at MDC’s August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in Defiance. The contract also specifies replacement of several damaged concrete baffles. Work will begin later this year and completion of the project is estimated for fall 2020. The rifle/pistol range will re-open when the project is finished.
Until then, the remainder of Jay Henges’ facilities, including the shotgun trap fields, patterning board, static archery range and outdoor education center building, continue to remain open for normal operating hours and public programs.
Shooters looking for an alternative staffed range may also visit the Busch Shooting Range, located at 3550 Route D in Defiance, approximately five miles west of Highway 94.
MDC also offers shooting opportunities at several unstaffed ranges in the St. Louis region, including:
Additional information on MDC shooting ranges can be found at mdc.mo.gov/shootingranges.
Shooters can find still more range options on the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s website by going to http://wheretoshoot.org.
