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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) brand new shooting range on the August. A Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 28. To celebrate, MDC is holding a special grand opening from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Attendees will receive one hour of free shooting at the rifle/pistol range, or a free 25-clay target round of trap or skeet. The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation will provide to the first 500 shooters a grand opening gift of commemorative set of cased earplugs. There will also be special, commemorative grand opening targets for rifle and pistol range shooters to use. Trap, skeet and five-stand shooters will enjoy use of Orange Crusher flash target clays for this event. Five stand shooting, normally open April 1-Aug. 31, will be available for the grand opening.
“The Department is excited to open the new range ahead of the firearm deer seasons,” said Deputy Director Aaron Jeffries. “The new Busch Shooting Range is a world-class facility for hunters and shooters to practice their shooting skills.”
In addition to being a state-of-the-art facility, the new shooting range provides more shooting lines than the old shooting range. The new shooting range features 20 positions at 100-yards range, and 15 positions at 50 yards for rifle and pistol use. Concrete floors, walls and overhead steel baffle structures are in place to control and contain projectiles. A bullet trap on the far end is designed to decelerate bullets and deposit them into sealed plastic buckets at the base of the trap for recycling. Shooting booths are now handicap-accessible. There is also lighting for nighttime programs, sound-reduction guards, and public restrooms with full plumbing.
In addition, shotgun shooters can enjoy five trap/skeet overlay ranges with electronic controls, and two shotgun patterning ranges.
The new range incorporates archery facilities on site, including a static archery range with an elevated shooting tower and broadhead pits.
Use fees for the new range will remain the same as the previous facility; three dollars per hour or round of trap or skeet and includes paper targets or 25 clay targets and basic ear protection.
The new education/office building at the shooting range offers an 80-person classroom to host educational programs onsite.
The new Busch Shooting Range is located at 3550 Route D, approximately five miles west of Highway 94.
Shooters can keep informed about range happenings by texting “MDC Busch” to 468311 and signing up for text alerts.
