The Mineral County Shooting Sports Association recently received $80.000 from the Montana FWP Shooting Range Development Grant Program for Phase 1 of its 1,000-yard range.

“One of the goals of the MCSSA since purchasing this property was to develop a 1000-yard range.  There is great interest throughout western Montana and beyond to have a 1000-yard shooting range designed for multiple opportunities,” Dave Brink explained. Brink is the Secretary of the MCSSA. “The MCSSA has the space to safely accommodate such a development and we were approached by the Western Montana Fish and Game Association (WMFGA), who operate the Deer Creek Range in East Missoula, to partner in developing the 1,000-yard range on our property at Lozeau. The WMFGA generously offered in-kind technical design and grant writing assistance, construction materials, and financial support for this project.  We determined that the project would have to be phased in multiple grant cycles to complete. The MCSSA does not have the resources to complete such a project all on its own,” he shared. 

This is a matching grant so there is around $160,000 they are working with today.

Shawn Heyer is vice president and his wife, Anndenia, is webmaster for the MCSSA. They, along with other volunteers, officially received word in June that they had been awarded the grant, but the public only became informed last week. 

“We started digging dirt a couple of weeks ago, but it has been in the planning stage since they began talking about this opportunity years ago. Kevin (Donally, president of the MCSSA) and I cleared the trees out of the area so we could see what we had to work with last year. Then we had to apply for this grant to keep going further,” Shawn reported. 

This is Phase 1 of the project. 

“We need to complete the dirt work and build a berm on the sides for safety,” Shawn said. “We need to make it as flat as possible and have a road made on each side at the berm level to drive up and check the targets during shooting and matches. We’ll need to get power up there and we’ll have markers at probably 200, 400, 600 and 800 yards, I’m thinking. It will have 6 shooting lanes under a covered area. But right now, there’s a big hump around the 300-to-400-yard mark we’re removing so you can see clear to the end of it. We’ll be shooting into our own property, so we have a mountain as a backstop.”

Brink disclosed, “Future phases of the project will include a permanent shooting platform construction and refinement of five benches plus one prone platform, platform cover, ADA access, safety equipment, parking, additional safety refinements, toilets, continued weed/revegetation management, etc.” 

The nonprofit organization owns 236 acres with this new range running parallel to I-90 but on the southside up on a high bench that isn’t visible from below. On the lower property, trees are being thinned that is evident from the interstate and this is where the Cowboy Shooting Range will be. 

“This isn’t Mounted Cowboy Shooting riding horses, at least for now,” Heyer said. “This is where participants will be running through a course shooting pistols, lever action rifles and shotguns. We’re keeping a lot of the trees for the course making it more authentic and for shade.” 

Farther west is where the archery and sporting clays ranges will be built.

On Saturday, Sept. 28 is the annual MCSSA Dinner & Auction and it always sells out. Participants will enjoy prime rib or pork loin catered by Superior Meats. The evening will have live and silent auctions, adult and children’s games for prizes, raffles and raffle buckets, and 20 firearms will be going out the door that evening. They will hear about upcoming MCSSA events and plans for the organizations. 

"We control this annual event for ourselves. It’s been this way for the last 10 years,” said Anndenia when talking about the banquet. “We were with the Friends of the NRA for 13 years and went on our own so that all of the money raised is used for our kids and stays in our community and it will keep this range growing.”  

The building is available for lease and has recently hosted a huge on-site auction, several shooting classes from NRA Certified instructors, and FWP Hunter Safety Classes. They host the 4-H Shooting Sports Air Rifle and Archery teams for practice and competitive shooting events. Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputy Ethan Atkin and his wife, Lauren, are becoming certified firearms instructors through the National 4-H Shooting Sports Program and they will be the coaches for the air rifle team. 

Tickets for the Dinner & Auction, membership levels with the MCSSA and in-depth information on the progress of the organization is available at www.mineralshootingsports.com

    The site of the 1,000-yard shooting range is under construction in Mineral County. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)