Established in 1963, the Whitefish Rifle and Pistol Club has long been a go-to place to safely shoot firearms in the Flathead Valley.  

The private membership shooting range used to average about 200 to 250 members, but now has 625 after steadily increasing in the last four years.  

Melinda Kartsonis, vice president of the club, said that it is easy to find time on one of their two ranges to oneself, even with the membership growth.  

Located off KM Ranch Road, the club has a rifle range with a covered firing line, with 18 benches for shooting from 100 to 300 yards. The pistol range also has a covered firing line, with a total of 15 firing points from a distance of 50 yards.  

This weekend, the club is offering its second weekend of hunter sight-in days. It’s the club’s biggest event of the year and is community oriented. The range will be open to the public on Oct. 18 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Club members, of which many are accomplished marksmen and hunters, volunteer their time and expertise to work these weekends.  

Since its inception, only $5 is charged per rifle, and there is no charge for youth with their 2025 Hunter Education Certificate. The club provides all materials including targets, lead sleds, shooting rests and spotting scopes. 

A long-held tradition for the club, the first weekend of hunter sight-in days is typically held the week before antelope season starts, and then again the week before general season starts. 

“There’s a lot of guys who haven’t shot since last season,” explained Justin Beauregard, club president and member since about 2004.  

After cleaning a rifle and stashing it away for the season, it’s important to get it realigned before heading out to hunt, and the club offers a key opportunity to do so, he said.  

Whether a new hunter learning the basics, or an experienced hunter teaching another, sighting-in is the first step for a precise start to the season.  

Kartsonis also describes hunter sight-in as a good family event, with generations of families passing down their skills each fall.  

“Ava, about 9 years old, she was such a good shot, shooting balloons out from a hundred yards – the shot was amazing, but to hear her father teach her, brought tears to my eyes,” Kartsonis said. 

Kartsonis said another community-oriented event the club supports is Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hunter education courses, during which the range is turned into a true live classroom, even using real blood to help the students learn how to scout out animals. 

In addition, learning hunters complete a shooting component with a variety of different guns, and they learn navigation and survivalist skills.    

Looking forward, one of the club's next big goals is working toward making both of its ranges ADA accessible. Upgrading the infrastructure won’t be easy but is certainly doable, and will be of essential use for members, the club’s leaders said.  

To learn more, visit wrpc.club or call 406-314-8149.

    Brian and Brett Hale from Kalispell sight in their rifles at the Whitefish Rifle and Pistol Club on Sunday, Oct. 5. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Melinda Kartsonis and Justin Beauregard with the Whitefish Pistol and Rifle Club help run sight-in days on Sunday, Oct. 5. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)