Might Be Moving To Indianapolis

[jcshelto]

Hello y'all,

I am finally getting out of the Army and might be moving to Indianapolis. So far, it looks nice--it is reciprocal with my GA CCW and the gun laws look pretty good. I looked at the local USPSA and IDPA clubs, but I can't get a feel of how active and vibrant the competitive shooting scene is in the area. It is pretty poor in the Savannah area where I am in GA. How is it in Indianapolis or the areas within an hour or so away?

Also, are the laws good? It is shall issue and they do permit NFA items from what I can tell. Is there anything I should know ahead of time, good or bad?

Thanks! I hope I do end up moving there; I need to get away from the Southern heat for a little while. I haven't seen a winter in over a decade.

[Endur]

I have not lived here very long but the laws are pretty relaxed. I couldn't tell you about the competitive shooting scene. There are no good ranges within the Indianapolis area. You will be driving 30 minutes or more to find a range worth shooting at. Do not move into Indianapolis specifically, move to an outer town/city. Indy for the most part is a dump. Move to Greenwood, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Fishers, Carmel, etc.

[PKendall317]

First off let me give you an early welcome to the Great State of Indiana if you do indeed decide to move here! Yes the laws here are relaxed, we are a shall issue state in regards to getting what we call a LTCH (License to Carry Handgun), I encourage you to look through the Indiana Code to get a better idea, specifically IC 35-47. We also do allow NFA items with the exception of short barreled shotguns. Depending on what city/county you live in you may find difficulty getting CLEO sign off however. In my case with Morgan County I was in and out in about 10 minutes you're mileage may vary.

In regards to competition shooting I'm fairly new to that. This year I attended my first and so far only IDPA match (that's gonna change) and it was a good experience. You have the options of IDPA, USPSA, Friday Night Steel and Multigun competitions that I'm aware of. At the one IDPA shoot I attended I believe there were 75-100 people who showed up on that particular day. I've never been to a USPSA shoot (yet) or to the Friday Night Steel or Multigun competitions but they seem to be fairly popular throughout the State.

Also I agree with what Endur said about moving to Indianapolis. Find a nice spot in the surrounding area. The places he mentioned are pretty good areas. As for ranges if you're looking for an outdoor range, you'll probably be in for a bit of a drive. There are several indoor ranges that I'm aware of in the Indianapolis are such as:

Parabellum Firearms A new player in town, they also have a limited number of firearms for sale and rental.
Beech Grove Firearms Probably the nicest indoor range I've been to, also comes with a nice gunshop that is a Class III dealer and as far as I'm aware allows NFA Items on the range.
Indy Trading Post Probably the worst of the indoor ranges I've actually been to. You're limited to pistol only and the ventilation is awful, or at least it was the last time I was there.
Don's Guns I have never been to this range or shop, and I have no intention to ever do so. I only posted this as a warning to NOT go into Don's Guns. From what I've been told he has some iffy business practices and people have been shot at his shop before, not to mention it's not in one of my favorite parts of Indianapolis.
Tim's Shooting Academy Again I've never personally been here but I do hear good things about it.

Here's a list of some of the competitions that go on in the State that I'm aware of.

Indiana Multigun
South Central Gun Club
USPSA
IDPA

[Alpha Sierra]

I don't live in Indy but I visit it quite often. Saying that Indianapolis is a dump is a generous overgeneralization. SOME parts of it are dumps, many others are very nice.

Of course, to some people all cities, no matter how nice, are dumps. That's their prerogative to think so, but that is far from objective.

There is quite a bit of competitive pistol shooting within 1 hr of Indy in almost every direction, as well as long range rifle at Camp Atterbury through Central Indiana Highpower Rifle Shooters.

[jwfuhrman]

Carmel or Fishers would be a much wiser choice with it being a quick trip to anywhere in Indy within 30-40 depending on time of day and traffic.

Indiana has almost a saturation of competitive shooting sports all within 3 hours of Indy. Atlanta Conservation Club has everything and is 30 min north of Indy in Atlanta Indiana. Problem is they only have pistol bays. Hillside Shooting Sports up near Fort Wayne has out to 1000 yards but requires a membership to shoot past 200 yards. Also has 3 pistol bays and an State of the Art Indoor Pistol Range.

I run the competitions(3gun, Rifle/Pistol) for Hillside.

[jcshelto]

This is great info!! Thanks for all the insight.

My wife just accepted a position in the area. We are looking in the Carmel area right now.

I haven't shot competitively in a while, but really enjoy USPSA Limited division. I haven't gotten into IDPA like I want, but its on the short list. It will be different being a civilian, but it looks like a nice area compared to Fort Stewart.

[jwfuhrman]

Anything is an upgrade compared to Hinesville. The only thing Ft Stewart has going for it is its proximity to Savannah and Tybee Island and Jekyll Island.