Pacific Rod & Gun Club
Category: Active Life [Edit]
520 John Muir Dr(at Skyline Blvd)
San Francisco, CA 94132 (415) 586-8349
- Hours:
Wed, Sat 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Good for Kids: Yes
101 reviews
Neighborhood: Laurel Heights
"I am officially, unconditionally, and one hundred percent in love with the JCC. This is not some passing fancy. No, this is a love that…" read more »
12 Reviews for Pacific Rod & Gun Club
Five stars just for existing! Believe me, shooting trap and skeet is both harder and way more fun than it looks. The old fellows running it are really cool and helpful. I brought my buddy's black pump 12 gauge, but they wouldn't let me use it because the barrel was too short, which was understandable. Also, you can't use lead shot. It cost my buddy and I a total of $51 for three rounds (27 clay pigeons per round) and three boxes of shells. I could definitely get into shooting regularly here.
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a shooting range/gun club in san francisco proper? i didn't believe it either, until i went...........thanks to my friend tim who had all of the necessary, er, guns and bullets. that plus some quarters for tokens that activate the mysteriously large machinery that shoots out clay (!) pigeons and all of your 3D real life NES duck hunt (mode B) fantasies will be realized - only with a lesser high score (you can't stick your gun up to the tv in real life) and without the laughing dog in between sets (i, however, (and probably everyone around me, was laughing).
the best part about it was the old school, cigar smoking, pendleton wool coat wearing, vest sporting, san francisco old timers that have probably been going there since it opened........when hopefully it was just the lawn, hi and lo houses, and the lake and not a developed neighborhood that it feels like you're shooting into, thug style (which you can't come close to no matter how big your gun. i think.). and i was wondering what the "rod" in rod and gun club mean, figuring it could only mean fishing which i doubt still happens because the trajectory of aforementioned bullets goes directly across the lake.
note: this being my first (and only) time i have ever shot a gun, i was suprised to learn that a real shot gun is as easy to operate as their plastic nintendo counterparts.
http://www.flickr.com/...
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This place combines two things I love, bits of old San Francisco, and old man culture. The Club has been in this same spot for over 80 years, long before there were any ugly pink condos around, it has great pictures on the walls of old shooting events and trophies. When I was there the other day to shoot skeet, the members invited me in and offered donuts and coffee, didn't even know who I was. That type of friendliness without suspicion is sorely lacking in SF now. I hope it stays around for another 80 years.
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This is an update to my earlier review. I am now a proud member of the Club. I want everyone to know that the Rod and Gun Club is under very real threat by those forces in San Francisco who decide what THEY think the City should look like, and then shout down and slander everyone who disagrees with them. Think Reece Witherspoon's character in "Election." Think Herminone Granger, except wrong about everything. Think Blair from The Facts of Life. These are the type of people that believe an 80-year-old decrepit pier that no one uses in the Mid-Waterfront is a VITAL historic resource, yet a 80-plus year-old club that kids, parents and grandparents use three days a week is a pariah. These are the type of people that would use noise as a red herring, and not tell you that the adjacent police gun range will continue to operate and is not going anywhere, regardless of their mephistopholean plans for the Rod and Gun Club. They use buzz words like "wetlands" and "wild places" when they know nothing about the restoration of habitat in this ecosystem or in an urban environment. These people, are in short, the bizarro version of Karl Rove and his ilk, bringing skullduggery and culture wars to our doorstep, and they are slowly etching a permanent scar on this City. The Rod and Gun Club should stay; these people should not win. They do not speak for us. Call your supervisor. Keep the Gun Club intact.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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04/11/2008
This place combines two things I love, bits of old San Francisco, and old man culture. The Club has… Read more »
This place is addicting. Great location, great facilities and great people. Definitely a nostalgic piece of Americana that has been long forgotten in the modern world. Costs are extremely reasonable and while some of the older crowd may seem a little quiet, there are plenty of people there to newcomers to the sport - just ask someone in the clubhouse.
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5 stars for being an institution. It's the only place in SF that one can legally shoot a firearm. Skeet isn't just for rich folks - and it takes quite a bit of skill to master - but the members at the gun club are only too happy to help newbies out. It's a gorgeous location, inexpensive to shoot (you provide the shotgun), and tons of parking. Membership is inexpenisve but you don't have to be a member to shoot here. They do tons of safety classes and should be declared a historial landmark. Great way to spend an afternoon in the city.
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Gotta give the PRGC five of the pointy things just for being a gun club in San Francisco. I've been a member for a few years and enjoy the heck out of this place. Its just old enough to be unspoilt, but well-taken care of by the membership. In fact its a lot like the membership, just a good solid place to do your thing without being hassled, as long as your thing is skeet or trap.
The location is great and while it can get chilly or foggy in the Winter (hey, it's WINTER), I've had many, many beautiful days out there. Do I feel bad for the neighbors? Well, maybe a little bit, but the place has been there for nearly 80 years; it's not like it snuck up on anyone. Plus, you could close this club and you'd still have the police range right next door, and they won't going anywhere anytime soon.
PGRC offers hunting license classes too that are well done. We use non-lead ammo, offer the clubhouse for reasonable rent and haven't had an accident ever (knock wood). And oh yeah, PGRC doesn't cost the city a dime, unlike the golf courses.
Drop by some time and see a bit of old and new San Francisco.
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a gun club in sf, wow, at least we can shoot with the pink pistols
Great views, better weather than the scorching Contra Costa County ranges, and wonderful old-timer personalities. You won't be disappointed.
Who would of thought a great skeet shooting range can successfully exist in San Francisco's backyard. Let's keep this place alive.
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Normally, I'm not a big fan of shootin' some guns, but this past Saturday, my friend Nate introduced me to the Pacific Rod & Gun Club.
To clarify, he introduced my parents and myself... after we'd been on a cave tour in Napa at Del Dotto Caves. Needless to say, the gun shooting fun-factor goes up a whole lot when you've been thieving barrels for a couple hours.
One token buys you 26 traps [clay pigeons, not real ones]. The setting is very peaceful and serene, relatively speaking [+1]. The skeet shoots in all types of random directions [+1]. Up to 5 people can shoot abreast and there are 5 lanes [+1]. It's the only shooting range in SF [+1]. And there are real ducks/geese/swans hanging out just out of range, making you think they might have a death wish [+1].
Oh, yeah, and this place can be reserved for private parties... I'm thinking about a summertime shotgun hoe-down next May, how about you?
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PRGC has been a San Francisco tradition for 78 years. Beautiful location right off lake Merced and the Harding Gold Course. Open Wed, Sat and Sun 11am - 5pm.
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Came here for my shotgun safety course. The people are really nice and they take their time to teach you how to properly take stuff apart, clean it and put it back together again.
Venture Crew 16 of the Boy Scouts of America meets here on Saturdays.
I went here a few months back with a friend who is a member and got me at the member price of $4 (non members pay $8/round of 25 targets). It's a great scenic place to shoot. Of course I suck and firearms. Oh yes, it's quite cold and usually foggy out here. Bring your sweatshirt / sweater / scarf or jacket.
Only 2 Stars because I feel bad for everyone living in the Park Merced area who heard my shooting (which hardly hit anything) and they have to live with this all the time. I'd go crazy ! I'm sure the dogs would too!
Great place though if shooting is your thing. Not my cup of tea.
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