BlueCore Shooting Center - Lakewood

[mrghost]

FWIW - There was an article about BluCore in the Sunday Denver Post. Talks about the owners, their security training business, and the new range. Section K, Business section. Says they've been in the training business since 2009, but the range is a new thing.

or here:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_17913204

[rondog]

or here:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_17913204

Well, some of us old farts flat out refuse to read newspapers online. I prefer the old ink and paper, thank you!

[DeusExMachina]

Sounds like a personal problem.

[Akyla]

I initially had high hopes for BluCore till we saw the ammo policy and then I was with a lot of you saying I would never go. Well, apparently BluCore heard the complaints and changed the ammo policy as most of us are now aware.

As ammo prices are going up, I decided I needed to order some ammo. But, I wanted to try out a different bullet weight in one of my pistols before I ordered. I didn't have time to go to the National Forest during the week and wanted to see how accurate different loads would be. So, I decided to go give BluCore a shot (no pun intended). I live only a few miles away, so its quite convenient for me.

I brought my gear in, chatted with the guys. They were friendly and the place is much cleaner and more professional looking than when it was Green Mt Family Shooting Center (GMFSC). They have a great selection of paper targets to choose from and the ones I looked at ranged from $0.25-$0.50. You pay after you shoot, so its easy to grab a few more targets if you need them. Before I headed in, I read the range rules and it said no rapid fire. I asked them about it and they said that they understand the importance of rapid fire in training, but just asked that you don't shoot too fast to keep complete control of your pistol. Fair enough.

I overheard another guy ask them about the price being per hour. They told him that it is a per hour charge, but if they aren't backed up, they will let you shoot as long as you want. This is the same rule that most ranges have as far as I am aware.

My 11 yr old son was off from school yesterday, so I brought him along. He didn't shoot this time, but kids 11 and over are permitted to shoot with an adult. Sounded like they previously had it at 8 and over, but two jackasses already screwed that up by letting kids shoot guns they couldn't control. Based on the description the guys at BluCore gave, I really can't blame them.

Range was clean and well lit. I shot my own ammo and they also let you pick up your own brass. I also wasn't bothered while I shot. Range Officer was not breathing down your neck like GMFSC.

I also chatted with the guys in general after I shot. These guys are new to this too and understand that some of the rules and regs of the range will have to evolve. They seem to be intelligent and have a lot of training. I think when we have an issue with a rule, if we can provide them a good reason why it shouldn't be that way, and can still be done safely, they will consider it.

They also asked me my opinion about what AR15 accessories I would like to see them carry in the retail shop. They understand that most people will buy the majority of their gear online, so wanted to know what I would like to see locally.

As I do need to practice more and want to be able to test out my reloads, I signed up for the year membership for $269.99. I know its not cheap, but I think I will get my monies worth out of it.

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at BluCore and hope more of our members will go try them out (and no, I received no compensation for my review ).

[Hayes]

are they allowing reloads now?

[Akyla]

are they allowing reloads now?

Yes. That's what they told me.

[Guylee]

I stopped by and shot at Blue Core today. Overall, a good experience. The gents at the counter were friendly, and there was no wait to get a lane. They asked to look at my ammo, but didn't give me a hard time for the reloads. My friend bought a couple boxes of 9mm at 13 bucks and some change for the S&B. We shot our guns, had a good time, and left. Here's a few things that caught my attention:

As far as rental guns go, there were pretty slim pickins. About all I saw were a couple Ruger LCP's, a Sig, a couple wheel guns, and about 50 XD's. I'm sure they will expand sooner or later, but it's obvious right now that they're more into a variety of caliber than gun.

Their range rules say drawing from the holster is only permitted from approval. My friend and I are both Security Officers, and he was in uniform (just got off). When he asked if he could draw from the holster, they came in and asked him to demonstrate his technique. The guy said all was good, and my friend went ahead with shooting. I don't know if it was this easy because he was in uniform, but it seems to me that they just want to make sure you're not going to be sending bullets all over the place.

The rules also state you can pick up YOUR OWN brass. I don't know why the emphasis on only your own, but I wasn't questioned when picking up my .45 casings, and I know I picked up a few that weren't mine.

They make it very clear that they don't want wolf, or any russian ammo for that matter. Don't know why they hate it so much (other than the fact that a lot of it is steel core and they just don't want to have to differentiate), but their ammo prices are good enough that I won't be crying about it.

Overall, a good experience. Clean facility, nice people, and good prices. I hope they can keep their prices low, but one of the guys there said they will go up a little with the coming increase in price of ammo. As long as it's not too bad, I'll keep going back. Hell, might even get a membership!

One more thing-They expect to have the retail store open in about four weeks and the rifle range in six. If you want to shoot your AR in the pistol bays you can, but at 15 yards max, I don't see the point unless they will let you do reloading drills and such.