Check in From Denver - Soon to be Cloudcroft

[BuffCyclist]

Hey everyone, just wanted to introduce myself here. I am active on a couple of Colorado forums, but since I'll be moving down the Cloudcroft (or a surrounding town) in the next few weeks, I thought I'd get a bit of a headstart in the shooting activities.

I plan on getting my CCL sometime this summer after I get all settled in. I've tried searching a bit for the actual regulations and requirements to get a CCL, but haven't found specifics. Is NM a shall issue state? What is the approximate waiting period? Anything else involved in getting a CCL locally?

Lastly, what kind of ranges are there in the area? I have found the Sydney Paul Gordon range in La Luz, which seems well priced ($3/day! It's roughly $15/hr for pistol or $30/.5hr up here in colo for a decent range). But, are there any places up in the mountains (such as canyons) that are make-shift shooting ranges? Sometimes it's just nice to get out away from people when the range is busy and head to a backwoods spot. I am very clean, always pick up my brass and only shoot biodegradable targets.

Anyways, thanks for any help! I look forward to moving down there!

[357 S&W]

Welcome to NM, This is a shall issue state with a fairly decent open carry option. required CCW classes will run from $125 to $200 with the state charging $100 for the application process plus $4 to $5 for fingerprint process. The background check is the slow part. I had my license in hand in 6 weeks, but I know of a few people that took four to six months to get theirs.

Plenty of places to shoot other then the range (glad to hear you police up your brass and trash). Dry canyon is between Cloudcroft and Alamo on Hwy 82. It does get crowded at times but nice an open. I found a dry arroyo north of Tuly on BLM land with high embankment walls. I have run into very few people out there and shooting my .223 is a blast out there.

[Bman505]

Welcome to NM. Cloudcroft is a great town. Everything 357 said is right on. Glad to have you on the site.

[Colt 45]

Welcome to New Mexico, and the forum!

Max

[BuffCyclist]

Wow, thanks for the in-depth response 357s&w! I am already fingerprinted and had a background check run with the FBI for my teaching license, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's definitely nice to hear of some spots up in the mountains to shoot at, while ranges are nice, shooting out in the wilderness just adds something extra to the experience.

I look forward to moving down there, have always wanted to live in a small mountain town!

[Descreet38]

Welcome to the site. We have a great membership here with many years of experience. Look forward to your posts.

[BuffCyclist]

Well it's official! I finished unloading the Uhaul truck into my new house this morning. My Dad just left town to drive to Albuquerque to return the truck and fly back to KC.

I am already LOVING the town of Cloudcroft. Hopefully the water and electricity will get hooked up tomorrow, I'm having internet hooked up in the morning.

As I drove up here I was looking for the Dry Canyon turn off, but couldn't find it. Can someone give me better directions or create a marking of where roughly it is on a google map for me? There's a great website called www.gmap-pedometer.com where you can "Start Recording" then click a point, then save it and post the link up here. I am hoping to get out shooting (be it Dry Canyon or LaLuz shooting range) sometime next weekend if I don't have to work.

[Sam]

32.95347,-105.892927

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=la+luz+NM&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=La+Luz,+NM&gl=us&ei=9TQVTLWMNs2InQfy_PGMDA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q8gEwAA

That will get you on it.

It was the turn off to the right(south) about 1 mile before you got to the only highway tunnel in the state.

Sam

[BuffCyclist]

So the GPS Coordinates are the location of the turn off for Dry Canyon? That parking lot (of sorts) on the side of US 82 is where I assume I park my truck, and then is the shooting range in the valley just south of that marker for the gps coordinates in google maps? I am hoping to get to the La Luz shooting range this weekend, but we'll see what my work schedule is like during my first day tomorrow.

Thanks again for the directions!

[Sam]

Turn off there and drive down into the valley. When you get to the bottom get into the creek bed and head west about 150 yards and on up the left side.

[BuffCyclist]

Thanks Sam for the directions, I finally found the place (though today was the first day since driving up here I really looked for it).

The place was littered with .223 and shotgun shells. Picked up about 75 (maybe 100) .40s&w Winchester cases, they looked like they were just fired recently. So when I send some brass to Bullet Boy Ammo, I'll probably include them in the lot.

Definitely seems a bit sketchy, and being so close to the highway (visible to drivers on the highway) kind of makes me want to go elsewhere.

Wow, after doing some sorting (with a magnet) and some counting, I ended up getting these amounts of brass: 136x .40s&w and 130x .223. Picked up probably another 200x .223 but they were all steel and about a dozen larger sized copper colored cases. The only thing stamped on them is '10' above the primer and '80' below it. Not sure what caliber they are, but they are definitely huge! I think I'll have to start dropping by there every once and a while to help "clean up" the area and collect some brass for myself! :D

[BuffCyclist]

I went to the SPG Shooting range in LaLuz this morning, spent about 2 hours there and depleted my ammo supply :(. It is definitely a very nice facility and I look forward to spending more time there and possibly even using ranges other than just the 50yd.

[Sam]

They do OK and are slowly but steadily improving the facilities.