The Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club has been offering the community a place to have fun and safely shoot for decades, with a history dating back to the 1950s, when people in the Mesa, Ariz. area worked at the mine in Superior and wanted to have a place to shoot in their down time.
“People started just shooting out in the desert, which later became the location of Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club,” said Executive Officer Jim Rasmussen. “It was called the Mesa Gun Club until it was renamed Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in 1971.”
Today, the not-for-profit club manages the 140 acres of land also known as the Usery Mountain Shooting Range. It has more than 6,800 members, with thousands more people coming out to the range each year. Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club has a public range for both members and non-members, as well as a variety of different ranges separated based on gun type.
“Our goal as a club is to provide something for everyone – members and non-members alike,” said Jim. “Everyone is welcome to come out and shoot. If you can’t find something that you’d like to shoot at Rio, you’re just not trying.”
While the public range is open to everyone, members have added benefits such as access to additional ranges, unlimited time at the main range, discounts on spotting scope rentals, and Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club merchandise. Memberships are available for individuals, or for the entire family.
While children six years old and under aren’t permitted on the range, older children can enjoy the kids zone and kids day every Friday with free targets for kids. For women, there’s the Desert Flower ladies community, which focuses on women instructors training female shooters. The group has its own events in addition to the club’s weekly ladies day on Saturdays.
For those who want to learn more about shooting, the club also offers a variety of trainings, including gun safety classes. Even those who don’t take a specific training course on safety will find that safety is a top priority for everyone at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club. “It’s safety first, fun second, and third is breaking targets,” Jim said.
For more information on the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club, visit www.rsscaz.com.