Scheduling The 500 Yard Range & Setting Up Your Time

Before participating in our 500-yard range, we recommend taking a few steps first.

• Come see our facility. The 500-yard is a big shot (unless you’ve been doing this for a while), so you should come by on a normal day and get a feel for the resources and ranges we provide.
• Use our main Rifle Range, which has 200-yard targets, to get a good feel for what you’re working on within the 500-yard event. This will allow you to transition smoothly when the event day comes.

You do NOT have to be an advanced shooter to try the 500-yard range. These events are a great experience for both intermediate and more advanced long-range shooters.

We require a maximum of 16 shooters, so we recommend grabbing your spot sooner rather than later.

Also, you’ll notice that we hold 500-yard range days on the last Tuesday of every month.

We require participants to register and pay before attending.

The dates of 2024’s 500-yard events include the following.

Date:

• Tuesday, January 28th
• Tuesday, February 25th
• Tuesday, March 25th
• Tuesday, April 29th
• Tuesday, May 27th
• Tuesday, June 24th
• Tuesday, July 29th
• Tuesday, August 26th
• Tuesday, September 30th
• Tuesday, October 28th
• Tuesday, November 25th
• Monday, December 30th

How The 500 Yard Range Works

Safety is the most important aspect of this. We don’t take rules, commands, and etiquette lightly here. So, if you’ve never used this type of range or outdoor gun ranges in general, take some time to become familiar with range commands:

• "Range is hot"
• "Unload and clear, drop mags, lock your bolts back"
• "Range is cold"
• "It is clear to go down range."
• "Cease fire"

Much Does The 500-yard Range Cost?

Cost: $100 for the day

Check-in: Starts at 9:00 a.m. in the Pro-shop

500 Yard Range Rules

Basically, we apply general range rules to every event and type of shooting.

All visitors must read and abide by the General Range Rules of Okeechobee Shooting Sports and review the Additional Range Rules by Sport and Location.

• No open-toed shoes.
• Eye and ear protection must be worn at all times near any shooting area.
• All actions must be kept open unless on the firing line and the range is hot.
• No loaded firearms behind the firing line or while people are down range.
• All firearms must be pointed in a safe direction at ALL TIMES, whether transported to the firing line or on the firing line.
• A Range Safety Officer (RSO) must be present at all times.
• If an RSO is not present, please notify the main office (863-357-3006) prior to handling any firearms.
• Only use the range designated for your course of fire.
• Be courteous and aware of shooters around you and on other ranges.
• Notify your RSO or range staff of any unsafe firearm handling or behavior.
• If you have any questions or are unclear about any safety procedures, please speak with range staff prior to handling any firearm.
• Be absolutely sure of what is behind your target and where your bullets will be going after they have hit or passed through their intended target or if they miss the intended target!
• If a bullet goes over the berm, or if you have an accidental discharge, you will not be permitted to shoot the rest of the day.
• No firing from the hip on any range.
• Yes, you can bring your own ammo! However, make sure the ammunition you intend to use is permitted on the range you intend to use it on.
• For your convenience, our Pro Shop carries a large selection of reasonably priced ammunition. Stop by before you hit the range; you’ll find all you need there.

What To Bring

Be sure you are ready for the range with the following:

• Ear Plugs – MANDATORY
• Eye Protection – MANDATORY
• Electronic Waiver—If you did not fill out the electronic waiver after Jan 1, 2016, you can save time by doing so here.

What To Wear

We definitely recommend checking the weather. We only offer outdoor gun ranges, which means rain, cold, heat, etc. Wear clothes that you will be comfortable being outside in for (potentially) long periods of time. We also highly recommend closed-toed shoes and sunscreen for any of our fairer friends.

Do you intend to shoot prone? If so, you likely want to bring a mat to lay on. There's no reason to be uncomfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions About 500 Yard Range

What is the 500 Yard Range?

The 500-yard range is an outdoor gun range that has enough space to allow participants long-distance shots (up to 500 yards).

Is the 500 Yard Range considered “long-range”?

Some more experienced shooters will not consider this long-range because they have shot much greater distances, but for everyone else, yes, it is considered long-range. The answer, as you can see, is rather subjective.

What is considered long-range?

Long-range shooting is a slightly subjective topic. Some consider 500 yards to be a perfect example of long-range (even 250 yards is long by their standards). Extremely experienced marksmen might consider 500 yards to be closer to “mid-range.” If you’ve never shot 500 yards, you will likely consider this distance “long-range.”

What is DOPE?

DOPE is an acronym for “Data On Previous Engagements.” Basically, it’s data collected by shooters and manufacturers on either the firearm or ammunition. For long-range shooting, this data is extremely important for supporting accurate shots.

Are you guys at an outdoor gun range?

Here at Okeechobee Shooting Sports, all of our gun ranges are in the great outdoors. So, yes.

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