Range profile
Ben Avery Shooting Facility Clay Target Center
The short version
Ben Avery Shooting Facility Clay Target Center is a premier outdoor shooting complex in Phoenix offering trap, skeet, sporting clays, and rifle and pistol ranges, distinguished by a strict safety culture, on-site instruction, and a well-maintained multi-field campus.
The hits
- Multi-discipline layout: trap, skeet, sporting clays, and rifle and pistol ranges available at one location.
- Strong safety culture with attentive, knowledgeable range officers and strictly enforced rules.
- On-site resident instructors offering hands-on guidance for beginners and intermediate shooters.
- Clean, well-organized outdoor campus with paved roads, clear signage, and prompt equipment maintenance.
- Affordable target pricing relative to comparable facilities, with an on-site store handling credit purchases.
The misses
- Extreme summer heat can make visits uncomfortable due to the fully outdoor, desert setting.
- Limited regular trap field availability; only a subset of the 16 trap fields is typically open for walk-up use, with others reserved for specific disciplines or special bookings.
- Strict enforcement of safety rules means visitors who fail to follow protocols precisely may be asked to leave.
About Ben Avery Shooting Facility Clay Target Center
Ben Avery Shooting Facility Clay Target Center occupies a sprawling outdoor campus along W Skeet Street in Phoenix and operates as a multi-discipline public shooting complex serving sport shooters, families, beginners, and corporate or charity groups. The facility manages trap, skeet, and sporting clays courses alongside a rifle and pistol range, with resident instructors providing hands-on guidance for newcomers and experienced visitors looking to refine technique across various shooting lanes. Guests can purchase credits for targets through an on-site store, and the venue regularly hosts structured events, including registered ATA competitions and charity fundraisers that draw participants from across the region.
The physical plant is built for scale and accessibility. Paved roads, clearly marked signage, and a well-maintained infrastructure lead visitors through grounds that reviewers consistently describe as clean, professionally organized, and easy to navigate. Range officers and clubhouse staff receive repeated praise for attentiveness, promptly addressing equipment issues such as dead machines and assisting guests with credit purchases. Safety protocols are strictly enforced; visitors are expected to follow all rules precisely, and the overall culture is widely characterized as ultra-safe and seriously supervised.
The center’s programming extends well beyond casual recreation. A visitor noted that a young shooter achieved a 179 out of 200 score in an SJ ATA event using a century-old Winchester Model 12, illustrating the facility’s suitability for competitive trap. Multiple reviews cite the breadth of available disciplines, from standard trap and doubles to wobble trap and sporting clays, as evidence of a world-class offering. Meanwhile, resident instructors allow beginners to experience different lanes under direct supervision, and the pricing structure is regarded by some visitors as notably affordable relative to comparable facilities abroad.
The atmosphere is distinctly outdoor and health-oriented, drawing praise for fresh air and open space, though the desert climate delivers a real limitation. Summer heat can be intense enough that even enthusiastic regulars recommend avoiding visits during the hottest months. Staffing levels also directly affect field availability; while the center maintains 16 trap fields, only a subset is typically open for regular walk-up trap, with some fields reserved for doubles, wobble trap, or special bookings, and management opens only what range masters can safely supervise. One visitor suggested that a single range master should be able to handle six fields, but the facility’s policy ties open fields to current staffing and operational conditions.
Despite these operational constraints, the center is frequently cited as a premier Arizona destination for clay target sports, offering a breadth of disciplines, instructional support, and a rigorously maintained environment that balances competitive utility with family-friendly accessibility.
Recurring feedback
What visitors consistently mention
- Staff professionalism and responsiveness: Recurring commentary notes that range officers and clubhouse personnel are attentive, courteous, and quick to resolve equipment issues, contributing to a supervised, orderly environment.
- Safety-first operational culture: A consistent pattern of feedback emphasizes strict rule enforcement, clear safety protocols, and a broadly perceived environment of disciplined, ultra-safe conduct.
- Outdoor scale and facility maintenance: Visitors frequently cite the clean, well-built infrastructure, paved access roads, clear signage, and breadth of shooting disciplines as hallmarks of a premier public range.
- Seasonal weather and field-access constraints: Recurring observations indicate that extreme summer heat affects comfort and that regular trap field availability is sometimes reduced due to staffing allocations and reservation requirements.