Pachmayr International Shooting Sports Park; there are place to shoot … and there are shooting places

Shooting Industry, Dec, 1989 by Art Blatt

Pachmayr International Shooting Sports Park

Fortunately for Southern California sportsmen, Pachmayr International is the latter. Located in South El Monte, California, 15 miles east of downtown L.A., this 70 acre parcel is leased by Pachmayr from the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation department.

This is not the site of a new gun club. International Trap & Skeet range first opened its doors in mid-1963. During the 60's and 70's, this was "the" clay target range in Southern California hosting some of the largest and foremost trap and skeet events in the United States. The original club had a proud heritage, but like most things, time took its toll and the onceproud facility began to show its age.

When the lease came up for renewal, Los Angeles County openly solicited for a new and enthusiastic lessee. After months of hotly contested proposals between aspiring contestants and local government, Pachmayr, Ltd., won the prestigious lease contract. If you are wondering where you have heard the name Pachmayr before, yes, it is the same 70-year old company that specializes in handgun grips and recoil pads.

No sooner had the ink dried on the signed contract, when the Pachmayr group began to tear down all the old and obsolete buildings. The remaining structures were completely renovated to blend into the new construction theme - Early California Mission motif. In less than nine months the original range was transformed from a weed-infested, run-down, third-class shooting place into a shooting showcase.

Crabgrass and foot-high weeds were covered with bright-green grass sod. Where there was once ramshackle skeet and trap houses, they were replaced with red tile roofed, tan sandstone brick buildings. The original coffee shop was replaced with a high-quality "pro" shop that features guns and gear to support all types of clay target shooting.

The theme of this newest shooting facility is to provide recreation to as wide a group of shotgun shooters as possible by offering 14 American trap fields, eight skeet fields, one Olympic (International) "bunker" complete with 15 traps, one Olympic (International) Skeet field, Starshot and a seven-acre Sporting Clay course designed by Dan Reeves.

For the "stick and string" enthusiast, there's a 35-acre Archery range that is rated 4-A by the National Field Archery Association. This mammoth facility boasts a 22-target practice range and a pair of Roving Field Archery Courses.

Most gun clubs are only open on weekends and maybe a day or two during the week. Pachmayr International is open seven days a week and offers shooting under the lights from Tuesday through Thursday. This is a busy gun club. Group or individual lessons are available from a talented group of respected instructors. Shotgun rentals and a wide selection of ammunition are accessible at the range.

What more could a shooter ask for? Chuck Prodam, the club manager, says that there will be a 100-meter Rifle Range along with a Indoor Pistol Range in the very near future. And, like any sophisticated "club" a gourmet restaurant with meeting facilities will be alluring to the businessman/shooter. So instead of meeting at the "links" to discuss a business deal, Pachmayr International hopes to convert golfers into gunners.

The new site will also harbor the now famous Pachmayr Hunting School. Staffed by knowledgeable and experienced hunters/shooters, this hunting school has drawn students from all over the United States. The school is open from the fall through late spring. Reservations are a must.

How do the neighboring gun shops like the idea of a full-blown shooting range springing up in their backyard? To a man, they have felt a positive impact because of this new facility. As in any metropolitan area, most gun dealers are hard pressed to offer customers information on where to shoot within close proximity. Pachmayr International, because of its convenient "close-in" location, has proved to be a boon to the local gun shops.

Pachmayr, Ltd. knows the importance of maintaining a good relationship with their dealers, especially those in the Los Angeles area. The "on-grounds" pro shop and the companion retail store, located in nearby Pasadena, does not compete with most other gun shops as the merchandise offered by the two Pachmayr-owned retail outlets boasts many specialty items along with a pricing schedule that does not even attempt to neutralize discounters.

Another reason that local dealers are happy with the new Pachmayr International is the club's monthly ATA regularly scheduled trapshots. Usually held on the second weekend of each month, these sanctioned trapshoots are bringing in many new ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) & CGSTA (California Golden State Trapshooting Association) members. And these new aficionados, typically, spend big bucks on their newly found shooting sport. They are purchasing guns, ammunition, shooting clothes, etc. And most of these expenditures are with their local gun shop. According to personnel at Pachmayr International, at least 10 to 15 new members are signed up at each ATA trapshoot.