Wheaton Rifle Club was founded in 1937 by shooters who wanted a place to practice their sport. Today, the club sits at 27W070 North Ave in West Chicago and operates an indoor 50-foot heated range plus outdoor facilities for rifle and archery competition. This isn't a casual range—it's a competition ...
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Wheaton Rifle Club was founded in 1937 by shooters who wanted a place to practice their sport. Today, the club sits at 27W070 North Ave in West Chicago and operates an indoor 50-foot heated range plus outdoor facilities for rifle and archery competition.
This isn't a casual range—it's a competition club focused on serious marksmanship and Olympic-style shooting sports. The club runs:
Range Access: Open Wednesdays for juniors, Fridays for all members, Mondays and Sundays by appointment. Indoor heated 50-foot range with comfortable meeting room, kitchenette, and fireplace.
Wheaton isn't just another club. Over 80+ years, members have produced Olympic gold medalists (Jack Wrighter, 1972; Nancy Napolski-Johnson, 2000), state champions, national record holders, and top-ranked shooters.
"We may be the only private club in the country that can boast of having two shooters who have won Olympic gold medals."
The club has dominated the Western Rifle League (established 1939) and won numerous state and sectional championships. Junior shooters like John Writer set national records, and the club remains a pipeline for serious competitive shooters.
Juniors age 11-21 get dedicated coaching and practice every Wednesday night (7-9 PM). Here's what's included:
The club owns basic gear available for beginners: - Shooting jackets and gloves - Slings - Try-before-you-buy equipment trial available
Wheaton hosts regular sanctioned events: - Western Rifle League matches (winter indoors) - 900 Metric Rounds (archery) - 4-Position and 3-Position conventional (NRA Smallbore) - JOAD Pin Shoots (Junior Olympic Archery Development) - Warren Knight Memorial (Illinois State 4P Championship) - Indoor archery league (Sunday evenings, Nov-Apr) - Metric International Rounds - Offhand matches (Bud Ardelt 100 Shot)
2026 membership applications are available. Contact Jim Appleby (Club President) at 630-664-4042 or [email protected] for membership details.
The club building (constructed 1948-1949) was built entirely by club members with no hired labor. Over 2,100 volunteer hours went into construction. That hands-on, member-driven culture remains core to how the club operates today.
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