Wheaton Rifle Club

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:

• •Smallbore (.22 caliber) rifle shooting – NRA-style target competitions, indoor and outdoor
• •Air rifle and air pistol – Olympic sport disciplines with special practice nights
• •Olympic-style archery – 70-meter and metric round competition
• •Junior programs – Separate coaching nights (Wednesday 7-9 PM) for shooters age 11-21
• •Western Rifle League team competition – Winter indoor matches across Illinois clubs
• •NRA certification classes – Basic rifle marksmanship and Boy Scout merit badge instruction

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:

• •All equipment provided by the club
• •Ammunition supplied for a small fee
• •NRA qualification certificates, medals, and patches
• •Access to competition opportunities
• •Boy Scout Venture Crew 79 membership (no extra charge) for ages 14-20
• •Coaching from certified instructors like Paula Lambertz and Mark Wolverton

The club owns basic gear available for beginners: - Shooting jackets and gloves - Slings - Try-before-you-buy equipment trial available

• •Indoor range: 50-foot, heated floor, professional setup
• •Outdoor range: Multi-position shooting, archery lanes
• •Amenities: Meeting room with kitchenette, soda, fireplace

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.

• •Junior Rifle Program: Coach Paula Lambertz, 630-289-3683, [email protected]
• •Junior Archery Program: Coach Mark Wolverton, [email protected]
• •General info: [email protected]

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.