Worcester Pistol & Rifle Club

Worcester Pistol & Rifle Club started in 1916 in Worcester as a simple indoor range in a factory building. After moving to Shrewsbury to add outdoor facilities, the club landed on its current 17-acre site in Boylston in the 1940s—and it's been expanding ever since.

Today it operates as a private, members-only facility with over 1,000 active members. The club calls itself Central Massachusetts's only indoor range with 24/7 access to its members.

The indoor range was completely renovated in December 2021. Here's what that means:

• •50-foot shooting distance with 5 heated firing lanes
• •Carey's Small Arms Range Purge-Style Ventilation System that brings in 100% outside air and exhausts 100% of the range air—keeps lead and fumes out
• •InVeris Computer Controlled Target Carrier System: touch-screen at each lane sends targets downrange with a button press
• •Military-grade ballistic glass and AR500-rated steel partitions for protection and sound dampening
• •Smartphone app or key-fob entry (note: fobs are being phased out—app access is now required)

Indoor Range Restrictions: - Handguns and .22 rimfire only (no center-fire rifles) - No shotguns - Paper targets only (silhouettes over 24" must be at least 40 feet downrange) - No armor-piercing, tracer, or incendiary ammo - Maximum center-fire caliber is .500 S&W (includes .44 Magnum, .454 Casull) - Drawing from dominant-side holster only; no cross-draw or shoulder-draw - No quick-draw or combat shooting - Eye and ear protection mandatory

• •110 ft × 75 ft with fully covered firing line
• •Hanging targets at 25, 50, 75, and 100 feet
• •All handguns and .22 rifles allowed
• •Clip & Shoot target hangers
• •Hours: Weekdays & Saturdays 9 AM–sunset; Sundays & holidays 12 PM–sunset

• •Newly renovated garage-style shooting station with covered lines
• •10 positions total: 8 seated + 2 prone inside the structure, plus 2 covered seated outside
• •Target stands at 25, 50, and 100 yards
• •All rifles allowed (no restrictions mentioned beyond general club rules)
• •Same hours as pistol range

• •50-yard 180-degree pit for shotguns and rifles
• •Shotguns up to 10 gauge; rifles up to .58 caliber
• •Only one group (member + guests) allowed at a time
• •Same shooting hours as other outdoor ranges

• •Fully heated
• •Restrooms and water fountain with bottle refill station
• •Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on site
• •Where monthly meetings and training events happen
• •State-of-the-art security with member-only access

The club runs several organized groups beyond just open range time:

• •Bowling Pin Shoots – competitive events
• •Indoor Pistol Team – organized competition
• •Pistol Sisters Women's Group – women-focused shooting community
• •Fall Raffle – annual fundraiser
• •Certified Firearm Instructors – on-staff instruction available
• •Indoor Range Training – required for new members
• •WACOS (Worcester Action & Competitive Organized Sports) – competitive shooting events with designated coordinators and safety officers

Prospective members can be challenged by current members during monthly meetings. Late dues payments by April 1 result in access deactivation and requirement to reapply.

• •Steel targets installed at the 100-yard rifle range (recently added)
• •Key-fob access ending – members must use the club's mobile app for entry; pairing codes and instructions available through the website
• •100-yard rifle range newly covered with garage-style structure for weather protection

The club maintains detailed bylaws covering general club rules, range-specific rules, and competitive event rules. All members and guests must sign in at the clubhouse with membership number, name, signature, arrival/departure times, and any damage or incidents. Non-members can only use the facility as a member's guest (max 3 guests on grounds; only 1 guest per member on indoor range due to space).

• •Key prohibitions across all ranges: loaded firearms only at firing line, actions open when not firing, cease-fire signals must be respected, no alcohol, no cross-range firing, no exploding targets, eye/ear protection mandatory.

For fully automatic firearms, members must notify an Executive Board member via email and contact Boylston Police (508-869-2453) on the day of the shoot.