A trap and skeet club fifteen minutes from our Seminole place, a multi-discipline club that’s been running since 1966, two well-run indoor ranges, and one of Florida’s best sporting clays courses about forty-five minutes north. All of them rent guns and teach beginners, so you don’t need to travel with anything.
Every venue on this page rents shotguns or handguns, supplies eye and ear protection, and has staff who spend their days teaching first-timers. Reviewers at the local clubs describe turning up having never held a firearm and being walked through it patiently by an instructor.
Three practical things before you go:
- Call ahead. Hours at the clay clubs are limited and irregular — several are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and some are evenings-only midweek. Rental policies vary too, and some ranges have rules about shooting alone with a rented firearm.
- Ask what ammunition is allowed. This varies more than you’d expect. Some clubs require steel shot rather than lead; ranges have their own restrictions on steel-core and reactive ammunition. Buy on site if in doubt.
- Book instruction if you’re new. An hour with an instructor is the difference between an enjoyable morning and a frustrating one, and every place listed below either teaches or can point you to someone who does.
The Map
Shotgun Sports: Clays, Trap and Skeet
🥇 Skyway Trap & Skeet Club — the closest
3200 74th Ave N, St. Petersburg — (727) 526-8993
The nearest clay target club to both our rentals, and by the reviews an unusually welcoming one for beginners. You can arrive with nothing: they’ll fit you out with eye and ear protection and a choice of shotguns in various gauges, with steel shot available for the rental guns. Instructors get named repeatedly and warmly in reviews for the time they spend with first-timers.
Hours are the thing to plan around. Closed Monday and Tuesday, then evenings from mid-afternoon Wednesday through Friday, and daytime only at weekends. Evening shooting under lights is part of the appeal.
Good for: a first-ever go at clays, or a couple of hours after a beach day.
🥈 Silver Dollar Shooters Club — the serious trap venue
17202 Target Way, Odessa — (813) 920-3231, about 35 minutes north
A large, well-run facility built around trap shooting, and a regular host of tournaments — shooters travel here from out of state for them. Open seven days, roughly 9am to mid-afternoon. There’s a clean restaurant and grill on site that regulars rate highly, which makes it an easy half-day.
Good for: experienced trap shooters, or anyone who wants to watch a competition.
🥉 Tampa Bay Sporting Clays — the best day out
10514 Ehren Cutoff, Land O’ Lakes — (813) 929-6200, about 45 minutes northeast
If you want a proper sporting clays day rather than a bay of trap, this is where to go. Multiple courses — visitors count six or seven — each with several stations, spread across genuinely attractive grounds where people report seeing deer between stands. There’s also a gun range and archery on site, which makes it work for a mixed group where not everyone wants to shoot clays.
Rated 4.8 across several hundred reviews, with families and repeat visitors of a decade or more. Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wednesday and Thursday mornings only, and until late afternoon Friday to Sunday.
Good for: a full day, a group, or a family with mixed interests.
Also on the shotgun side
Wyoming Antelope Club (below) runs trap and skeet alongside its rifle and pistol ranges — useful if your group wants to do both in one visit.
Rifle and Pistol
🥇 Wyoming Antelope Club — the local institution
3700 126th Ave N, Clearwater — (727) 573-3006
Open since 1966 and run by volunteers, this is the closest full outdoor range to both properties and the only place nearby covering rifle, pistol, trap and skeet on one site. There’s a genuine range of disciplines and matches to get involved with, and the range officers take safety seriously — which is exactly what you want.
Fair warning from the reviews: it’s a traditional club, and some visitors find the range-officer culture strict or old-fashioned. There have also been complaints about the range fee rising. Call to confirm current fees and what’s permitted before you drive over, especially if you’re bringing anything unusual.
Closed Mondays. Roughly 9am to 1pm Tuesday to Thursday, later on Friday, and full days at weekends.
🥈 Shoot Straight Clearwater — best indoor option
4594 Ulmerton Rd, Clearwater — (727) 546-4447
A large indoor pistol range with a substantial retail floor attached, open seven days from mid-morning to 7pm. Nearly 1,500 reviews and a solid rating. Beginners are well handled — one reviewer describes staff setting up a lane away from other shooters to ease first-timer nerves. Safety classes and concealed-carry courses run regularly.
One caveat: there have been complaints about the pistol range’s air conditioning being out for extended stretches. Worth asking when you call, since an indoor range in a Florida summer without AC is genuinely unpleasant.
🥉 Reload Gun Range — north county
40050 US Hwy 19 N, Tarpon Springs — (727) 935-6623
Clean, well stocked, and repeatedly praised for staff who take time with nervous first-timers — several reviews describe bringing a parent or partner who’d never held a firearm and having it go well. Rental guns available in a range of options so you can compare. Open until 9pm most nights, closed Mondays.
Instruction
🎯 Survival Fittest Pistol Courses
Clearwater — a perfect rating across more than 400 reviews, with the instructor named in almost all of them. Beginners and couples are the recurring theme: people describe arriving having never held a handgun and leaving confident. Open seven days, 8am to 8pm, and takes one-on-one bookings.
🎯 Mad Dog Armory — closest to both rentals
11606 Seminole Blvd, Largo — (727) 304-4443. A gun shop and gunsmith rather than a range, but they run concealed-carry courses and a well-reviewed ladies-only handgun class that’s described as welcoming and judgment-free. About three miles from our Largo place. Closed Sunday and Monday.
🎯 Arms For Defense
29176 US-19, Clearwater — a small shop where the owner teaches concealed-carry classes and is well reviewed for patience with new and young shooters. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Gunsmithing and Supplies
- Cracker Boys Outdoors, 4508 62nd Ave N, Pinellas Park — gunsmithing with a strong local reputation, including salvaging firearms damaged in the 2024 flooding. Closed Sundays.
- Mad Dog Armory, Largo — gunsmithing alongside retail.
- Bill Jackson’s Shop For Adventure, 9501 US Hwy 19 N, Pinellas Park — a genuine institution and worth a visit even if you’re not buying. A large outdoor outfitter covering hunting, fishing, diving and more, with instruction in various outdoor pursuits. 4.8 across nearly 4,000 reviews.
Not Shooting, But Adjacent
🏹 Britton’s Archery Supplies & Range
1743 S Pinellas Ave, Tarpon Springs — (727) 488-8699
A small, family-run archery range and shop that reviewers describe as a hidden gem. The owner teaches beginners and is repeatedly praised for his patience with children — families report kids asking to come back before they’ve left. Open Thursday to Sunday, daytime only.
This is the best option on this page for a family with younger children, and no firearms involved.
Safety and Etiquette
👂 Eye and Ear Protection Is Mandatory
Every venue requires both, and every one of them will lend or sell you a set. Doubling up — plugs under muffs — is worth it at indoor ranges.
🎓 Listen to the Range Officer
Range safety officers have final say, always, and their instructions are not up for debate. If you’re unsure of a rule, ask before you handle anything.
📋 Bring ID
Expect to show photo identification and sign a waiver at any range. Rules on renting to solo shooters vary between venues — ask when you call.
🧒 Ages and Supervision
Minimum ages and supervision requirements differ by venue, and several of these places actively welcome families. Confirm the specifics for your group before you drive over.
📖 Know the Law
Florida’s rules on carrying, transporting and storing firearms are their own subject, and they apply to visitors as much as residents. We’re not the right source for that — use the official links below, and if you’re travelling with a firearm, check the rules for every state you pass through as well as Florida’s.
Official Information
Hours, fees, rental policies and ammunition rules change, and several of these venues have limited or unusual opening times. Always confirm direct before you drive:
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement — the state agency for firearms background checks and related matters.
- Florida Concealed Weapon License information — the official state page on licensing and reciprocity.
- Florida Fish and Wildlife — Hunting — for hunting seasons, licences and public shooting ranges statewide.
- FWC — non-lead ammunition guidance — relevant where clubs require steel shot.
- National Shooting Sports Foundation — beginner guides and range-finder resources.
We are not affiliated with any of the venues or organisations listed here, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
From Our Rentals
Our Largo rental (1731 Clearwater Harbor Dr): Mad Dog Armory is about three miles. Shoot Straight and the Wyoming Antelope Club are roughly fifteen to twenty minutes east. Skyway Trap & Skeet is about twenty-five minutes.
Our Seminole rental (13189 87th Ave N): Skyway Trap & Skeet is the closest clay club at roughly fifteen minutes. The Wyoming Antelope Club and Shoot Straight are both around fifteen minutes.
Planning a shooting weekend? Ask us — and book clay club times ahead, because the good ones keep short hours.
