Clear Creek Gun Range

I have begun to receive e-mail about the treatment customers have received when contacting, or using the facilities of, Clear Creek Gun Range located in League City, Texas. Please note both the complaint letters and the favorable letters.

If you have a complaint about any facility listed at The Gun Guy, please contact the Better Business Bureau and lodge a complaint. If you would like to e-mail me with the particulars, please tell me if I may list them for others to read. You will not be identified. If a reader wants to contact you, their e-mails will be forwarded to you for whatever action you wish to take.

I don't know if this is the correct email for this particular thing or not but [I] called the Clear Creek Gun Range off FM 1266 in League City, phone: 281-337-1722 to find out some information on pricings and other things the guy that answers the phone was real rude and ugly... [I] called 3 times and got hung up on the 4th time [I] called he finally answered and when [I] asked my question he answered real smug and sarcastic and then hung up on me again...then [I]called him back to ask for management and to tell him that [I] didn't appreciate him treating me in that manner and precided [sic] to tell him that he was a jerk and hung up on him he decides to call me three times in a row hanging up on me... I do not appreciate that kind of SO-CALLED proffessionalism [sic] no should he even be allowed to answer the phone period... I had around 8 people coming out to shoot and site in our guns but after that incident we've decided to go elsewhere, and like always as [I]'m sure you know good or bad business always travels by word of mouth and at this moment [I] have nothing good to say about how your employee acted or how he represents your business. Thank you for your time and hopefully this situation can be fixed in an orderly fashion.

Reader letter #2; November 2004: Negative

I saw your mention of rudeness at this range and thought I would pass along a similar story. I recently went to this range, paid my seven dollars and sat down at an empty bench. I was waiting for a cease fire to go put up my target. I sat there for about ten minutes and then when the cease fire was called walked down range and posted my target. When I got back to the bench the lady running the place started ranting and raving at the top of her lungs that booth was already taken by her brother. I told her that there was no gun bag, gun or ammo so it did not look taken and apologized. At this point shooting had started and the nobody was anywhere to be found at the booth besides her and I [sic]. I started gathering my things and then realized there was nobody there to take the bench. Since there was no body [sic] claiming the spot was theirs I told her at this point the bench was obviously being saved for her brother who was not there yet. I also told her I had no way of knowing it was taken but I was going to go ahead and move when her brother arrived. She continued to yell at the top of her voice which I sternly but politely told her was unnecessary. She kept yelling to the point that all shooting stopped to watch our little argument. At this point I noticed that there were no other open benches available and if I moved for her brother who was still not there I was not going to get to shoot as it was only about thirty minutes before they closed. This really upset me because they have a no refund policy very clearly stated so I informed her I had changed my mind and was not going to move because of her rudeness and the fact that I had paid to shoot and I would not allow her to take my money for nothing. I told her if people can save spots they should at least put a bag or something on the bench so that others would know. At this point she was yelling at the top of her voice and telling me to get out which I refused to do. She then pulled a pistol on me and told me to leave the premises or else! I told her that this was a misunderstanding and that there was no need to threaten me with a firearm, I gathered my things and left. I then proceeded to call the police. When the police got there it was clear they were very friendly with her and they ended up showing me a sign saying they can kick anybody out at any time for any reason they deemed necessary and that there was nothing I could do about it. I asked them about her pulling a weapon on me and they said that since I had a loaded weapon on the bench and was arguing with her and refusing to leave that she was justified and that if I did not leave I would be taken to jail. Needless to say I left. I later found out that the Kemah police have a key and can shoot there at anytime free of charge. I think these people should be avoided like the plague and let everyone I know that is even thinking of going there know about these people. It is obvious they have no respect for there customers and if you want to post this story feel free. I will be happy to provide my contact info for your readers if they have any questions as well.

Reader letter #3; November 2004: Positive

I read the two complaints about the Clear Creek Gun Range in League City, Texas and really have to wonder about the other side of the story. The reason I have to question these events is I've been going to CCGR for over 12 years and have never had any problems like the ones mentioned in the two complaints. I got my original concealed carry permit through them and renewed it four years later. It's due again in 2005 and plan on going back. Al Trug (not sure I spelled his last name correct) and his wife have run the range for the last 7 - 8 years and I've always been treated with the utmost respect and kindness. I do admit Al's wife is strict when it comes to calling the firing line, but this is only to protect the patrons of the range from the "less knowledgeable" people who may not realize you don't approach the benches when there are people down range hanging targets. If the gentleman who had an issue with the lady trying to claim an empty table, he should have approached Al's wife who would have corrected the situation if he actually was correct in assuming the table was open. As far as the other person who had issues with the phone call, there are a couple of things that he doesn't mention in his letter. One issue is cell phones don't work well in certain areas around here; there are several dead spots from lack of coverage. Another issue is they sometime use a portable phone at the range when no one is in the building and there could have been issues with the charge on the portable or distance Al was from the building which could explain the drops the gentleman; possibly perceived as hang-ups. Like I said before, I'd really like to hear the other side of the story before folks start condemning the range; mainly because I've never been treated anything like what was mentioned in the letters. Both Al and his wife have always treated me with respect and kindness. Please be sure to post my letter along side the other two to ensure people don't make snap judgments based on other peoples' misunderstandings. We don't have many ranges to choose from in Galveston county and they've already had to shutdown the skeet and trap sections at CCGR due to lack of participation. The last thing we need is to loose another gun range and it would be especially wrong if it were due to email postings by probably the onlytwo individuals who have ever had problems there. Another thing to be wary of in these days of anti-gun sentiment is people posing as someone they aren't. It's common knowledge around this area housing developers want the range closed and it wouldn't surprise me if they are behind one or both of these complaints. This is not a paranoid statement; it is fact.

Reader letter #4; December 2004 Negative

I was looking for there [sic] number to call when I found it on your web site. Funny thing, I was reading the complaints the moment I was calling and had a similar response. I called just to find out the hours and range fee. The man was extremely short and rude. I told him that I just needed to know the rifle range fee so I could sight in my shotgun. He told me in a very rude manner that "he does not allow shot guns on his 'rifle range'." I proceeded to tell him that it was a rifled shotgun, then the conversation ended abruptly by me telling him I will go somewhere else and hung up. Someone please tell me what the difference is between shooting a muzzle loader or a 300 whetherby [sic] out there or a riffled [sic] shotgun. I do not believe that a rifled shotgun is going to hurt his pile of dirt any more. Give me a break, that place has some issues!

Reader letter #5; January 2006 Positive (sort of)

I have been shooting at the Clear Creek Gun range for over 20 years. While it is true the range is run very strictly, I have never had a problem with the ladies on the firing line that could not be resolved quickly and politely. The owner Al is a different story. While attending CHL class I had the opportunity to hear him be very short and rude to every one that called in and had the misfortune of having him answer the phone. I witnessed him driving the riding mower up and down the range while it was active. When the bewildered shooters pointed this out to the ladies they shrugged their shoulders and said "what am I going to do? He is the owner." Then he made a pass with the mower right in front of the bench and shredded and mangled the brass shooters were hoping to reload.
My personal experience with his rudeness centered around having him receive a gun for me as a licensed FFL dealer. I specifically instructed the shipper to use FedEx (per Al's instructions) as his address is not serviced by the local mail carrier. I am quite sure (although this is deductive reasoning on my part) that the mail carriers refuse to service his business due to his repeated rudeness. There could be no other logical explanation for the local mail carriers not delivering or picking up mail at a legitimate address. I went to the gun range to pick up the gun, and when it did not arrive I called the shipper to get the FedEx tracking number to track the package. I was informed the package was shipped U S mail overnight service. I called Al to find out where the gun might be since the shipper had not followed the shipping instructions and I was told very rudely that "it was my problem now son" and he hung up on me. I called back to try and find out if they held the package at the post office and was met with more of the same rudeness and hung up on again. I called the postal service who informed me that the package would be returned to the shipper. I located another FFL dealer who did the transfer for $10.00 instead of the $25.00 that Rude Al charges, and have only been back to this range on very rare occasions. I recommend to everyone reading this to go to the range in Texas City, near the dike, as this is a top notch facility with the same price structure and is much better equipped. One of the great features of the Texas City range is that you can set up at a bench and place your targets at 50, 75 or 100 yards during the cease fire while remaining at the same station. At most gun ranges like Rude Al's you have to move your equipment from station to station to shoot at different distances. The particulars for the Texas City range are:
3901 Bay Street Ext, Texas City, TX 77590-6448. Phone: (409) 948-4291.
Please feel free to post this for the benefit of shooting enthusiasts who would like to have an enjoyable and well supervised shooting experience.

Reader letter #6; January 2006 Negative

AS today is a holiday for me, Martin Luther King Day, I decided to take my two sons to the gun range for some shooting. In preperation for this, I looked online to find details for the Clear Creek Gun Range to insure they would [be] open and it's hours of operation.
I was looking specifically for this range as I had been there many times in the past and it was the closest to my location. The first link I opened had leters indicat [text ends]

Reader letter #7; June 2006 Negative

I don’t know if you’re still taking these letters or not, but I wanted to add my name to the list of abused customers at Clear Creek Gun Range.
We (my husband, mother and myself) went to the Clear Creek Gun Range for the first time yesterday. We will not go back. We walked into the storefront and waited for several minutes before anyone even showed up to operate the counter. We paid our money, got our targets and walked outside to the range. The first thing we noticed was that the range was overgrown and dirty. The first thing you see upon walking out the back door is a huge pile of scrap lumber that I presume is used for silhouette frames. There was an older lady with a scowl on her face setting nails into a piece of wood. We moved to the range on the left hand side. It was difficult to know where we should be as both pistols and rifles were being fired on the left side of the range. My husband was shooting a .50 caliber and wanted to shoot at a different yardage than my mother and I. At this particular gun range the silhouette targets are fixed so there was no way we could sit together and shoot. We were kind of confused about what to do because there was a long section where no one was sitting but there were no silhouette frames were located. My husband went to inquire about setting up silhouette frames on this side so we could all sit together. He was told this side was being reserved for the Concealed Handgun Class. We were there about 11:00 am and the CHL class would not be shooting until later in the day. My mother went up to inquire about a refund. At no time during all these discussions did the scowling lady step forward to assist and at no time did we ever hear a cease fire called. When my mother asked for the refund, the scowling lady got involved. I made the comment that we didn’t get to do this very often and I just wanted it to be a nice day. Well the scowling lady started ranting and raving about it not being her fault that we weren’t having a nice day and what on earth else did I want to make it a nice day. When I started to explain that we wanted to sit together, she started ranting even louder, causing other shooters to stop what they were doing to watch. One man even packed up his gear and left. She started walking to the far side of the range and said, “If you want to find some places together, you’re going to have to walk a little. If you had walked down here you would see that these places are together.” The man’s leaving had caused 3 tiny places to open up together but did not address the issue of differen[t] distance targets. Now all of us would be forced to shoot at 15 yards. My mother asked if this was ok and when I made a comment TO MY MOTHER about the scowling lady’s attitude, she came flying back down the line yelling and shrieking about how no one was going to talk about her. With that she snatched the targets out of my hand and yelled to one of her shocked staff to give us our money back, we were leaving. We are not troublesome people. We are educated, respectful patron[s] who only wanted to have a nice day of shooting our pistols. We needed a little help and were treated as if we were an annoyance. I will never go back there.
It was interesting that when we found another outdoor range nearby, we indicated that we had started our morning with a bad experience. The staff and patrons there all said, “You must have been at A & R.” They all knew about this place and how bad it is. It should be noted that this range goes by A & R, Clear Creek Gun Range and Al’s Concealed Training. I’ve also seen about 5 different mailing addresses for them online. It seems that they change their name every time their business goes downhill from their reputation to make people believe their under new management.
Please feel free to use this information on your website.