Ben Avery Shooting Facility Offers New Shooting Opportunity

The Ben Avery Shooting Facility (BASF) is shining the spotlight on a new way to have some fun breaking clay targets.

When the sun goes down on the first and third Thursday each month, recreational shooters can gather behind the Clay Target Center Pavilion and give their shotguns an "after-hours" workout under the lights on the 5-Stand course. "5-Stand@Night" puts an exciting and challenging spin on a popular clay-target shooting game. From 7 to 9 p.m., shooters aim at colored targets that appear to be glowing against the dark, desert sky.

For New Shooters

For those new to the traditional game, 5-Stand involves shooting clay targets in rounds of 25 from five stands, with each shooter rotating from station to station. Clay targets are thrown in a predetermined pattern that is indicated on a menu. 5-Stand uses six to eight machines and simulates game-bird hunting.

The cost for this shooting opportunity is the price of the clay targets. Customers are encouraged to purchase a Gold Card before 7 p.m., when the facility closes Thursday nights. A Gold Card is a preloaded target card that has a one-time cost of $15. That target card then is used to load a minimum of $100 in clay targets (about 350). As an added bonus, the target card can be kept indefinitely and used anywhere at the Clay Target Center.

A Reminder

As a reminder, all firearms must be cased before entering the course. Customers are responsible for picking up their spent casings. Eyewear and hearing protection are required.

The Clay Target Center is a professionally managed public shotgun-shooting facility, located at 5060 W. Skeet St. (about 1.5 miles west of Interstate 17 on West Carefree Highway) in north Phoenix. Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. For more information, call 623-582-8313, or visit https://www.azgfd.com/shooting-sports/ben-avery-shooting-facility/.