Mission Statement
Northern Illinois Rifle & Pistol Club, We are dedicated to furthering the encouragement of organized rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooting among residents of the United States in our community; with a view toward a better knowledge of safe handling and proper care of firearms as well as improved marksmanship. We work with members, Boy Scouts and other groups to forward the development of the characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline to fair play and self-reliance, which are the essentials of sportsmanship, citizenship, and patriotism.

History
The Northern Illinois Rifle & Pistol Club was started in the early 1960’s by a small group of people who wanted to get together to exchange loading information and to spend time shooting together as well as enjoying each others company. One of the original members owned the property where the range is located. His name was Reynolds Brown. Reynolds, his sister June and her husband Kenny Martin lived in the farmhouse to the north of the range.

(Range photos by Mike Redding)

When the club first started, there were only a handful of members and they used to meet in the kitchen at the farmhouse. Reynolds leased an approximately 5-acre range area to the club for a small fee. They built a small tin shed that faced the rifle range that served as a shooting house for the rifle range.  This original layout included a 100-yard rifle range and a 25-yard pistol range. Shooters on the pistol range had to stand outside.

When the membership grew beyond being able to sit around the kitchen table, they started meeting in conference rooms of companies where some of the members worked. Club meetings have been held at many places since the beginning.  The club presently meets at the Verdi Club 782 N. Madison St Rockford, IL, on the First Monday of each month at 7:00 PM.

In early 1997 we decided to build a new shooting house and went out for bid. Bill Butterworth and Tony Short submitted the lowest bid, and built the new shooting house with some help from a few of the members. It was built using NRA plans that were modified by Mike Busjahn to fit our needs and to keep the noise in the building. In 2000, the Range House was upgraded with soundproofing material to decrease the sound. We did this to maintain our good neighbor reputation.

The building is L shaped, with part of the building facing the pistol range and the other side facing the rifle range, with all shooters being under roof, so we can now shoot in all kinds of weather and stay dry. In 2002 we landscaped and seeded the 100-yard range, also put in graveled paths to the target back-boards on both ranges.