Question for Memphis shooters

[tng27]

Range USA and RangeMaster - both looked like good facilities. I'd appreciate hearing opinions from regular shooters.

Thanks

[323ssplt]

Range USA!!!! The facilities are awesome,they have great deals on firearms and, most importantly, their staff is MUCH friendlier than Rangemaster.

[Guest HVAC Worker]

RangeUSA,topnotch,way better than Rangemasters.I have been on both ranges,USA top notch.If you dont agree I will pay for your range time.

[Guest truthsayer]

Range USA. Friendly staff, AR/Shotgun night, restaurant, the über attractive girl that does the fingerprinting, and clean potty.

[323ssplt]

+1000 for the hotties... The blonde and the redhead..

[jay1313g]

Range USA is the best I have ever visited. Just call RangeMaster and ask for info and you'll get a feel for the atmosphere there.

[Guest pjblurton]

+1000 for the hotties... The blonde and the redhead..

homina homina homina... I love's me some gun totin' mommas!

My vote is for RangeUSA as well... Babes not withstanding. The staff is MUCH nicer. Got a few of the commando types at Rangemaster...

[Guest Rick O'Shay]

Range USA. Friendly staff, AR/Shotgun night, restaurant, the über attractive girl that does the fingerprinting, and clean potty.

+1 on the hot fingerprinter, +100 on the hot fingerprinter sporting a piece.

[deerslayer]

RangeUSA has the nicer range. Rangemaster has the better training. Tom Givens (Rangemaster owner) is a bit of an A-hole, but he's my kind of A-hole. I shoot IDPA w/ several Rangemaster instructors, and a Tom Givens-taught class is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended, but I'd go there before I went anywhere else.

[G27]

RangeUSA fan here...

[eapking]

Range USA - no contest.

[Punisher84]

RangeUSA has the nicer range. Rangemaster has the better training. Tom Givens (Rangemaster owner) is a bit of an A-hole, but he's my kind of A-hole. I shoot IDPA w/ several Rangemaster instructors, and a Tom Givens-taught class is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended, but I'd go there before I went anywhere else.

I'm gonna have to have a friendly agree to disagree there. I'm not gonna knock Tom and say he doesn't know what he is talking about, but I think you can get more out of the Range USA advanced classes. I've taken several of the classes there and it's tailored to be beginner friendly, but keep an edge for the more seasoned type of shooter as well. I will also say that I have NOT taken a class at RangeMaster, but alot of my close friends have. So I am letting their opinion kinda influence me.

I did not take a class with them because they lost my business after one of the dinks at the counter literally tossed ammo at my wife when she asked to buy more.

I think RangeMaster could be alot better if they would drop their old man chauvinist attitude and try to be a bit more like Range USA, Top Brass, Classic Arms, etc.

RangeMaster and Guns and Ammo always come up as the people NOT to deal with 9 times out of 10.

[323ssplt]

I'm gonna have to have a friendly agree to disagree there. I'm not gonna knock Tom and say he doesn't know what he is talking about, but I think you can get more out of the Range USA advanced classes. I've taken several of the classes there and it's tailored to be beginner friendly, but keep an edge for the more seasoned type of shooter as well. I will also say that I have NOT taken a class at RangeMaster, but alot of my close friends have. So I am letting their opinion kinda influence me.

I did not take a class with them because they lost my business after one of the dinks at the counter literally tossed ammo at my wife when she asked to buy more.

I think RangeMaster could be alot better if they would drop their old man chauvinist attitude and try to be a bit more like Range USA, Top Brass, Classic Arms, etc.

RangeMaster and Guns and Ammo always come up as the people NOT to deal with 9 times out of 10.

I'm not going to be so polite. Givens is an overblown, out of touch blowheart. He treats his students like they were recruits at Parris Island. With VERY few exceptions, most people don't respond well or want to be treated like that. Chip Holland and his cadre of instructors at Range USA are EXTREMLY knowledgeable and VERY patient. Plus they teach real world stuff, not...Tacticool, mall ninja, "what I did and would tell you to do in Vietnam" ideals........end rant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[S&WForty]

To Givens' credit, my HGCC instructor at RangeUSA said very good things about him.

My personal experience a novice shooter? As everyone said, Range USA is much nicer, and the people are MUCH friendlier. When I walk into RangeMaster I feel like I am getting that "whut are you lookin' at?" stare. When you walk in at Range USA, it's like walking in CeCe's Pizza. "HI! WELCOME TO...!"

Yeah, that fingerprint gal is pretty good lookin', too!

My only gripe about Range USA is that depending on what the person to your left is shooting, you may feel like you've become a brass magnet. I had the casings from two lanes left of me flying over and hitting me. When my friend arrived, he was to my right. My casings were flying over at him. When you're trying to get some good practice in and establish good habits, other folks' casings hitting your arms, gun, and head get old real quick. My buddy refuses to go back to Range USA due to that.

As ratty as RangeMaster looks, it's hard to believe they have the lanes sealed off better. Their lanes have a "ceiling" that connects to the walls, so your casings stay in your lane. I'll stick with the friendly staff and endure the friendly fire of casings at Range USA.

Check out the calendar of events on Range USA's website. Last time I looked, they put on a movie night from time to time with movies most shooters would enjoy. They seem to go all out to make people welcome and enjoy their time there.

[memphismason]

Range USA!!!! The facilities are awesome,they have great deals on firearms and, most importantly, their staff is MUCH friendlier than Rangemaster.

Could not have said it better myself.

Range USA vote here

[memphismason]

so far I have

Range USA -10

Rangemasters -1

[tng27]

Well that pretty much answers my question. RangeUSA staff did seem friendlier and I'm going back to be fingerprinted!

[EMTRN]

RangeMaster and Guns and Ammo always come up as the people NOT to deal with 9 times out of 10.

I agree.

[Guest Halfpint]

Votes are already in, but I'm chiming in as another vote for Range USA. Kristen (sp?) and the other young lady are both very nice to talk to and are eager to help, on top of being attractive and armed.

The newly remodelled range is awesome. My only gripe is the brass hitting me from time to time, but that's an extremely minor thing. All in all, they've got my business until I get a membership at MSSA . . . and even then I'll probably drop by just because it's a shorter drive.

[Guest canynracer]

RangeUSA...hands down.

[saintsfanbrian]

That brass hitting you while you practice is to help make you more aware of your target and less aware of the person shooting next to you.

I don't know. I have been to both and I keep going back to RangeUSA. That should say something.

[jeffmem]

I have heard that the TWRA indoor range is nice too. The guys that used to shoot the bulls eye league moved over there from range usa. About 1/2 price too from what they tell me.

Range usa is nice as well. Ditto on the friendly staff (and some of them are members here).

[deerslayer]

I'm gonna have to have a friendly agree to disagree there. I'm not gonna knock Tom and say he doesn't know what he is talking about, but I think you can get more out of the Range USA advanced classes. I've taken several of the classes there and it's tailored to be beginner friendly, but keep an edge for the more seasoned type of shooter as well. I will also say that I have NOT taken a class at RangeMaster, but alot of my close friends have. So I am letting their opinion kinda influence me.

I did not take a class with them because they lost my business after one of the dinks at the counter literally tossed ammo at my wife when she asked to buy more.

I think RangeMaster could be alot better if they would drop their old man chauvinist attitude and try to be a bit more like Range USA, Top Brass, Classic Arms, etc.

RangeMaster and Guns and Ammo always come up as the people NOT to deal with 9 times out of 10.

I agree fully that the Range USA staff is friendlier, but would you want all Marine Corps Drill Instructors to be nice and friendly? Ok, maybe that was a silly comparison, but the last class I took at Rangemaster was a serious, weekend-long venture. I wasn't there to make friends or hear good jokes; I was there to study some grave topics and sharpen my gun-handling skills.

I was basing part of my opinion on actual experiences of friends and relatives at Range USA, as well as my experiences at Rangemaster. When attending Range USA's handgun carry permit class, one is sometimes subjected to a couple hours of storytelling, BSing, etc., at the end of the class. I have been told this by my wife, my brother, my neighbor, and several close friends, all of whom attended Range USA's permit classes. "Why couldn't they just let us go?" several of them said. The same thing happened when I attended permit class back in 2001 in Somerville. I attribute this to the state of TN mandating an 8 hour class, when it often really takes only 5 or 6 hours. At Rangemaster, there is less killing of the last two hours--they actually use those two hours to begin the first steps of everyone else's next level class. They touch on the basics of drawing from a holster, drilling students on drawing with their fingers off the trigger, prepping the trigger, etc. Anybody learn any of that stuff in your permit class?

I am actually very fond of Range USA and its staff--I think Scott runs a first class operation (plus, I like redheads, too). I have probably spent more hours on the range there than at Rangemaster. Last week, I actually recommended RUSA to my boss, who is a bit new in town. I've bought several guns from them. However, I feel that Rangemaster's training classes are a notch higher on the scale than RUSA's. When's the last time John Farnam or Massad Ayoob came to RUSA? I'm not obsessed with famous names or brands, but there's no denying Rangemaster's quality, IMO. I don't agree with every word that Givens says, but he has taught me things that I'll hopefully never use, but will never forget.

Sooner or later, I would like to take some training at Range USA. It would probably have to be some seminar or combination of classes or something, because I'm not going to start with their Street Level 1 and work up from there.

Edited February 18, 2009 by deerslayer

[Punisher84]

When's the last time John Farnam or Massad Ayoob came to RUSA?

Don't know John, but I had a 20 minute long conversation with Mas and Walt Rauch when they were there a few months back.

Like I said it's a friendly disagreement, because honestly this is how I look at it, If Tom and his staff are the kinda trainers someone is looking for then that's great because they are keeping them active in the sport and providing the service the customer is buying. I just think his staff, more so than him, are just a bit to brash at times and run the more skiddish beginner customers off.

Anybody in the gun business needs to be furthering training and responsible gun ownership to every age, race, and sex. It's the only way to keep the 2nd alive and well.

It's all about what you want and are looking for really.

[Guest canynracer]

I agree fully that the Range USA staff is friendlier, but would you want all Marine Corps Drill Instructors to be nice and friendly? Ok, maybe that was a silly comparison, but the last class I took at Rangemaster was a serious, weekend-long venture. I wasn't there to make friends or hear good jokes; I was there to study some grave topics and sharpen my gun-handling skills.

I was basing part of my opinion on actual experiences of friends and relatives at Range USA, as well as my experiences at Rangemaster. When attending Range USA's handgun carry permit class, one is sometimes subjected to a couple hours of storytelling, BSing, etc., at the end of the class. I have been told this by my wife, my brother, my neighbor, and several close friends, all of whom attended Range USA's permit classes. "Why couldn't they just let us go?" several of them said. The same thing happened when I attended permit class back in 2001 in Somerville. I attribute this to the state of TN mandating an 8 hour class, when it often really takes only 5 or 6 hours. At Rangemaster, there is less killing of the last two hours--they actually use those two hours to begin the first steps of everyone else's next level class. They touch on the basics of drawing from a holster, drilling students on drawing with their fingers off the trigger, prepping the trigger, etc. Anybody learn any of that stuff in your permit class?

I am actually very fond of Range USA and its staff--I think Scott runs a first class operation (plus, I like redheads, too). I have probably spent more hours on the range there than at Rangemaster. Last week, I actually recommended RUSA to my boss, who is a bit new in town. I've bought several guns from them. However, I feel that Rangemaster's training classes are a notch higher on the scale than RUSA's. When's the last time John Farnam or Massad Ayoob came to RUSA? I'm not obsessed with famous names or brands, but there's no denying Rangemaster's quality, IMO. I don't agree with every word that Givens says, but he has taught me things that I'll hopefully never use, but will never forget.

Sooner or later, I would like to take some training at Range USA. It would probably have to be some seminar or combination of classes or something, because I'm not going to start with their Street Level 1 and work up from there.

The permit class is just that...a class to educate you on the laws of carry in the state on TN.

If customers want more, (and they should) they should take the Level 1 class...

I would much rather take my tactical classes from guys that do it every day for a living.

I know that not all of the Rangemaster permit instructors have the experience that Givins has, so my question is, would you rather get drawing from a holster instructions from a guy that took an intructors course, or one that does it every day for a living?

Not knocking, or favoring one or the other... just something to think about.

but alas, I think this fine gentleman that asked this question got it answered.