Memphians: RangeUSA or RangeMaster?

[eapking]

A question particularly for folks who've trained at both: which do you like better for training?

[crnchy]

RangeUSA all the way! USA USA USA!

[Guest jackdm3]

I did Rangemaster for levels I and II. I doubt anything has changed regarding their "stern" attitude similar to Guns and A*******.

[G27]

RangeUSA, when I have to shoot indoors.

I just hate being in public ranges anymore - I get really tired of being around newbies with bad training and getting muzzle-swept 3x/hr...

[GIJake]

All of my training at Range USA has been a real pleasure. The staff is extremely knowledgable and professional. You'll get a quality experience without dealing with jackasses that take themselves way too seriously. I cannot recommend Range USA highly enough.

[Links2k]

I did Rangemaster for levels I and II. I doubt anything has changed regarding their "stern" attitude similar to Guns and A*******.

+1 for Range USA. I took the defensive handgun class there and loved the training, people and facility. I wanted to do the carbine class last saturday, but not enough people signed up. I thought that I was the only person who felt that I was walking amongst the gods while visiting Rangemaster. I was there for a purchase and they turned me off so much that I did not even consider shooting or training there.

[Punisher84]

I'd say Range USA. Rangemaster is OK if you're a guy's guy, but that's pretty much what they teach to and that's it. Not real newbie or female friendly.

The training at Range USA is really made great by the instructors. There are one or two who are just "training trainers" as in they weren't cops or military so they're textbook I guess, but the main guys that teach regularly are top notch. Chip, Mike, and Dave are good people and great instructors. I've taken the majority of the classes and I loved them.

[eapking]

Thanks all. Appreciated.

[Links2k]

I'd say Range USA. Rangemaster is OK if you're a guy's guy, but that's pretty much what they teach to and that's it. Not real newbie or female friendly.

The training at Range USA is really made great by the instructors. There are one or two who are just "training trainers" as in they weren't cops or military so they're textbook I guess, but the main guys that teach regularly are top notch. Chip, Mike, and Dave are good people and great instructors. I've taken the majority of the classes and I loved them.

Chip was a great instructor and he made the class informative and fun.

[deerslayer]

I'll have to stick up for Rangemaster. I took Combative Pistol I with Tom Givens. We weren't there to make friends or have a laugh. We were there to learn and train with one of the best. That we did.

[Guest jackdm3]

No-nonsense instruction is good, but a warm environment speaks volumes. We want to be somewhere we hate to have to leave, not where we can't wait to get the Hell out of when class is over. RM is close to my house, and I go there when I need to, but I find myself looking elsewhere. It's not just about the nature of the direct instruction. It's about those behind the counter. It's about the friendliness of the whole staff. When they act like the guys at Memphis' biggest gun store, you don't feel valued. That's an incredibly poor business model!

[G27]

If RangeUSA had a bigger gun selection, it would b the perfect shop.

I love it there.

[Links2k]

If RangeUSA had a bigger gun selection, it would b the perfect shop.

I love it there.

+1

[Links2k]

No-nonsense instruction is good, but a warm environment speaks volumes. We want to be somewhere we hate to have to leave, not where we can't wait to get the Hell out of when class is over. RM is close to my house, and I go there when I need to, but I find myself looking elsewhere. It's not just about the nature of the direct instruction. It's about those behind the counter. It's about the friendliness of the whole staff. When they act like the guys at Memphis' biggest gun store, you don't feel valued. That's an incredibly poor business model!

+1 You get it!

[Guest Aziroth]

I was strictly Rangemasters for a long time, until I went to range USA. My wife still likes Rangemaster more for some reason, mostly because they know us and always have been friendly. But they are not that friendly to others, their booths are old fashioned, always smells of mildew, don't have that great of a gun selection and don't allow for rifle rounds even on the weekends.

Like I said Rangemasters were never unfriendly to my family and I, but I have heard story and saw plenty of times when they were like the acclaimed Guns and Jackholes. I would not want to be in that environment and for those of my friends who do think of the place like that we go elsewhere. Overall when its just me and the lady we go to RM just to shoot and not be around many people we don't know, when its me and the guys we go shoot it up at USA and eat at their pretty good little diner. I will always have a place in my heart for The Colonel through.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Aziroth

[BigPoppa]

We weren't there to make friends or have a laugh. We were there to learn and train.........

I submit that these things are not mutually exclusive. People seem even to learn better with a slightly more relaxed (but never unsafe) environment. A good instructor knows when to let things be loose and light for a while, and when to tighten the reins back in to get some work done, and students will usually follow that lead.

Having said that, I have had good experiences with both Range USA and Rangemaster.

[Punisher84]

We weren't there to make friends or have a laugh. We were there to learn and train with one of the best.

Like BigPoppa said the two don't necessarily have to go hand in hand, but more people respond to a friendly/relaxed training environment than a strict no-nonsense ******* attitude, particularly new and female shooters.

I don't drink the Tom Givens kool-aid and I think the guy is a decent trainer, but I think he runs a crap shop. His employees are jerks that have run off more people than I can count. Maybe since he, or at least someone claiming to be him, joined the site today he'll take some of this to heart or he'll react like JY and challenge us nay-sayers to a gunfight.

[Tango down]

Range USA hands down. I too shoot at both facilities and always feel more valued as a customer at Range USA. Scott Kilby has always been pleasant to do business with, and he has done good at making his business excel. Does anyone remember when it was Whitten Arms? What a difference it is now.

Edited February 25, 2010 by Tango down

[Guest That Guy]

Yup, I give it up to Range USA. Their training is some of the best money can buy. While their instructors and help are friendly, I would also put my money on them if they had to "throw-down". They have always been helpful and don't make me feel inferior when I ask a question. Plus, they've got some hot women AND good food!

[Guest Tom Givens]

Since someone sort of challenged me by name to respond to the criticisms noted in this thread, I thought I’d take a moment to do just that.

First, if I or one of my staff offended you, I sincerely apologize for that. We don’t try to offend anyone, but we do take self defense issues very seriously. We don’t think of ourselves as a general gun shop, nor even a recreational range, like most such indoor operations. Instead, we are a training facility, first and foremost. If you come in and try to convince us that the cheap .25 auto in your pocket is all you need for self defense, we might be a bit dismissive of you.

We train about 2500 new shooters a year in the permit classes alone. We also offer a number of other courses in handgun, shotgun, edged weapons, empty hands skills, etc. We bring in nationally known trainers several times a year, to expose our students to other teaching styles and content. We are one of only two schools in Tennessee certified by the Dept of Safety to teach and certify instructors for the state’s Handgun Carry Permit program. We recently conducted such a class, and had instructor students from Texas, Florida, and all over Tennessee. We also teach classes all over the US. This year we’ll be doing road classes in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other places. We have a national reputation as a training school, not just a local one.

Every single employee here, including sales staff, are state certified instructors, NRA certified instructors, and almost all shoot in competition. They have an enormous base of knowledge and experience. We have in-service training one night each month for the staff, and they have a very high skill level. Perhaps some people confuse this competence with arrogance.

We have trained over 30,000 local students since 1996. Because of that high number of students, we’ve had 51 who had to use their training in self defense, the most recent just a few weeks ago. They all won. That is why we take what we do so seriously. Any business that services that many customers will have some who are unhappy, and you tend to hear from them far more than from the thousands who have no complaint. If we do something to make you unhappy, come see me personally, and I’ll see that we do everything possible to make it better. That’s the best I can do.

[deerslayer]

Like BigPoppa said the two don't necessarily have to go hand in hand, but more people respond to a friendly/relaxed training environment than a strict no-nonsense ******* attitude, particularly new and female shooters.

I don't drink the Tom Givens kool-aid and I think the guy is a decent trainer, but I think he runs a crap shop. His employees are jerks that have run off more people than I can count. Maybe since he, or at least someone claiming to be him, joined the site today he'll take some of this to heart or he'll react like JY and challenge us nay-sayers to a gunfight.

I think Yeager challenges people to an airsoft gunfight. You would probably lose.

The biggest gripe I hear about RUSA is that, like many permit classes, they finish before the mandatory 8 hours or whatever it is. My wife and several friends got their permit training at RUSA, and all grumbled about being held the last hour or two so the teacher could BS and tell stories. I'm sure some of the stories are fascinating to newbies. Tom can elaborate on this more than I can, But Rangemaster takes full advantage of the whole 8 hours.

[Guest CK1]

I think Yeager challenges people to an airsoft gunfight. You would probably lose.

I don't know... Yeager might run away and hide in a ditch.

(not trying to be a jerk, just saw this and it is kind of ironic that he challenges people to gunfights, even airsoft gunfights...)

Whatever, kidding (sort of).

You guys are pretty harsh, Memphis must be tough.

[Guest jackdm3]

Memphis is the ideal training ground.

[saintsfanbrian]

I have been to both - went to RangeMaster's when RangeUsa was closed for the birth of a child.

At RangeMasters I saw just as many people being unsafe as I did safe and that was with a Range Officer sitting on the bench behind me.

One person (a trainee for the MPD) actually shot the floor a few feet in front of the shooting benches.

The range officer fussed at the person (rightfully so).

I was never made to feel "welcome" in their establishment. I felt as if I was in Guns and Ammo and that is a place I will never go back to.

I think the lighting at both places is a little dim for my tastes.

[Guest jackdm3]

This should have been a poll.