Does nashville need a kick-***range in the city? How would you build it?

[kesava]

My needs would be

• $125/year
  
• Big ammo selection, reasonably priced
  
• Shoot from draw
  
• Children 9 and older allowed
  
• Pop up urban combat zone (I could go on and on about this, but basically a house with reactive metal targets that pop up as you walk through and glow red when shot in head or torso. movebale walls for different scenarios and all that crap)
  

Just to name a few....

How about you, what would like in a range here in nashville, or memphis or knoxville for that matter?

[Paletiger13]

Definitely urban

[SavageSig]

Cheap, local, and safe. You can keep the urban combat zone if it makes it that much more expensive.

My needs would be

• $125/year
  
• Big ammo selection, reasonably priced
  
• Shoot from draw
  
• Children 9 and older allowed
  
• Pop up urban combat zone (I could go on and on about this, but basically a house with reactive metal targets that pop up as you walk through and glow red when shot in head or torso. movebale walls for different scenarios and all that crap)
  

Just to name a few....

How about you, what would like in a range here in nashville, or memphis or knoxville for that matter?

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

My needs would be

• $125/year
  
• Big ammo selection, reasonably priced
  
• Shoot from draw
  
• Children 9 and older allowed
  
• Pop up urban combat zone (I could go on and on about this, but basically a house with reactive metal targets that pop up as you walk through and glow red when shot in head or torso. movebale walls for different scenarios and all that crap)
  

Just to name a few....

How about you, what would like in a range here in nashville, or memphis or knoxville for that matter?

Sounds great. Let me know when you find the benevolent person that's willing to build that Mecca and only charge $125 a year.

[Smith]

I know someone who has plans in the coming future (a few years) to have an awesome range complete with 100 yrd rifle all indoors here in Nashville!

[Guest jwp]

Sounds great!

You'll need 7,392 members to break even. Each will need to buy 8 boxes of ammo a month, every month for a profit.

[mikegideon]

Sounds great!

You'll need 7,392 members to break even. Each will need to buy 8 boxes of ammo a month, every month for a profit.

Gonna need a whole lotta lanes too

[kesava]

Sounds great!

You'll need 7,392 members to break even. Each will need to buy 8 boxes of ammo a month, every month for a profit.

Is that to make a profit in the first year? if so, that's a little much.

I figure at 500 members + $30 single visits for 20 Minutes on the urban combat ground for non members, you can bring in $250k/year, outside of ammo/gear sales. Over head will be very low. I figure it would take 5 years to pay for itself. But its not uncommon for businesses to have a 7-10 year profit plan.

[Warbird]

500 is a lot of members. I would be interested in how many members some of the more established indoor ranges have like G&L, On Target, Useltons, CCA have. JWP runs a gun range, so I guess he knows something about it.

You might think a basic building might be low overhead, but in reality it is enormously expensive to build and maintain. There are many environmental issues to be worked out. There are disposal issues. There are safety issues. There are air and exhaust issues. A clearing house like you talk about would entail very expensive steel fabrication on numerous walls in a structure. Each of these walls is enormously expensive on a standard indoor range. Most especially if you allow carbines to be used. And people will shoot everything. They will shoot at the ceiling. They will at non-shooting walls. You'd be amazed where they manage to shoot even in a basic range.

In any environment where you have people moving about and shooting you have a multitude of additional safety concerns and liability issues. The insurance on a business like that would be very high. Bottom line, it isn't cheap, nor is it low overhead.

That is probably why it hasn't been done and there are truly very few places where they do exist. Where they do exist the standard to use the facilities is quite expensive and managed by highly trained individuals (read high labor costs), who understand and maintain strict safety standards. They also usually seriously vett their clients and trainees.

While I would love to have a facility close that is like the one you talk about, if I was to own a facility like that, I don't know that I would simply allow folks to join and start running around shooting on their own. You would have to find a way to hold serious training and allow well known schools to draw people in to use the facility.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Warbird

[Links2k]

Sounds great. Let me know when you find the benevolent person that's willing to build that Mecca and only charge $125 a year.

That's what I was thinking.

[Metalhead]

Went to a NASR program once, and the thought process was that a stand alone range will never make a profit, but rather is a service to draw in customers. Since I have a range... yes, thats true.

[THE COOP]

If you build it, they will come... COOP

[DaveTN]

I always assumed that insurance and zoning was the reason we don’t have more indoor ranges. On-Target in Murfreesboro is in a high traffic retail area. I always figured they must pay a lot for insurance and was really surprised they could even build it where they are. I guess that’s why it cost $20 to shoot and I haven’t been able to buy a gun from them.

I have visions of a big complex with 50 yard indoor pistol ranges, 1000 yard outdoor rifle ranges, archery range, skeet, etc. With a large retail store with excellent prices (Like Buds). Doesn’t need to be in the city out in the country is fine. A one stop shop for all your shooting needs.

But I guess if it would make money, someone would have already done it.

[Smith]

I always assumed that insurance and zoning was the reason we don’t have more indoor ranges. On-Target in Murfreesboro is in a high traffic retail area. I always figured they must pay a lot for insurance and was really surprised they could even build it where they are. I guess that’s why it cost $20 to shoot and I haven’t been able to buy a gun from them.

I have visions of a big complex with 50 yard indoor pistol ranges, 1000 yard outdoor rifle ranges, archery range, skeet, etc. With a large retail store with excellent prices (Like Buds). Doesn’t need to be in the city out in the country is fine. A one stop shop for all your shooting needs.

But I guess if it would make money, someone would have already done it.

Like this? It's in German but you will get the picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyq90LEZe4k

[DaveTN]

Like this? It's in German but you will get the picture.

That’s a beautiful set-up, but they only have a few shooters at a time and they have a butt load of technology. (Not to mention the ceiling is also a backstop.) It must cost a fortune to shoot there.

In this economy I would think that to get a lot of business it is going to be price driven.

[Guest jwp]

Is that to make a profit in the first year? if so, that's a little much.

That's what it would take to service the debt and operate it.

[DaveTN]

You'll need 7,392 members to break even. Each will need to buy 8 boxes of ammo a month, every month for a profit.

Either you math is flawed or mine is. I’m sure you make more than two bucks profit on a box of ammo, but at $2 that’s $1.4 million a year in ammo profit alone and you haven’t charged a range fee yet. If your 7,392 members all shot their 8 boxes of ammo in one range session a month and you only charged a $10 range fee; that’s $887,040 a year. What are you planning on doing owning everything out right in a year?

[mikegideon]

Either you math is flawed or mine is. I’m sure you make more than two bucks profit on a box of ammo, but at $2 that’s $1.4 million a year in ammo profit alone and you haven’t charged a range fee yet. If your 7,392 members all shot their 8 boxes of ammo in one range session a month and you only charged a $10 range fee; that’s $887,040 a year. What are you planning on doing owning everything out right in a year?

It would be interesting to roll up the numbers. My gut feeling is that it would be hard to make it work.

[Guest jwp]

Either you math is flawed or mine is. I’m sure you make more than two bucks profit on a box of ammo, but at $2 that’s $1.4 million a year in ammo profit alone and you haven’t charged a range fee yet. If your 7,392 members all shot their 8 boxes of ammo in one range session a month and you only charged a $10 range fee; that’s $887,040 a year. What are you planning on doing owning everything out right in a year?

15 years of debt service. Operational expenses. It takes a lot more to operate a range than a store.

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Is that to make a profit in the first year? if so, that's a little much.

I figure at 500 members + $30 single visits for 20 Minutes on the urban combat ground for non members, you can bring in $250k/year, outside of ammo/gear sales. Over head will be very low. I figure it would take 5 years to pay for itself. But its not uncommon for businesses to have a 7-10 year profit plan.

You think overhead will be LOW?

Insurance?

Employees? How many walkins are you going to allow to walk through your shoot-unsupervised?

Inventory?

Upkeep?

You'll be lucky to break even........ever.

[Tempest455]

I like the idea. However, one of the best indoor ranges I have been to is located in Vandalia, OH and they charge $18.00/hr. I think $30 is a little steep and probably would not pay that to shoot.

[Jasongar8]

You know how to make a million dollars in the gun/shooting business? Start out with two million.

[Tempest455]

You know how to make a million dollars in the gun/shooting business? Start out with two million.

I think Drag Racing has it beat in that regard!

[kesava]

I think Drag Racing has it beat in that regard!

and I will raise you a restaurant.

There is money to be made in any industry yet. no matter the market saturation. Size, location and marketing.

[Warbird]

and I will raise you a restaurant.

There is money to be made in any industry yet. no matter the market saturation. Size, location and marketing.

This much is very true. A lot of gun shops go under every year because the owners sat back and waited for everyone to come to them. Or they provided poor service and never expanded their network or they simply did not allow their market to dictate what they should offer and they decided to offer whatever they were determined to offer come he!! or high water.

There are many many companies that provide many many products to the firearms industry and do very well. Some of these companies you have never heard of, and some are bantered about on boards every day like this one, that didn't exist a few short years ago.