THE POWER OF BRANDING
Once you’ve built your range, you have the task of attracting and forging relationships with customers. To achieve this, your business requires a distinctive and memorable persona. The marketing world refers to this persona as a “brand.” Having a strongly-defined and reliable brand builds recognition and familiarity, which breeds credibility and trust. Your brand goes hand in hand with your reputation, so it’s imperative you pay ample attention to this aspect of your business.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR EQUIPMENT
A consistent look and feel throughout your facility creates an impression of polished professionalism and reinforces your range’s brand. Action Target offers extensive customization options to make it easy to achieve this consistency. For example, we can manufacture shooting stalls decked with your company colors, apply your logo to your equipment, and design paper targets uniquely for your range.
There are additional ways you can brand your building, such as etching your range name and logo into doors, interior viewing windows, walls, floors, and tables. You can also draw attention to your building by making it highly visible with attractive lighting and signs. Consider placing company mascots or branded vehicles in strategic locations to catch the attention of passersby.
Furthermore, invest in merchandise customized with your name and logo. It’s more valuable than you might realize. Not only will your customers enjoy the swag, but they will also serve as ambassadors of your business when wearing and using your branded gear. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can customize, be it apparel, patches, coasters, mugs, pens, flashlights, bumper stickers, and keychains. Remember, the experience your customer has with your brand impacts your reputation, so we recommend you purchase good quality items.
ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
While your facility may be a gun range primarily, it’s no secret that the success of your range is hinged on the quality of your customer’s experience. So why not make a name for yourself by offering more than a shooting space? For starters, ensure information about your products, services, and membership is readily accessible. Install markers to let customers know exactly where to go and with whom to speak if they have questions. Be aware that demonstrating expertise is critical when it comes to developing customer trust and loyalty, so take adequate time to educate yourself and your staff on range equipment, operation, and retail products.
It is also recommended that you invest in additional services, thereby creating a “destination location” for visitors. Such amenities may include:
- Coffee shops/dining establishments/grab-and-go snacks
- Locker rooms
- Gun safe room
- Firearm build services
- Corporate event space
- Member-only lounge
Remember, you don’t have to break the bank to make your space more inviting. If funds are limited, consider a comfortable conversation area and luxury coffee station.
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS AND PERKS
Gun range membership programs are one of the best revenue builders a business can employ. They provide a reliable income, grow your customer base, and motivate shooters to return again and again. It benefits both you and your customers to build a solid and rewarding membership program. There are many ways to enhance these programs, such as multi-member discounts, family packages and corporate bundles. You can also advertise gift memberships for special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
When it comes to making your gun range membership program enticing and accessible, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Consider combining memberships with discounted training classes. In addition to growing membership, this will also strengthen participation in your education platform. Furthermore, don’t hesitate to be creative in your approach to incentivizing membership and encouraging member participation. For example, nominate a “Member of the Month” and assign a prime parking space for this special member.
PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS
Product promotions and gun range events are a tried and true method for growing your business. While the options are countless, here are some suggestions to kickstart your creative ideas:
- A special discounted item of the month. Educate range employees about the item and encourage them to discuss it with customers.
- Member-only discounts on non-sale items. This shows loyalty to your members and promotes the perks of membership.
- Offer discounted lane time during off-peak hours or during extremes in temperature when shooting outside is undesirable.
- Host events such as special product release nights, date nights, zombie shoots, carnival night, costume parties, birthday parties, and bachelor/bachelorette functions.
- Capitalize on local events such as rodeos, fairs, and elections. For example, recognize customers who participate in an election by offering them a free patch or T-shirt (adorned with your range logo, of course!).
- Participate in charity fundraisers. Being active in your community has reciprocal benefits and raises awareness of your business.
Whatever your promotion or event may be, it is essential that you keep your members and followers in the loop via social media. Post well-timed, useful, and appealing information about product discounts, special rates, and upcoming events. Additionally, engage your followers by posting exciting images and stories during exciting and special occasions.
Beyond capitalizing on social media, invite a local news station to get the word out. It usually doesn’t require much effort to coordinate a media visit. Simply call the desired local radio or television station and provide event details. It’s a win-win situation: it provides content for the media and brings visibility to your business. Additionally, the presence of cameramen and broadcasting vans are an effective way to create hype and interest among those in the vicinity.
Remember to keep careful track of the performance of your promotions, gun range events, and advertising strategies so that you learn which efforts are most profitable. This will allow you to determine which activities you should repeat and evolve.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Networking with other local businesses may not seem practical for the niche shooting range business. However, crossing industry borders and working with other businesses in the community provides you with the opportunity to appeal to patrons from other industries who may not have otherwise been aware of your business.
Exactly how do you work with your community and appeal to different demographics, thereby expanding your customer base? Consider sharing your facility, for starters. Make your classroom available to other groups that need a place to convene, such as self-defense clubs, scouting programs, charity organizations, and your local chamber of commerce. Furthermore, become acquainted with catering companies and event organizers. Let them know referrals are welcome and provide them with details regarding group discounts and other package deals.
We also recommend building a strong relationship with your local law enforcement agency. Consider offering special “closed-range” training sessions for officers. In addition, show your support of military members through exclusive product promotions, special membership rates, and discounted shooting range time. Having a reputation as a select training facility for law enforcement and military will have a significant influence on your brand and credibility. Moreover, your customers will be attracted to the prestige and bragging rights of training in a select range of police officers and military personnel.
Public relations can be difficult no matter what industry you’re in, but for those who own shooting ranges and gun shops, it can be absolutely terrifying. It seems the majority of news stories about shooting ranges are purely negative and focus on 
When it comes to the media, it is not enough to say you’re building a “state-of-the-art” shooting range. You need to know what makes you unique from every other range that also claims to be “state-of-the-art.” Look closely at your equipment, business model, history, future plans, and services. Somewhere in those details is an angle that will draw the attention of the media. A great example of this is 
The media does not have to be your enemy. If you help them by providing a story that is newsworthy, they will help you. It is important that you reach out to them early in the process and approach them often. Invite them out to visit your range during different stages of the building process. Explain to them how your bullet trap works and why it is impossible for bullets to escape the range. Show them what makes your range unique. Give them the opportunity to shoot on your range (include both the reporter and the camera operator). Talk about how your range will protect the environment with your lead collection and ventilation systems. The more you get the media to your range, the more you can influence the conversation and educate the public.
Your range doesn’t have to be the source of the news in order to get into the news. In today’s world, there is no shortage of news stories involving firearms in one way or another. Present yourself as a firearms expert to the media, and they will seek your opinion. Doug VanderWoude, OnTarget Range Manager for 
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There are so many different types of “firearms instructors” that it’s virtually impossible to give a standardized answer to this question. In no way do I think I have all the answers to this question. The purpose of this article is to simply get instructors thinking about possible answers.
As I look at it, there are levels and stepping stones in your instructing career. Generally speaking, I would venture to say some of the best instructors have law enforcement (LE) and/or military backgrounds. However, I’m sure there are exceptions out there.
Since we are trying to define what a professional firearms instructor is, it seems the first place to start would be to discuss professionalism. As I said earlier, there are many types of instructors which will alter some of the requirements. To begin with, we owe it to our students and our industry to have a clean professional appearance and attire. If you’re honest with yourself, it’s hard to disagree with the idea of showing a professional appearance. It’s not difficult to wear a polo or other collared shirt. Wearing some sort of T-shirt or an untucked shirt just tells your students you’re sloppy and unprofessional.
I have already mentioned that you can always learn something new. To do that, you need to continually reevaluate yourself as a firearms instructor. I put a date on all of my police recruit / instructor manuals to require myself to reevaluate the techniques, tactics, and gear every two years. If you haven’t changed any of your curriculum in more than two years, you have most likely rested on your laurels and are now becoming a liability. Be open to evaluating different techniques.
The worst thing a professional firearms instructor can do is to fail to vet a new technique, tactic, or piece of gear. Many times, I’ve watched an instructor go to a school or seminar, learn some new tactic, and come back to start teaching it as the “new coolest thing” in the world of shooting. Usually, within a few weeks or months, the instructor realizes the technique isn’t sound and may only work on flat, sterile ranges as opposed to real world situations. The problem is that the damage is already done. Every instructor is liable for what they have taught the students that have already completed the class. Good, professional instructors will vet any new technique before they go out and teach it to students. Consequently, they need to incorporate any changes into their lesson plans and stay consistent.
I still live by the old military adage we learned: KISS (Keep It Simple). We can drop off the last S. Trying to impress your students with big words only confuses the students and makes learning harder. There is no need to carry a dictionary on the range. It comes right back to the ego again.
About Dave Staskiewicz 
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The 
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With this trap, tightly grouped rubber curtains or lamellas are hung from a support structure to create a bullet stopping barrier. As bullets pass through the layers of rubber strips, their energy is dissipated until they come to a stop. A steel plate is mounted at the back of the trap to block rounds that make it through the lamellas.
Another European design uses a large steel chamber filled with chopped rubber and a penetrable rubber sheet across the front the keep the rubber granules in place.
The rubber block trap is similar in concept to the rubber granule trap, except the rubber granules are molded together to form a solid object. The rubber blocks are stacked on top of each other to create a wall that serves as the bullet trap. When a bullet is fired into the blocks, it is stopped and stored within the block itself. Like all rubber traps, the blocks are damaged with every shot and large holes can quickly develop, severely limiting the trap’s ability to stop bullets. As the holes get larger, the blocks get weaker and the whole wall tends to collapse under its own weight.
The wet funnel trap incorporates gently sloping steel plates that reduce bullet fragmentation on impact. As bullets hit the plates, they are directed to the narrow end of the funnel and enter a deceleration chamber where their energy is dissipated.
Instead of a continuous horizontal funnel, this trap uses a series vertically oriented funnel boxes to gather the bullets. As with a horizontal funnel, bullets are deflected by the impact plates into a deceleration chamber at the back of the trap where they are collected and stored.
Now, let’s take a closer look at how and why precision shooting works. The muzzle of the pistol must be square with the target to hit the target. Think perpendicular with a very slight upward angle to account for the effects of gravity on the bullet, and horizontally centered. We use our sights as a guide to position the muzzle on the target. The more precisely we align our sights, the closer the muzzle is to square with the face of the target, and the more likely we will hit our desired point of impact, assuming that the pistol is already zeroed. The clear focus on the front sight as viewed through the slightly out of focus rear sight allows us the best chance to position the muzzle square to the target. The target should be out of focus, but its shape should be apparent. As stated above, the eye will automatically find the center of any object.
Since it was founded in 1986, Action Target has had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest innovators in the industry from mechanical engineers to world-renowned law enforcement trainers. Each has left a unique impression and, in some cases, has even shaped the future of the company.
Maybe we as law enforcement officers need to reevaluate our IARD strategies and reconsider other solutions in defining who the first responder should be.
