Tag: shooting range

What to Consider When Building a Home Shooting Range

Posted on by Stage Marketing
Private home gun range with ballistic shooting stalls and target retriever

Few things offer as much joy and freedom as being able to shoot your firearms in your own private gun range. A home shooting range provides more than just a fun venue for shooting and a place to entertain your friends, it also provides you with training scenarios to hone your abilities as a shooter and develop the skills you need to protect and defend yourself, your family, and your home. If you’ve decided to build a private shooting range, there are many considerations to make sure you create a high-quality, engaging, and economical range that is reliable, easy to maintain, and safe.

Experience

Select an experienced shooting range vendor to work with your architect and general contractor. Shooting ranges are highly specialized, so your architect will certainly have questions regarding the design. Action Target™ designs, builds, and installs commercial and private gun ranges worldwide, and has the experience you need to build a quality home gun range. Action Target shooting range consultants are ready to assist with custom range designs and drawings for your home gun range. Reach out to the Action Target team early to help guide you through every phase of your project. (See past Projects here)

Planning

Consider how you present your plans to the city in which you are building your range. Some homeowners prefer to postpone installing a shooting range until after they occupy the home, often listing the space on the plans as cold storage, an archery range, or a panic room, and use the space accordingly until they are ready to build out the shooting range. However, in-home shooting ranges require careful planning during the design phase of the home to ensure proper dimensions, materials, penetrations, and space for the shooting range equipment. When planning a home range, meet with local zoning and planning departments early on to understand any codes with which you must comply.

Safety

When it comes to shooting ranges, safety is paramount. When designing a range, the materials used must provide complete safety for shooters. Walls should be solid concrete at least 8” thick (filled CMU, tilt-up, or poured in place), and use at least 4,000 PSI concrete. The ceiling should also use at least 4,000 PSI concrete, but you should avoid hollow core or other pre-cast concrete that contains voids or foam because it offers reduced ballistic protection. Solid concrete walls and ceilings provide the best solution to dampen noise and offer extra ballistic protection—crucial if your range is in a basement with occupied space above. The floor should use 5,000 PSI concrete (3,000 PSI min).

Purpose

What is the primary purpose of your home shooting range? Leisure, entertainment, 50BMG mag dumps? If you begin with a clear understanding about how you intend to use your range, Action Target range consultants can design a home shooting range to meet your needs and identify the right equipment and controls to operate it. By working with Action Target, you can ensure that you build a range that not only fits best with your budget but provides you with equipment that is tailored and built to last.

Design

Modern shooting ranges offer more than just concrete walls and paper targets. Today’s ranges are completely customizable to allow them to blend in homogenously with your home. Action Target range consultants help you make your product selection based on needs, performance, and aesthetics. Action Target offers standard and custom product designs that provide different functionalities and appearance for your home gun range. Combined with a variety of bullet trap options, ceiling baffle layouts, shooting stalls, and sound abatement solutions, your range will be custom-tailored to your needs and design specifications.

Product Offering

Action Target is the foremost provider of true turn-key solutions for any size gun range. From ballistic partitions, safety baffles, and acoustic treatments to target retrievers, bullet traps, lighting, ventilation, and even paper targets and range supplies, Action Target is the go-to for all home gun range needs. Why is this important for a homeowner considering installing a private gun range? Imagine needing service, or parts, only to discover that the vendor is no longer in business. Or worse, imagine you need to have several products serviced and you must coordinate with multiple manufacturers. Action Target simplifies the process of owning and maintaining a home gun range by being the expert for all equipment installed. Further, Action Target has a proven track record of maintaining range equipment—our longest-running target retriever has been in operation for over 15 years. When it comes to products, choose a company that offers everything you need for your home range, and who stands behind their products with long warranties.

Target Retrievers

Perhaps the most important choice you make in designing your private shooting range is the type of target retriever used. Action Target offers multiple retrievers to fit nearly any budget, but where possible, we recommend that customers use the Genesis retriever. The Genesis features pre-loaded games and training drills developed by leading firearms trainers to challenge every shooter. Whether you want to train or just simply be entertained, the Genesis can meet all your shooting needs. The addicting scenarios associated with a variety of dynamic targets provide you with an entertaining and unique shooting experience unlike any other.

Bullet Trap

For home gun ranges that do not expect a high volume of annual shots fired, a Rubber Berm Trap is often the best and most economic bullet trap solution. At low volumes, a Rubber Berm Trap requires little maintenance and lasts a very long time. Periodically the Rubber Berm requires mining to remove lead and maintain a safe environment, which service Action Target offers. Beyond that, regular maintenance to control rubber depth and fire retardant is required only periodically. The Vortex steel trap offers home gun range owners a high-volume option that simplifies lead collection. While the steel bullet trap has a higher up-front investment, it reduces lifetime maintenance costs by automatically collecting bullets in its deceleration chamber, eliminating the need for fire retardant application and preventing routine maintenance on rubber depth.

Ballistic Dividers

Ballistic dividers are extremely important when you have multiple lanes in your private gun range. These dividers can stop handgun and rifle rounds in the case of an accidental discharge. Action Target offers a full range of ballistic dividers, ranging from very economical to completely customized. A full line of accessories are available for ballistic dividers, including different table configurations for rifle and pistol, muzzle blast barriers, brass deflectors for shooter comfort, and rifle hangers for stowing unused firearms during sessions. Whether functionality, aesthetics, or budget is your goal, Action Target has you covered—literally.

Ventilation and Filtration

Another important safety factor in a home shooting range is the ventilation system. The shooting range ventilation system must be separate from the house system because it filters out harmful lead particulates and heavy metals. Ideally, your ventilation system should achieve a laminar negative air flow of 75 FPM, but not less than 50 FPM, and use an air filtration bank of HEPA filters. Action Target takes care of your ventilation needs, designing and installing systems guaranteed to meet all OSHA and EPA standards.

Life-Long Maintenance

Properly maintaining a home shooting range directly impacts its long-term operation. When properly maintained, you’ll enjoy a lifetime of hassle-free shooting in the comfort of your own home range. To ensure your equipment continues to function properly, Action Target provides a wide range of aftermarket services, programs, and products. Choosing Action Target for all your range products simplifies service and maintenance. Action Target customer service representatives are cross-trained to provide support for all products while on service visits or when providing over-the-phone support.

Warranty

We stand behind our customers and our products. To demonstrate our commitment to your success and satisfaction, and our confidence in Action Target products, we provide a Trusted Partner 3-year comprehensive coverage warranty that is 3x the industry standard.

Home shooting ranges are quickly taking the place as the entertainment option in custom homes. Action Target is dedicated to providing you a safe, comfortable, and fun shooting range where friends and family can compete and practice their skills as shooters.

Reach out to the Action Target Range Design Consultants to discuss your future in-home gun range.

RANGE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN SEMINAR

Posted on by Stage Marketing

Step by Step Process to Develop and Build Your Shooting Range

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to receive the best tools and information you will need to successfully complete your shooting range project. Attendance at the Range Development and Design Seminar allows you to meet with range consultants and other subject matter experts, visit local shooting ranges, and get answers to your questions about running a successful shooting range.

Topics Include

  • Experiences from Successful Range Owners
  • Range Design and Equipment
  • Identifying your Range Location
  • Navigating City Planning, Zoning, and Permitting
  • Lead Management Solutions
  • HVAC and Range Ventilation
  • Managing your Range and Retail Space
  • Public and Community Relations

HIRING AND TRAINING YOUR SHOOTING RANGE STAFF

Posted on by Stage Marketing

One of the most essential elements for a profitable shooting range business is recruiting, on-boarding, and training your shooting range staff. American customer service expert Shep Hyken observed, “A brand is defined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by the employees.” Your employees can make or break your long-term success. Even if you have 19 all-star employees and only 1 employee who underperforms, your shooting range business is likely to suffer as a result. A single negative customer service experience can hurt your reputation. Conversely, having a reputation as the shooting range with the most engaging and supportive customer service will ensure shooting enthusiasts choose your business time and time again.

THE FACES OF YOUR SHOOTING RANGE

Who You Should Hire

Bruce Nordstrom, the former chairman of one of the most successful department store chains in America, perpetuated the philosophy that you can teach people to sell, but you can’t teach them to be nice. While it is important that employees have a sound understanding of firearms and shooting experience, this should not take precedence over hiring individuals with the right attitude. When building a team, your primary priority should be finding employees who are eager to learn, connect well with others, listen carefully, and ask questions. Supplementary training can ensue as needed.

How to Find the Right People

Where do you find the perfect team member? The answer is more obvious than you might think: Anywhere and everywhere. Pay attention to other service-oriented businesses. Have you recently encountered an impressive server at a local restaurant? Has a sales clerk at a sporting goods store brightened your day with their helpful and positive attitude? Consider appealing to former military or law enforcement personnel. Provided their personality is a match, they will bring experience and credibility to your shooting range business.

Avoid the common pitfall of hiring relatives or friends. Hiring those from your family or social circles may be disadvantageous both professionally and personally. It can be challenging to hold them to your business standards. It is also very difficult to terminate their employment, should the need arise.

Hiring Checklist

In addition to hiring gun range staff who expertly represent your brand, don’t forget these following crucial checks and tests:

  1. Background and Criminal Record Checks

It is your responsibility to check that members of your gun range staff do not have a record of behavior that could jeopardize your business and the safety of your patrons and other employees. Most shooting range owners require employees to participate in a CCW permit course as part of their training. During the interview, inform candidates that through the process of obtaining a CCW permit, a background check will be performed to verify their eligibility to handle, carry, and own firearms.

  • Drug Testing

During the interview, make sure you inform candidates that a drug test will be performed prior the employee’s first day on the job. Additionally, let them know that random drug tests will be performed throughout their employment.

  • Lead Safety and Blood Lead Testing

Exposure to lead is one of the risks that accompanies working in a shooting range. It is imperative that you inform new hires about this risk and that you educate them on proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves. Furthermore, make sure you teach your employees how to avoid spreading lead to other parts of the range, their vehicles, and their homes.

While you should take all appropriate precautions to minimize lead exposure, it is still important that you monitor your employees closely and regularly test their blood lead levels. Test all new hires to obtain a baseline blood lead level. From there, require bi-annual tests for employees who perform range maintenance and annual tests for other employees.

  • Work expectations
    During the interview, make sure you explain any work expectations such as unusual schedules. For example, do you expect employees to work during nights, weekends, or any holidays? Do you require employees to lift and unload pallets of ammunition or perform any other physically demanding tasks? If so, make sure you discuss these expectations and minimum lifting requirements.

TRAINING AND ONGOING EDUCATION

Effective Training Methods

When it comes to training your shooting range staff, make sure you are adaptable in your approach. For example:

  • Provide opportunities for hands-on learners to shadow a supervisor or cross-train with another employee.
  • Recommend helpful websites, videos, and literature to employees who learn better by studying data.
  • Act out potential customer scenarios for employees who can benefit from practicing interpersonal skills.

No matter which training techniques you employ, create opportunities for trainees to teach what they learn. This is a tried and true method for helping individuals retain information.

Ongoing Safety and Emergency Training

Not only should safety and emergency training be at the top of your training agenda, but it is also imperative that this training is ongoing. It is your responsibility to provide regular instruction on handling firearms and how to respond in the event of injuries, theft, and other emergency situations. Role play with range staff how to manage emergency situations in the range. Scenarios can include contacting emergency personnel, calling a cease fire, securing firearms, and administering life-saving first aid.

Furthermore, develop standard operating procedure (SOP) documents for all areas of your shooting range business, such as retail, range check-in, and range operations. Make sure all employees receive these SOP documents and test them routinely to ensure they properly understand and retain the information.

ATF Form 4473

All Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) businesses are required to properly complete an ATF Form 4473 for each firearm transaction. Given the detailed requirements as well as the potential penalties for errors, it’s important that your employees are trained to fill out the form accurately and are prepared to answer customers’ questions about the form. Employees should also verify that forms are fully completed, legible, and accurate while the customer is present.

According to the NSSF website: “Uncorrected errors on Form 4473s account for six of the top 10 most common violations cited by ATF every year, and three other top 10 violations are related to information found on Form 4473s.” To help combat errors, the NSSF has developed the form 4437 overlay. This is a clear template that may be laid on top of the form 4473 to help your staff check that all form questions have been answered and answered accurately.

You want to provide your patrons with the best possible experience with purchasing a firearm. It is imperative that your staff members are well-trained and confident with this process.

Scheduled Meetings

Holding weekly meetings is important in the busy shooting range business. You need an hour each week where you can reiterate important information, motivate your employees, answer questions, and discuss any changes. Agenda items may include:

  • Safety protocols
  • Recent safety concerns, near misses, and other items the entire staff should be made aware of
  • Store sales performance
  • New products
  • Upcoming events
  • Community involvement opportunities

If it is necessary to hold your meeting outside of business hours, we suggest you disclose this to potential employees during the interview process.

Try to make these meetings enjoyable and consider providing breakfast or dinner for meetings held before or after shooting range operation.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Staff Incentives

Incentives are an effective method for keeping your staff motivated. From gift cards and baskets to discounts and product giveaways, incentives can help encourage your employees to meet their goals as well as create friendly competition between co-workers. Furthermore, take advantage of training and product advocacy platforms that reward members for being brand ambassadors. An example is ExpertVoice.com, which provides brand education and offers product discounts upon course completion.

Team-Building Activities

Provide team-building exercises once a month to help build loyalty and positive rapport between employees. As a shooting range owner, you have the opportunity to combine activities with opportunities to educate your staff on your range operations and products. Why not host an interdepartmental shooting contest in your range? Make sure you create hype in the run-up by designating team names, making T-shirts for the competitors, and disclosing the prizes in advance.

Consider activities outside your facility. For example, invite and pay for staff to attend upcoming firearms shows and shooting contests. Furthermore, take the time to learn about your employees’ hobbies and look for opportunities to incorporate their interests into your group excursions. 

SOFT OPENING

A soft launch is essential for your shooting range business. Opening your doors quietly or serving a limited audience before your grand opening will allow you and your team to iron out the kinks, such as identifying which processes need improvement and where more training is required. By ensuring your employees, shooting range operation, and retail are performing at optimum capacity, you will make an exceptional and long-lasting impression on your customers when you officially open for business.

Authors:

Diana Rotolo

Diana joined Action Target in 2012 as an associate shooting range consultant. She is currently the sales manager for range retail programs. From selling and designing shooting facilities to helping range owners find the most efficient and profitable approaches for operating their business, Diana has an invaluable understanding of the shooting range industry from the customer’s point of view.

Mikaela Hansen

As a technical and marketing writer, Mikaela collaborates with multiple Action Target personnel to develop installation manuals, user guides, bid specifications, press releases, and newsletters. Communicating to a variety of audiences about Action Target’s products and services has given Mikaela the opportunity to examine multiple dimensions of the shooting range industry.

The NSSF Gives Five-Star Range Rating To Shooters World of Florida

Posted on by Stage Marketing

Florida’s Shooters World Earns
NSSF Five-Star Range Rating


NEWTOWN, Conn. – The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that Shooters World has been recognized with the association’s Five-Star range rating. This is the first range in Florida to receive a star rating under NSSF’s revised evaluation system launched in 2016.

Shooters World is said to be the largest combination retail store, indoor firing range and firearms training center in the State of Florida with a footprint encompassing more than 62,000 square feet. Operating seven days a week, the shooting facility includes 27 pistol range lanes, and seven 100-yard rifle range lanes, all of which can handle .50-caliber fire and can be used for Shooters World’s many training programs. Customers can take advantage of everything from curriculums developed specifically for junior shooters and women to concealed carry, hunter safety and advanced skills classes. A generous rental gun program and an expansive retail center support the range and provide a complete shopping and entertainment experience to a steady stream of recreational firearms owners – from beginner to expert – serving the entire densely populated Tampa Bay metro area.

“We were certainly impressed with Shooters World when we awarded it our Five-Star rating under our original program,” said Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Range Services. “To say that we were wowed with what they’ve done since that first recognition under our previous rating program would be an understatement. This company’s team of professionals has demonstrated it is dedicated to providing a memorable customer experience to every person who walks through its doors. Combined with the high overall quality of the facility and the staff’s commitment to safety and education, Shooters World sets the bar for our elite Five-Star ranges.”

“All of us at Shooters World are humbled and grateful to receive the new Five-Star range certification and award,” said Bing Kearney, Shooters World owner. “Shooters World continuously strives to provide our customers, employees and vendors with the world’s best firearms experience in the exercise of our Second Amendment rights, while listening to our patrons and embracing change that improves our facility and services. This, along with our mandatory objective for providing outstanding customer service, makes for a very comfortable, family-oriented environment for all of our guests. The entire Shooters World Team here in Tampa is very honored to receive the new Five-Star rating and will always strive to exceed the new, more stringent criteria.” 

NSSF’s highly respected Star-Rating Range Program works to encourage ranges of all sizes and locations to excel. Applying for rating requires answering a comprehensive questionnaire and business owner self-evaluation of the facilities, staff, community outreach and other criteria. Ranges that appear to meet the criteria for Four- or Five-star rating receive an on-site evaluation by NSSF staff. NSSF member ranges that meet a Three-star rating are recognized for being a part of the Star-Rating range family and are provided guidance to improve their facilities and achieve the higher two ratings. For more information, including instructions on how to apply for NSSF’s Star-Rating Range Program, visit www.nssf.org/ranges or contact Zach Snow at zsnow@nssf.org.

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About NSSF The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.

NRA’s American Rifleman Tests the AWD Pro

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Training With the Action Target AWD Range System

by B. Gil Horman – Wednesday, February 22, 2017 (Via AmericanRifleMan.Org)

Training With the Action Target AWD Range System

Although we spend a good deal of time discussing firearms and ammunition on this site, they wouldn’t be all that interesting to own without quality shooting ranges where we can exercise our rights. One company that’s often overlooked by the average shooter for its important contribution to the industry is Action Target of Provo, Utah.

 

Founded in 1986, Action Target started out by providing a pneumatic turning-target system for the Provo Police Department to use for training its officers. Over the years, this company has developed top-grade range technology favored by military and law enforcement around the world.

 

If you attend SHOT Show, you’ll find that Action Target takes up a section of floor space more like a city block than a booth slot. Today’s in-house options from Action Target include a variety of equipment such as portable interactive steel targets, eco-friendly bullet traps and entire training structures like the ALERRT shoot house. A tour of its production facility revealed just how much steel the company processes into range equipment.

   

As much as we can appreciate the services and facilities that help keep our country’s service personnel sharp, most of us will never get to use them. I wanted to learn more about how Action Target is tackling the training needs of John Q. Public. To answer this question, I was invited to company headquarters where I was introduced to the AWD Range System, one of the more advanced options currently installed at commercial indoor ranges.

The AWD, or All Wheel Drive target support (called a target retriever), was just one part of the complete set of furniture at the test range I visited. The shooting stalls, ceiling-mounted rails, noise abatement, bullet trap and ventilation were all selected from Action Target Offerings. These elements all came together to form a professional grade, clean-lined shooting environment that was comfortable and convenient to use.

Traditional square ranges, which wheel paper targets back and forth, are useful for developing important marksmanship skills such as forming a sight picture, trigger press and reloading. Paper targets also have the advantage of being fairly inexpensive. However, back-and-forth targets don’t offer much more than that. Even the most devoted shooting enthusiast can, at times, find traditional square ranges to be a little tedious.

The AWD system employs the rail-mounted target retriever paired with a programmable, wireless touch-screen control pad. The retriever is fast, smooth and quiet, traveling at up to four yards per second. It’s also accurate, consistently stopping along the rail within 0.5″ of its programmed position. The retriever’s paper-target clamp is motorized to rotate 360 degrees. This allows it to display the front, back and side edge of the target toward the shooter and present a variety of shoot/don’t shoot configurations as the target changes locations.

What makes the AWD system such an interesting and useful update to square-range shooting is software programmed into the wireless touch control. To keep folks engaged, it’s preloaded with more than two dozen different games and drills developed by professional instructors. Beginner, intermediate and advanced formats are available for pistols and rifles. The Pistol Qualification Drills can be used by civilians or law enforcement to practice using standardized qualification scenarios. The personal-defense programs provide self-guided training with charging, reload and decision-making drills, while the game programs keep things interesting.

One of the system’s programmed behaviors that was refreshing and challenging to work with is called a “tease” function. There are times that when the target is turned edgewise, it will twitch as if it’s about to turn, but then it doesn’t. In other words, it tries to fake you out once in a while! If you’re too quick on the trigger you’ll send a round hurdling downrange into empty space.

The AWD’s programmable controls and the option to use a wide variety of different paper targets make the system one of the most flexible indoor shooting experiences available. Using a duty-size Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm pistol provided by the staff, I started off with a basic shoot/don’t shoot drill with the target stopping, turning to face me and then moving further away for the next series of shots. Simple exercises are a great place to start for the beginner or to get warmed up.

Then we switched over to an intermediate skills drill using a target with much smaller round strike zones. The target’s face times were much shorter, varied in length, and the target would tease me from time to time. This was much more challenging. For those ranges that choose to add it, the system includes advanced lighting features. Choose from a constant on “daylight” white light, or low-light situations that include simulated muzzle flashes or police-car strobe lights.

The shooting session wrapped up with self-defense scenarios, which can provide a real eye-opening experience. Unlike most ranges, where the targets usually rest a good ways out, the AWD can be programmed to drive a paper target straight toward the shooter at high speed to simulate the charge of an assailant. In my case, we used an image of an attacker wielding a knife. I caught myself “rubber necking” with this target a couple of times.

When drivers become focused on an accident at the side of the road, their hands will turn the steering wheel toward that spot, causing the car to drift out of its lane. As the target charged me from several yards away, I had a few shots drift from center to the left side of the target as it rushed up to me. That’s where the knife was, over on the left side. As the threat drew closer, I let my attention drift from center mass to the knife. As a result, the shot placement followed. Details like these can only be learned through personal experience.

 

The Action Target AWD system has been installed at commercial shooting ranges all around the country. Just follow this link and use the map at the bottom of the page to locate a facility near you. And as long as you’re on the site, take a few minutes to look over the top-notch selection of portable steel targets the company offers as well.

DUEL RUNNING MAN PRO

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ACTION TARGET LAUNCHES THE DRM PRO, 

DELIVERING AN ADVANCED RUNNING MAN TRAINING SYSTEM.

PROVO, Utah – September 26, 2016 – Action Target INC., the leading manufacturer of modern shooting ranges, is pleased to announce the launch of the Dual Running Man Pro, the most powerful and feature-rich running man system ever designed.

The DRM Pro boasts 3HP motors, ultra-wear resistant pulleys, speeds up to 20 fps, realistic acceleration, and an easy to use control interface for use on tablets and mobile phones. The DRM Pro uses two lateral traveling, non-turning target carriers capable of moving independently from one another because they are mounted on two separate tracks that run parallel to each other.

The DRM Pro includes industry leading technology, with added features such as built-in Wi-Fi, easy to use control interface that runs on a tablet or smart phone. The DRM Pro integrates with our range control software for advanced features and functionality. All components of the DRM Pro are IP54 compliant for year-round outdoor and indoor use. The DRM Pro is capable of traveling at variable speeds, up to 20 feet per second, which allows for a more advanced target acquisition training. The DRM Pro boasts high precision encoders to ensure target positions are accurate to within 6 inches. The modular ratcheting mechanism on the DRM Pro make cable tensioning quick and easy.

The DRM Pro is the perfect running man training system because it allows users to advance their training by having duel targets moving independent of one another. This allows trainers to designate one as a non-shoot and the other as a target. This will add stress and reality to training scenarios, allowing the user to develop and improve their decision making skills.

For more information about the DRM Pro or to purchase yours today, call 801-377-8033