The indoor clay shooting video below was not filmed in Kennesaw, Georgia. That video’s from Germany, which has offered indoor trap and skeet shooting without an American equivalent for far too long. The expanded Governors Gun Club’s version — due to be ensconced in “America’s Gun City” — is scheduled to open in late 2017.

An indoor clay range opens up a whole new world of shooting pleasure and competition — as anyone’s who’s tried to powder orange disks in the searing southern sun or frigid northern winds will attest. To use Peach State lingo, it’s a hoot. We’ll hot-foot it to Kennesaw to visit with TTAG tipster Frank Williams once it’s open and check out the finished range.

Meanwhile, Trump slump or not, gun ranges are continuing to do land office business, especially in places where gun rights have been recently liberated. Maxon Shooter’s Supplies & Indoor Range, a NSSF five-star range in Chicagoland, reports full classes and full lanes with plenty of millennials actually getting out of Mommy and Daddy’s house to bust some caps in real life (as opposed to videogameworld).

Winning!

28 COMMENTS

  1. I love shooting lead, but I don’t like inhaling it indoors. I’ll just suffer outside.

    • I imagine there’ll be some limits on the type of ammo that can be used and they may limit it to lead-free ammo supplied by the range. The other likelihood is massive air-handling systems in place that precludes the possibility lead contamination at the shooter’s position. Or a combination of both.

  2. How are the shotgun blasts not deafening indoors?

    And wouldn’t there be shotgun pellets bouncing/ricocheting all over the place???

    • #1 – they can be deafening indoors although the size-volume of the space will mitigate that. Ear-pro still a must.
      #2 – Shot used in clays sports is tiny and looses energy quickly. On the German range it also looks like the entire downrange area of the space is covered in soft sound deadening & energy absorbing material.
      As a side note, the website of the German range says that steel shot is required and you have to purchase it at the range.

  3. Some things are just wrong. Trap/skeet is an outdoor pursuit. Georgia isn’t lacking desolate areas within a short drive. Nothing like the great outdoors.

    • Possible replies:
      It’s raining
      It’s hot
      It’s cold
      It’s after sunset

      Maybe they have a nice snack bar too?

      • Wow, that’s actually a great idea. Can you imagine doping the wind for your shot and the pigeon, all while fighting the rain and whatever else is flying around? If it’s a bad storm your neighbors will be gone and you can do it in the street!

    • True but apparently they see a greater profit potential by doing it indoors. In fact try locating any outdoors range anywhere near a population center. Yes you could do it, but at the same time then you are facing a lot more hurdles regulation wise and even though it’s Kennesaw, don’t think it wouldn’t be hell (permitting, NIMBY activists, etc…) to open an outdoor trap range there.

  4. Oh wow. If they put the same range in Kennesaw that exists in Germany that means they will have Olympic Trap and Skeet and not just American. If that’s right this will be fantastic because that part of the country desperately needs Olympic, not just American trap and skeet. The closest Olympic ranges are in Nashville, TN or Thomasville, GA

      • It’s actually in Hartsfield, GA. But I figured that Thomasville would be easier for folks to get an idea of the distances involved. Bridge Creek Clays and South Georgia Youth Shooting Club. Mike Simpson runs the program. Great coach.

        • Yeah, thats a good ways off from T’ville. Had me wonderin’ there a bit. I go across the line to T’ville to shoot some but an Olympic venue it ain’t. 🙂

        • That’s what, 30 minutes north of Thomasville? To me that doesn’t seem much but I do understand it’s all relative. I admit that I am spoiled because I live 15 minutes from the one in Tampa, but before it was built the closest Olympic bunker was an almost 2 hour drive to Gainesville for our kids team.

  5. TNT Guns & Range in Murray Utah has an indoor skeet range. Already up and functional. Might not be both skeet AND trap, but it’s pretty neat

  6. Can you post the dimensions specifics of the facility. Has there been any economic benefit since the facility has been open. what a re the long range plans. Is this located in a populated area or rural setting?

  7. There’s an indoor trap range up and running in Diamond IL, near the Braidwood area.
    Son and grandson have been there and had a blast.

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