TTAG recently named Gun Ranges 2.0 our Gun Hero of the Day. The slick new shooting facilities make firearms practice safe, fun, friendly and, well, phenomenal. We’re pleased to announce a newcomer to the field: The Range at Austin. Just seven miles from downtown, “The Range at Austin will offer 37 total rifle-rated lanes (including five 100 yard rifle lanes), innovative targeting systems and video capture of both the target and the shooter. Upstairs, VIP members will enjoy eight private 25-yard lanes, five meeting rooms, a cigar room, private parking and café service.” [Full press release after the jump.] TTAG’s making The Range at Austin our new home range when doors open next summer. We’ll have a clean well-lighted place to conduct tests for reviews, run simulations, blog, savor Ligua Privadas and do a little bang-bang and hang with our truth-telling homies. For now, congrats to the Guntry Club Mums-to-be, who are, coincidentally enough, sponsoring The Range at Austin Retail Village at the Texas Firearms Festival on November 14 and 15. See you there! . . .
Five-Star Indoor Shooting Range Breaks Ground in Austin
Fully integrated retail, live-fire and experiential entertainment facility has started construction.
AUSTIN, TX – The Range at Austin will be the first fully-integrated shooting facility in Central Texas that includes range shooting, retail sales of firearms and accessories, firearms training and advanced education, armorer services and private event space. Construction has begun.
The 52,000 square foot facility will be located at 8503 S Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, just south of William Cannon Drive, and will service all levels of shooting sports enthusiasts, from the seasoned shooter to the curious entertainment seeker. The Austin-owned and operated facility has selected Sabre Commercial as the general contractor, Clayton & Little has served as the architecture firm and Action Target will oversee the shooting range design, development and equipment installation. Scheduled completion is in the summer of 2016.
The Range at Austin is seven miles from downtown and will offer 37 total rifle-rated lanes, including five 100-yard rifle lanes, with innovative targeting systems and video capture of target and shooter. The second level of the facility will house 10,700 square feet of premium membership only access space, including eight private 25-yard lanes, five meeting rooms, cigar room, private parking and café service. Memberships will be available for individual, family and corporate use. Discounted memberships will be offered to law enforcement and military personnel.
“The concept for The Range is unlike any shooting and firearms retail experience in the Austin market and exceeds the standards currently in place at other competitive luxury facilities,” said Scott Dunaway, spokesman for The Range at Austin. “We will embrace customer service through training assistance, supervision of live-shooting ranges, equipment demos and sales, food and beverage offerings and the private event space.”
The Range at Austin will have the largest selection of guns and gun-related accessories in Central Texas. The location will retail firearms including those manufactured by Sig Sauer, Heckler & Koch, Remington, Glock, Benelli, Beretta, FNH-USA and IWI-USA and B&T. Customers will have the opportunity to rent and demo firearms offered in the store under the supervision of trained instructors and range masters, enhancing the buying experience and creating a safe environment for understanding the proper use of certain firearms. The Range at Austin is committed to creating the safest and most secure facility in the country. The shooting environment will be constructed using the latest technology in sound abatement, ballistic glass and lead filtering systems.
“The Range at Austin will provide customers the opportunity to demo a wide variety of firearms from pistols to machine guns in a controlled setting with instruction and oversight on how to use them,” stated Dunaway. “This differentiator is a significant advancement in the way the recreational firearms industry has evolved. The Range at Austin is committed to creating a safe environment that is grounded in training and education while allowing individuals to explore the excitement in shooting sports.”
The Range at Austin is fully capitalized through a number of strategic local investors and a loan for construction and operations for the facility through Hillcrest Bank. The founding partners and visionaries are Grant Shaw and Alex Bosco. Chris Onufrak will serve as the General Manager for the facility and recently served in a similar position at ShootStraight, a leading name in precision shooting sports in Florida. Chris is currently on board and assisting in construction oversight.
Industry Background
A critical marketplace has been lost in the firearm industry: quality service, exceptional facilities and a fully integrated retail and recreational environment to satisfy consumer demand and enthusiasm. That trend is changing. Full service gun centers are opening across the country and finding tremendous success.
The concept for The Range is unlike any shooting and firearms retail experience in the Austin market and exceeds the standards currently in place at other competitive luxury facilities across the country. The Range will embrace customer service through firearms training and education, supervision of shooting ranges by professional and customer-focused range masters, equipment and firearm demos and sales, food and beverage offerings and private event space.
Vital Statistics:
Facility Details and Total Square Feet:
– 37 total rifle-rated lanes in an indoor climate controlled environment o Twenty-four 25 yard lanes
– Eight 25-yard lanes for VIP members only
– Five 100-yard rifle lanes
- Innovative targeting systems, including video capture of target and shooter
- Gun varieties for rental: pistols, rifles, machine guns
- Training rooms: three 30-person rooms that can be combined into one room
- VIP meeting rooms/offices: five
- 52,000 s.f. total (conditioned)
- 42,000 s.f. ground floor
- 10,700 s.f. on the 2nd floor (w/ a 961 s.f. outdoor patio)
- Retail space square footage: 4,425
- Warehouse square footage: 3,375
Unique Attributes:
- VIP Membership w/ private lockers (for founding members)
- Cigar room
- Café service
- Onsite gunsmithing services
Bios:
Grant Shaw, Partner
Grant is the co-founder and President of SB Tactical, where he oversees SB Tactical’s day-to-day business operations, including managing all sales and marketing activities. SB Tactical manufacturers and sells firearm accessories to some of the world’s largest firearms companies, including Sig Sauer, Century Arms, IWI-USA, B&T-USA, and CZ-USA. In particular, SB Tactical manufactures the SB15 stabilizing brace, which was voted the 2013 ‘Firearm Accessory of the Year’. Prior to SB Tactical, Grant spent 20 years in the enterprise software market, working in sales management positions for SAP and Oracle, managing the sales of multi-million dollar software applications to Fortune 500 companies such as Canon, IBM and Toshiba. Grant also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of G2 Arms LLC, which specializes in selling NFA firearms to Law Enforcement Agencies and qualified individuals. Most recently, the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department (Nueces County, Texas) completed a multiple weapons purchase through G2 Arms. Grant is a third generation Texan, and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He is an avid sportsman and gun collector.
Alex Bosco, Partner
Alex is an 11-year military veteran, having served most recently in Operation Enduring Freedom. His military background is in communications, but he has also completed several armorer courses that the USMC and US Army have to offer. Alex also founded a computer components distribution center in Northern Italy that after five years had hired over 10 employees and had a yearly turnover of 20 million euros. Upon returning to the United States, Alex invented the Stabilizing Brace as a means for persons with limited mobility to operate and fire various weapon platforms. After creating the first prototype, it became clear that shooters from all walks of life could achieve greater accuracy and an overall improved shooting experience using the brace. Alex is the creative force behind SB Tactical and leads all areas of product development. Alex is fluent in both Italian and Spanish and is a graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in foreign languages.
Christopher Onufrak, General Manager
Chris recently joined The Range at Austin and will serve as the General Manager for the facility. Since 2012 Chris served as a General Manager at Shoot Straight in Clearwater, Florida. Shoot Straight is widely known as the leader in indoor shooting facilities in Florida. Chris is a tireless leader and committed to delivering a premium shooting experience for the customer. He is a 21-year veteran of the United States Army having served in every leadership position from Team Leader to Troop First Sergeant. Chris has deployed numerous times in support of combat operations in both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom earning the Soldier’s Medal, Bronze Star with ‘V’ (2 OLC), Purple Heart (1 OLC) and numerous other awards and decorations.
I sort of prefer the grungy outdoor public ranges… especially on a random weekday I have off for some reason. No one there, can do whatever I want (safely). Don’t have to chase my brass down after every magazine. Am I alone in this?
Kind of like the old Ardsley Range that was maliciously closed down last year?
I’m with you all the way. No walls for me, I want to see grass and trees when I’m at the range.
Is this sponsored content or a commercial?
It’s a celebration! YOU try shooting in 110 heat with high humidity and a breeze that feels like a damn hair dryer. On deadline. Excuse me for getting excited (and blasphemy), but mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of The Range at Austin. And that’s the truth.
If my job revolved around guns I’d be excited too (I’m not being sarcastic).
I just can’t imagine trying to go there after work on 35 or during weekends when it’ll probably be super crowded.
With only five 100 yard lanes, I wonder what your chance of shooting your hi powered rifle would be, and are you timed, or can you shoot for several hours?
Agreed. Sounds awesome! I’ve been fighting the wife pretty hard in her desire to move the family to Austin, as I really love the NW a hell of a lot, but this place sounds like a big “plus” on my plus / minus : do move / don’t move chart…
As someone who was stationed in San Antonio for quite some time, both when humid and during the drought, I can attest to absurdity of shooting in Texas summer time heat whether that is during day light hours or near dusk.
It’s the only place on Earth that I have been to that during winter time my porch reach 95+ degrees…..in winter.
I am jealous that Austin is going to have that range now that I have left, only because I was ordered to leave.
So it’s a commercial then, got it. Indoor gun ranges suck, this one will obviously be incredibly overpriced and will include a bunch of crap no one needs at a gun range. You are a wimp for being afraid of a little Texas heat.
Can’t wait for this.
BTW, If they need any volunteers to help assemble/build-out/paint, or whatever, before the opening, I live in Austin and would be more than happy to lend a hand. I’m available in the evenings and the weekends.
You can share my email with them if they have any interest.
Hear hear! Count me in too. I’d be glad to help.
Too far South for me.
I had the same thought.
It seems kind of strange that a “guns 2.0” range would open in such a shitty part of town. Why not Georgetown?
Ha ha, Georgetown is the shitty part of town! South Austin is changing quickly my friend. I was really excited about this as it’s just a few miles from my house but then I saw the membership costs, minimum is $7,500 + monthly dues.
Austin does desperately need more shooting ranges in the city. I can’t believe it’s taken this long to have another one in the neighborhood.
In Central Texas, nothing beats Best of the West tactical bays for full 180 degree training, movement etc including from concealment.
Too far south. It isn’t worth the traffic for me. If I head south to Riverside I’m usually staying straight to go to Cabela’s.
Shout-out to Blueline Tactical and Gun For Hire – two excellent, state of the art ranges in the Northeast!
Sweet! I live five minutes from one of the Red’s locations and this place will be about five minutes from where I work. I’m so going to have to increase my ammo budget!
I am kind of jealous.
Don’t be. Red’s (at least the North range), sucks. Poorly run, poorly maintained…etc. It’s only popular because it’s the only close proximity range without driving 45 minutes to Cedar Park to hit up Shady Oaks or out north west to Liberty Hill for best of the west.
I like Red’s North better than Red’s South.
Just out of curiosity, I’m wondering how much green do you have to shell out? Say you want to shoot your rifle on the 100 yd. lane, then go over to a 25 yd. lane and shoot pistol for an hour or two?
Sounds neat. Also sounds expensive. Curious either way.
I’m shedding a tear…
100 yards of indoor rifle shooting?
What a perfect solution for truly testing the accuracy of a long gun.
When I go to do that, I step outside. If it’s breezy, I put my long guns away and just go pistol plinking.
But no bar? Psh.
“But no bar? Psh.”
Be discreet.
Pre-mix your Jack & Coke or Sprite & white rum.
Or better, flat Sprite & white rum in a water bottle.
Get creative.
Geeze.
That’s exactly what I did, for many years, at minor-league hockey games. Hit the liquor store for a pint of Bacardi’s, pour it into my stealthy binoculars flask, and buy a large Coke. Going through the gate with a pair of REAL binocs around my neck, and the stash inside the binocular case – it worked a couple hundred times!
What’s a 100-yard rifle range?
I think the more important detail is “indoor”. If you want more than 100 you have to take it outside. Best of the West goes to a 1000.
I can’t see past 100.
If I find myself in Austin, I have made a serious navigational error.
My question is how did they get around the city council’s ban on rifle ranges within the city limits? The only one within the city limits is Red’s South (I hate going there) which was outside the limits before being annexed which is the only reason why it’s still around.
I live down in Buda and there isn’t a range within 20 miles worth going to (I drive to Lockhart when I want to shoot) and this is a perfect place to go for me as it’s on my way to and from work. Looks like I am going to have to start bringing my guns to work with me every other week and increase my range budget.
I live between Buda and Kyle (east side of the highway) and this looks like a good location to me too. I go to Lockhart most of the time as well, because ARC and Cedar Ridge are basically an hour either direction.
This sounds like it might end up being an expensive place to go shoot, though. I’m cheap, which is another good reason to go to Lockhart.
I wish the range at Lockhart would have. Something than 100 yards. I’m still surprised they max out in 100 yards
Right part of town for me, but I’m wary of the “we are really expensive!” subtext the press release has.
Actually Cedar Park’s Shady Oaks Gun Range is the first fully integrated indoor shooting facility in Central Texas that includes Shooting Rage, Retails Sales, Class 3 sales, Firearms Training and Advanced Education and private event space. Private range time is also quite common. Shady Oaks Gun Range also offers Outdoor Archery to 40 Yards.
Shady Oaks Gun Range offers advanced air filtration to 3 microns, Advanced LED Lighting throughout that enabled Low Light Courses and instruction. Shady Oaks Gun Range boast advanced Acoustics design enabling No Ear Protection Suppressor events and will expand Sunday hours for Suppressor Only Clients.
You should really check it out, you may want to select Shady Oaks Gun Range as your new second affordable home.
The Range has had my attention since it first was announced the other week. I live literally 3 minutes down the road from this new facility. I drive by the location every day and saw them clearing the land last weekend. Will continue to watch. My one concern will be the cost of ‘VIP membership’. My past experience with ‘membership’ at ranges (of the indoor variety) is that they are overpriced for the content.
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You can’t go anywhere on IH35. Deadlock traffic. I just can’t see driving through the middle of HELL to get to this place. Like with any other businesses located in Austin, it won’t b worth the drive. I prefer a nice relaxing drive through the hwy 29 country side to Liberty Hill and enjoy a morning of stress free long range shooting. Maybe the yuppies in downtown Austin will flock this place with their 9mm Glocks
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