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.