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It's 1 mile from the new MGM's Casino it appears to be a destination range to attract tourists similar to what's out in Las Vegas
S&W didn't require a LTC to shoot which was their undoing.Yup if Smith couldn't keep the snow flakes away. You know it's a up hill battle
I choked on my coffee when I saw a bow lane is $20 for 30 minutes.That fee schedule is absolutely insane, even @ MFL for off the street people isn't nearly that expensive.
-Mike
I can’t believe it’s more for a bow lane than for guns.I choked on my coffee when I saw a bow lane is $20 for 30 minutes.
S&W didn't require a LTC to shoot which was their undoing.
In 2003/2004 I was stationed at Westover ARB and had a membership at the range. I used to shoot on Saturday's, range was clean, well lighted and well vented. To bad S&W caved and closed it to the public. Took a few classes there also.LOL everyone thinks that regulatory pressure cause them to close, IMHO they just used that as a convenient excuse to close it. It was likely a cost center and someone said "not enough ROI". The same skinflint managenent that let QC slip, dumped factory tours, etc. The range closing was just another feature of the "new" Smith & Wesson....
S&W closed it's range when a prohibited person rented a gun and lane and took target practice there.
Lawyers went after them and they realized they had a fly in the ointment when you could walk in fill out paper work with a drivers license, say your not illegal and still be.
Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center temporarily closes; felon ...
I tried to post this link above it's probably me, just google it. This story was from Mass Live.
S&W didn't require a LTC to shoot which was their undoing.
Lol, yeah, that happened, but if you think that's the sole causative agent why the place closed, I have a nice bridge to sell you. Felons that visit gun ranges
get arrested all the time, it's probably happened a whole bunch of times from "bad" visitors that went to AFS, Bobs, MFL, etc. S&W "having one of these" was not
unusual. If a felon walking onto a gun range, lying on a disclosure, and renting was an insurmountable legal problem, no pay ranges in america would be open.
S&W closed the range because it cost too much to operate. That "event" was a convenient excuse for them to "segue" out and close operations to the public.
A place like that, doing the gross math even in just overhead, probably cost quarter million (or more!) a year just to keep the lights on and staff it with 2-3 people. Good luck recovering that unless you have tons of paid members or you're clocking walk ons at a good hourly clip. Other than when I went on NES factory tour there, I probably visited that shop/range a half dozen times and never have seen it "full".
-Mike
Keep the bridge, they never reopened after that arrest for murder.
Don't remember.It had nothing to do with caving to the public. drgrant is very close to the truth. That range was incredibly expensive to run and maintain, there was no way that it would ever even come close to paying for itself. If it was operated as a LTC only range it may have closed even sooner, LTC only and membership could never come close to supporting the range. Most of the shooters were unlicensed and not members the casual walk-ins made up most of the customer base, and filled the range on Friday night for Friday date night and Saturday. During the week days the range could go empty no shooters or maybe one or two. Some evenings were better but the range was never filled during the week. rwl1955 who was your instructor at S&W?
So how much money are they making on a vacant, empty range only used for matches? It must have cost a fortune to build but was good advertising for S&W and got shooters in to try their products.Lol, yeah, that happened, but if you think that's the sole causative agent why the place closed, I have a nice bridge to sell you. Felons that visit gun ranges
get arrested all the time, it's probably happened a whole bunch of times from "bad" visitors that went to AFS, Bobs, MFL, etc. S&W "having one of these" was not
unusual. If a felon walking onto a gun range, lying on a disclosure, and renting was an insurmountable legal problem, no pay ranges in america would be open.
S&W closed the range because it cost too much to operate. That "event" was a convenient excuse for them to "segue" out and close operations to the public.
A place like that, doing the gross math even in just overhead, probably cost quarter million (or more!) a year just to keep the lights on and staff it with 2-3 people. Good luck recovering that unless you have tons of paid members or you're clocking walk ons at a good hourly clip. Other than when I went on NES factory tour there, I probably visited that shop/range a half dozen times and never have seen it "full".
-Mike
So how much money are they making on a vacant, empty range only used for matches? It must have cost a fortune to build but was good advertising for S&W and got shooters in to try their products.
So how much money are they making on a vacant, empty range only used for matches? It must have cost a fortune to build but was good advertising for S&W and got shooters in to try their products.
I am not disputing your insight, so how are private indoor ranges keeping their doors open? How will Hot Brass make a profit?The range hasn't been used for Matches in quite a long time and it was completely closed even to employees about six months ago. Maintaining a vacant building is cheep compared to running a range even if it is for employees only. The employee's hardly used the range since it has been opened to employees only. The range was almost always empty keeping it open was a waist. It is a myth that S&W employees are all shooters and gun owners. Also back when the S&W range was open the try a gun program really didn't drive any gun sales, also S&W was always being beat on by the local dealers for even selling guns at the store. S&W couldn't even give the types of discounts that the local gun shops could, if they did the local gun shops would complain. So the S&W store at the range was not even competitive sales wise. The only thing that was even a small money maker was the training programs, however that could not offset the money drain the range was. Who would purchase the S&W range if S&W put it up for sale. There is no way a privet enterprise could make the range profitable. I will also take exception to the comment that the Store and Range was poorly managed. It was not, however there was a lot of corporate influence and politics involved in what could be done as far as range and store management there was a lot of hands tying from above. Actually the range and store paperwork was in good order, however this is another story I can't get into, at least no in an open forum.