Forgotten thread.

[air8]

Happy day. LOL.

[trahansax]

Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

[air8]

Yeah that would take a lot of luck. Bad idea.

[libertad]

I am not an expert on the range market in Hutch, but I have been to the indoor ranges in Wichita. Neither of the prominent ranges is in a "high rent" area; it seems that cheap real estate is key to having a successful range. Don't worry much about a fancy storefront or how trendy the neighbors are; customers of a firing range are far different from most retail businesses. Most folks who frequent gun ranges in this part of the country don't want to spend a ton of cash to shoot holes in paper and are actually more comfortable doing business in places that are "down to earth". Customers are also not generally concerned about being robbed on their way into the store, so ranges are OK with operating in less than prime real estate. IMO, your business will either fail or be successful based on the people running the shop and the shooting experience. Focus on the range experience and hire knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful people to sell ammo and firearms. I chose the range farther from my house based on how customers were treated and how safe I felt in the range. In my situation, location was less important than other factors. I suspect that Hutch is similar to Wichita in that a business on the "other side of town" is still accessible enough that location is not a major factor for "niche" businesses like a firing range.

The ranges in Wichita sell commercial reloads but allow customers to shoot what they bring. It is a b**ch competing with Wal-Mart/Gander/Cabelas on price for ammo, so the local shops sell reloads close to the price of new ammo on sale in stores and take advantage of the convenience factor. "Range guns" are only allowed to shoot ammo purchased on-site. This is both fair and smart considering the competitive price of commercial reloads at the range and the liability/potential damage issues surrounding allowing some Joe off the street to try out their experimental reload formula with a borrowed gun.

All this being said, it is an excellent time to start a small business in Kansas. Study the local market, and if you think you can do a better job than what is currently available, then go for it.

[rhuntington3]

What? You already forgot that day at band camp?

[JeffXD]

Uhhh, huh?

[air8]

LoL. I thought I got thread cleared before anyone posted. I had researched some companies who build indoor ranges. It's a much better idea to start fresh and go big. The title of this one was about converting a large bar/dance club to a pistol range. Not really feasible when the money would be wiser to invest in a fresh new facility.

[Ridge]

They make truck trailors (2 or 3 lane) that are very nice ranges. A local range here had one for sale that they used aas a temp while re-building theirs. It was 65,000 used. Very nice though!

EDIT: This is the brand I was looking at

http://lasershot.com/ranges/mobile-range/