The following is the continuance of The Ultimate Insider's Guide To Tourist Shooting Ranges In Las Vegas. The remaining five shooting ranges are below. To go back to part one, please click here.
6. Pro Gun Club
"Pro Gun Club" is an outdoor shooting range located 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas. Rides to their location cost $20 per person, but they pick you up from anywhere. I was picked up from my home with a friend. They arrived late in an Escalade.
Upon arriving at a swooping area in the desert, I was charged a $20 "range fee", per person. I spent $80 before shooting a gun.
I did not have to bring a guest, but that was my prerogative. As the "Pro Gun Club" is an outdoor range, there were numerous people on site that day, many who were shooting their own guns. The range safety officers were professional and informative. I selected five guns individually for $55 each.
I began by shooting 50 .45 rounds with the KRISS Vector submachine gun. There was very little recoil. Its stock folds inward for quick transportation. Next, I fired 50 .45 rounds with an M3A1 Grease Gun, used by the U.S. Army in World War 2. Despite an old design, it was fierce. There was a mild wait time between weapon selections. I next fired 20 .45 rounds with the HK 53. I was expecting more out it felt disappointed.
My next pick was a Steyr AUG that came with 20 .45 rounds. However, "Strip Gun Club" gave 25 rounds for the same price.Finally, I shot the Sten MKII with 50 9mm rounds which were used heavily by the British in World War 2. A quirk of the magazine is it's loaded in the stock on the top left side, rather than the bottom.
"Pro Gun Club" offers a professional experience, but their prices are erratic.
Some guns have 50 rounds, which is a bargain, and others are skimped out. Further, they charge extra fees. By already paying to be transported there should not be an extra $20 fee to use the facilities. If you're inclined to shoot outdoors I recommend going to "Shoot Las Vegas." They offer more guns for less money and drive you in a limo for free.
7. Bullets and Burgers
“Bullets and Burgers” is an outdoor range. Their business office is in Las Vegas but the range is located over an hour away in Arizona. The travel time is greatly off-putting.
I brought along a friend to share in the misery. When picked up the driver asked for $60 to let my friend ride in a shuttle van that had numerous drunks inside. After a protest, I paid the fee in cash. I stared at him the entire ride hoping his head would burst into flames. The fun was only beginning. The other riders smuggled alcohol in the van and began getting drunker. The driver said it was against the rules, but he was subdued once a passenger tipped $20 cash. I was not impressed.
On the way, we stopped at the Hoover Dam.
Why? The business model of “Bullets and Burgers” is built on tourists who are unaware of other shooting ranges existing. They may find the Hoover Dam desirable. I did not.
After riding over 90 bitter minutes that was an entire lifetime we arrived at the range. It was actually the "Last Stop" camping and restaurant, which happens to have a shooting range. "Bullets and Burgers" is not their own independent operation. The safety of those living by "Bullets and Burgers" was questionable. Homes are a few miles from the range and shooters fire in the direction of the homes. It's quite possible for a stray round from a fully automatic rifle to place lives in danger. I found this disturbing. "Bullets and Burgers" has a dubious distinction of a range safety officer being killed by a nine-year-old child in 2014.
After a briefing was given by a range safety officer, I got down to the business at hand.
I chose the "gold package" for $249 with five guns. I shot 25 9mm rounds with a Sten MKII. "Pro Gun Club" offers 50 rounds for the same price and only charge $20 per ride. Which assumes paying for a ride at all, when most ranges give one for free! Next, I shot 25 5.56 cal rounds with the M249 SAW. "Discount Firearms" offers the same price, but with 40 rounds. Third, I shot 25 rounds with the classic FN FAL. The Glock-17 came with five 9mm rounds. Every other range has 10 to 20 rounds. The saving grace of the experience was the Barrett .50 cal. This is typically extra at other ranges but was part of the package.
I enjoyed shooting three .50 cal rounds.
The staff at “Bullets and Burgers” aggressively try to up-sell their goods. They charge $25 for an engraved Barrett round. "Shoot Las Vegas" gives these used rounds away for free and theirs is a bottle opener. On the way back to Las Vegas we were given a free hamburger. I ate it as I was starving and really wanted the trip to be over.
I did not have a good experience with "Bullets and Burgers." There are other shooting range options, and I can't find a reason to make the long trek into Arizona. From start to finish the debacle lasted nearly six hours. Save your time and money and shoot guns elsewhere.
8. The Gun Store
"The Gun Store" is East of Las Vegas Boulevard oddly located in a residential neighborhood.
The main building is uninspired, painted white with red trim along with cheap red letters above the door. It looks like a pawn shop. There is a building in the rear which has their indoor range. Free rides are offered via shuttle bus but "The Gun Store" said they can't guarantee a return ride back. Based on this ugly caveat I drove myself as I did not desire to be stranded.
The staff was friendly. Registration and gun selection was fast. For $220 I purchased four machine guns. Numerous others were present. In what a range safety officer thought was humor they joked about "beating" customers who accidentally pointed a gun at them. I did not find this amusing. I nearly walked away in disgust.
Had I not been on an official review, I would have demanded a refund.
There is a private VIP shooting area without wait times for extra fees. I may have been interested, but I was to the point that I wanted to quickly shoot and leave. I waited an hour to fire a single round. When my turn began I shot the SuomiM/31 with 25 9mm rounds. This gun originates in Finland. For the next three guns, I waited for 20 to 40 minutes each round. I shot 25 9mm rounds with the Madsen M50, and it's a cute machine gun. Its handle folds into the stock and could fit in a purse. Next was an MP5 with 25 9mm rounds. Last, I fired 25 rounds with a classic AK-47 which has 75 million in circulation.
It took three hours to shoot 100 rounds.
An employee threatened customers, their prices are higher than most."The Gun Store" has outdoor shooting, but it is an extra $100 per person. Based on everything, I say skip this place entirely.
9. Machine Guns Vegas
“Machine Guns Vegas” is located a mile from the Las Vegas strip. They offer free transportation for those who spend over $190. They have both indoor and outdoor shooting. I opted for outdoor as they claim to have a "private" range. However, "Machine Guns Vegas" does not own the range and it is not private. "Shoot Las Vegas" is the only private outdoor range in the Las Vegas area.
I brought a friend to the range. This was not free. To bring an observer was a staggering extra $100. After being picked up at the MGM Grand in a van we headed out to the desert and arrived at the range in about an hour.
Due to budget restrictions of $250, I chose the cheapest package at $199 that had three guns and only had 60 rounds. It's $3.31 per shot. This was, by far, the worst value of any range.
A curious aspect of "Machine Guns Vegas" is the majority of range safety officers are women who were professional and informative. This plays to their reputation of being a hybrid nightclub experience. That may appeal to some but there are various clubs that offer a more vivid experience if one is after such things.
After a standard safety briefing, I began shooting. I was not able to choose my weapons. I shot a Glock 17 with 10 9mm rounds. Besides "Bullets and Burgers", who only gave 5 rounds, this was the fewest rounds made available.
Next, I fire 25 9mm rounds with the MP5. I finished quickly with 25 5.56 cal rounds in the M4 Carbine. I was done shooting in 15 minutes, but I was stuck at the range for nearly two hours. The staff continually offered that I could "upgrade" my package, but after spending $100 on a passenger I wasn't spending another dollar.
While waiting, I saw the most bizarre policy of any gun range. Apparently, shooters can take pictures but they are not allowed to use actual cameras. This was decreed by a range safety officer that told a shooter to put away their camera. Only cell phone cameras are allowed. Why would this be? That may be a mystery forever. I found the policy needlessly petty.
Given the information I gathered at the outdoor shooting range I would have preferred to visit their indoor shooting range.
However, I find their business practices to be disreputable. They are not in favor of those on a budget who want to experience using a firearm. I do not recommend their business to be visited by any person with a brain in their head.
10. Gun Garage
"Gun Garage" comes in dead last. They are located near the Las Vegas Strip. I attempted a review but on the morning I arrived, about twenty minutes before they opened, I saw curious activity in the parking lot. Workers were walking outside. I also noticed a black SUV in the driveway with a Las Vegas constable officer inside who rolled down a window to speak to workers. Suddenly the parking lot was swarmed with police vehicles. I was confused at what I saw, but my vehicle was trapped. After about an hour of being boxed in the police left and I was able to exit the parking lot.
I later learned "Gun Garage" was having their bullet traps repossessed. The owner, Darby Neagle, was delinquent in thousands of dollars of bills to various companies. The owner of the building Darby Neagle leased for "Gun Garage" declined to renew Darby Neagle's lease due to his perpetual delinquency in paying his debts.
As I looked further into Darby Neagle I found he was the driver of a drunken 2015 hit and run at, of all places, a liquor store where he gravely injured an innocent bystander. Darby Neagle fled the scene without aiding his victim. He was captured near the liquor store by police who used their cars to prevent him from fleeing. At the time of this writing, "Gun Garage" has completely collapsed as a business. Given the nefarious nature of Darby Neagle, it is safe to say those who did not give business to him were doing themselves and the Las Vegas community a favor.
Honorable mentions
Various other shooting ranges do business in the Las Vegas area. While these shooting ranges did not make the final cut, for reasons I will not elaborate on, they are below in no specific order:
* Las Vegas Gun Range
* T&T Tactical
* Las Vegas Gun Fights
* Top Shot Las Vegas
* American Shooters
* Green Valley Range
In conclusion...
Guns are best experienced when shot outdoors. There is no comparison of an indoor range to an outdoor range when one can feel the sun on their face while firing rounds.
The only reason a Las Vegas tourist might visit an indoor range is if they are pressed for time. It is understandable to try to fit in as much of Las Vegas as possible. An exception is those who choose to visit the "Battlefield Vegas", as they offer a vast selection of guns which can't be found elsewhere. "Battlefield Vegas" can sometimes be swamped with customers, which leads to extended wait times. As such, "Discount Firearms" is an excellent alternative for those looking to expedite their experience while having significantly fewer choices of firearms.
If time is not an issue, and the prospective shooter has two and a half to three hours allocated, the absolute best shooting experience in Las Vegas is "Shoot Las Vegas." They offer the greatest overall value. From the grand collection of more than 70 guns to their complimentary exploding targets and metal targets from up to 500 yards away, along with free photos and videos, and free transportation in a limousine to their private box canyon there is no doubt "Shoot Las Vegas" is far and away the unrivaled choice for the informed consumer. Happy shooting!
