Caswells Shooting Range — Attraction in Mesa

I used to love Caswell's - it's where my father took me to shoot with him for the first time, and as such has sentimental value for me despite its recent turn towards deplorable service.

Sentiment aside, however, I must caution potential patrons - prices at this facility are abominable. A 20 round box of 7.62 x 39 ammunition cost me the better part of 16 dollars. .223 Remmington goes for almost a dollar a round. 50 rounds of .45ACP ran me nearly as many dollars, as well!

Prices, however, would be excusable if the service were of a high enough quality. Sadly, however, that is no longer the case. The only individual at Caswell's who I still enjoy doing business with is a woman whose name I can sadly no longer remember; she had dark colored hair and was of small stature, but was knowledgeable, patient, and helpful. She is now the only positive side of going to Caswell's.

I came a few days ago to shoot with my father once more, being on break from my classes at the college. I had recently acquired a new firearm, and was excited to try it out. Upon our entry to the lane, I was immediately accosted by the range master, who requested I allow him to inspect my ammunition. He deemed it as being steel-cored. This is a fact that I know to be false, as it plainly said on the box for the ammunition that it contained lead. The company's website additionally displays that the ammunition I purchased has a lead core. Taking this up with Caswell's staff was in vain, I was told simply that the range master was correct. Yes, the range master is in control at all times, but open and polite discourse should not be so discouraged; doubly so when the range master is, in fact, incorrect.

Assuming that even this is insufficient evidence to prove that these people are completely incompetent, my father inquired with the range master as we were leaving whether or not their range could accept shotgun slugs. It took several tries to get the range master to understand this question. I also inquired as to whether or not a modified Remmington choke would be safe to fire slugs. His response was "I'd just take the choke out." .

To summarize:

Pros: The kind woman with the dark hair and short stature, who is always willing and helpful. Cons: The prices are abysmal, the service is generally abhorrent, their staff is incompetent, their goods are of a mediocre quality at best, and the majority of their staff (besides being incompetent) generally seems to prefer ignoring customer inquiry as opposed to doing their jobs.

My advice is to stay as far away from Caswell's as possible. Give your business to...

I went there with my son and my friend. I have been trying out other ranges besides the one indoor range I have been going to so I could get a feel for other ranges. I went there it was ladies day which was cool as it was free range time, and free gun rental only thing is which is standard at any range you go to that if you rent a gun you have to buy their ammo not a big deal its same price I have paid at the other ranges. I did like that they allowed you to bring your own targets which we didn't know but do now. I liked that they don't charge me for my son and friend if they weren't shooting and they weren't as I was going in to get some practice in before the next day I was taking my ccw at another range. The prices here are about the same as the other ranges I have visited. The staff was very friendly and nice. They answered any questions we had. I will say yes their range is smaller than other ranges but this is a smaller store. When we were there it was a little warm but I heard they just did a big renovation on their pistol range. The pricing in the store seemed about average. This will be our go to indoor range in Mesa. Ladies days are Tuesday and Friday so ladies you can go in get some range time in fir free or almost free. I'll be going back in to test some other guns as I am looking at buying my gun for my edc and only have to buy ammo so I can walk out spending about $20.00 to get practice in and test a differnt gun to see if I like it to consider carrying it. Even if I don't go on ladies day the range prices are reasonable and thier gun rental charge is less than some of the other ranges. They have some awesome gun shooting packages that you could try as well for some fun. Their classes seems about average pricing to the other ranges. They have another long time customer. I'm glad I decided to give them a try and save me time and gas from drivibg to my...

I have shot guns here and there but would still consider myself a novice. My wife, though, had almost no shooting experience whatsoever. We were a little nervous about all the negative comments regarding customer service, especially since we knew we were going to need a little guidance at the range. We first went on a Friday night and it was packed. There was an hour+ wait for a lane, so we decided to come back another day. Despite the business, the staff was very courteous and one even spent several minutes with us recommending a few handguns to try out when we came back.

We returned the following Tuesday morning to a much less crowded (but still surprisingly busy) situation. Eli was the range officer and was incredibly helpful, nearly holding our hand (in a good way!) as he walked us through the ABCs of handguns. We felt wonderfully taken care of and were so grateful for his expert guidance. My wife in particular was very comforted by Eli's willingness to teach us the basics of firearms.

Keep in mind that we went on a Tuesday morning when it was (relatively) uncrowded. Thus, the range officer had more time to spend with us. I don't think folks should expect that to happen all of the time, especially when it's busy, but if you go at the right time and the range officer is not preoccupied with dozens of other people you might be treated to the extra help we experienced.

The only reason I rated Very Good under Quality (instead of Excellent) is that inside the range it was FREEZING. Apparently the vents pull air from outside, and it was pretty chilly that day. So, word to the wise, if you go during winter, you may want to bring a coat :) Regardless, it was a terrific experience for us both, and we will definitely...