The Gun Range San Diego — Attraction in San Diego

TL;DR: The Gun Range San Diego, and especially Josh the RSO, provided an exceptional and educational experience that exceeded our expectations. Josh's professional, patient, and friendly approach turned a potentially intimidating day into a memorable learning experience for my 8-year-old nephew. This visit dispelled my sister's worries about owning a firearm and instilled a deep respect for gun safety in my nephew.

If I could give The Gun Range San Diego, and particularly Josh, the RSO, more than five stars, I would in a heartbeat! It was a Mother's Day outing that not only hit the target but far exceeded our expectations.

As a frequent visitor, I decided to bring along my sister, a potential first-time gun owner, and her 8-year-old son for a unique Mother's Day present. My sisters only hesitation in purchasing a firearm was keeping it in the house with a child. So, for Mother’s Day I took them out to the range so we could see how my nephew acts and assess whether it would be appropriate for my sister to own a firearm in the home. I firmly believe that removing the mystery around firearms, teaching respect, and instilling safe handling practices are essential, especially for the younger generation. The Gun Range San Diego not only shared this sentiment but went above and beyond to ensure it.

Upon entering, we were greeted by Josh, the RSO on duty that day. He was immediately drawn to my nephew, bringing an air of friendliness and professionalism that put us at ease. Josh showcased his expertise with a perfect balance of patience, understanding, and kindness. Using a training firearm, he explained the principles of safety, grip, stance, and more, transforming my nephew's initial nervousness into confident anticipation.

Recognizing that a pistols' recoil was a little too much for my nephew, Josh smartly suggested switching to a rifle. He patiently and thoroughly demonstrated how to safely handle and fire it, reinforcing the crucial importance of safety in a way that was engaging and comprehensible for an 8-year-old. While we had gone over safety at home prior to going, Josh's expert guidance was invaluable. His ability to relate to my nephew and teach in an approachable yet authoritative manner was nothing short of remarkable.

Josh's impact extended far beyond our time at the range. On our drive home, my nephew took it upon himself to read about the proper storage of firearms at home. This clearly showed that he left The Gun Range San Diego with a deep respect and understanding of firearms, their power, and the importance of safe handling.

Thank you, Josh, for providing an exceptional, empowering experience that laid to rest my sister's concerns about owning a firearm. Your dedication to educating and ensuring safety for all patrons is commendable. You've not only taught my nephew invaluable lessons but also set a high standard for future visits to the range. We cannot wait to return and highly recommend The Gun Range San Diego to anyone seeking a secure, educational, and memorable...

As a 10 year shooter and a certified Range Safety Officer this is by far the worst range I have EVER visited. Here is a couple of reasons why. First, the range safety brief happened in the range. This is bad because there was a lot of shooters and it was hard to hear so getting all the information was hard. The range safety brief should clearly happen prior to entering the range to get all the information. Secondly, the staff here were cocky, rude, and were creating an unsafe environment. Just a few examples is talking down on my family members and myself which is highly unsafe. I quote they said sentences like “you are hopeless” and “I don’t even know why I try.” I understand it’s not my range but, the fact that my shooters felt unsafe and nervous the entire time was not safe and was disrespectful. I do not care if you are joking or not. Saying stuff like this does not help make someone become a better shooter or help anyone train. No one here is a perfect shooter and we go to the range to practice and train. The worst part is that this was not from just a single staff member it was more than one staff member. So this is a culture issue here. We get it, you get to use the range a lot and you have been doing this for a long time. Cool however, that gives you no right to show lack of respect and being unsafe is not the way to train and practice. Lastly, just being down right disrespectful to my Father who is a veteran which we told you prior to entering the range. He has served 20 years with many deployments under his belt and the fact that he was treated this way is completely wrong. My Father broke a rule which was closing his case behind the black line. However, there is absolutely no reason for any staff members to take his property then to slam his case and gun. Also shouting and being very angry with him is not safe. Breaking the rules is one thing and it is wrong but, realize this, for someone who fought for our rights to own guns and shoot, this is the absolute worst possible thing you can do. There is 100% better way to handle this situation. Not only is there a better way this is unamerican and unpatriotic. Just tell him to put the case back on the line. My Father understands and can take orders. Also, being angry is creating an unsafe environment. Being asked to leave is way better and safer than creating an unsafe environment. Maybe take a de-escalation of force training. I hope you gentlemen can change your ways. It’s hard to find places to shoot in California. However that is not an excuse to be disrespectful and unsafe. I personally will not return and neither will my family members and friends. Also if you are a Veteran do not go to this place. There are better places to go shoot that will show you the proper respect that you deserve. This is not the American way of doing things. Please...

I live in North County San Diego and don't get down to Kearny Mesa often. This time LAX Ammo had a sale which got me down there. I was happy to see that TGR was so close to LAX and decided to bring my pistols with me and try out the range for the first time.

I was extremely impressed with the quality,cleanliness, friendliness of the staff, and technology I got for my $14 range fee. I normally shoot at IronSites and only have that as a reference point to go on. I like IronSites but see a difference related to ventilation, technology, and supervision. The big difference I noticed was that there are one or more range officers actively in the range at all times. TGR protocol is to clip your plastic badge up in the booth which was a new concept to me.

I felt much safer as a result- almost every time at IronSites there will be a Bozo uncasing a firearm outside of the range booth despite repeated instructions at sign in, signs all over and the like. Not so at TGR which was comforting.

The retail area is clean and has a great selection of merchandise with helpful and friendly staff. I think this is an excellent place to go if you are a new shooter- they will instruct you and give you good advice. I saw a number of new shooters to see this happen.

The electronic keypad for ranging the targets was new to me and it was cool precisely setting a target to a yardage and also having it move while I engage it. Haven't done that before. One of the range officers even showed me a trick on using my ETS speed reloader which was nice.

Overall, I was glad to give TGR a try and will certainly go back the next time I'm in the area. The only nits I have are the parking lot and the back booth counter. The parking lot is narrow entrance and has a one-way parking direction scheme. It's a little tight trying to leave with incoming traffic- since you're essentially going against one-way incoming traffic. The rear counter at the booth is a little narrow with my large range bag and targets- not a huge deal. I did like how they try to space out shooters when it's not busy. I visited on a Saturday around 11am and had no wait for getting in- I was at lucky lane #13 which is against...