Guncology™ (Rink's) — Local services in Lockport

There has been some bad reviews of Rinks online, which made me reluctant to try them, but today I did. Turns out, the bad reviews are NOT accurate! I found the range to be very clean (beginning of day), lots of room behind the positions to pack/unpack, chairs available for seated shooting, and extremely well lit. There are a couple of distances that are less well lit, but overall the lighting is great both in the target area and the shooting positions. I did not find the smoke any worse than any other range, and I'm sensitive to it. Didn't bother me at all. I thought I would miss the motorized target hangers, but I didn't! I can move a target in and out twice as fast as waiting for the motors. (Ranges that have motors and distance readouts are the best, of course -- I'm comparing to motors without distance readouts.) I found the two people I dealt with to be friendly. The range is noisier than other ranges, but if you have "ears" on (which you must, of course) it is not a problem. Might want to make sure you have a higher db rating, though. That's a good idea at any range, actually. Mine are 36db. And the BEST part is the cost! $10 for as long as you want to shoot, and every tenth visit is free -- they stamp a card for you. This is now my new favorite range. Warning: they are BUSY, so adjust your time allocation accordingly. It would be nice if they had brooms or scrapers to shove the casings to the side, but that is really a minor point. I just kick the brass...

Very good staff. They all seem to meet the customer at their level and are unusually patient. But using this store to handle a transfer: wow. For $50 I’d like the employees to explain policy the same way. Or at least not wait until you go to pick up a firearm purchased 8 days ago — and be told to come back in 3 more. Why? Because they hold your completed paperwork, don’t run the check, and make for an 11 day wait. A store can do what they want, of course. But this odd process with no heads-up is just frustrating. Having the other sales guy last week set a different expectation entirely … that really undermines trust. For a store with a range in just fair condition I’d expect a better effort for customers. Attract customers for the service, not the creature comforts. But if you want to learn something and buy what’s in the cabinet, this is a good store.

Update a year later: I’m giving this store two more stars. It’s my favorite place to examine and talk about firearms. The transfer process may or may not work any better now, but that’s just a painful glitch and not any reason to shop elsewhere. To be honest, many other stores have their own problems being efficient with transfers. I’d try it again. And just naming names: the robotic, customer repellent number taking process at Bass Pro Shop, resulting in huge waits to even ask a question if a salesperson. That is just as exasperating and makes you fully hate big retailers. Bass is not alone, just the worst. Argument for going...

I had the worst experience with this place. I went there as a first time gun buyer to purchase a small revolver. I'd recently had a bad experience with a gun which made me a little apprehensive and nervous about purchasing one in the first place. The young man that assisted me was not helpful at all and tried his best to discourage me by mocking me and laughing smugly when I'd ask a question. He even left my Identification on the counter and another customer returned it to me. That should have been my que to leave but I continued to look. After not being able to get the help I needed from him. I told him I was going to step out and make a call and I'd be right back. He gave me a funny look but said nothing. I went outside for 5 mins came back and told the boy what gun I decided on. He then told me that because I made a call their policy was not to sell to me. Now my issue was not their policy my issue is the fact that the boy assisting me was so mean, cruel, and subconsciously racist that he wouldn't have informed me of their policy when I told him what I was going to do. Him allowing me to step outside, make a call and then come back showed me the level of humiliation he tried to take me through. He was nasty and rude. I would not recommend this place to anyone as long as the boy that assisted me is employed there....