Glacier Gun Club — Local services in Olympia

I’ve been a member of Glacier Gun Club for about 4 months now, and I have to say, this is the best range facility I’ve ever been to, hands down. I’m going to go into detail below, so if you’re not interested in reading an essay just trust me on this: if you’re even remotely interested in stopping by Glacier Gun Club to take a look or join up, do it. You won’t be disappointed.

First of all, the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. They remember who you are, they treat you like family, not like just another customer. They take safety seriously, which is absolutely essential when dealing with firearms, but not in a rude manner like some of the ranges I’ve been to. They process paperwork on purchases and transfers promptly. If you have questions about your gun or one in their case, they know the answers. The prices on guns, ammunition and even the membership fees themselves are more than fair - if you’re like me, you’ll want to buy as much from them as you can to support a local business like this.They make people feel safe and welcome, especially new shooters and guests.

Second, their facility is top notch. It’s in a discreet location (if you’re like me and don’t always advertise that you own/shoot guns), and it’s incredibly convenient for those who live near downtown Olympia. Plus, it’s indoors - so for the 10 months out of the year where shooting outside is miserable, that problem is solved. Their rental case has a wide variety of pistols to shoot in various brands and calibers. That’s incredibly important when deciding if you’re going to buy a pistol - holding it in your hand and dry firing it in the gun store isn’t a good representation of how the weapon will perform for you during live fire. I personally tried 5 pistols from their case before I decided to buy one (from them, of course).The lounge area is always clean and comfortable - even if I didn’t shoot, it would be a pleasure to sit and read the paper or surf facebook in there. The range itself is perfect as well - the lanes are comfortably wide, the range is well lit, and incredibly well ventilated. Even with all 6 lanes full, smoke isn’t an issue that I’ve run across.

Finally, the Defensive Pistol Class instructed by Luke Lee is, in my opinion, absolutely essential for anyone thinking about carrying a firearm for self-defense. GGC made an excellent decision in allowing Luke to teach classes at their facility - it makes the shooters better, and provides a critical service to the community. Anybody can pick up a pistol, but learning how to properly hold and present a firearm during a defensive encounter and learning how to shoot accurately under stress is what makes someone a truly responsible gun owner. Luke is a great instructor as well - combining great information, tactics and practical application of skills along with an upbeat and positive attitude. He’s teaching lifesaving skills in his classes, and I strongly urge everyone who carries a gun to take his class - I’ve already taken two, and I can’t wait for the next...

Great staff, nice atmosphere, ammunition prices are reasonable. They also rent pistols. Must be a member or a guest to use the range. I have been on the range when there were 4 lanes or more active and I thought it was OK. Just bring good ear protection or borrow theirs. Gets a bit loud and startling at first if someone is shooting a large caliber handgun but that seems normal for a smaller range. Nice lounge area to BS with your friends before or after using the range. Great to have a range this convenient to downtown and the surrounding areas. Thanks to the guys that started this for investing and...

Going into a place like this as a total newbie to guns and gun culture was very intimidating, however the staff here immediately made me feel comfortable. The woman that runs the counter during the day can be a bit sarcastic which might put some people off but no big deal to me. Did my FFL transfer through them and they charge a rather high $50 for this transfer. Seeing how other stores in town charge $20 I don't know how they justify such a high transfer fee but I guess people pay it because the staff is very professional and prompt with communication, which I've heard isn't the case with some...