The Shooting Range — Local services in Queen Creek

My son and I are avid shooters. I used to compete in USPSA and 3 Gun. For fun, we decided to visit all the indoor gun ranges in Arizona, one every month. Then we go to lunch afterward, discuss our experience, and rate each business. Out of all the ranges so far, Ted's is the worst. The staff (behind the counter/RO(s)) was helpful, kind, and professional. We did not meet the owners. Although, the range itself has some glaring issues:

Air Quality: Very Poor. The ventilation system is subpar. I felt like my entire body was covered in lead and smoke. My face and eyes were bothered. I could taste the powder, dust, and dirt. My lungs felt tight. All I wanted was a shower.

Lanes: The lanes are designed very narrow, and the depth is minimal. You are practically in your neighbors lap. There is no privacy nor safety as the partitions are very short. I ended up with rifle shells in my hair. Having two people try to shoot in the same lane plus arrange and use their gear, guns, and ammo was a very tight fit. You have to stow your range bags behind you which if you are being a responsible gun owner you cant keep track as it's not in view. It is uncomfortable and not enjoyable. For reference, I'm 5'3" and 120 lbs. My son is 5'9" and 160 lbs.

This range does not separate the pistols from the rifles. Many gun enthusiasts have bought rifles to play with. They have high capacity magazines, use automatic, install muzzle breaks, etc. Additionally, a lot of shooters buy low-end ammo or reload their own with the cheapest and most toxic products they can find. So for half of our PAID hour, we had to step back and wait until the three men beside us finished unloading 100rs each. It was too loud and smoky for us to shoot. As a matter of fact, half the range had to wait. I have shot at Caswells for many years. They are excellent at making sure pistols are on the left side of the range and rifles are on the right. There is a wall between. Lastly, why bring a rifle to an indoor range anyway? The only time I have done it was to sight in a new rifle as I was already there. And I only needed 3 rounds to do it.

I would not recommend this range to anyone. There are too many newer ones that have design and safety as a priority. 'The Continental' is one I would recommend. Excellent environment. Outstanding air quality. Same side of town. And it takes its name from one of my favorite...

First off, I am not an indoor range fan, anyway. I helped build Shooter's World in the 1980s. It looks NOTHING like it did when it was new. Ted's is an average indoor range. Ted's rental guns are poorly maintained, and the ammo they insist renters use is substandard to the ammo I use in my guns, and they charge a premium price for it. When their guns malfunction, I wind up cleaning them, and diagnosing problems like weak extractor springs, bad extractors, weak recoil springs, bent magazines, etc. I was rebuilding 1911s, and P35 at the age of 15. Fixing a Glock is like fixing a lawn mower compared to fixing a Ferrari is to fixing a 1911. I am going stay on my side of town, and may buy the membership for Shooter's World, even though it has a ghetto atmosphere, now. I prefer the Colorado state run or BLM outdoor ranges that are unsupervised, free, and you can do whatever you abilities will SAFELY ALLOW! In the end lane I can practice with a shoulder rig. I won't even ask if I can do that at an indoor range. It's not safe, for an indoor range! My gun is pointed behind me, when I draw, so no responsible range master will allow it. I don't believe for one second Ted's kicked a man out because he was black. That's absurd Cheap ammo can, will and does cause fires, and paper dust explosions in indoor ranges, so YES, if you have a case of that crappy Tula ammo, I would ask you to leave, for that reason, and NO OTHER REASON! The lead in that cheap ammo has been known to contain scrap steel fillers, and one spark will start a fire. Steel cased bullets will definitely start a fire, or cause even an explosion, from the paper dust. No business owner is going to racially profile & discriminate in the 21st century, but they will discriminate against dangerous ammo, dangerous guns, and dangerous behavior. I won't use crappy Russian ammo, even in my lowest quality Warsaw Pact Nation guns. All my guns are safe enough to use, when used properly. If it has no drop safety firing pin block, put it on half cock! I grew up around guns! Respect them, and they are as safer than most automobiles. If people are acting unsafe or using unsafe equipment, kick them out! It's about the safety...

There's a saying in business. Treat a customer well and they'll tell one person. Treat them badly and they'll tell 10. Such is the case here. I went in to the range to test a Polymer 80 build for functionality. I made it clear up front that it was a function test. I'm not trying to win Olympic gold. If the gun goes "bang" reliably, then I'm done. About 10 rounds into my testing the RSO comes over and asks me if I have sights. I told him no, it was just a function test and debugging. He disappeared(this should be the first indication that something isn't right) He then comes back to tell me that I can't shoot without sights. This is industry speak for getting kicked off the range. No explanation, just hovered there until I acquiesced. Strike one Before I go deeper, I want to clarify that I understand WHY the policy exists, just have an issue about how it was addressed. So I gather everything up, break down the target, etc. and head back to the counter. As I'm being checked out I let the clerk know exactly how I felt about being addressed. He just chuckled and gave the the Ok, Have a good day" eff you response. Strike 2. So I responded that it was not acceptable to treat customers in this fashion and that the rule was not clearly communicated. They insisted it was. I asked where it was listed, in the waiver?, where?. Another clerk insisted it was listed on the range rules posted at the entry to the lanes. I told him I would verify and be right back...because I knew it wasn't. Upon my return I asked anyone to show me where it was listed. they immediately pivoted to it not mattering because it's their policy Strike 3. At the end of the day, I would not have an issue if there had been an attempt to explain the reasoning behind the policy and come to an understanding. Even if you don't clearly communicate it, understanding that the customer is not 100% versed in your corporate policies, treating them with a little respect goes a long way. In this case, it seemed too much like they were too worried about enforcing the policy that even their RSO wasn't exactly sure of and not understanding what customer...