Indoor shooting range targets Henrico

colonialshootingrangeAn indoor shooting range billed as the largest such facility in the nation is coming to Henrico County.

Colonial Shooting Academy is expected to open in February at 6020 W. Broad St. near Willow Lawn in the former Colony House Furniture building. The facility will be open seven days a week and house 39 shooting stations for use by members or the general public. There will be 11 stations for law enforcement training and a “shoot house,” in which officers can practice various scenarios.

“It’s real exciting for us, because there’s a huge need,” said general manager Ed Coleman. “We feel like we’re meeting that need.”

There are three outdoor ranges and one indoor range in Central Virginia. Coleman has been affiliated with one of the outdoor ranges – Cavalier Rifle and Pistol Club in Hanover County – for almost four decades and said the new facility will appeal to a range of customers.

“We’ve been all over the country looking at indoor ranges,” he said. “Typically what we’ve found is professional people or tradesmen who are interested in shooting and need a place to shoot, or people who are interested in shooting competitions, which we’ll have some of.”

The development plan received approval from the Henrico Planning Commission late last month, clearing the way for demolition and renovation work to begin inside the structure. Investors in the shooting academy expect to spend $6 million or more outfitting the building during the coming months, Coleman said.

The building, owned by the real estate firm Spotts and Carneal, has been vacant since Colony House Furniture closed several years ago. Firm principal Courtland Spotts is the academy’s managing partner and a primary investor. (Ed Lacy, another real estate professional, is the other primary investor.)

The facility will offer memberships beginning at $35 a month with a $100 initiation fee but also will accept walk-in customers and offer gun rentals. One hour of shooting time will cost $20, Coleman said. Twenty-yard and 25-yard shooting ranges will be available, and the facility intends to offer some firearms for sale.

All customers and members will be required to take an on-site safety course prior to their first use of the facility and once every 12 months thereafter, Coleman said.

The academy is expected to employ 25 to 30 people, Coleman said. Among the facility’s instructors will be recently retired Henrico police chief Henry Stanley.

The firearms industry has shown steady growth, including growth of more than 15 percent annually in the past few years among first-time firearm owners, according to Coleman.

But many of those new owners lack formal training or the opportunity to access it nearby, he said. That’s a void that the new facility will seek to fill, he said.

“There are very few facilities where you can go to learn,” Coleman said. “Our primary purpose is to create a good, safe place for people to learn to shoot. We’ll have a safe, secure environment where people can come and take classes and learn proper shooting techniques.”

Coleman also expects that the academy’s role with local law enforcement agencies will expand over time. Because of its vast amount of space, it will be able to offer local police departments training opportunities that many of them – even larger ones – might lack, he said.

This article first ran in the Henrico Citizen, which is a Richmond BizSense news partner.

colonialshootingrangeAn indoor shooting range billed as the largest such facility in the nation is coming to Henrico County.

Colonial Shooting Academy is expected to open in February at 6020 W. Broad St. near Willow Lawn in the former Colony House Furniture building. The facility will be open seven days a week and house 39 shooting stations for use by members or the general public. There will be 11 stations for law enforcement training and a “shoot house,” in which officers can practice various scenarios.

“It’s real exciting for us, because there’s a huge need,” said general manager Ed Coleman. “We feel like we’re meeting that need.”

There are three outdoor ranges and one indoor range in Central Virginia. Coleman has been affiliated with one of the outdoor ranges – Cavalier Rifle and Pistol Club in Hanover County – for almost four decades and said the new facility will appeal to a range of customers.

“We’ve been all over the country looking at indoor ranges,” he said. “Typically what we’ve found is professional people or tradesmen who are interested in shooting and need a place to shoot, or people who are interested in shooting competitions, which we’ll have some of.”

The development plan received approval from the Henrico Planning Commission late last month, clearing the way for demolition and renovation work to begin inside the structure. Investors in the shooting academy expect to spend $6 million or more outfitting the building during the coming months, Coleman said.

The building, owned by the real estate firm Spotts and Carneal, has been vacant since Colony House Furniture closed several years ago. Firm principal Courtland Spotts is the academy’s managing partner and a primary investor. (Ed Lacy, another real estate professional, is the other primary investor.)

The facility will offer memberships beginning at $35 a month with a $100 initiation fee but also will accept walk-in customers and offer gun rentals. One hour of shooting time will cost $20, Coleman said. Twenty-yard and 25-yard shooting ranges will be available, and the facility intends to offer some firearms for sale.

All customers and members will be required to take an on-site safety course prior to their first use of the facility and once every 12 months thereafter, Coleman said.

The academy is expected to employ 25 to 30 people, Coleman said. Among the facility’s instructors will be recently retired Henrico police chief Henry Stanley.

The firearms industry has shown steady growth, including growth of more than 15 percent annually in the past few years among first-time firearm owners, according to Coleman.

But many of those new owners lack formal training or the opportunity to access it nearby, he said. That’s a void that the new facility will seek to fill, he said.

“There are very few facilities where you can go to learn,” Coleman said. “Our primary purpose is to create a good, safe place for people to learn to shoot. We’ll have a safe, secure environment where people can come and take classes and learn proper shooting techniques.”

Coleman also expects that the academy’s role with local law enforcement agencies will expand over time. Because of its vast amount of space, it will be able to offer local police departments training opportunities that many of them – even larger ones – might lack, he said.

This article first ran in the Henrico Citizen, which is a Richmond BizSense news partner.

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jack kay
jack kay
12 years ago

Great idea and good location!!! this is right down from where I work…beats going to a clock tower to releave frustrations of the day!

Andrew
Andrew
12 years ago

This is awesome I stopped shooting a few years back because I was so unhappy with the Dominion Facility out in the Southside. This will be more expensive but something the area could use.

Gregor Lish
Gregor Lish
12 years ago

To not have more shooting ranges and knife throwing lanes would be a violation of our rights!!!!! This is a huge win for Henrico, Richmond, the Commonwealth, and frankly, our entire Nation!

Kent Brockwell
Kent Brockwell
12 years ago

Glad there will be a new range but is $35/mo + $100 reasonable for membership? Plus a mandatory safety class? Do CHP holders or people with state firearms endorsements get a waiver? And $20/hr is a quite steep for the GP, especially in this economy after figuring in the cost of ammo. The rates at the other indoor range in Richmond blow that out of the water. I’m sure the new facility will be much nicer (with better ventilation hopefully) but those prices are silly.
Can’t wait to learn more.

Matt Trundle
Matt Trundle
12 years ago

I believe the architects that are working on this project do high end commercial work- so fit and finish ought to be nice. better than southern gun world.

Bill T.
Bill T.
12 years ago

Key question is what will you be allowed to shoot. Will it be like Dominion, where you have to buy all your ammo there and are pretty much limited to handguns? I used to be a member at Blackcreek, but itt’s a bit far to ride every time I want to shoot one of my rifles. I’m wondering whether I’ll be able to shoot a rifle at this indoor range.

john david shobe III
john david shobe III
12 years ago

fantastic idea!!! my whole family is very excited to be members!