Firearm enthusiasts from around the area now have a new option with The Range in McKinney, McKinney’s first indoor shooting and training facility. Located at 415 Industrial Blvd, The Range in McKinney is designed for new and experienced shooters and offers a live-fire indoor range, a video simulator, education, personal and corporate events, and a firearm store.
The Range in McKinney is the vision of Thom and Julie Beyer. Thom, a federally licensed firearms dealer, has been an avid shooter since he was eight years old, first learning about gun safety and how to shoot on his family’s property in Little Elm. Years later, Thom and Julie started planning to build their own range after noticing the lack of good customer service and quality local gun ranges. The Beyers traveled around the country visiting other gun range owners and learning from them. They decided they wanted to build a different kind of shooting range, one designed to make everyone feel at home. A range with great customer service, the best equipment available, and a family-friendly environment where men, women, and families interested in firearm instruction, safety, and proficiency could feel comfortable and learn about, practice, and enjoy the sport of shooting.
“We wanted a family-friendly environment where both experienced and new shooters can shoot and train safely,” says Thom Beyer. “The Range in McKinney is a place where experienced shooters will feel comfortable, and novices won’t feel intimidated.”
The Range in McKinney is open to the public and encompasses a 25,000-square-foot space including 18 climate-controlled, 25-yard, lead-filtering shooting lanes with the industry’s best target handling systems, 3,000 square feet of retail space, and two multi-purpose classrooms where certified instructors will teach a variety of courses and provide private lessons. Extensive measures have been made throughout the building to adhere to noise and environmental requirements, including over 4 million pounds of concrete that envelope the live-fire ranges, acoustic baffles and doors, and hospital-grade air handling equipment which uses 100 percent fresh - never recirculated air.
Training is important no matter how long someone has been a shooter. If someone is new to the sport of shooting, learning the proper grip, the right foot positioning, and how to properly lean into the shot are critical for success. If someone has been shooting for years they need to practice to avoid falling into any bad habits that one can pick up over time. With this in mind, The Range in McKinney has both men and women trainers teaching beginner to advanced classes including basic pistol, license to carry, all women classes, and tactical training.
In addition, The Range in McKinney has a catering kitchen and an event planner to help host truly unique personal and corporate events, such as birthday and holiday parties, date nights, bachelor parties, sales, and team-building meetings.
Over the last few years, there has been a fundamental shift in who goes to shooting ranges. It is no longer a predominately male sport. “This is not an old-school range,” says Julie Beyer. “We want both men and women as well as shooters and non-shooters to feel comfortable. Our goal is for The Range in McKinney to be an enjoyable experience for everyone who walks through our doors.”
From the moment one walks through the front door, The Range in McKinney is welcoming and inviting with flags honoring our veterans and first responders to reclaimed wood, stone, polished concrete, and quartz countertops. A waiting area offers TVs, comfortable couches, a coffee bar, and vending machines. The retail space includes firearms displayed in the way electronics retailers display cellphones on top of tables instead of behind a counter, allowing customers to safely touch and hold the guns to become comfortable with their features without the pressure of a salesperson standing over them. Among the specialty retail items available are custom holsters, conceal carry yoga pants, and the Wylie X sports glasses. The entire building is equipped with Wi-Fi and guests can take advantage of the social media wall to give a shout-out on their favorite social media platform.
The Range in McKinney is the first private range in Texas to house a military simulator for civilian use. This reality-based simulator is used to train armed forces and law enforcement around the world with a 300-degree environment that can support up to five participants at one time. The Firearms Training System features scenarios such as experiencing real-life police and military situations, fighting insurgents in the desert, shooting long-distance, and competing in timed and scored competitions for marksmanship, competition, and judgment.
Whether someone wants to shoot once a month or every day The Range in McKinney offers a membership that fits everyone’s needs. Individual, family, and corporate memberships are designed and priced for usage, not status. There is also a membership designed for those 65 years old and up. Discounts for active military, veterans and first responders are available.
