While some gun ranges feature little more than a target and a safe place to stand, there’s a new place just down the road from Akins that takes the shooting experience to that of a luxury club.

The Range, located just north of Slaughter St. on the northbound I-35 frontage road, offers amenities of a fully integrated entertainment facility with 37 rifle-rated lanes, innovative targeting systems and interactive shooting simulation for seasoned shooters. However, it’s also a safe place for beginners looking to learn how to fire a gun properly. Anyone under the age of 21 needs to have a parental guardian with them in order to rent and shoot at The Range.

Angie Neal, the director of sales membership and private events The Range is one of the few places in the country that is considered an “elite dealer” for Sig Sauer, a maker of high end pistols and rifles.

“Anything new they come out with will be here as soon as it is released,” she said. “The most popular guns right now are, of course, their large variety of tactical guns, from handguns to rifles to shotguns.”

Neal said The Range’s main goal is to provide “a safe and comfortable shooting environment for all ages from 8 year olds to 90 year olds, who either love shooting guns or want to learn how to shoot a gun.”

They also have training classes taught by the U.S. Navy SEAL Jeff Gonzales, who is also the president of a training company called Trident Concepts, Students can go take basic firearm classes if they are just beginning, or marksmanship classes to improve accuracy.

There are different types of core classes for pistol, rifle and shotgun, ranging from introductory, basic, intermediate, and advanced. They also offer one-to-one private instruction and certification for concealed handgun permits.

For those who are past all of that training and want to perfect their firearm skills, The Range also has specialty and tactical courses such as shooting on move, low light tactics, multiple threats tactics, basic and advanced edged weapons, home defense, advanced tactical problems, and even vehicle defense. All of these courses are watched over by Gonzales, who works to improve defense skills to the fullest.

The Range is also selling gift cards for Christmas time for those who want to give their special someone or a good friend who loves guns some money to go have fun with. Customers don’t even need a membership to go shooting there.

The cost is $25 per hour for handguns and $30 an hour for rifles, plus an additional fee for renting guns, and ammunition. The largest rifle ammunition they allow is the massive .375 H&H.

The Range is recommendable for anybody who wants to have fun learning about how to use weapons, but be prepared to spend some money to have fun prices can get a little high in the blink of an eye. Even so, the Range is definitely worth checking out.