I have been to about seven gun ranges in the greater Chicago area and I have to rate this Midwest Guns as among the worst of the available options. Went there last week for the first time with two friends from work on a Thursday afternoon. The range was not crowded and we were checked in promptly. Here are some pros and cons of this range: Pros: Front staff was friendly and check in was pretty straightforward. The price to shoot for an hour ($20) was competitive for the Chicago area. The range seems to have a good selection of ammo and targets available for shooters. I did not buy ammo so can't comment on prices for that. The ventilation system works just fine, the temperature in the range was comfortable. Cons: The range lighting is mediocre in that targets are not clearly lit until you get out to about 7 yds. I suppose that is okay because Midwest has a 7 yd minimum shooting distance rule. Chose another range if you want to practice the test needed for an IL CCW permit. You don't know that rule when you start to shoot because it is not posted anywhere. A very old hand crank system runs the targets out to shoot. It works pretty well, however, there are no markings anywhere to tell you the distance to your target. Something happened during my visit that was surprising, disturbing and perhaps dangerous. I had run my target out to what I thought was about 12 - 15 ft to warm up. The Range Officer walked up behind me and started to crank the target out to about 21 ft WHILE I WAS SHOOTING. Just to be clear, I was shooting at a target that just starting moving away from me while I was firing the gun. I turned to see what was going on (Kept the gun pointed down range) to find the RO cranking away. He told me in a very snarky tone that "This in your minimum distance" as he continued to move the target. I want to be very clear that I have no problem with the minimum distance rule. I do have a big problem with someone coming up behind me while I am shooting and moving my target. What is even more amazing is that when I mentioned this event to front desk staff as I left the range, the person just laughed it off. No apology, no expression of concern whatsoever. Summary: I would go to Midwest to shoot only if it were the only place available enjoy shooting. Because there are many other available places to shoot, I guess I would not go to Midwest at all. read more

Came in to use the rang, ended up buying a Smith And Wesson 9mm. Guys there where very helpful in helping me make my selection. Also took the time to explain everything in detail. read more

I've been going to Midwest for over 20 years, but have never been happy with the experience. Why keep going? Because there aren't may places to pick from. The staff always acts like you are bothering them, ditto for the range guys. They need to have some basic customer interaction courses. The ranges are old and worn out. They do have a good selection of handguns and rifles, but they must be really tired of showing them to customers. From now on I'll do my shooting at Aurora Sportsman's Club and I'll find a better place to buy my ammo and guns. read more

This is my favorite gun shop in the Chicago area! By far the friendliest and most helpful people when buying a firearm. Kevin definitely knew his stuff and suggested the best products for my needs. I would definitely recommend this shop to anyone!! read more

This place is legit. I was torn between two options and they knew their stuff. They helped me make a great choice.

I was taken care of Kyle whom was very patient as well as very informative with any questions or concerns I had regarding my Glock 19 puchase. He let me know about a special offer which I took. I also had questions on ICC classes, he took the liberty of calling his supervisor to confirm the dates I needed. Will be back, awesome and friendly staff. read more

Today i visited this gun range with my boyfriend who decided to take me to learn about guns. It was kind of scary at first everyone was very helpful and nice. prices aren't bad at all. All different types of guns i'll be going back for sure! read more

I have a friend whose passion are guns that is why I took him to a shooting range near my home for his birthday! He liked it but didn't love it. This was a first for me however so for an inexperienced person I could give a more of an unbiased opinion. I thought it was alright, not the worst not the best . The ammunition was a bit pricey, and it looked very old fashioned and out of date. It was pretty hard to shoot because the target was so far away. However, all the staff were really nice and polite and looked like they knew what they were doing. We had fun and it's all that mattered to me so if I am ever to go shooting again I will visit Midwest Guns, especially that I live nearby. As to my friend, he has been to many different shooting ranges before and he told me as an 'expert' that it is actually not that bad either. Maybe not the best, but definitely safe to be around and that's all that should matter. That plus fun!! 4 STARS FOR MIDWEST GUNS !!! read more

Was really struggling between two different models due to reviews online. Walked in on a Saturday and walked into a crazy crowd of people. The place was busy but a salesman went out of his way to explain the pros and cons to both units. I was able to make a choice easily after explanation. The salesman wasn't a typical one, he sold me on the one that was actually cheaper. I was able to build trust easily with him and made the purchase. When I picked it up a different salesperson was great at explaining every feature. Great place with straight shooters that don't perform shady sales strategies. read more

I bought my girlfriend and I our concealed carry class here with Terry as the instructor. He did a great job of presenting content, that would otherwise be pretty boring, in an interesting and engaging way. He also brought in his own personal firearms and holsters to give the class some opportunities to handle different weapons and stuff. The shooting portion of the class was also taught well and Terry helped whoever needed it with great technical advice. I'd definitely check them out if you're looking into a CCW class! read more

Great store near downtown Chicago. I can only compare it to GAT Guns in Dundee, IL, from whom I've purchased a lot of guns. 1) Location. Midwest wins. If you live in Chicago, GAT is a 1 hour drive each way, and so every purchase will require 4 hours of driving (and if you happen to forget your FOID or something else goes wrong...6 hours). 2) Selection. GAT wins. No one can compare to GAT on selection. Midwest is very good on most self-defense handguns, whereas GAT has just about everything under the sun. The place is huge. If you don't know what you want and you want a lot to choose from, then you have to make the drive to GAT. 3) Service. Midwest wins. GAT never has enough employees and I usually spend a lot of time waiting for someone to come and help me. Midwest had much better service, and the guys are willing to have long conversation with you. At GAT they have six other customers waiting all the time. They will stick with you as long as you have questions, but when GAT is busy it's not the best buying experience. 4) Shooting range. GAT wins. GAT's shooting range is state of the art while Midwest's doesn't look like it's been updated since they opened the place. I wouldn't really care about all the bells and whistles that GAT has over Midwest, but Midwest has one MAJOR flaw: You can't shoot at a target any closer than 30-feet away. 30-feet is further than you should ever have to engage an attacker with a handgun. If you want to practice realistic distances for conceal carry, you are out of luck at Midwest. read more

Best place best sales service I got my firearm 3 days like they said and I love the safe I got works great

the few times ive been there( one for transfer and two for the pick up ) i felt disgusted. rude,less than knowledgeable, and ignorant staff. when filling out the background forms the guy asked me not once, but half a dozen times, if the purchase was for me. inconceivable. read more

The only reason I even go here is the convenience of it being a few blocks from my house. They have awful customer service, the range downstairs has no ventilation, the people that run the range are rude when they finally help you after they've finished having their bullshit session with each other and their website sucks. Drive the extra half an hour and save yourself the aggravation and misery you'll feel after going here. I've never been to another place and left this frustrated with the service in my entire life. The blond cashier is nice but the red head is a bitch even to the other employees. The only reason they got 2 stars is they did a decent job taking care of my FFL for a used gun I bought somewhere else and they have a decent selection of semi automatic pistols. If you insist on going here then get there in the middle of the day. It's the only time you might get someone to help you and not make you feel rushed. read more

First time gun buyer/owner although the staff was very busy on a Sunday when I did get helped the staff as very knowledgeable and helpful. Huge selection and price ranges for all needs. read more

Friendly staff upstairs helped me with all my needs. Looking forward to using the range there soon.Thank you guys and gals

Great customer service and experience! They take their time and explain everything to you instead of just focusing on a sale. Highly reccomend. read more

My experience at Midwest was great. Jacky was very helpful and informative. I was looking for something more comfortable to conceal carry and Jacky's feedback helped me make the right decision. I was easily able to try out my new firearm at the range. Overall, a great experience. read more

I am a frequent customer at Midwest Guns. I've been going to them since about 4-years ago when I signed up for their "Intro to guns" class. I had never fired a gun before this class. It was 4-hours, and the two guys that ran the class did a great job, and were very thorough. After the gun safety class, I started using their range. I would rent a gun, usually a .22 revolver, and would shoot. It sucked during the ammo shortage as they didn't always have ammo, and I had to wait to come back when they had ammo to shoot. Totally out of their control, so this is nothing against them, and I was never ticked at them. I purchased my first firearm from them, and the guy at the counter, Angel, helped me pick it out, explained every piece of the firearm to me, and made the process painless. I purchased the lifetime warranty for $30, and glad I did as I had to bring the firearm back a year later. Now I am a firm believer in purchasing the warranty. Fast forward a few years later... I have purchased, to this date, five firearms from Midwest, usually working with Angel, though everyone else I've ever worked with has been great. Sure, every now and then, you will get someone who is less than cheerful, but that happens with retail, and I tend to go after work, so these folks have already dealt with the public a full day. I have nothing bad to say about any of them though. They are running a gun store and range in Crook County, which has got to be a huge challenge in and of itself. The range... it used to be sort of dumpy and I'd always have to go next door to 7-Eleven for a drink to wash out the gun powder residue from the back of my throat. Now though, they have totally redone the range. It's cleaner, brighter and the filtration is excellent. I took a friend there on a Monday night and we shot for over two hours, and never did I notice the gun powder taste or anything. It is a very pleasant place to shoot now and there is ALWAYS a range officer on duty watching out for everyone's safety. I highly appreciate that. The only reason I didn't give a full five stars is their ammo is rather expensive. Again, they have a range in Crook County, so I know they get taxed out the wazoo, and in June when Crook County taxes every round, it's going to be even worse. I feel bad for these guys, and I know they are going to take a hit to their business, but what can you do? I purchase my ammo elsewhere now, so I just pay for the range and targets when I forget to bring my own, and I'm fine. I will continue to be a customer at Midwest Guns. Even with Crook County taxing the heck out of all firearm owners, they will get my business, and I will just have to eat the $30 Crook County tax. Oh, did I mention you get a free range pass every time you purchase a firearm? It makes the $30 more like $10, so they are finding a way to support their customers in this corrupt county. read more

I go there to pick up my weapon aftrer paying for It i ask can someone show me how it works first time buy a semi-automatic rifle so the lady ask this short Mexico guy to help me he told her want is it now he told me to two thing and walk away did not give me a chance to so anything plus there ammo is to expensive read more

I was very nervous considering it was my first firearm that I was purchasing but it was a young lady that worked there. I forgot her name but she was very helpful and made me feel comfortable. I will definitely be coming back for the range and to purchase another firearm. read more

Love this place. The sale people are friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Definitely the place to go purchase and protect!!!

Three generations going and they decided to be jerks to a few people there while we visited. When we tried to help, the man said "listen let's not get ahead of ourselves and sit down". I understand people have hard days but with so many competitors like Cabela's, Point Blank, and Eagle Sports Range you would think they would treat all their customers nice. Such competitors offer many deals, flexible hours, and are customer service oriented. These competitors are within driving range and not too far. They need to rethink their marketing strategies and their customer service training. It was difficult to try to change the mind of these customers but like they said "a gun is the same here and another store but we wanted to help local businesses, I guess we were wrong". The most heart breaking part is that they were veterans and one was an active member. On a weekend where we should be celebrating patriotism, heroes, and our country I was really disappointed. It was a great ride while it lasted and was looking forward to the 4th generation visiting with us but I guess it won't be happening. read more

A typical gun store, they recently removed the tackle and bait portion and now focus totally on guns and accessories. They have a large inventory of guns and they do a good job stocking the corresponding ammo and accessories. The range is dark and dirty, but they give you half off on Friday's so thats not too bad. read more

Visited twice last week, and spoke to Angel. First of all, good guy, great personality, very helpful, and knowledgeable. He's an absolute asset to the business. I came in to rent a gun, and spend some time in the range, and was very happy with their selection, and price. The range itself isn't the most modern, and the stalls are fairly small, brass would hit the wall and then me in the face quite regularly. Could have just been the guns I rented though. I ended up talking more to Angel about a trigger variant of a gun I was interested in, and he was familiar with it, which hasn't been the case with other places I've went into. My only issue was that his price was about 30% higher than an online price. I understand that brick and mortar has overhead, and far more cost to operate, so I would have been fine with paying a few dollars more, but 30% was a little too much to swallow for me. They did have a pretty reasonable price on Speer Lawman ammo, and since Angel spent more time with me than he had to, I ended up picking up a 5-pack of ammo, to at least give something back. Good place, I'll visit again, and I'd recommend it to anyone. read more

This is the first range I've ever shot at. Everyone there (I must have interacted with 7 or 8 different staff) was very helpful and polite and tolerant of my newbie questions and behavior. The selection of rental pistols is HUGE and they had every pistol I wanted to try, they let you try as many pistols as you want for $12. The range is clean enough, not pristine or anything but I don't care...it's a place to shoot guns. The ammo was a bit expensive...$22 for 9mm but that's a sign of the times, plus they give you an $8 break on the $20 ALL DAY range fee if you buy their ammo so it evens out. My mom wanted to shoot some small 22 carry-style pistols so I stopped in the day before to get a feel for the place to make sure she'd feel comfortable. I got a good vibe from the place so I brought her the next day. She really enjoyed herself and learned a lot, so did I...great experience. read more

Fun, safe place to shoot. The RO's are very helpful giving shooting tips. Good place for beginners. Store staff is helpful and friendly.

There are lots of options when it comes to ranges and firearm purchases, but Midwest has become my new "Go-To" for all of the above. The staff is very attentive, knowledgeable and resource driven if they don't have what you need. The on-site gunsmith is also very helpful, which most other shops don't have to offer. The all day range pass is 2nd to none compared to other ranges that only give you an hour. The gun prices are very competitive and working with anyone behind the counter has been seamlessly consistent regarding level of service, professionalism and kindness. Needless to say, I highly recommend Midwest Guns. read more

Love the service here. Weapon prices are great. Background check came back instantly. They gave me an exact time to pick up weapon and when the day came I was able to be in and out read more

I took my CFP class with Louis and Terry. They were both very knowledgeable, patient, safe and instructive. Both instructors spent a decent amount of time grandstanding on the 2nd Amendment, which was expected, even if their historical interpretation of the amendment was not 100% accurate. Regardless, for $100, you receive excellent instruction, an hour on the range (including ammo, gun rental, ear/eye protection) and everything required for the CFP. We had a diverse class in terms of age, sex and background, and the instructors treated everyone equally and with respect. I'm glad I took the class and learned a lot. read more

Overall not the best and needs a lot of improvements. At the range you have to shoot up to 30 feet and no closer than that. There were not a lot of options when choosing guns. The place looked pretty outdated of course. Prices are also high which of course I was in Cook County at that time. Overall I would give it 3 stars if it was an up to date range with better technology and all that. read more

Excellent family owned business. Great customer service. If you're inexperienced with firearms they will take the time time explain what you need to know about handling and selecting the right firearm. Staff is extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. Don Fong was extremely helpful with me since I was looking at Glock 43 and Sig Sauer P365. They have a great Conceal and Carry Class. Also good range. Rentals are available read more

Love this place! The atmosphere is great, as well as the staff. They all get along and everyone always offers a helping hand. They also do things by the book, and don't take any shortcuts. That to me is keeping the community safe as well! read more

If its your first time in the shooting range don't be afraid to ask questions. Try grabbing a number first so you don't wait long.

I was thinking between 3 and 4 stars, and decided to give a 4 stars before people there are nicer in my recent visit. When I say nicer, I mean better customer service. Now when I ask questions, people are willing to answer, even it maybe a basic question. Also, the place seems has renovated a little and it looks better than a year ago. One thing to improve it, they may want to put more lights inside of the range. It is a little dark. read more

Great place all the guys there are so nice and help you a lot with any questions you have very nice place to go shooting safe and very organized read more

Absolutely amazing place to buy a firearm. They are kind, knowledgeable, and fast. Not going anywhere else to buy my firearms. What I like most about this place is when you walk in you don't feel overwhelmed and confused. I was greeted instantly and shown around to make sure I knew where everything was. It was the best gun shop experience I've had by far. Last thing when you walk in look to your left and walk up those stairs that's where the gun shop is. read more

First time purchasing from here and they were very nice and knowledgeable. I would definitely make another purchase from here. Prices were also very reasonable compared to other places I looked at. read more

I did my research and I knew what product exactly I would buy before coming to the Midwest Guns, but as a first time firearm buyer I didn't really know what to expect. Well, Kevin made the entire process easy and enjoyable. He has spent enough time with me to go through the all maintenance and safety manuals in great details. Helped me to assemble the maintenance kit and answered all my questions. What can I say, a pleasant experience makes you want to come back. In summary, I had a good experience with this dealer. Will definitely consider coming again for my next purchase. read more

A little on the pricey side, but its a range that is close to the city and convenient. Can get a little crowded on Friday nights.