Sakonnet River outfitters is a small yet diverse and uniformly outstanding gun shop. Their selection is not the largest but their breadth in terms of products and services as well as the repertoire in that they have an indoor 25 yard range is superlative.
The most significant element about our experiences here has been the joy of dealing with the owners and staff. Knowledgeable, kind and fun, they love to chat and get excited about firearms and the experience of owning, using and caring for them. The owner, Randy, is a correctional officer with a hilarious, if slightly self deprecating humor so he is well versed in the field, and he is so incredibly nice. For example when I took my father in law here so he could sight in his Benjamin break barrel air rifle from cocking it continously he managed to unscrew the barrel until it fell off onto the range. He stopped the action, went to get it and was able to not only re-assemble the airgun but also inspect it for proper functioning and recommended some small but valuable maintenance advice; we did not even buy the gun from him!
His son Craig also works at the ACI and works here as well; it tells you everything that the entire family, including Randy's wife works here as well and they too are experienced, knowledgeable and kind. The ammunition selection is fairly broad, they have just about everything and deliver competitive prices not gouging you like so many places in this time of shortages have. More importantly, if you want to buy something that is very expensive, they warn you ahead of time what you will have to pay because some things, even with a tiny markup, still cost a lot.
Their range system is the most up to date and state of the art indoor range I have ever seen. It has a fully electronic system to position the targets and knowledgeable, dedicated and alert range officers backed by cameras. This is one of the few indoor range systems in the area, along with American Firearms School which is nowhere near as nice, that allows you to shoot high power rifles indoors all the way up to 50 BMG. Pretty nice to be shooting your 308 or 12 gauge in the comfort of heat and climate control when it's 18 degrees out! For all the different places I have seen, this is one of the most flexible because they rigid and demand that you go about doing things just one way. There are more ways than one to be safe and if multiple approaches are safe so long as you are not putting anyone at risk and won't be barreling down your throat to hold a certain gun or load it just one way if other ways are just as secure.
Management offers lessons for all types of firearms, carry permits and licensing are available even for Massachusetts FOID as well as beginner safety classes, tactical and self defense with other means such as pepper spray. Again management is ever present and given their law enforcement background have good experience to share but do so in a non threatening, kind, fun way that adapts the available lessons to the experience and readiness of the student. I've participated alongside the staff's teaching from an 8 year old boy with a nascent interest in the outdoors and sporting watching his groups shrink, a woman whose never held a gun in her life, and a LEO member of the military looking to polish his skills. If you shoot here they will be happy to see you using their facility and make it fun for you to learn even just a tip or two about what you can improve to be safer and better. One neat thing is if it's not busy the range officer sometimes approaches you not just to point out your safety mistakes and enforce the rules, but in a positive, proactive way to give constructive feedback on how to be a better shooter almost like a free mini lesson which is unusual for a range open to the public.
One huge plus about this range is that they are very family and especially child friendly. There is no age limit to speak of and they allow parental discretion if you think your child can shoot they will let that kid shoot as long as things are done safely. This mellow, easygoing approach allows for some pretty memorable experiences for the whole family. Being a member is not terribly expensive and if you plan to come more than 7 times per year, not counting other discounts on instore purchases you might get, pays for itself up front.
If you don't own any guns or want to try some kind of new gun out of curiosity you can even just come here and rent guns for 12 dollars but you do have to buy the ammo and you can shoot until your heart's content. Their prices are fair considering what the hobby is and the costs it entails to run the operation, but you get a lot of freebies, just little stuff, and the service in terms of getting help whether you buy guns or ammo or anything from them is second to none. It's rare to see such a combination of safety, knowledge, enthusiasm, kindness and service wrapped up in one package. read more
