I'd actually rate it more like a 4.5; there were one or two little tiny issues with the range experience that kept it from being quite a perfect score:
Took my Dad here for his birthday. What better way to celebrate than exercising a Constitutional right in a fun way, right?
I called them to see if I needed to make reservations etc. Turns out reservations are only for members, but that's totally okay and not a problem. I spoke to Natalie on the phone, who was so friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful--and she was the perfect introduction to this place, because everyone we spoke to and dealt with were the same. They were ALL happy and helpful; they were ALL very knowledgeable; and, most importantly for me on this particular day, they ALL seemed to genuinely care that it was my Dad's birthday, and wanted him to have a fun day.
Check-in was easy: there's a little bank of iPads, and you watch a brief safety video and fill out a form. I would suggest that they have at least one iPad with larger print, because it was difficult for Dad to read the form and fill it out--I helped him, but for older customers, it might be nice to have a member of staff nearby (perhaps this is available for older customers who are by themselves, I don't know. So it's not a complaint, just a suggestion).
We browsed a bit in their awesome store, and then checked in at the range. I didn't get the name of the girl who helped us, but my receipt says, "RH." She, again, was great. I especially appreciated that she didn't give me my total verbally (I signaled to her to request this, as I know my dad and didn't want him making a fuss about how much I was spending on him)--it's subtle things like this, little things, that make a good customer experience great. Lots of people wouldn't care about that sort of thing, but she did.
The cost of the range and gun rental is excellent. Ammo is expensive. I don't think the ammo cost is the fault of the store, though, I think ammo is just expensive in general these days.
We headed into the range, and here is where my minor quibbles are. First, we were told the maximum number of people per lane was four, but when we first went back, we were in a lane *right next to* a group of at least six people. I actually think it was really nice that this obvious family was allowed to take just one lane! It's nice to know TGE is flexible. That's not my issue. My issue is that it would have been nice, considering that their group was oversized, if we'd been able to leave an empty lane between them and us, because we felt rather crowded--they were spilling out right behind us. There were at least two other lanes free.
Again, not a big deal, just it would have been nice not to feel crowded.
The other minor quibble was that we could have used more help, especially in the beginning. The way it works at TGE is your rented firearms are left in the lane for you; sensible, but it means there's no introduction or instruction. They each have a tag in the chamber; we had no idea what those tags were or what to do with them. No one's waiting there to show you the safety and mag release of your rented firearm; you have to figure it out yourself. It frankly felt unsafe, having newbies pick up weapons and just start poking around to figure out how to load them etc. I felt less confident with my rented guns and the experience in general because of this.
It's true that the lane attendants are close by, and happy to help! But they didn't tell us anything until we asked. Like, they removed one of the tags for us, but didn't take the time to also point out the mag release and safety on that weapon and the others. My dad didn't know there was a red dot sight in the M16 until he'd already fired a number of rounds (the attendant noticed he wasn't hitting the target very well, so pointed it out). That felt like a waste. We had been shooting before, yes, but it was clear we were trying new weapons, so having an attendant go over each gun's basics with us at the start would have been really helpful, and I wish that was an automatic thing there (as it was at the other range where I used to shoot).
Neither of those minor quibbles marred the experience, though! We had a blast (pun intended), and will definitely go there again. It's friendly, family-friendly, and welcoming to everyone. There was none of the sort of "you're an outsider" feeling that I've seen at a few other gun stores/ranges in the past. Their knife store is pretty great, too! I plan to buy a firearm in the near future, and can't wait to make my purchase at TGE.
(One other minor complaint: a bigger range of targets would be welcome. My old range had zombie targets, which was super fun. TGE's selection is pretty limited.)
I highly recommend Texas Gun Experience for great shopping and shooting! read more
