The range itself is fantastic. Unfortunately, the staff tend to overstep, and often appear less…read moreexperienced with firearms than the people paying to shoot. Customer service also leaves much to be desired. When I politely asked about a military discount--something many businesses choose to honor--the response I received was, 'this isn't Applebee's.' As a Purple Heart recipient, I found that dismissive and unprofessional. There are much better ways to address veterans than with sarcasm. Also for the majority of their firearm prices it's about 100-250 dollar markup from the majority of other shops in Maine.

Outstanding. Like, seriously, you can tell the people that work here are passionate about guns, and…read moresafety and all around education about guns. I did come with my cousin, who owns a few guns. So as far as renting guns from Howell's, I don't know. I do know you can. But cost, and paperwork, I don't know. Now, for my experience. First we gave our drivers license, and we had to sign a document which we scanned the QR code and initialed the appropriate areas. Then we watched a short video on gun safety. You do need to wear protective eye wear and earplugs and ear head ware too. My little ear plugs kept falling out. I have small ears. So I wore the head ear ware. We were given a lanyard that said range 2 lane 7. We went in our room and found our lane. We were the only ones there. We did rent the lane for 1 hour. You can choose whatever time you need. Between me and my cousin, an hour was plenty of time. A little about me. I'm scared of guns. I don't have arm muscles. I'm like nervous about the kick back, I mean, all the things. I did once shoot a riffle with L.L. Bean years ago. So I know a little, but not enough, and still scared. This isn't pop pop like you see on tv, this is a full blown bang bang. Bob! Oh my word. That man, you know he's passionate. He had so much patience with me, and gave such great instructions. No complicated words and gun lingo. He was just an outstanding human being. He watched me so carefully, he gave instructions on how to hold the gun. My thumbs needed to be like stacked side by side. And he would watch me shoot, then he said, okay, looks like your grip is good, but try twisting your left wrist upward a little, and I would do it, and sure enough, I shot better. I was getting a lot of kick back and my little girly arm muscles just started to fatigue, so he said, try leaning in a little with your whole upper body. I mean, everything he said just made me better and better. He was so kind in his directions, I felt so comfortable and more relaxed as I was learning and learning more. And as I changed my grip, or my stance, and making sure I lined up the 3 dots, and keep everything level, and breathe, and squeeze the trigger. I was getting better with practice and not feeling so nervous. And really, Bob just made me feel more relaxed. I had my cousin to guide me as well, and Bob, so I felt like I had a great support team during my hour. My cousin, dang, he was good. But he's been shooting guns his whole life. Highly, really, highly recommend this place for anyone who wants to try it out. Practice, but most of all learn and respect guns. Price wise. 2 people, an hour, box of bullets and 2 targets, and 2 earplugs. Like $80.00 we had our own guns, but you can rent theirs. I basically got a personal instructor, and that's priceless. Thank you all for giving me a whole new respect and education for guns. I appreciate you ALL!

What a great experience! Came here on vacation from Pennsylvania with 3 first time shooters and we…read morehad a blast. Alex showed us the in and outs of silhouette shooting and even let us use his own personal guns and ammo. This place is a gem for Maine residents and tourists alike. Go check this place out and support your local gun club.

First time to an indoor range, so not much experience to compare with. However, it was not…read moreterrible. We were there for 2 hours. Everything was what I would expect (remember you're in Maine, if you want Gucci, go elsewhere). It was not busy, which was great bc it was my son's first AR experience. I went in with a few cases (long guns) and there wasn't much space outside of our lane box to keep multiple firearms. It wasn't busy so it wasn't a problem. And it was a little steamy in there, ventilation could he improved. I'd go back.

For the positives: The sales guy we spoke with who was also the RSO, was fantastic. He was very…read morenice to us. They had a good selection of new and used firearms of both pistols and rifles. For the negatives: The range needs updating. To bring in the targets, each lane had a different kind of button to use, which was weird. The lanes are cheaply done. The cables look like they could break at any time. The range was very hot and didn't have good ventilation, which is not good.

Love the guys at Northeastern Firearms, all of the staff I've interacted with are very friendly,…read moreknowledgeable and helpful. They answered all of my questions and have been very helpful every time l've stopped in. Great selection of firearms, ammo, knives and more.

The staff and firearm selection here is great. They are located a bit out of the way down Auburn…read moreRoad, but worth the travel. Staff is very knowledgeable and they are a Glock Retailer, so that means they have nearly all models in stock if you are looking to purchase a pistol. They have a nice selection of hunting rifles and have their own gunsmith in shop. They also work with local holster makers who offer both leather and kydex style holsters. I think they are reasonably priced and they do buy used firearms off of you. I would definitely go back here for all my future firearm needs.

Great experience. Equipment is top notch. Everything was explained in detail and they made sure we…read morehad everything we needed. Family had a great day on the trails! Would definitely use these guys again!

This is an Off-Road park for Trucks and ATVs. Awesome terrain, HUGE park, as well as camping and…read morefood! Jon has a very laid back management of the park, which is nice that you can just go enjoy yourself. He is always around, so if you get stuck, he can come unstuck you. No matter the size (bulldozer and escavtor on site if it is that bad!). He also encourages people to make trails of their own if they'd like. Just keep it in the property's borders (which are massive so that is easy!). He also cooks if you bring a group for a day or weekend trip. The food is always amazingly good. If you call ahead and schedule, then when you arrive in the morning he will usually have breakfast ready for you (the french toast is unreal), with all the trimmings (bacon, toast, coffee, soda, milk, water, real maple syrup, as well as fake maple syrup. Lunches and dinners are always a toss up - but always good! and always way more than enough food. The lodge is a little rough, but it matches the nature of the park. Fireplae in the corner for the fall and spring. I've heard him mention that he does a snowcross track in the winter too, but haven't had a chance to go yet. And the huge couches around the fireplace may look gross, but seriously try sitting there after a day of wheeling... if you aren't asleep in five minutes than you still have more park to see! Campsites are spread around the lodge. Far enough that you can camp, and not be bothered by anyone else's noise. He has some old RV's parked on some of the sites, that I think he used to rent out. Looks like someone broke in and destroyed all of them though. Definitely stay out of them haha. We tented out and slept in our trucks and had a blast. Right below the lodge are two large mud pits, a dirtbike track with some decent sized woops, and a small rock pile with some good obstacles for rock crawlers. One of the trails takes you right to the top of Winter Hill. You can see for miles, its very pretty, and the trip is usually a few hours up the trails so its a good half-day run. This park needs more visitors. I fear if people don't start hitting this place harder, he may just close up. This park has SO MUCH potential, and is really the "free-est" terrain in maine from legislature. If you haven't been, it's worth the trip at least once. Alcohol is permitted as long as it is kept reasonable. We usually are having too much fun during the day to remember that we have beer. - NO GLASS! Have been going for 2 years and will continue to go as long as it is open!

When writing reviews, one has to figure out how to best engage the audience and provide information…read morethat is critical and helpful to the readers looking for certain services. When I read a review, I look for the expertise and credibility of the reviewer to help me assess if the reviewer even know what they are talking about. When someone tries pizza for the first time, and says it is the best pizza ever, one has to take into account that they have only tried it once. Now, if they have been connoisseurs of pizza over time, and have a degree in pizzaology, their review becomes more relevant. I'm not saying my opinion is more relevant than anyone else's, I just saying it may help folks decide whether to eat a pizza or not. That being said, let me tell you about my experiences at that little pizza joint known as Raven Firearms Training (RFT). First let's talk about the location and facilities; Some of the finest country left in America; beautiful scenery and honest, hard working Americans that really leave you with the desire to move there and be a part of it all. The ranges are a unique combination of old west facades, hunting cabins and open training ranges that will excite most firearms enthusiasts. Add a heavy sprinkling of AR-500 steel targets and you can almost hear the ringing of steel as rounds go down range. So what about the Chefs? Jake and Crystal have been masters of arms for most of their adult lives and Jake was probably born with a silver rifle in his hands. Both are retired Marines (if there is such a thing) and have seen a few of the exotic locations a career in expeditionary military has to offer. They have firsthand experience in what works and what doesn't. Jake's expertise is finding that "happy spot" between rigorous military training and couch commando and developing training courses that cater to a wide variety of clientele, from first time shooters to law enforcement firearms instructors. Crystal's expertise is in developing curriculum for students, working with first time woman shooters, and keeping Jake's enthusiasm in check so as not to scare of customers. Between the two of them, they have probably attended most of the shooting schools available to the public and a few that aren't available to the public. They are both excellent instructors that can handle any class or student. Both are extremely enthusiastic about their craft but are easily approachable and respectful to all their students. Alright, what makes their pizza better than anyone else's? The secret is relevance. The training they provide is relevant to the real world threats that exist today. Some firearms training schools train to a standard of being able to put a bullet into a target at a certain distance within a certain amount of time. Some train to hit so many targets out of so many. Some teach to no standards. Well, RFT teaches to the real world threat. That includes a bit of everything above (except the no standard) along with scenarios designed to get the student to think about reactions, shot placement, ammunition management, movement to cover, etc, etc. I don't want to give away all their secrets, but after a few days of training with RFT, you will walk away with more training and knowledge than some police officers and military professionals. How big is their pizza? RFT specializes in individual, small, medium, and large pies. They pride themselves on one-on-one training and hosting factory sponsored firearms shoots and training days for law enforcement firearms instructors. How about variety? Besides their standard classes that are listed on their websites, RFT is able to work with people to improve their skills without making a whole course out of it. Some special courses are offered based on the desires of the students and all their curriculum is reviewed to ensure it is current and relevant. Some of their scenarios involve reacting to threats from a restaurant table, from a car, lying on your back, lying on your side, low light, no light, etc. If you have a need, they have a plan. Ask about the Mogadishu Special, one of my favorites, not for the faint of heart. Bottom line, I have trained in a variety of places and share a similar background to the folks at RFT, and for my dollars, there isn't a better place to go than RFT. For the cost of an average "professional course," somewhere else, you could get the same or better training with some of the nicest folks in the industry and a mini vacation in New Hampshire and still keep some of your money.

I can't recommend Raven Firearms Training highly enough…read more I went with my wife, mother, brother, cousin, and a buddy, novices all. Jake and Crystal showed us the ropes, starting with a briefing on the types of weapons we'd be using, moving on to best practices regarding safe handling and muzzle direction awareness. If there is one facet of the Pelletiers' approach to firearms instruction that stands out, it's their total commitment to safety. They are very aware of what their students are doing and how they're doing it, which, as a newbie, put me completely at ease. These two are pro's pros. All that said, for all their seriousness, they share a great sense of humor and they make the entire process a blast (no pun intended). We engaged in a wide variety of shooting exercises that, while emphasizing the very basics of gun handling and marksmanship, never descended into tedium. They are also super helpful above and beyond: when my wife's Ruger .22 started jamming, Crystal put it through its paces, testing it with magazines of her own. They agreed to contact Ruger and handle the return for factory servicing on our behalf. I swear, I feel like I've made friends for life, and I truly hope that's the case. Seriously, I cannot wait to go shooting with them again and I know my family feels the same way.

I'm no novice shooter and carry a firearm regularly. For years my training regimen has been focused…read moreon defensive handgun shooting. When I decided I wanted to get back into teaching and recertifying as an instructor, I knew I needed to start with the basics and there's no one that I trust more than Paul at Maine CWP Training. His calm demeanor, professional approach, and intuitive instruction give you what you need to achieve your goals. Paul was able to take my military shooting skills and help me apply them to the NRA's Basic Pistol Shooting Course, helping me achieve a level 4 final qualification score but, more importantly, setting a great example for the kind of instructor I seek to be.

Paul's training was fantastic. He had a specific set of exercises, each building on the last, which…read morewas perfect for me as a beginner. After just one session, I am confident that I can go to the range to practice. Combine that with the fact that he's a great guy that I'd want to have a beer with, and you've got this 5-star review. I'll definitely take more training sessions with him.

The Club hosted a magnificent and expert program today (June 11, 2023) allowing youth ages 6-12 to…read moreexperience the safe instruction of firearms use with experienced instructors and live fire at the range STRICTLY following NRA safety protocol. My 8 year old son fired a .22 caliber rifle for the first time today. I consider myself an avid shooter and responsible EDC person but have always kept my activities separate from my son. I wanted him to be introduced to firearms use by adults other than myself who share my passion. My thanks goes out to all the staff and members of Sunset Mountain who provided this program today! William (Bill) M. Monnie

This is a nice range. Very far out of the way for me, but those in Concord should definitely take a…read morelook. It's a much larger range than I'm used to, which could get really dangerous, but they have a system of lights and intercoms that seems to keep everyone safe. We just shot at the far end-- intended for short-distance pistol firing. The targets are unlike those I've ever seen... you actually have to pick up a 10ft plank of wood and drag it on to the range to your desired distance. I was really glad I had two men with me to help out... I would probably still be there trying to get them to fit into the little wooden slots. There is an indoor range too, which is a nice touch, but I didn't manage to get in there. Note on bathrooms... use the ones you have at home. Outhouse doesn't even begin to describe them.