No trip to Sin City is complete without an only-in-Vegas experience. You might decide to let Elvis perform your wedding ceremony, maybe place all your chips on black 17 to win or lose, or gorge at buffets. Or you could just choose to fire some powerful guns. Las Vegas sure does have firepower on its side with a bevy of shooting ranges to unload the weapon of your dreams in a safe, controlled environment. Fire the latest machine guns seen on video games, or shoot a shotgun found on a stagecoach. Whether you’re a first-timer who needs some help learning the basics or a pro who wants to experience a gun he’s never shot, these four firing ranges have something special for everyone.
Vegas Machine Gun Experience 3084 S. Highland Drive, Suite B., store 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., range 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun. 702.567.1158
Gun Range Roundup
Vegas Machine Gun Experience makes it a point to offer what they call “packages and weaponry you won’t find in the competitive Vegas shooting scene.” Try the Gun Slinger experience with three guns that “tamed the West”—an authentic lever-action saddle rifle, a 12-gauge, double-barreled coach gun and a real six-shooter. Or fire off guns used during Operation Overlord on the beaches of Normandy with the D-Day machine gun experience. Shoot 25 rounds with a Browning M1919 belt-fed machine gun, 50 rounds on a Thompson submachine gun or M3A1 “Grease Gun,” 25 rounds with an M2 machine gun and 20 rounds with a 1911 pistol.
Machine Guns Vegas 3501 Aldebaran Ave., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, $89.95-$699. 702.476.9228
Head to one of the 10 firing lanes at Machine Guns Vegas and request the VIP gun lounge with its own private entrance and two private lanes. Las Vegas Gun Girls help out with safety at the range and offer lessons as well. Machine Guns Vegas themes its packages around the firepower fantasies of guests. If you are a master with a controller, see how you handle the real thing and shoot the guns you fire in Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and more—the M4, MP5, AK-47 and Glock 17. Just divorced? Bring in your wedding memorabilia and blow it away.
The Range 702 5999 Dean Martin Drive, call for hours and more information. 702.485.3232
Maybe you looked to the west and saw the blue-and-yellow building of The Range 702, where you can find “something more exciting and memorable than a round of golf” on 25 shooting lanes. Book the VIP room with its pool table, a private range and room for 40 people. Bachelor or bachelorette parties can fire off 250 rounds with an MP5, another 250 rounds with an M4 and 50 rounds with a 1911 handgun, and then head to nearby Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club. Hungry? The Range 702 also features a pleasant perk—an on-site restaurant.
Gun Garage 5155 S. Dean Martin Drive, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. 702.440.4867
Bring the whole family to the Gun Garage, with its themed shooting experiences geared toward first-time shooters and enthusiasts alike. Pick one of the firearms on hand such as an Uzi, a fully automatic Browning 1919, an old-timey Tommy gun or a Desert Eagle .44 Magnum. Head to one of 12 lanes here for a Zombie Apocalypse experience that has you shooting down the undead. Try the Only in Vegas experience with 18 different guns and eight targets for two people for $921. They also offer the unusual add-on of shooting a grenade launcher.
Top Shot Las Vegas 3084 S. Highland Dr. Suite C, 702.478.8550
If you’ve ever watched The Walking Dead or The Purge and thought to yourself, “I could do that,” head straight to the new Top Shot Las Vegas. Great for practicing your shooting skills, or just learning how to fire a weapon, this unique venue features nonlethal ammunition, which means you’ll feel safer if you’re a newbie. Start with a laser trainer, then fire away with real guns in scenarios like a zombie apocalypse or a home invasion (among several others), or just choose to pit yourself against others in an interactive Shoot House.
