The Shooting Edge

The Shooting Edge is a very large & fully equipped facility, very nice & clean, very helpful & friendly staffs, offering great service. Shawn was very patient & helpful to us explore this indoor facility & show room, and finally took us into the shooting room. First time here to try out the hand guns. Great experiences and highly recommended.

I took my boyfriend to the shooting edge as a birthday gift, best idea.
Had a blast trying out a bunch of different gun with reasonable prices .
Greg (range office) was great guy, very helpful and super friendly. Impressed with the service.
Went on a weekday, I liked better as not a lot of people and didn’t have to wait after signing paperwork and picking out guns .
Will for sure go back again and again !

The other reviews are pretty accurate. The hands-​on instruction was fairly clear, and I felt like the supervision in the actual range was sufficiently vigilant. The scheduling was disorganized and the prices are steep. The sexist posters in the training room were unwelcome, but this was very slightly offset by their sale of the «Go Girl» female stand-​up-​urination kits.
UPDATE: This addresses the response from «J.R. the owner.» I’m not «from» California, that’s just where I live. I’m from Alberta. My assessments were objective, not comparing California and Alberta. It’s not hard to learn what a box of ammo costs, and therefore, what your minimum markup is. And surveying your female employees for their opinions on your sexist posters, then reporting it here, is particularly unimpressive. I doubt they feel free to express dissent in your (masculinist) workplace lest they come off as «weak.»

I’ve always been a big chicken around guns. My spouse decided it was time that we hit up a gun range so I could get over it. He’d been here twice before so knew what he was doing when we arrived. The staff could have chosen guns for me to try but I’m glad I went with someone with more experience than me who also had an understanding of what I might like.
I thought I’d be nervous but I wasn’t at all. The orientation was really helpful and provided good reminders. You’ve gotta have a healthy respect for the guns at all times. I had envisioned myself taking ridiculous photos with them to show off to my friends and by the time the orientation was done, that was no longer a consideration. It’s kind of a dumb idea and dangerous.
It turns out that loading a magazine with bullets and firing guns is a good time. Who knew? I had no qualms about asking questions and the Range Officer was very friendly and helpful. I didn’t feel like a dummy requesting help if I needed it. I fired four different guns, including a .44 Magnum. Holy smokes, that’s an insane experience. Talk about dangerous. It took specific instruction from the Range Officer and all of my arm muscles and concentration to manage firing that gun safely. What an eye opener.
Yes, it can be an expensive outing but if you can handle it, I think it’s something you should do once so you have a true understanding of what handling a gun is like and how important safety and awareness is. This certainly made me realize that never in life would I want a kid, cocky individual or intoxicated idiot to have access to a gun.
My only wish was that I had my own target. My spouse and I had to share targets with other people so after awhile it was hard to see where my bullet holes were. It would have been a nice souvenir.

A group of us came here one afternoon for a gf’s birthday. I’ve been here before, it’s fun to choose some guns to shoot but it gets expensive. You pay for a «day pass» and then ammo, which is standard. But when you’re only there for a short time period (because more time = more ammo = more money), it almost doesn’t seem worth it.
After an hour, the 8 of us shot a variety of guns (even a pink Hello Kitty shot gun!) and it came to ~$ 90/​person. .. yikes!
My girlfriends and I quickly ran over to the Farmer’s market to grab lunch and upon returning to our vehicle, one of the female employees heading into the Edge rudely commented how parking was for Edge customers only and she could get us towed. This did not sit well with me, we just dropped $ 800 at your establishment not even 15 minutes ago and you’re gonna give us attitude? She probably assumed that we had parked there to go to the market but I wonder if this is how they talk to everyone who parks in the lot. What a great way to lose potential customers!
So rest assured Shooting Edge, we won’t be parking in the lot or coming back any time soon!

This is probably going to be one of the most controversial reviews I’m ever going to write here in Unilocal for those who know me. Sorry folks for bursting the bubble of the peaceful Terry here, but considering that my profile pic is a pic of me brandishing my battle forged broadsword… well…
I’ve always been a pro-​gun person. Had a fair amount of instruction through one way or another, and hell, I do admit that it’s partially a fantasy thing as well. But more importantly, I’m actually a decent shot with a 9 mm Glock.
Now what does this have to do with The Shooting Edge? Well, outside that it’s the largest independant gun store in Calgary with a shooting range and well informed and trained staff, a wide selection of ammo and gun supplies, not to mention a little bit of survival and camping gear, why absolutely nothing at all. :P
Kidding aside, basically it’s a great gun shop, and a surprisingly interesting place for a date. Honestly, it’s admittedly off the path in terms of date ideas, but for a small fee and the price of ammo, you can get a handgun or two, or an assault rifle or a weapon of some sort, and play out your Hollywood fantasies on some paper targets. More importantly, it’s one of the best places in town to get your FAE certiicate (firearms licence essentially) training, and especially a place to learn the importance of gun safety.
And as an added bonus, after you’ve emptied a ton of ammo into the «bad guys», the Calgary Farmer’s Market is just next door for some great food to relax to.

In August, I went to shoot guns.
I was scared to do this because I am a normally clumsy person and during the training and ‘dry run’ gun-​loading session held in a windowless side room, I thought someone was going to get shot, by me.
However, the gun rangeman was very reassuring and seemed to know his stuff. So I proceeded to the range, eye and ear protection intact to shoot revolvers like the Lone Ranger.
The first couple of shots fired in the range made me jump out of my skin. I guess all those movies that were supposed to desensitize me didn’t work after all…
My brother, who likes guns, said that when you go to shoot a gun for the first time, it feels like you are picking up a wild snake; but that after you shoot a couple rounds and you realize you are in control, it’s actually quite a rush. He was right. I was surprised.
After the first clip (10 rounds) I was shooting with confidence and shot a 9 mm, a .38 and .45 revolver, and a .45 hand gun and wow, it really was something! It turns out that I am a crack shot.
The rules of the range are easy to follow and the rangeman is very diligent at making sure you are loading your gun right and that it’s pointing in the right direction (down range).
It’s loud, and it smells, but, heck, it’s pretty fun!
The Shooting Edge loses a point for me because it’s expensive. You can very easily rack up hundreds in bullets depending on how much you shoot. Five of us cost $ 400 with bullets and the fee to shoot at the range. I thought that was a lot.
Other then the cost, I would recommend that if you want to learn to shoot, or have any interest whatsoever in shooting a gun, you should go to the Shooting Edge and try it; you might be as surprised as I was.
T.

This was my first time ever shooting a gun and holy moly was I impressed! I have to say I was out of my element and was a wee bit nervous. I was taken through orientation before we went into the range and a range officer prepared us for what we were about to experience. Kallum was extremely professional and knowledgeable which made me feel a lot less nervous. Once we were on the range Kallum continued to make sure I was fine. He watched me closely as to make sure I was doing everything correctly. He gave me some great pointers and encouraged me to the point where I cannot wait to go back. The rest of the staff was great and J.R. the owner has a true passion for The shooting Edge. It’s a great place for everyone — even chickens like me!

I must admit, I’m not a normal gun user. I’m a peace-​luvvin’ left-​winger, and probably you’re thinking that a gun range isn’t the place for me… but you’d be wrong! I love this place! Being inexperienced, I did feel a bit intimidated when I came, but that left right away when talking to the staff! They’re cool, and made me feel safe and confident. I’d never been interested in shooting, but it’s really fun! I will definitely be back.

It’s a mixed bag here, sometimes the service is exceptional and sometimes not so good. I’m pretty dissapointed with my first purchase of a handgun as it is brand new and constantly jambs. I’ve been told everything from it seems to have a gritty slide to it needs to be broken in. But no help on rectifing the situation. Avoid the weekends here as getting a lane is almost impossible. The weekdays you might be the only one using the range. I did get my PAL here and the course staff were very helpful and the material seemed top notch. I’ll think twice before purchasing a gun here again as I paid a premium for the firearm with no observable benefit.

Happy to be SHOOTING my mouth off about The Shooting Edge
I’m ex military — Airborne Infantry to be specific. I’ve been out of the military since 1996 and one of the things I miss the most was shooting. There’s something very therapeutic about blasting a few rounds down range… better yet, it’s a great feeling when your shots are better than the guy next to you. Competitive? Who, me? ;-)
I’ve going to The Shooting Edge pretty much since the days they opened. Wow — has the place ever evolved.
What makes The Shooting Edge unique? For starters, a 50m indoor range where you can fire large calibre hunting rounds. I forget if you can fire a .50 there… I don’t happen to have one thus I don’t recall. I shoot my hunting rifles here. Easy stuff.
They’ve got two 25y ranges with 6 shooting stalls each. Everything is mechanical so target retrieval is easy. I mostly shoot pistol here.
Another thing — educated staff — from the counter staff, armorer, and the ownership. This is actually a big deal. They’re great people and you can tell they love their jobs. They know their firearms & ammunition info extremely well. From hunting to sport shooting, from factory ammo to re-​loading… They’re all shooters themselves.
Broken guns? You’ve gotta meet their armorer, he’s great with repairs and I’ve heard a number of very positive stores about his work.
By the way — want to meet an owner that’s truly engaged in his business. Ask to speak to James Cox. He cares about his customers and if he’s in, he’ll give you the time of day. First class.
Memberships are available but if you don’t have one, you can buy a day pass. If you have your PAL/​POL (firearms license), you can shoot without a Ranger Officer.
No PAL/​POL, no membership — no worries at all. Come in, buy a day pass and shoot with the supervision of a Range Officer. No extra fee for the Ranger Officer either.
By the way — I’ve fired some pretty cool stuff in the army but never have I seen a collection and variety of range guns as I’ve seen here. There are all sorts of guns I’d never have the chance to fire had it not been for The Shooting Edge.
The place is ridiculously clean for a gun range. Even the bathrooms are super classy.
My plan is to have a corporate party here. A very unique experience to do something out of the ordinary without breaking the bank. You can drop $ 100 in a night club and not remember a thing and that’s normal for some people. Drop $ 100 on The Shooting Edge and you’ll remember that experience for a lifetime… LOL
Bottom line, The Shooting Edge is an extremely professional range, great staff, lots of choices in ammo, firearms and accessories and a staff & ownership the truly care about your experience…
Lastly — every year on Nov 10^th, The Shooting Edge hosts a fundraiser. It’s a mens only night (sorry ladies) with a silent auction with all funds going to the Calgary Highlander Regimental Funds Foundation to support things like returning veterans from places like Afghanistan and I definitely support that.

especially after looking at the other reviews, i definitely gotta give this place a 5/​5, at least coming from the family activity perspective.
i came to the shooting edge with my family and a friend, it was the first time i (and some others) had shot any sort of gun. we all felt super comfortable right away and the staff were very helpful when it came to anything we were having trouble with.
when doing things as a family, safety is obviously always a big concern as well, but not here. though dealing with guns, i felt 100% safe the whole time i was shooting, and never felt that me or my family’s safety could be compromised in any way.
its an expensive activity/​hobby, but definitely something that i’m glad i tried! really, i think everyone should have this experience at least one time in their life. i would recommend this shooting range for anyone who lives in Calgary or in the surrounding area who wants to try for their first time. but this is ALL i can recommend, i’ve only been once.
but i must say, i never will forget just that ONE time! :)

One thing that pisses me off about Canaduh is that several consumer-​end industries are defined by firms that have monopolistic market share. Because there is no competition, service, value, and efficiency are not of concern. Because consumers have no other choice, these firms will supply a good or service at a high price that otherwise would not meet the equilibrium between supply and demand. Gun range (s) in Calgary are an example of this type of industry.
$ 40 gets you ‘day pass’ in which you get a supervisor and unlimited use of firearms. Seems decent. However, you may only use range ammo, so you’re looking at $ 100 total if you want to pop a few rounds on a few different guns. I’ll be honest, the range officers are good guys, not too intimidating, and they love their job.
However, I possess a PAL and 9mil handgun. If I want to go shooting with 9mil ammo, I have the option of two outdoor ranges (located at either Dead Man Flats or a block from the ATC tower at the airport) or the only indoor range appropriate for my ammo, The Shooting Edge. Despite the fact that I don’t need supervision and I won’t use their guns, I am still dinged $ 40. If I want to take a friend or the woman, I’m now paying $ 80. The other option is to pay $ 500/​year with $ 400/​renewal. Best of all, if I don’t happen to renew for a few months, they won’t waive the initiation fee. This is a cash grab, nothing else.
As I refused to pay this exorbitant fee, I had to either pay $ 20/​month *just* to store the fucking gun, or move it to my home. According to Canada’s sometimes retarded gun laws, I had to be a member of a club in order to be «compliant» and therefore be able to move a gun from a gun club to a home. I feel safer, don’t you? Like all stupid rules, there are ways to circumvent this one, which is by offering an «associate membership» which is nothing more than a piece of paper saying that I belong to the club, valid for one year. Despite the 5 mins of manpower & wallet sized membership card printed on paper, I’m dinged $ 50. They won’t even give me a one-​time free use of the range, although they do offer a $ 15 discount on earplugs (ooooooOOOOOOooooo!) I called the clerk out on this, and his reply was «costs are going up, the times are changing, man». I spoke to a manager, curious if he could maybe extend some goodwill to a jaded lifer Calgarian, and, while polite, his reply was «our costs are going up and that’s why we charge this amount.» Wow.
My relationship with this place is like the relationship Canadians had with Air Canada in the early 2000s. You may hate a firm, but yet you got no other choice. Therefore, you’ll hate it even more. If you are looking for a Calgarian’s day out (i.e., spend money because the only things that are free are outside but it’s too fucking cold outside), this will be a good way. If you own a gun, I think you’d ironically be better off going to gun clubs located in anti-​gun cities like Toronto.