Carolina Sporting Arms

Great place but horrible customer service in the indoor shooting range area upfront was awesome, but came in with some friends to shoot and it was their first experience… everything went to rock bottom from the start. I would not recommend this place to shoot but only to purchase a firearm. A better place to shoot would be Blackstone they have better customer service in the indoor range.

So my wife and i recently decided it was time to purchase a firearm. Of course, we want to do some research and shoot a few guns first, to see how we like it. We were originally looking into another range, but they were a little further out (and more expensive).
We drove up and were nervous. I had limited experience with guns, and she has zero. Needless to say, we did not feel at home. I was expecting to be treated as a noob, as i have before at other shops. I was very, very pleasantly surprised with the treatment from the staff.
I forget his name, but the older guy with the beard, was extremely informative and took his time to answer all (i had a lot) of my questions.
After holding a few guns, we went back to shoot a few off. The lady in the range was very friendly, and helped us out with a smile on her face. She provided us with all of the information that we needed to get going. I am not sure what the other reviewer was saying about expensive… if you get a membership its very reasonable.
I pay $ 48 a month for my wife AND I, which includes unlimited range use and rentals at no charge. All i have to pay for is ammo if i am renting, otherwise, when i get a gun i can bring my own ammo. That really is a reasonable price in my eyes.
Anyway, i don’t usually write long reviews like this, but i was truly impressed by the staff today and just felt it would be fair to share.

Store — I have been coming here for at least 5 years. I have tried some other gun shops in Charlotte as well, but prefer CSA (Carolina Sporting Arms). The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. Some are specialists in very specific areas as well. High end custom firearms, tactical firearms, utilitarian rifles, reloading etc. I have recommended this establishment to a number of friends who have never bought a gun, and are reluctant to go into a gun store because they might be laughed at. (I’m not making that up). All have found CSA to be a very nice experience.
Some stores in Charlotte mark up their firearms significantly then will negotiate it down to a normal price. Carolina Sporting Arms puts a normal price on the tag and does not negoiate. Even though I own a good number of firearms, I prefer this approach. People who are not as familiar with firearms tend to find this approach appealing as well.
Range — The range is brand new and top notch. It has a good ventilation system and well lit. That might sound small but it does set them apart from other ranges in town. I have never used the instruction services there, but the friends I have referred have all spoken of their lessons as a very positive experience.

Don is an awesome instructor. First class facilities and first class instruction. Great experience and reasonable rates. He went above and beyond and we really appreciate all that was taught.

This place is the nicest indoor range I have been to in Charlotte. They have the best air cleaning system I have ever experienced at an indoor range! The staff is top notch both on the retail and range side. The have excellent instructors, that can teach anything from First time shooters who have never held a real gun all the way to military home defense tactics. They have two gun smiths on staff and both are nice and helpful when building a new gun. They have monthly and yearly range membership packages for individuals, family’s, and groups/​business. always a great stress reliever and fun way to keep your skills sharp. You can not shoot from the holster unless you take an onsite class on how to do so properly. You can not do double taps or rapid fire. You can not use bi-​metal or any magnetic ammo. You must have your own eye and hard cover ear or molded in ear protection they do not rent them but you can buy on site if you need them.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE GUN RANGE:
This is a good place to shoot and the range staff are very friendly (minus one encounter with one of the employees — can’t remember his name so we’ll leave it be, lucky for him). I would have to say by far the best and friendliest employee is, of course, the one and only Megan. You walk into the range and her smile and excitement in her voice just liven up the place. This is a great place to go shooting, I just hate that it’s so far south! I’ve been cheating on you Megan, and have been going to blackstone lately just because of location. But I will come back for you, I promise. Haha

Today was my first time ever shooting a gun. Megan was in there with me and helped with every step. I couldn’t say enough nice things about this facility. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful. If it’s your first time or you are a pro — this facility is for you!

I recently took my friend here to shoot for her first time. This place has some of the friendliest and helpful people there are.
The new range has everything you could need and a lot of great rental options if it is your first time. The pistol range is 20 yards, which is all you need but the rifle range is only 25 yards. It is all you could ask for in a city indoor range but one could always desire longer distances and a few more lanes.
My main disappointment with the place is their «surprise» costs.
You have to use over the ear hard shell ear muffs at their range unless you have custom ear plugs. It’s not a terrible rule even though my ear plugs have always worked just fine. However, you cannot rent them there. If you don’t show up with them and you want to shoot, you have to buy them. And while not insanely high, there is definitely a convenience charge slapped onto the price of their ear protection.
The other place where they can get you is the target hangers. If you hit the top half of the hanger, it is $ 5 per hole. Now, in fairness, the targets hangs in such a way that if you are aiming for center mass, you will never come close to the hanger. But again, I was with a first timer. An errant shot here and there and the price can get out of hand. I was lucky, my guest turned out to be an excellent shot for her first go. But it’s something you need to be aware of.
Other than that, $ 20 for an hour on the lane, $ 10 for each additional shooter, seems very reasonable. And again, I cannot say how great the staff was. My friend who came in feeling wary about guns, left with confidence and a different opinion of people who use guns.

Went with two friends on a Saturday afternoon during peak times to use the range. If you’ve never shot there before, you’ll have to watch a 5 min safety video and sign up/​in. After this, went back to the range to rent a lane. Wait time was about 20 mins. Which isn’t bad for a Saturday afternoon. Heads up-​they don’t rent eyes or ears. So bring your own or you’ll have to purchase some there. Probably should’ve told us that when we signed in. Very nice, clean range with knowledgeable staff always on hand. As its 5 mins from my house, it’ll be my regular range.

A bit pricy. I would say very pricy. I wanted to try the new range and spent way to much for my experience. I would have liked to have bought a 9 mm but they would not budge on the price, All around I don’t see why I would go back. I do say they offer a large selection of fire arms. This is why I gave them 3 stars.

Went to Carolina Sporting Arms today to hopefully practice on a gun I want to buy. I was looking for a Smith&Wesson MP 45. Would have left a 5 star review, but sadly they did not have a .45 to rent, but did have 9 mm and .40 caliber models. I decided to fire the 9 mm, as my other experience was shooting Glocks.
Friendly staff. Signed up a newbie registration, watched a short safety video, and the range folks had me up and running in minutes. Courteous, and eager to help or answer questions. You can fire multiple guns within the same caliber if you wish with no extra charge. Got a box of ammo, eye and ear protection, some targets, and fired away.
Sales staff is also friendly and patient, nice atmosphere in the place. I won’t hesitate to return and use the range again. When the time comes and I’m ready to purchase a gun, I’ll give them a shot and see if their prices are competitive. Do research online, and go prepared, and you should find the right deal for you!
P. s. The MP is a great gun.

Update: Went in today and for $ 20 dollars shot my own targets, with my own 250 rounds. Range master was helpful with a question I had with hand placement. The conversation though began with an accusation of a stray bullet, but diluted by the fact all my shots where grouped and on target. Assumption was shots to background would move debris lead sometimes. They had issues and did not realize just how much lead collected in six months, they where finding lead kicked out to within five feet of the shooting bays.
Regardless, I am a moderately experienced shooter and took the accusation poorly. It put me in a bad mood. Thus, I left with out seeing a salesman like I usually do.
Over all I feel like they need to not be so over baring. Misses are to be expected in order to push more realistic shooting. Quick aim and follow up shots, low lighting, off hand shooting etc.
Also, the room was quite warm, as i was dripping wet down my back and in my hair. Good for stress training, but I was wearing good clothes and expected AC in their new range.
…
Just used the new shooting range. I brought my son and together we knocked about 250 holes in our target today. A nice atmosphere every where we were in the shop.
Greeted by a courteous young man for newbie range registration. I than took a glance at some Glocks where a very patient older gentleman showed me various differences between the version 3 and 4, until I glanced around realizing I was holding up traffic. I thanked him an left him to go shoot.
Here I did need to purchase a second set of ears for only $ 20 and a few targets @ 1.50 per. The counter people where very communicative and had me on my way on lane three in minutes.
Which leaves me with the very nice range master inside, thank you so much sir. I will be back if not to purchase a weapon, but at a minimum to enjoy the AC controlled range and to enjoy his company once more, even with ear protection.

Thank you Jerry Countryman for helping me with my issue! Incredibly nice and professional, Jerry worked on this problem for 20 minutes. I had worked on it for 60 and could not determine the answer. He got it in 5 minutes! Had a wonderful experience dealing with this man. I really appreciate what he did for me.

Great selection of guns, and they are always priced below MSRP. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Amazing selection on hand and helpful staff to boot. I was able to find sigtac accessories for my P229 that I’d been unable to locate elsewhere in NC or SC. They have a magnificent selection of ammo, safety gear, an safes. Good shop!

Hello friends,
This is a nice gun shop. The guys inside seem very helpful and knowledgeable. They WILL TRY to up sale. The prices seem a bit on the steep side IMHO.
On the flip side… the city of Charlotte has Finally allowed Zoning inside the city limit for Gun Range.

Stopped in to pick up some Federal HST ammunition and was taken care of by a younger gentleman named Chuck. It was one of the nicest experiences I have had at a gun shop.
He was friendly, engaging, and listened to what I was needing and made solid recommendations.
I bought a few additional higher ticket items from him while I was there.
I wish people would hire more people like this instead of the gruff, why are you bothering me sort that are frequently the hallmark of these establishments.

I’m coming in hear to get some Ear Plugs. I understand the staff working in a Gun Shop being a little suspicious of any customer they may be meeting for the first time and I want to make the best impression on the staff surrounded by this many weapons. Before entering I remove and leave in the car: my hoodie, camera and cell phone (anything that looks as though I may be concealing a large to medium sized weapon, I’m wearing 2008 skinny jeans (no room for an ankle holster here) and a t –shirt (I would have worn a plain one if I had thought about it (this one has a skull on it)! Even though I did not look like a person who should be going into a Gun Shop I wanted to look as normal as I could without wearing a disguise!
Collapsible Batons are illegal for civilians to carry, so forget about that!
Tazers — Cool Video! This may be the way to go if you do not want a «lethal» weapon! Check out this video!
Small hand guns are easily concealable and easily transportable, though a smaller lighter gun is going to «kick» more — Weight to a gun has a recoil advantage though a «carrying» disadvantage (weight) There are many factors to consider and the staff here is patient to answer questions and good about asking you questions to find the best «fit»! Guns may not be the best option for everyone!
Instruction at an «off-​site» campus is offered so you can learn to properly handle your weapon! Instructional Programs are selected by skill level, so if you are a beginner you will be learning with others who may have never touched a Firearm!
If you are going to carry Pepper Spray you need to know it will probably get on you if you are spraying it outdoors even if there is no wind and indoors in a tight space it can be real bad!
Have you heard of the «crazies» who are only marginally affected by Tear Gas, Mace and Pepper Spray, Even the Police grade Combination of the three (with a 20 feet stream, even a entire Police sized can emptied on one person — First the Eyes, up the Nostrils, in the mouth and throat and last the crotch — It burns and in hot weather in burns much much more, it is painful I can tell you from experience… In 1995 I had a friend empty a whole CAN (Police Grade and Volume) on me for a College Group Demo — We had friends on the Police Force and they brought us the product they were using — the Police did not want to spray me though they volunteered to instruct my friend how to administer the Spray most effectively — First my friend gave me a little «taste» Face, Eyes and mouth, right away I could tell it was not going to deter, much less stop me! Our Police buddies instructed my friend to unload the entire can on me! Unfortunately the crowd got more than they expected (outdoor demo with a little wind)! It was hard for me to keep my eyes opened, it was painful though I demonstrated that I could still run around and talk and was not noticeably hindered by the pain and irritation of the intense burning sensation from the spray! It wore off completely in forty five minutes and I went to the Doctor for a minor eye infection and slight eye strain the next day or the day after that! It seems that you build a further resistance to the burning as I have stuck my fingers in my eyes after mincing hot peppers and sprayed «breath spray» in my eyes (by accident of course)!

For the moment, I have a gun in my home that a friend has lent me so that I could decide if this is something I really want around. So far, only good things to say. I’ve been to a defensive pistol association «shoot» so that I could get better not just at hitting a stationary piece of paper but also be comfortable handling this weapon in a more ‘active’ situation.
I had already stopped by Hyatt and checked out their accessories, finding them to be much more expensive than anything available on the Internet. While they were very helpful, I thought it might be best to shop around. Which brought me to Carolina Sporting Arms.
Similarly stocked with accessories in a neatly organized manner, a sales guy was immediately able to help point me to what I was looking for. And I found that here too, it’s very expensive compared to Internet pricing. So that’s two.
If you’re looking for something that cant be shipped FedEx (like a gun or live ammunition) or if there is something you need right away, then here is a good stop. But if you can wait for it, there are any number of sporting goods vendors on the Internet that will save you a bunch of money.

My neighbors just got broken into so I stopped by to say hello to some people who could help make me feel safe at home. The friendly guys behind the counter are of course intimately familiar with North Carolina gun laws and can explain every minute detail of the weapons they carry.
With crime on the rise or at least not exactly on a leash in Charlotte, considering protection for your home and family is not a bad idea. Just make sure you take safety first and if you have kids, teach them to respect firearms. That’s my public service announcement for the day!
One could say they have a limited selection since they only carry a handful of makers. But you could also argue that they only carry the best. You can be proud of whatever you walk out of here with.