Posted: 2/11/2008 7:36:00 AM EDT
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Hi All, I've been considering this project for several years and it just so happens that our local public FWC ranges just limited C3 use and is about to ban any rapid fire. I shoot with FDCC (local club) who meets once a month. Thay are good potential customers (at least once a month). Anyway, here it is in a nutshell: I'd like to buy property out in the boonies (don't want any complaining neihbors) and build several shooting bays, a general purpose building with a kitchen, a small campground with hook-ups, and a fishing pond (berms). I'd like to host a couple of club shoots monthly, offer training classes (not tought by me) which would range from basic to advanced (we have some high end professional trainers in the area that I think we could attract), Set up some youth classes, clubs, and competitions including offering time to area schools and ROTC programs. etc. We are in a semi-rural area of N FL, around 80k in the county so not metropolitan numbers. However, quite a few people travel an hour or more from much bigger cities to shoot at our current location and it is always busy with locals, but it is also free. I own and have owned other businesses, so I'm kind of a numbers guy. I don't know if I can get more than $10 a head, maybe $20 for camping once in a while, vending, maybe ammo sales, targets, etc. and we could get good crowds sponsoring matches in several different shooting disciplines. I see some money, but in general, how does a place like this make money? What are the revenue streams that this type of facility can generate? Is this a viable or better yet profitable business model, or is this an expensive hobby? I've only been a consumer in the shooting industry, so I'm woefully inexperienced in business matters relative to the industry. I see gun shops and ranges that seem to be very successful and then I see a lot that are clearly more of a hobby than a profitable business. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. BTW property, even in the boonies, will probably be at least $6k an acre. I was figuring on at least 10, better 20, acres. |
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