# Smith & Wesson range in Springfield



## RCS (Jan 3, 2005)

Has anyone been to S&W's Shooting Sports Center in Springfield? I'm thinking about taking a ride out there in the next week or so. I am thinking of purchasing an m&p .40 cal


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Years ago. It was nice then, nearly new. Several indoor ranges, instructors, etc. You could, for a small fee, live fire just about anything and if you made a purchase the fee was waived.


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## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

Last time I went, it was full of gang bangers, but that was in the afternoon.
I suggest that you get there right at 10:00 if you wish to focus down range rather than at the douchebag shooting sideways next to you. The natives don't rise from their slumber until approximately 14:00.


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

I used to be a member there, back when I lived in western mass. Not a bad facility, but like others have said, watch out for the afternoon losers who come waltzing in to shoot a "gat".


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## RCS (Jan 3, 2005)

Thanks for the replies. I am going to shoot, I've never shot anything aside from my issued weapon, so I thought it would be a good idea to shoot, before I buy. 

II have looked at fs and they seem to have the best deals at least for the m&p. I'm just not sure what I want yet. 

Has anyone shot the M&P .40c. ?


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## GARDA (Dec 30, 2003)

Years back my job sent me to an instructor course at S&W. I walked through the Shooting Center/Gun Shop just once all week (to peek at the discounts offered to those enrolled in a course) but didn't linger there very long.

The 'discounts' were discouraging, but after spotting the clientele using the range that day, I was more afraid that the facility might be next on the government's list of terrorist training camps soon to be targeted by a cruise missile.


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

> Very nice range, but their prices are MSRP prices.


That's actually part of a deal they worked out with local gun retailers who were afraid they S&W store could put them out of business with factory-cost pricing. That's also why they don't deal in used/trade in guns. If you take a Smith academy course though, they will give you a certificate for 40% at the store on one gun purchase, which a pretty good deal. They also give 10% for any law enforcement officer with an ID.



> I took a look at the Shield at FS yesterday. I am impressed. I think I will buy one once they become available.


Shot both the .40 and 9mm, and was very impressed with both. I already have my order in for the 9mm! I think Smith has a game-changer on their hands with this particular pistol!


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

Killjoy said:


> If you take a Smith academy course though, they will give you a certificate for 40% at the store on one gun purchase, which a pretty good deal. They also give 10% for any law enforcement officer with an ID.
> 
> I already have my order in for the 9mm! I think Smith has a game-changer on their hands with this particular pistol!


KJ! You da man!
I just did the M&P armorers course and the discount certificate is actually 30% of MSRP, which is still wicked pissa! And I agree that shield is on my list too! Be safe dude!


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## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

Apparently, things haven't changed, this idiot lied, but closing is a little extreme. Hopefully they reopen with the proper technology to flush out the scumbags that keep good shooters away. My old range master used to do it with with an eyeball but S&W is a little bit bigger and liability conscious.

*Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center temporarily closes; felon illegally took target practice there 3 months before fatal shooting*

SPRINGFIELD - Smith & Wesson has temporarily closed its Shooting Sports Center and retail store at 299 Page Blvd., in part because an accused killer was arrested in October on a federal gun charge stemming from a round of target practice at the range.

"We recently made the business decision to temporarily close our Shooting Sports Center, while we make changes to better align its purpose with our key business objectives as a firearm manufacturer," wrote Elizabeth A. Sharp, Smith & Wesson vice president for investor relations, in an email Tuesday afternoon. "This is a decision that we made internally and on our own accord for a number of business-related reasons which include the many complexities of operating a public range, combined with our desire to focus on our manufacturing operation."

Sharp didn't include a date for when the center could reopen. She said the Shooting Sports Center is less than a decade old and she didn't know how many people work there.

Founded in Springfield in 1852, Smith & Wesson has about 1,200 employees at its factory and corporate headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue.







Springfield Police Dept.Manuel Lora
Manuel A. Lora, 22, was one of three convicted felons who rented and fired several handguns at the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center in Springfield on May 28, 2011, according to court documents first reported by MassLive.com and The Republican on May 3.

Because Lora had been convicted on a drug charge in August 2007 that was punishable by more than a year in prison, his afternoon at the range triggered a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was snared along with 12 other suspects - including his two shooting partners - in an Oct. 6 sweep by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Lora is one of the three people charged in the Aug. 23, 2011 slaying of Jonathan Tallaj, 25. Tallaj, who worked as a nursing assistant, was shot outside his Wilmont Street home around 10:30 p.m. Priscilla Texidor, 21, and her 18-year-old brother, James Texidor, also were charged in the Tallaj case. The Texadors were not shooting with Lora at the Smith & Wesson range.

Sharp wrote that all visitors to the Shooting Sports Center are asked to provide legal identification and must attest that they comply with all state and federal laws regarding the possession and operation of a firearm.







Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center temporarily closes The center will be closed until further notice. Watch video
"In keeping with our long-standing role as a responsible member of our community, we have always operated our shooting sports center in full compliance with all applicable laws, procedures, and regulations, with the safety of our customers and our community as our paramount objective," Sharp said.

In December, P. James Debney, Smith & Wesson's president and CEO, told area stockbrokers that the company liked having the Shooting Sports Center because it is Smith & Wesson's only direct with the gun-buying public. Most firearms are sold through a carefully tended network of independent gun and sporting goods retailers.

Smith & Wesson announced March 8 that net sales were $98.1 million in the preceding quarter. That was up 23.8% from the $79 million recorded in the same time period the year before. The increase was driven by strong sales of M&P-brand handguns, M&P sporting rifles, and all Smith & Wesson personal protection and concealed carry pistols.

Gross profit for the third quarter was $30 million, or 30.6 percent of net sales, compared with gross profit of $19.4 million, or 24.5 percent of net sales, for the same period last year.

Smith & Wesson's stock closed Tuesday at $7.08 a share, having gone up $3.54 on the year and 9 cents on the day.

Smith & Wesson has also announced that it is raising its anticipated net sales outlook from continuing operations for fiscal 2012 to between $395 million and $400 million.

http://www.masslive.com/business-ne...smith_wesson_shooting_sports_center_temp.html


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## Dan Stark (Aug 2, 2005)

Hey! They printed their salaries too!


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