This week we’re up at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, for a media event being hosted by Stoeger with support from several other brands including Burris Optics, Crossbreed Hosters, Fiocchi, GPS, Magpul, Real Avid and Walker’s.
The Gunsite facility is comprised of over 3,000 acres with 20-plus ranges and multiple indoor and outdoor simulators, drawing thousands of students each year from all over the country.
The new office building at Gunsite will be a much needed upgrade from the much older current office space, allowing Gunsite to continue to grow under the watchful eye and guidance of Ken Campbell and his dedicated staff. Photo by P. Erhardt
The size and scope of their facility is why it is one of the de facto go-to locations for companies in the industry looking to showcase their products to industry media. For me, personally, this will be my fourth Gunsite media event in the last three years.
Media events are important, but the real story at Gunsite is its growth. For the last seven years it has trained a record number of students. Think about that. Increased student enrollment year after year after year, including through the pandemic.
And to no ones surprise, 2023 is already shaping up to be the eighth consecutive record breaking year.
There is a down side to such growth, as any business owner knows, and that’s a the growing lack of capacity to go along with the growth in demand.
Gunsite has been running out of space. Out of office space, classroom space, bunkhouse space for instructors, and shopping space. They even need more room for feeding students during the lunch breaks.
Demand is at an all-time high which is why Gunsite has had to make a significant investment in expansion.
Construction has been underway since earlier this year on new buildings to alleviate their space constraints, though for those of you that have been there during busy training days, parking might still be a bit tight. The pro-tip is to always carpool whenever possible.
The expansion is taking place in six key areas.
First is the bunkhouse. Gunsite has 60 part-time instructors running upwards of 400 classes a year. Since they draw top level instructors from around the country, Gunsite houses its instructors while on campus.
The new, and improved, bunkhouse at Gunsite will house up to 16 instructors at one time. Photo by P. Erhardt
A new bunkhouse will accommodate 16 instructors and provide them with updated facilities as the old buildings have exceeded their useful life span. As Gunsite’s CEO Ken Campbell points out, “If we want the best instructors in the world, we need to have proper accommodations.”
More students means more mouths to feed. When you break for lunch at Gunsite you head to the mess deck that’s located back up where the offices, classrooms, and the pro shop are located. As part of the expansion the mess deck will grow by about a third to allow for more seating.
The mess deck will be expanded another 20-30 feet through the back wall, providing needed eating space for days when the campus is packed with students, which is quite often. Photo by P. Erhardt
The office at Gunsite is about 30 years old now, which is just a bit dated in business terms, and make no mistake, firearms training is big business, especially at Gunsite. The new office will be brought up to today’s standards with additional growth in mind.
One of the most popular places on the Gunsite Academy campus is the Pro Shop. Like the current office, the Pro Shop is a bit dated, if for no other reason than it is too small for today’s training customer.
The new Pro Shop will be the most popular spot on the Gunsite campus once it is completed. Expect to see a larger selection of products from a wide variety of industry partners. And, expect to see a dog or two. A doggie door on the wall facing the new offices will allow Gunsite pets easy access from one building to the other via a fenced in yard. Photos by P. Erhardt
The new Pro Shop will be 4,900 square feet, which is three times larger than the current space. This new layout will allow Gunsite to greatly expand inventory, offering more products from more manufacturers. In other words, a shopping paradise for Gunsite students.
One area of concern currently is classroom availability. With the constant increase in students visiting Gunsite, Campbell says they are regularly out of classroom space. Once the new Pro Shop is ready the old shop’s space will be reverted back to its original purpose as a classroom.
Naturally, with so many bodies on the Gunsite property throughout the year, the need for ‘facilities’ a the facility is even greater, and it’s being addressed as well. Campbell reports that new bathrooms are being built and jokes that, “with seven record years of student numbers, we need ‘more seating capacity’.”
All told, this is a significant buildout taking place at one of the nation’s premier firearms training facilities. With the record number of new firearms owners entering the market, and many of them seeking out proper firearms training, the demand for Gunsite training will only continue grow.
Thankfully, Gunsite is already looking to the future. Even in the midst of today’s expansion, Gunsite has plans for additional buildings down the road. Which is good news for the thousands of new students that will eventually find their way to Paulden, Arizona.
– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network
