Colonial Shooting Academy

I just completed the Ladies Only Basic Gun safety course with Sunny. I am a complete beginner, but after this course, I was able to spend time on the range with Sunny and have the confidence and knowledge I needed for basic target shooting. I highly recommend this course and Sunny was a true professional and an excellent instructor. Her knowledge regarding guns and the industry was impressive.

Very clean, organized and professional. Almost all of the staff is former military and extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They have a great selection of rental guns and targets. While they are fairly pricey the quality of the experience here more than makes up for it.

Having tried the other two shooting ranges in the area, we finally made it to Colonial. What a difference! First, the place is bright, airy, and inviting. The gun store, which you pass through to get range access, is spacious and well-​stocked. Being first-​timers, we had to watch the brief video and when we signed up for our ranges, we were asked several questions to make sure we had paid attention. (They’re basic firearm safety questions. They won’t tax you.)
We brought our own handguns, ammo and eye/​ear protection. The range we were assigned to was well-​lit and comfortable. (We nearly froze to death at a competitor’s range one frosty morning.) There were several range officers who helped us get oriented. They were friendly and provided assistance to shooters.
But, the area in which CAS really shined was the staff. Everyone we interacted with greeted us with a smile, asked if they could help, and was helpful and responsive. This is no mom-​and-​pop operation. It is a professional shooting range that serious shooters and those who want to learn to shoot will appreciate. We can’t wait to get back.

If you’re new to firearms and have any questions, don’t hesitate to come here. The staff is nothing short of amazing. They are extremely helpful and I can honestly say, they are looking out for your best interests. Although it’s a bit on the expensive side, you get what you pay for. I will definitely, without hesitation, come here again.

I first came to CSA Richmond a couple of years ago with a gun enthusiast friend. We spent an hour playing around with a few handguns and I had a great time. Fast forward to about a week ago, and after extensive research and trying out a couple of models at CSA’s Virginia Beach location (also very nice), I made a purchase here, and later returned to take it for a spin.
First, my review of the retail experience. I worked with Jerry who was approachable and put this first-​time gun buyer at ease. He took time to answer my questions and made the paperwork and purchasing process less intimidating than I expected it would be. Handgun prices seemed very competitive. I was purchasing a new S&W Shield 9 mm which had displayed retail pricing $ 40 below MSRP and about $ 60 below the prevailing retail price here in Richmond. While they had lots of guns to choose from, and in my case, several different flavors (with/​without thumb safety, upgrade to night sights, etc) the assortment of accessories seemed a bit scant. They had the basics but the selection was thin. I believe this could be attributed to it being just a few days before Christmas. I found Green Top has a much more extensive assortment of accessories, but that’s to be expected given the much larger selling space. At CSA, expect to be able to pick up the gun, perhaps a basic case, extra magazine, and some ammunition. Just enough to get started.
On to the range. My two experiences on the CSA Richmond range have been excellent. The Range Safety Officers are professional, approachable, and helpful. In this regard, Richmond is a very different experience than CSA Virginia Beach. At both locations, the folks at the counter are very helpful, and the prices for lane rental, eyes/​ears, targets, and ammunition are all reasonable. Being able to bring your own ammunition from outside is a huge plus. I haven’t been able to find any other ranges in central Virginia that allow it. Even if you have to purchase some here, the pricing for 9 mm is only a couple bucks above normal retail, so it won’t break the bank to have to pick up an extra box or two.
I had a unique experience on the range here Christmas Eve. With thunderstorms in the area, this stretch of West Broad had experienced several brief power outages throughout the day. I was on the range when power went out. A cease fire was called and we were given the option to wait it out or ask for a refund/​raincheck, which I thought was cool. The Range Safety Officer was very laid back and kept the dozen or so of us engaged in chit-​chat to pass the time while we waited the roughly 10 minutes for power to come back on, and the subsequent 10 minutes or so for ventilation to get going again. It actually made for a nice break and a pretty neat experience.
I am seriously considering a membership here, and regardless I will be back many times. I highly recommend CSA Richmond for new and experienced shooters alike, as well as those who are looking to make a gun purchase.

I’d say my real rating would be more of a 4.7 but Unilocal doesn’t offer that so I’ll round it to a 5 This place rocks! We went here to celebrate my birthday and shot for an hour. The staff is so incredibly friendly and helpful. They were extremely patient even though the place was pumping on a Sunday afternoon. We will be back for sure. The 4.7 is primarily because I wish it was a little cheaper but they do offer date and women’s night so if your on a budget you may want to go then. The facility is extremely well kept and nice! Can’t wait to go back for round two.

Really a great place. I would rate myself as a neophyte when it comes to weapons. I tend to be uncomfortable around experts. Not here. The staff is obviously interested in helpng. A wonderful place to shoot.

Rude and not very friendly. The guy that helped me was condescending. I am a former instructor and could shoot them under the table at any competition. I left and told them to shove it. They have some sort of complex here where they think they are better than you.

This place is great! This was my first time going to a shooting range and I could not have had a better experience! The staff is amazing. They are very patient and considerate to all of their customers and they made for a great experience. First, you walk in and fill out a 1 page form and watch an 8 minute video on gun range safety. You then, proceed to the counter where they double check a few key safety points from the video. You then, choose which gun you would like. They have an amazing selection! I chose a sig sauer hand gun with 50 rounds. I also bought eye protection, and rented ear protection as well for around $ 5 for both of those. I also chose a target for around $ 1. They put everything in a basket for you and proceed to your rented shooting lane. They had two Range Safety Officers (Harry and Bob) who are awesome! They will help you with anything you need! From then on, just load your ammo and shoot and have a great time! This was definitely a great experience and I recommend this place to anyone who wants to try something new! Thank you Harry and Bob and Colonial Shooting Academy!

My friend’s a member and he’d invited me to go share a lane with him. The staff were very nice and know there stuff. There were a lot of people at the range it I felt very safe and I had a good amount of personal space. I’m looking forward to going back and would recommend to and shooters in the area.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough! A girlfriend and I went to the range at around 1130 on a Monday and it wasn’t super crowded. The guys who work there were very nice and helpful. We don’t have much experience shooting, and they were great. Not intimidating at all. And so much fun!

Excellent range and store. Ammo prices are reasonable as well.
Can get very crowded on the weekends so don’t expect to always get in and out quick to the range.
Great selection of classes. I hope to attend one soon.
Very professional staff.

Ranges can be threatening and pretentious. Not Here. They are knowledgeable and understanding. I watched many go through range training and the range supervisor was helpful but not intrusive.
They have plenty of space and a great year round facility.
For the non gun owner… Plenty of options to shop before you buy and for those wanting to just have fun.

Let me start off with saying I am a beginner when it comes to firearms. I have shot quite a few handguns, an AR 15, an AK, a bb gun hah. So I am familiar with someone handing me a gun and telling me to point and shoot at that beer can. SO THAT WAS ABOUT IT AS FAR AS MY KNOWLEDGE GOES.
The past few months I decided I would like to properly exercise my rights. I’m big on gun safety and gun control so I wanted to make sure I was taking this as seriously as possibly and taking all of the correct steps and not taking any short cuts. So I contacted CSA about doing a private instruction, one on one. And I was immediately contacted the SAME DAY by Reese. We set up a date and time for me to come in. As soon as I walked in I was warmly greeted by EVERY staff member. Everyone there is incredibly polite and helpful, but more importantly knowledgeable and professional. My one on one instruction with Reese was fantastic. I tend to ask a ton of questions and require a lot of patience when learning anything new so I knew I needed private instruction. Reese was great, he covered the fundamentals, safety, had me do different drills, etc. He really walked me through everything that one would need to know to safely operate a firearm. He’s also great at showing you that you are 100% capable even when you are doubting yourself. He was patient and thorough, and not to mention hilarious! He’s a retired cop, so he KNOWS what he’s talking about. I’m high in precision, so I’m wildly detailed oriented and usually have about 99 questions. Reese was so thorough I couldn’t even think of one question I needed to ask him. Great guy, great experience. But to add to that they have plenty of knowledge and friendly staff and instructors. Anyone there I’m sure will be a great teacher.
I just recently visited again yesterday on my own, now that I am in the process of finding a concealed carry. Drew, who helped me get set up, went over each gun with me, helped me out with my grip gave me a handful of suggestions and tips that were incredibly helpful. Even wrote out a list of guns that we had talked about for me to try next time. The safety officer in the range was also awesome. He gave me a few pointers and some tips, and watched me shoot to help give me some constructive criticism which I think really helped me out over all. I’ve read reviews here about the safety officers hoovering or lingering over you, which I definitely did not notice. I did not catch his name, but the officer there gave me and everyone else the space we needed but was still helpful and made sure everyone was safe and having a great time.
Overall, CSA is awesome. Everyone is friendly and they make you feel comfortable. They provide you with everything you need (if you don’t have anything.) Since I’m a beginner I have no gauge to compare prices, but to me, it all seemed worth it. After my one on one instruction with Reese I felt incredibly confident about handling firearms. After stopping by yesterday, I felt even MORE confident and comfortable. I would suggest anyone to visit CSA in Richmond. They offer a ton of classes, one on one instruction, and ladies if you’re more comfortable with a female instructor, they have female instructors and ladies only classes.
YES it can get busy, but what do you expect? It’s the largest indoor range in the country. it’s state of the art! I noticed towards the afternoons/​evenings it gets quite busy but I don’t think that should deter you from coming there. I think it says A LOT, a lot of people there means, a lot of happy customers. So I would suggest anyone from novice to Rambo to stop by CSA, I guarantee you’ll have a great time. Oh and BTW, a lot of the employees are real easy on the eyes, so ladies (and gentlemen) that’s definitely a plus. C’mon, cute guys and guns? What more could I ask for.

I love this place! The staff are knowledgable professionals, and this is definitely the place to purchase your NFA items.
If you’re in the RVA area, check them out!

Came to Colonial Shooting Academy with absolutely no experience with firearms. CSA’s staff is probably the best in customer service that I have ever dealt with. My friend and I walked in admittedly clueless as to where to go and even what questions to ask. One kind gentleman pointed us in the right direction for renting guns & filling out the waiver. We sat for the 8-​minute video and went to the counter, only to be greeted by yet ANOTHER KIND GENTLEMAN who proceeded to walk us through the renting/​purchasing process and what he recommended for first-​time shooters (all the while cracking jokes about me being from New York).
We went with the 9 mm handgun, got some ear/​eye protection, ammo, and targets. We went to our lane, still a bit confused about loading & unloading our firearm, amongst other things. The officer on duty at the lanes came over and, not to our surprise, was just as helpful as everyone we’ve come into contact with from stepping foot inside CSA. He walked us through holding the handgun, loading the magazine, setting up our targets… Needless to say, I felt pretty confident about the whole experience by the time I even pulled the trigger.
After shooting a couple boxes of ammo, I left pretty satisfied and would definitely come back and try out other firearms.
Highly recommend!

Me and the hubby came here on Valentine’s day and had a great time… you get an hour in a both… and you can rent most pieces at a good price. I recommend anyone who likes to shoot to try them out. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it… we are back again to shoot some more…

When I was back in Richmond Visiting my family, Took a stop at Colonial Shooting Academy — Range Use Only. Since it was my first time we had to watch a video and now have a card for 1 year without watching the safety video again.
This place had all top of the line tech, the distance of the paper all high tech type it in this machine it flys over to exact location. What I had to get use to was the range officer over my shoulder making sure my safety was always on top of mind. Some people might like this but me personally, I would like some space so I can adjust and make my shooting changes. I brought my own ammo so not sure how the prices are.
Their range fees are reasonable and it did get crowded toward the end of my 200 rounds I shot that day.
Overall I will come back, I would like to take a class to become a better shooter they have a lot of options for classes. I loved the technology and the range was great.
Definitely like another Unilocaler put it The Nordstrom of Shooting Ranges

This is the Nordstrom of shooting ranges but doesn’t charge like it. You can bring in your own ammunition, targets, and guns and only pay the range fees. You can also get a membership as well which is good for those who plan on going more than twice a month.
There is no other place like this on the east coast or in the nation for that matter. You will find friendly service, but they do get busy so you should go in with some patience because its worth it.
Firearms tend to intimidate many people but if you make it known to the associates, they will go out of their way to help you and walk you through everything.

DH brought me here for Wednesday Night Date Night where 2 shoot for the price of 1.
CSA provides a safe and comfortable environment to enjoy your 2^nd amendment rights. The facility is nothing short of amazing. The counter staff provided fast and efficient registration and the range masters provided appropriate oversight while on the firing range.
This place is obviously very popular. DH and I arrived at 5pm and the place was already packed. By the time I watched the safety video (about 5 minutes), our lane became available.
DH and I will probably do Wednesday Night Date Night more often.