Gunsite Academy continues to expand. And it needs to. The 3,200-acre firearms training facility will close out 2024 with its ninth consecutive year of record student attendance.

Back in May of 2023, Jim Shepherd and I attended a media event hosted by Stoeger at the Gunsite facility, and I wrote about what was then the early stages of Gunsite’s expansion.

During this last week of October I was back at Gunsite, this time for a Mossberg media event, and the difference in the facility 17 months later was obvious.

The first thing you notice when you crest the peak of the road up to the main part of the campus is the wide open parking lot. Once the new administrative offices were completed the old building was leveled and replaced by a packed-rock parking lot now able to handle 110 vehicles in lined parking spots.

Parking at Gunsite used to be extremely tight but now the lot is wide open with plenty of room with defined parking spots. Photo: P. Erhardt

Anybody that has been there in the past knows that parking was often at a premium. Not anymore. It’s now an easy in and out for students and you’re a lot less likely to have your car blocked in.

The new pro shop is up and operational. It’s a major upgrade over the old one, larger and filled with more gear, clothing, swag and, of course, guns. I picked up a mug during my visit and had to give my name at the register. Having never really purchased anything from the pro shop I was taken aback. I later talked to Gunsite’s CEO, Ken Campbell, about that.

Getting out of the new Gunsite Pro Shop without doing damage to your back account is no easy feat. I wasn’t the only one in our group that ended up taking one of these orange Gunsite mugs home. Photo: P. Erhardt

In what turned out to be a mini business course, Ken explained how they use your name to track the additional revenue per class as well as the customer lifetime value of each student. I went back later to buy a candy bar and then again to pick up a hat for a friend. I’m now up to just under $40, which is well below the average spend per student above class costs – including ammo packages.

Ken keeps a close eye on the added revenue Gunsite generates outside of just the courses, like any good business would. I’m on the very, very low end of student spend considering the average is somewhere north in the three-figure category.

Along with new offices, the new spacious pro shop, and a completed instructor bunkhouse, is a new restroom facility. The cement foundation was in place the last time I was visiting. The new ‘facilities’ are very nice and don’t require one-at-a-time trips. And they have showers, which come in handy for those coming off the range and wanting to eliminate any dust or gunpowder residue before heading off to catch a flight.

All told, this first round of expansion cost Gunsite about $2 million, all of which was spent locally, reaffirming Gunsite as a good business partner in the Paulden/Chino Valley/greater Prescott area of Arizona.

While out on the range Buz Mills, Gunsite’s owner, and Ken dropped by to say hello. Buz explained that there is a lot more to their expansion that is yet to come, and it’s needed because of Gunsite’s continued growth.

Before leaving I caught up with Ken to get a rundown on all the additional aspects of what I’ll call the second phase of Gunsite’s expansion.

First up is a new warehouse building for storage. Right now conex boxes are being used for storage. Once a new warehouse is built those conex boxes will be removed, repurposed and constructed into an urban sniper tower. It will be placed out on the Woodpile range to provide students more training opportunities, including shots out to 1,000 yards.

From temporary storage to urban sniping tower the relocation of these conex boxes will make way for the new, larger mess deck. Photo. P. Erhardt

Once the conex boxes are removed from their current location, directly across from the existing mess deck, a new, larger mess deck will be built in their place. With increased student attendance comes the growing challenge of how to accommodate all the students (and instructors) at lunch time.

The new mess deck will be twice as large as the current one with ceiling fans and roll-up garage doors. In the warmer months the doors will be raised and the fans used to keep the eating area more comfortable. When it gets cold – and it does get cold at Gunsite – the doors will be closed and portable propane heaters, like those used at outdoor restaurants, will be brought in.

Gunsite is nearing standing room only in their current mess deck. The constant increase in student numbers means that there is ever increasing need for a new lunch time facility. Photo. P. Erhardt

The placement of the new mess deck means it will overlook the ranges. Ken plans to have windows on the back wall to take advantage of what can often be a terrific view.

The new warehouse building also means the old pro shop, also being used for storage at the moment, can be converted into classrooms. The building will be divided lengthwise, providing more classroom seating.

The additional classroom capacity doesn’t end there. A brand new classroom building will go up to the the left of the restrooms building. With nine straight years of increased student attendance, and no signs of that slowing down, Gunsite, perhaps the premier firearms training venue in the country, needs more classroom space to expand training opportunities.

The old pro shop (above) will be home to two new classrooms. Expanding classroom capacity further, a brand new classroom building will built to the left of the new restroom (below) in an effort to keep up with demand for Gunsite training. Photo. P. Erhardt

The new warehouse, mess deck, and classrooms will likely account for another $1 million investment by Gunsite. And again, that’s money going into the local economy.

Ken estimates this next phase will take up to 18 months to complete. Or in Gunsite terms, somewhere in year 11 of record student attendance.

Long term, we’re talking some time in the next five years, both Buz and Ken are hoping to add a Gunsite lodge. This 30 to 40 room lodge will likely go across the drive from the instructor bunkhouse and would be for Gunsite students only.

Ken sees this as a venue that would be run by lease to a company with experience running a hotel, because as Ken puts it, “I don’t want to operate a hotel. That’s not my business.” He does, however, have some requirements for an operator and that includes providing breakfast and dinner so that students never have to leave the property.

But that could be five years out, so don’t call them to book a room just yet.

Gunsite is still growing, and doing so wisely. Its investment is in keeping with its mission to provide the best firearms training available. Having just gone through a media event, and made more than my fair share of technique mistakes, I can attest to the quality of their instruction. Thanks to Mario Marchman and Paul Garcia I came away with a much better understanding of how to handle and operate a shotgun. (Thanks very much, guys.)

In 18 months those that haven’t been to Gunsite in a number or years might not recognize all the changes but they will appreciate them. And 2026 will be a good time to take a class as it will be when Gunsite celebrates its 50th year of providing the best in firearms training.

Or…as Buz Mills puts it, Gunsite’s first 50 years.

— Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network