Incredible place... I remember the old "Colonial Shooting Academy" from a number of years ago, with both good and bad reviews. Freedom Outdoors bought the old Colonial building on Broad St., redid it, rearranged lt a little, and made it their own. It is absolutely fantastic now! I mean like, "roll out the red carpet", you know? 100% professionalism and class. No "riff raff" at all (if you know what I mean). Clean, spotless, and right up there with a 5 star restaurant! WOW... :) read more

First time here since it changed hands and I enjoyed it. Was going to GT but it's gotten too busy and some of the employees talk down to you. Glad to have another place to keep up on practice. read more

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Freedom Outdoors is a welcome replacement for the old Colonial Shooting Academy in a great many ways, and frankly we are lucky to get a new range option in a region without many of them. To avoid going through this review like I have a chip on my shoulder, I'll say it straight: I did not like Colonial at all, and Freedom Outdoors does everything so much better. Excellent staff who aren't rude or combative for no reason, reasonable range rules, and clean shooting bays without weird columns in the middle make this place an ideal destination. The biggest change is the staff, particularly the RSOs: they are cool and focused on making sure everything is safe but also without micromanaging every shooter. The one I interacted with during my range time was friendly and answered my questions without issue. The counter staff were quite busy but still processed me quickly. The shooting bays are quite nice, with a nice polished wood area to lay your guns while not in use and to do reloading, though they also have a few chairs behind the bays for that too. They use the standard electronic "fly in, fly out" target system where you can bring it in to attach paper targets and then send it to a distance of your choice. I was surprised the place wasn't busier for a Saturday, though that made my life easier since I wanted a somewhat calmer spot to test my new gun. I did not rent any of their guns this time though they appeared to have a good number of them. I didn't spend much time in their store, though they have a decent selection of firearms and accessories, with an ammo section in a separate room that I did shop from. One thing I noticed is that most of their firearm offerings are more common ones, as compared to the huge revolver collection that was here with Colonial. My one gripe is the cost of a lane: $30 for an hour for one person (or even their $50 for 2 people) is a lot of money. Their only competitor in the area is Green Top, which is $25 for an hour for one person and $40 for two. Essentially there are a few things worth paying the extra money for if you choose to come here: proximity to where you live (Green Top is a bit of a drive north), a calmer shooting experience (assuming it stays the way it is now), the chance of getting to shoot for a little longer than an hour if they aren't busy, and the fact that they are cool with you shooting full-auto/binary. For example, if I wanted to teach someone how to shoot, rent a full-auto or shoot my binary, or planned to shoot a LOT of ammo, I would choose Freedom. If I just wanted to get some basic shooting in with a friend who already knew how to shoot, I might go with Green Top purely because it's cheaper. Ultimately, it's up to you whether it's worth the drive to save $10. Super glad to have Freedom Outdoors in our backyard and will definitely return again soon! ---- Overall: 4.5 stars Pros: - Excellent range staff, top-notch RSOs. - Range rules are fair and non-restrictive. - Nicely-redone bays make for a pleasant (dare I say upscale?) experience. - Good selection of rentals, equipment, etc. - Same excellent parking lot as their predecessors. Cons: - $50 is a lot for an hour's entertainment, but in the circumstances I've outlined above, it's well worth it. read more

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Very rude customer service (especially Nina) I can see why this place is always empty. They do not understand the proper way to process someone buying a firearm. Definitely do not recommend there is a place called Nee American Arms right across the road. Great people highly recommend. read more

The range was busy. Instead of having us wait, they staffed and opened a second range.

I had shot at Colonial, so today I gave Freedom a call. They push memberships on the site, so I started there. Me: Why is there a $100 initiation fee when there is no initiation fee just to drop in and shoot? Do I get as hat, shirt, or mug? Lady: No, it is just a startup fee. Me: $100 seems steep just to enter the same info that you collect if I come in to shoot. How much is just an hour of range time. Lady: $30 and an extra $20 an hour for a second shooter. Three are allowed in a lane at a time (of course only 1 can shoot at a time) so 3 shooters would cost $70 and hour. Me: Again, what am I getting of value for a $100 initiation? Lady: It is the startup cost. Look at the math on the hourly fee. $70 divided by 3 is $23.33 per person for 20 minutes of range time since only one can shoot while 2 stand around. So that equates to $70 per hour per person if those 3 each got in a solid hour. Sounds like the 16 rolls of mega-toilet paper equals 30 rolls of standard. Sharing a lane makes poor dollar sense except that it allows Freedom to free you of more money. I am going to skip the high price and take my dollars elsewhere. read more

10/10. Friendly, great customer service, no egos. I rented for the range and purchased same day. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, which if you've been around the 2A community in Richmond you know isn't common. Honestly this was a breath of fresh air and I'm telling all my friends to go here from now on. I'll probably get a range membership too. Thanks y'all Wanted to add that I interacted with Rich and Nina - both very pleasant and helpful. read more

Based on my experience so far, the one-star review by j.s. is not the norm. I had been a member of Colonial previously and just joined Freedom Outdoors yesterday. I did not shoot then but was interested in getting some expert advice about possibly purchasing another concealed carry gun and different types of holsters. In the process I interacted with several staff members. All, without reservation, were 100% helpful and friendly. Aiden, in particular, was quite helpful while showing me various options for a carry gun and discussing the pros and cons of each. He knew that I was not going to buy anything yesterday, but despite that was more generous with his time. I would also give Rich and Meghan a shout-out for their friendly service. Oh, and I had my dog with me -- a large standard poodle. (No jokes about poodles, please. He is a very athletic dog and friendly to everyone.) All the staff welcomed him and treated us like royalty. read more

I've been to a few ranges both indoor and outdoor. Staff is cool. Equipment is A1. Plenty of rental options. But I brought my own. The fact that I could bring my guns with the fun mode activated was the highlight for me. It made the range fee worth paying for. I will most definitely be a regular customer. I could go to the Va Beach location but I'm not sure if the rules or the staff are as cool. Salute to everyone there. You are appreciated. read more