Bill's Gun Shop and Range

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I have visited Bill's Gun Shop and Range on many occasions, both from the retail side as well as using their range. From a retail gun sales standpoint, they have one of the best selections in the west metro, with the possible exception of Gander Mountain in Eden Prairie. I used to think they were a bit on the high side when it came to price, but on more than one occasion, after shopping around, they are often times a little lower than many of the other businesses around. And if they don't have it, they are happy to get it for you. Plus, if you buy a gun from them, they give you a free range pass and a free gun rental (which never expires.) - a nice little perk. Plus, they stand behind whatever they sell and have their own in-house gunsmith. I've read a complaint that they seem understaffed at times and you may wait around for awhile to have someone help you. While I have experienced some longer wait times when they are fairly busy, once they started to help me I never feel rushed through or blown off and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.
I've also used the range several times. It is one of the few places in town to shoot inside and, frankly, I've been surprised that they aren't more expensive based on that fact alone. If you don't have your own stuff (eye protection, ear protection, targets, guns or ammo) the rental rates can add up fast, but most regular shooters will have all that. It is also one of the few places that have several different guns to rent, which although expensive, gives you a chance to actually try a particular firearm out before dropping several hundred dollars or more before potentailly finding out that you don't like it. And the selection that they have for rent is pretty good.
I really like Bill's. It is well kept and one of your few and quot;one stop shopsand quot; in the West Metro area.

This place does not like Blazer aluminum ammunition; so much so that I was told that if I wanted to use the range, I would turn around and take that ammunition back out the door (to the underground attached free parking garage) and put the ammunition in my car. The tone of this was quite curt and harsh, in my opinion.
The range is fine, the traversing mechanism to put targets down-range is not as high tech as the Burnsville Pistol Range (which lets you exactly specify how many feet away you want the target to be). It is heated and air-conditioned.
Upon leaving, I had opened my wallet at the counter (I've forgotten why), and the same employee who told me to turn around, noted my U.S. Army (Retired) I.D. card. At that point, he became much more cordial, and informed me that retired military get a 10% discount on range time. I wish that had been displayed somewhere or that I had opened my wallet when I paid at the beginning of the session in such a way that he saw my I.D. then.

On the weekends, it is very busy at the range and sometimes there is a wait. Their prices are a little high. It is nice and clean in there and it is well taken care of. The employees are knowledgeable.

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Bill's Gun Shop and Range were fine. I would shoot there in the future.

The first time I went to Bill's, I got decent service. It went downhill
from there. One, there are never enough people working, and an employee
can be tied up with a customer for at least 20 min. There was one day I
stopped in, and just ended up leaving in frustration because no one had
even acknowledged me. Two, I found out that my gun sold not
because I received a phone call, but because I had stopped in and saw
that it was not there anymore. After about a three weeks of not getting
paid, I called to speak to a manager, Clay. I probably called at least
five times within two weeks trying to get a hold of Clay, and finally
did. Apparently, my check had been sent Aug 8, but I definitely did not receive it.
Their contract says that I should receive payment within 15 days of the
sale, but it ended up being about 6 weeks for me to get the check, because I just
went into the store and asked for it. During this time, I tried out one
of their guns on the range with a friend of mine. 2 shooters + one lane +
one gun rental + 2 boxes ammo (100 rounds) + eye/ear protection =
almost $100! Talk about a rip off. If only there were other places that offered the same services. I ended up purchasing a gun from a private dealer, instead of Bill's. The dealer was much cheaper and provided the same quality firearm. I only wish I would have been able to test the type of gun that I purchased at Bill's, but I was not going to spend that kind of money there again.

Bill's Gun Shop was the place I was having the guns transferred to. There is a 50 dollar gun transfer. What I did not like, when they did receive the guns, they did not call me and let me know, which is what I was expecting. It seemed they were a little chaotic in the way they ran their business.