Vegas Machine Gun Range Offers New Way to Let Loose

[Johnny Rico]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/us/las-vegas-gun-range-offers-new-way-to-let-loose.html?_r=2&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimes&pagewanted=all



LAS VEGAS — For Vegas die-hards bored with the $750 tasting menu at Guy Savoy, the $250 Elton John tickets at Caesars or the $200,000 single-hand baccarat bet at the Bellagio, this city is serving up a new way to find high-priced thrills. Machine Guns Vegas — an upscale, indoor shooting range complete with skimpily dressed, gun-toting hostesses — opened last week a half mile from the Strip, with an armory of weapons and a promise to fulfill the desires of anyone wanting to fire off an Uzi or a vintage Thompson submachine gun. With its provocative mix of violent fantasy (think blowing holes through an Osama bin Laden target with an AK-47) and sexual allure, it is the latest example of how the extravagances and excesses that have defined Las Vegas are moving beyond the gaming table.

“O.K., the Uzi is down right now — sorry!” Melissa Krause, a hostess dressed head to toe in a skin-tight black outfit, with a fake pistol attached to her hip and black boots, told a father and son who had driven three hours from Victorville, Calif. “Is there something else you wanted to choose?” No matter. Before long, the son, Chris Neveu, 20, was standing between two range masters, a man and a woman, feet planted to the ground, eyes protected by goggles and ears by headphones. Hot shells clattered around his feet as his father, Paul, took pictures.

“They have a lot of weapons you wouldn’t be able to find back where I’m from,” said Chris, as he repaired to the V.I.P. lounge, where the walls are adorned with machine guns. “Such as the — well, you can see them all around the room: the M-4; the M-16; the M-249 — a lot of exotic weapons.”

In the main lounge, Barry Burmaster, 54, of Williamsburg, Md., was giddy after he and three friends, in town for a convention, compared a stack of bullet-riddled targets. “Twenty years ago, I’d spend $400 at the strip clubs,” he said. “Now, I just come here to shoot.”

(more at link)

A chance to shoot an M249 SAW? I know where I'm going next time I'm in Lost Wages...!

[TheWraith]

1. Um... I can't help but notice the clown target...

And having noticed it, I can't really think of anything else to say.

[Johnny Rico]

2. It's....It!

Die, Pennywise, die!

[DonP]

3. I saw them last week at the range near me

They have a bunch of new "Zombie" Shoot-N-C style targets.

IIRC they had maybe 6 different flavors of Zombie targets available in pads of 25 or so. The clown was just one of them.

They even had Shoot-N-C deer, bear, puma, coyote etc. targets too.

[ileus]

4. Now I can't wait for my next business trip to vegas....

[ellisonz]

5. Oh death spewer fan club...

“Twenty years ago, I’d spend $400 at the strip clubs,” he said. “Now, I just come here to shoot.”



P.S. I don't gamble or go to strip clubs.

[gejohnston]

6. I remember Rachel

doing a piece on a place like this. She had a blast. In the same episode, she said she rents pistols at a range in Manhattan.

P.S. I don't gamble or go to strip clubs.

he said while Mrs. ellisonz looked over his shoulder.........

[ellisonz]

7. What can I say...

...I'm a Buddhist, it's just not my thing - all part of our culture of materialism.

[TheWraith]

10. Well, the important part is that you got to preach about your moral superiority.

[ellisonz]

11. That's the problem with our politics...

...no one tells it like it is...at least that guy was honest about his motivations for visiting Sin City.

[gejohnston]

32. not a Rammstein fan are you?

&feature=related

[Johnny Rico]

9. As George Raft said of the $10 million he made and lost:

“Part of the loot went for gambling, part for horses and part for women. The rest I spent foolishly.”

[PavePusher]

12. Amen, Brother. n/t

[Remmah2]

19. Who'd hire you at a strip club anyway?

[DonP]

8. Another great way to turn money into noise

I do confess I wouldn't mind getting behind the wheel of an M60 again, just for the fun of it for a change. Maybe get to compare it to a SAW.

I wonder if they'd loan me a Huey to go with it?

[burf]

33. Yeah, life was pretty good

back in the day of getting paid to shoot such things.

[DonP]

37. Don't forget all that extra pay too!

Overseas pay, combat pay, aviation etc.

I'm surprised I'm not a retired rich man now with all that coming in.

And all the ammo you could ask for.

[burf]

38. In additon,

you don't have to report for pay every month, just go to the mailbox!

[Hoyt]

13. The old ways of letting loose still work for most of us.

[Johnny Rico]

14. Most people don't want to shoot a machine gun, but enough do for there to be a market.

Ain't choice grand?

[Hoyt]

16. Enjoy yourself.

[Johnny Rico]

17. Next time I'm there I will, though my vacation plans for the near future don't include Vegas.

[burf]

36. There is an alternative for those

living on the east side of the country the Knob Creek Shoot, just down the road from Ft Knox.

http://www.knobcreekshoot.com/

There are folks there with all kinds of firearms, from machine guns to flamethrowers which you can fire for a fee. They also have a huge flea market for those looking for parts for projects. Current TV had a segment on Knob Creek on one of their shows on guns. The reporter did fire quite a bit of weaponry, and they did report on the family atmosphere and the fact that there were no shoot outs ala OK Corral.

[krispos42]

35. Most people do...

...but don't want to spend the equivalent of a nice wedding (or a Ford Fusion) to do so.


Oh, to get behind an M1919...

[Remmah2]

20. As long as it's not in public. nt

nt

[slackmaster]

24. That's right Hoyt, and if you switch to your other hand once in a while it will feel like...

...someone else.

[Paladin]

26. Stay Classy, Slack. (n/t)

[shadowrider]

28. In many ways

That is no worse than the insults that particular poster heaps on pro-gun people. Get on him when he does it, and I may develop the opinion you're even-handed.

[Hoyt]

29. Do you have a "peer reviewed" study to support that, or is it just your experience?

[Clames]

15. Get behind a 240B...

...if they have one. Much better weapon system and muzzle blast from 7.62 NATO is a lot more fun...

[slackmaster]

25. I got to do a side-by-side fire test on an M60 and an M240B once

I believe the M240B is a superior weapon.

[Clames]

27. I think it's a draw between...

...the 240B and the latest M60E4 model. It comes down to specifics because the 240B is way too heavy for a single person to handle but is more accurate (that is a match grade barrel) while the M60 is much lighter.

[shadowrider]

18. Kinda like this?

[Remmah2]

21. I don't find MG shooting relaxing.

I much prefer long distance target shooting. It's Zen to read the wind, calculate the trajectory, mirage and thermals, breath and put three shots on a quarter at 200 yards.

Not my cup of tea.

[ileus]

22. It would stress me out know all that good ammo was being wasted.

I can't stand shooting with no objective.

[Remmah2]

31. My son got me a collection of used golf balls.

They're fun at 100 yards w/a .223 in 55 grain V-Max. When you think about the foot-pounds of energy that gets transferred, that's a heck of a hook.

And to think some smart guy told me to give up shooting and take up golf.

[oneshooter]

23. You may enjoy shooting Highpower then. US military rifles, as issued

at 200-600yds. 3 position and timed. A great sport.

Or BPCR.

Oh yea, kid with gun. At 600yds!

[Remmah2]

30. M1A CMP

I have a friend who goes to Camp Perry and let me try his M1A rifle. I was pretty impressed at the quality of the iron peep sights vs a scope.

[rdking647]

34. there's a place in phoenix that lets you shoot a saw