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Indy Gunshop reviews: Popguns

Posted on by Caleb

I went shooting with my friend Greg this last weekend, initially we were planning on going to an outdoor range, but our plans changed and we ended up at Popguns Family Indoor Shooting Range.

I’ve been to Popguns a lot actually, when I was still working for Hyatt, it was where I did most of my shooting.  They’ve recently completed a remodeling of their interior space, which did a lot to open the area up and give customers more room to move around.  The best part about Popguns is that it provides an indoor shooting range alternative to Don’s Guns.

  • Location: One of the negatives about Popguns is the location, located off of 10th St and Post Rd.; it’s not exactly in what I’d call a great area.  The flea market right next door can make parking on weekends kind of dodgy.  On the flip side, some of the most regular customers at Popguns are cops, so there’s often one or more police cars parked out front of the shop; as well as some of employees/proprietors being reserve deputies.
  • Selection: Popguns focuses mainly on the law enforcement/concealed carry market, so their selection outside of semi-autos and small CCW wheelguns isn’t too great.  But, if you’re looking for a good carry gun, be it a semi-auto handgun or a small wheelgun, Popguns is a great stop.
  • Pricing: Not too bad, actually.  Definitely lower prices than you’d find for a comparable gun at Gander Mountain.  They often have great deals on premium defensive ammo, when I was there this weekend they had 500 round cases of .40 S&W Ranger SXT for $350; or a 50 round box of 9mm Hydra-Shok for $30.
  • Range: Popgun’s range is a 50 foot indoor range, for pistols only.  They also have a “No Steel/Aluminum cased” ammo policy, which is a drag for me since I get great deals on Wolf Ammo and run it all the time in my 9mm and .45 ACPs.  It’s a pretty straight forward indoor range, well heated in the winter and cool in the summer, the only place they get a bad mark is that the target carriers are prone to malfunction.
  • Staff: The guys at Popguns are pretty knowledgeable, especially in terms of carry guns and gear.  They do have a little bit of a Glock fetish, but hey, no one’s perfect.  They’re a little salty with people sometimes, but I imagine that has a lot to do with their location, and the kind of…clientèle that is unfortunately attracted.
  • Intangibles: I like the way Popguns is laid out, the wood floors and sort of rustic interior make me feel like I’m in a gun shop.  Sure, the range may get crowded on weekends and the wait time can be long, but when it’s -2 degrees outside I really don’t want to shoot outdoors.

Bottom Line: The location hurts Popguns, but other than that it’s a solid bet.  Nothing spectacular or mind-blowing, just solid.  The C+/B- student if you will allow the comparison.

Caleb

6 Comments

  1. Jeez man, you write like you’re from Carmel. I know the east side’s slipped a little in the last 20 years or so, but “dodgy”? I’d be much more comfortable with the redneck boys from the east side than the homeys over in Lafayette Square.
    (I am a Warren Central grad after all…)

    Good review though. Nice to know that if I ever do get around to buying something to shoot with that there’s a good, clean place to shoot inside.

    Looking forward to seeing who you review next. Don’s and Popguns are the only places that have much of an advertising presence in town, that I’ve seen anyway. Maybe take a look at that little place on the north side of Pendleton Pike, just a little west of Post Road? 🙂

  3. I guess it’s been a while since I was regularly in that neck of the woods.

    Are there any other Marion County indoor ranges? (Other than the apartment complexes in the 38th and German Church area.)

  4. I spent a delightful hour at Popguns Feb 14th. I like the rustic interior design; looks like an old-timey country store. It’s well-lighted and has ample floor space. The only thing about the range that I found unusual was the presence of four steel columns downrange.

    They did seem to have several pallets of 40 S&W on the sales floor.

    The target carriers are a bit funky, but that’s the same all over. The thing that I missed was a “ready room” between the store and the range. There is a little 6-foot square room between the inner and outer range doors, but there is no place to plop down the range bag and fish out the glasses, plugs, muffs, timers, etc.

    Overall, though it was a GREAT experience! The right company can make up for a lot.

    Turk

  5. Don’t forget that Popguns also rents pistols so that you can try out several to find out which you like best.
    The place on Pendleton Pike is KS&E … a little small, but good prices. I bought my SP101 there about 1 1/2 years ago.
    There’s also Bradis (several miles west of I465 on Kentucky Ave) and Albro’s (south of I465 on Emerson in Beech Grove).
    Robert

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