June 14, 2019

Smokin’ Gun Worx Receives NSSF Five-Star Rating

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation^® (NSSF^®), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce that it has awarded its highest Five-Star rating for range excellence to Smokin’ Gun Worx in Forreston, Illinois.

Located in a small village in the northern part of the state not far from the Wisconsin state line, Smokin’ Gun Worx serves a diverse customer base of personal protection practitioners, target shooters and hunters drawn from the many small towns surrounding it and the much larger metropolitan center of Rockford about 40 miles to the east. It boasts two indoor shooting bays, one with a traditional target system, the other with a computerized system offering 29 target programs that tests skills from beginner to advanced. A simulator complements the live-fire ranges, with fun shooting scenarios running the gamut from balloon animals to zombies. Combined, they underscore the facility’s focus on families and high entertainment value.

The range is replete with amenities. In addition to the two live-fire ranges and simulator range, Smokin’ Gun Worx offers a robust rental gun program, an in-house retail store carrying an impressive inventory of handguns, long guns and knives, transfer services via several online firearms buying platforms, a banquet room for special events including the range’s monthly “Date Nights” and seasonal Friends of NRA banquets, a full-service gunsmith, and six staff instructors, including one who teaches reloading. A busy events calendar attests to the popularity of the range’s many offerings.

“We’re honored to be awarded a Five-Star rating from NSSF,” said Keith Ruter, Owner of Smokin Gun Worx. “What seemed to be a monumental task of collecting data and photos, improving protocols and implementing new management strategies to make the grade has propelled us into a business of excellence our customers are proud to be a part of.”

“Not only have the owners and staff at Smokin’ Gun Worx taken a ‘please everyone’ approach by creating programs and services that accommodate a wide range of customer needs and shooting hobbies, they’ve done so by emphasizing the one thing that’s often hardest to get across to those who haven’t handled a firearm before: just how much fun this all is,” said Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Retail and Range Business Development. “In doing so, it’s become a bonafide gathering place for this community, and for that we’re very pleased to award them our Five-Star rating.”

NSSF’s highly respected Star-Rating Range Program works to encourage ranges of all sizes and locations to excel. Applying for rating requires answering a comprehensive questionnaire and business owner self-evaluation of the facilities, staff, community outreach and other criteria. Ranges that appear to meet the criteria for Four- or Five-Star rating receive an on-site evaluation by NSSF staff. NSSF member ranges that merit a Three-Star rating are recognized for being a part of the Star-Rating range family and are provided guidance to improve their facilities and achieve the higher two ratings. For more information, including instructions on how to apply for NSSF’s Star-Rating Range Program, contact Zach Snow at [email protected].

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About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.

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Media contact:
Bill Brassard
203-426-1320

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