ICYMI: Industry News From
May 1-5, 2023

Texas Gun Experience Earns NSSF Five-Star Range Rating

NSSF awarded Texas Gun Experience its Five-Star rating for range excellence. Five stars is the highest rating in NSSF’s star-rating system, which evaluates shooting facilities on appearance, management, shooting sports development and amenities.

Located in Grapevine, Texas, within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, Texas Gun Experience is owned by brothers Jared and Joseph Stanyer. As kids in the mid-1980s, the brothers worked in their father’s gun shop. In 2012, Jared and Joseph purchased their dad’s business and rebranded it DFW Shooting Sports. The next iteration — Texas Gun Experience — came out of the desire to add a shooting range, and in 2019 Jared and Joseph opened their 35,000-sq.ft. retail-range facility to serve a fast-growing customer base.

The range accommodates handgun, rifle and shotgun shooting on 25- and 50-yard lanes. An extensive firearm rental inventory allows customers to enjoy the range even if they don’t own a firearm yet or for existing owners to try out different models. Texas Gun Experience offers a full range of training and classes, memberships packages and accommodates parties and special events.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have earned the NSSF’s Five-Star Rating. This rating exemplifies our commitment to being the best resource for firearms, training and more within our community. It’s an honor to receive it and also confirmation of all the planning that went into creating Texas Gun Experience to make it a quality, full-service facility for our customers and a fulfilling place to work for our staff and for us,” said Owner Jared Stanyer.

For more info: www.nssf.org.

FN Announces $18 Million Expansion Project At S.C. Facility

Following the announcement of the company’s plans to construct a second facility in Liberty, S.C., FN America LLC, U.S. announced an $18 million expansion of its Columbia, S.C. facility will occur later this year with completion expected in the first half of 2024.

This plan will add more than 40,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing capacity and office space as well as create a Design Center of Excellence geared toward enhancing the company’s research and development for new products. The expansion will add 102 new positions to the company’s existing workforce and will allow the company to meet the ever-increasing demand for FN products.

“The record growth our company has had these last several years has enabled us to invest in our South Carolina manufacturing footprint with our soon-to-be new facility in Liberty, and now the expansion of our Columbia facility,” said Mark Cherpes, president and CEO of FN America LLC. “We were established in Richland County more than 40 years ago to manufacture small arms for the U.S. Army, and we are proud to expand our capacity to support that sector of our business.”

For more than 40 years, FN’s production facility has been located in Richland County, S.C., and has produced more than 1 million small arms under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense.

For more info: www.fnamerica.com.

NSSF Invites Employees Of Patron Member Companies To Apply For Scholarships

Employees of companies that support NSSF at the highest level may apply for education aid through the NSSF Patron Member Scholarship Program. NSSF has made a total of $50,000 in scholarship funding available for a maximum of 20 winning entries.

NSSF is accepting applications in the Patron Member Scholarship Program through 5 p.m. EST on Friday, May 19, 2023.

Scholarships are available only to employees and their family members of Patron Member companies of NSSF. (For specific eligibility, refer to the official guidelines.) The scholarship program is one of many benefits that Patron Member companies receive from NSSF.

Applicants must be enrolled in, or have been accepted and plan to attend, a college, university or vocational school during the fall 2023 school year. Scholarships are limited to candidates seeking an undergraduate or vocational degree only. The complete rules, applications and scholarship posters are available on NSSF’s Scholarship Program webpage. NSSF urges applicants to read the rules thoroughly before applying.

For more info: www.nssf.org.

TenPoint Partners With Project Savior Outdoors To Fight Against PTSD & Veteran Suicide

TenPoint Crossbow Technologies announced its partnership with Project Savior Outdoors.

Founded by Marine Corps veteran Mike Dragich, Project Savior Outdoors’ mission is to fight PTSD and veteran suicide by connecting with the great outdoors and sharing the true freedom that comes through Jesus Christ. The organization provides veterans first-class outdoor experiences, from hunting to fishing to camping, and offers future support through specific counseling resources and the local church community.

“We are proud to support organizations like Project Savior Outdoors that provide expense-free outdoor experiences to the men and women who so selflessly gave to our country,” said Brian Flaherty, TenPoint marketing manager. “At TenPoint, we believe a crossbow is a great tool for veterans who need or want to assimilate back into the civilian world — whether through target practice or getting the chance to hunt and provide food for their family. The quiet nature of the crossbow is also helpful to those veterans who have issues with loud noises.”

For more info: www.projectsavioroutdoors.org.

Outtech Acquired By Legacy1846 Outdoor Group

Along with its subsidiaries QuickFire and Peak Strategic Insights, Outtech Inc. announced it has been acquired by Legacy1846 Outdoor Group, an investment holding company. These entities join Trophyline, LLC, Redline Bowhunting and The Sports Products Group LLC as additional owned investments of Legacy1846.

Headquartered in Fredericksburg, Texas, Legacy1846 was founded by Gordon and Ryan Sauer and their family, as well as two of the original founders of Outtech, Jay Scholes and Ron Rette. The mission of this group is to invest in brands and services that bring value to both manufacturers and consumers of outdoor products.

“For Ron and I to be able to invest, along with the Sauer family, and continue to bring value and resources to the outdoor space, is a great next step for Outtech,” explained Scholes.

“Adding Outtech, QuickFire and Peak to our investments in Trophyline and Redline, as well as the Sports Products Group, gives Legacy1846 a set of solid opportunities from an investment point of view, as well as a future platform for further growth,” said Ryan Sauer.

As part of the new structure, Outtech’s sales representation team will advance as a stand-alone sales services firm with its entire current management, field sales and support teams intact in addition to the support provided by Legacy1846 resources. This will allow Outtech to continue to focus on its represented partners, as it has for the past 30 years. QuickFire and Peak will also run independently with focused growth strategies to serve and expand their client base.

Legacy1846 Outdoor Group also announced the appointment of Scott Blackwell, Outtech’s current CEO, as the CEO of Legacy1846. Blackwell will continue to oversee the Outtech investment as well as investments in Trophyline, Redline and the services companies under the Legacy1846 portfolio, along with the management of potential further acquisitions and new initiatives.

For more info: www.legacy1846.com, www.teamouttech.com.