TAMWORTH will soon host one of the few indoor shooting ranges in NSW thanks to a major expansion by a local business.
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Calibre Country will be relocating its site in Taminda to a bigger space, which will not only house its store, but will also be home to a new 50m indoor shooting range.
The new facility will feature a state-of-the-art target system and could attract major tournaments and competitions to the region.
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Calibre Country owner Craig Mearns said the time was right for his business to expand.
"It is a very exciting times for us, that's for sure," Mr Mearns said.
"I know expanding a business during the COVID-19 pandemic is a tough ask but we are really excited by the possibilities this new site will offer not just our existing clients, but new ones as well."
Mr Mearns said his business had pulled out all the stops designing the new range.
"The two sites are connected, but the range will be able to operate on its own while the store is closed," he said.
"We have actually over-engineered this project to ensure it is at the highest-level of safety possible, we have spent thousands of dollars on ballistics, a state-of-the-art rubber bullet trap, which collects all the lead safely and a start-of the-art air filtration system as well.
"There's a conference room going in as well for things like firearms safety training, hunter education and Local Land Services are among the groups that have expressed an interest in using it as a training facility.
"There will also be a safe-storage, high-security room of safes so people can lease them off us and use it as their point of safe storage."
Tamworth is well known for producing elite-level shooters, including Olympic Games athlete Clive Barton, and Mr Mearns believes the new range could be key in producing more world-class shooters.
"We've got a lot of talented people in the area and with this new range we will be able to accommodate nearly every discipline of shooting," he said.
"The big thing will be promoting the sport through come and try days for women, youths and schools like Farrer, which is already setting up a rifle club.
"Hopefully, we could start an inter-school competition or something like that.
"We hope it can bring a lot more people to the area for competitions and things like that."
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the site would be "a fantastic addition to the region".
"This facility will undoubtedly attract more people to Tamworth and I can not commend Craig and his team enough," Mr Anderson told the Leader.
"When you look at all of the other first-class sporting facilities Tamworth already has, this facility will be another feather in our cap.
"It's a great win for Tamworth and just another reason we are the envy of so many other regions."