Recently, I conducted one of my seminars covering what I view as foundational hand-to-hand fighting material in Oklahoma City at Meadhall Range. Seeing as how it is not just another typical facility, I thought I would take a moment to write about it a bit.
While it is certainly a shooting range, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The live fire ranges are very nice and well thought out. There are incredibly nice restrooms directly adjacent to the main shooting bay, and by restrooms I DO NOT mean a port-a-potty. These are full size real bathrooms, both his and hers, and for that alone, Meadhall stands out from 95% of ranges. Add to the fact that there are a few steps from the shooting line, and you have serious convenience.
There is an extremely nice outdoor picnic/rest area that is completely covered and protects students from sun and rain, and has plenty of seating spots, and tables. Close by is a dedicated safe gun handling area that protects everyone from being in danger, but still allows for some thoughtful gun handling if needed.
Where Meadhall truly shines above almost every facility I have been to is the indoor classroom building. Not only is it large, well lighted, with excellent heat and a/c coverage and tons of tables and chairs to accommodate a large number of students, it also has multiple TV screens in case there are classes with A/V presentations. All the screens are hooked together and can all show any projections, videos, or power points to ensure that no matter where you are seated, you have a beautiful view.
In addition, there is a large and extensive kitchen attached to the classroom, so food can be warmed up or prepared to let students not have to travel outside the range for meals. It was nice to be able to store Gatorade and water in the refrigerator to be grabbed when I needed them, and still have them ice cold.
The major driver of why the range is so nice is the owner, Bill Armstrong. Bill is a dedicated shooter himself and tries to make Meadhall what he always thought was the ideal training facility. He is a thoughtful host, and is constantly working to make the place even better. And he makes some damn fine BBQ to boot!
I strongly encourage students looking for good training to look at the Meadhall schedule. They are bringing in top notch folks like Craig Douglas, Mas Ayoob, Tim Chandler, Ashton Ray, Darryl Bolke, Chuck Haggard, etc, and it will be as comfortable an environment as you will see. And if you are instructor, I would reach out to Bill and see if you can get on the schedule because you will only have to worry about teaching. It will be a smooth sailing experience. I myself and looking forward to getting back there soon.