BUSINESS
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
A7
Virtual gun range opens in Island City
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
ISLAND CITY — A fi rst-
of-its-kind shooting range
recently marked its grand
opening in town.
Sim Shot, a virtual shoot-
ing range that focuses on
entertainment and fi rearm
safety, opened its doors for
business on Friday, Jan. 21.
Owner Robert Minarich and
the team at Sim Shot hope to
create a unique new enter-
tainment venue in Northeast-
ern Oregon, as well as a hub
for promoting responsible
fi rearm usage.
“We want it to be that
fun atmosphere. We’re try-
ing to bring something fun
and exciting to town to give
people something to do,” he
said. “Beyond entertainment,
we also really want to pro-
mote safe, responsible gun
ownership.”
Top simulation
technology
Sim Shot is more than just
an arcade, with the indus-
try’s top simulation technol-
ogy creating realistic shoot-
ing scenarios in more than 40
simulated options. With an
entertainment concept mod-
eled similar to Top Golf and
bowling alleys, the business
serves a primary purpose of
entertainment for all ages. In
addition, an array of training
exercises promote gun safety
and learning opportunities at
the virtual range.
The new business is
located at 10200 W. First
St., Island City, near where
Island Avenue meets High-
way 82, and is owned by
Minarich and his parents,
John and Beverly. The loca-
tion, which the owners and
employees spent all summer
renovating, off ers four bays
for simulated shooting. Each
bay has a projector with 42
total simulation options, with
hunting and entertainment
games available as well as
drills that simulate offi cial
shooting qualifi cations.
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Robert Minarich, co-owner of the new simulated gun range, Sim Shot, in Island City,
demonstrates a boar-hunting simulation on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.
The technology includes
a shot camera connected to
each projector, which is cal-
ibrated through a computer.
An invisible laser is shot out
of each gun, allowing for
accurate shooting simula-
tions — much more precise
than a run-of-the-mill arcade
shooting game.
“We can be extremely
accurate, down to the pixel,”
Minarich said. “Shot place-
ment is very accurate and
people will fi nd that they
have to aim down the sight
posts to get an accurate
shot.”
Genesis of the idea
Minarich and his father,
who are also co-owners of
Windhill Holsters and Alpine
Alarm, came up with the idea
while attending SHOT Show
in Las Vegas in early 2020.
“We were just roaming
around looking at stuff and
were talking about how cool
it would be to have an indoor
gun range here in town,”
Minarich said. “We had a
blast doing it. We walked
away and started scratching
our heads, thinking that we
can do something with it.”
Minarich partnered with
David Chaney, an employee
at Sim Shot who had a similar
vision for the opportunities
of a virtual shooting range
in La Grande. The business
model caters toward enter-
tainment options, including
bookings for parties, busi-
ness gatherings, group ses-
sions and more. As for the
fi rearm safety aspect, Minar-
ich emphasized the impor-
tance of treating the virtual
range and the equipment as if
it were real. The training ses-
sions off er the opportunity
to learn and improve fi rearm
techniques.
“We’re basically going
to let people have fun with
it, but if they want instruc-
tion, training or advice on
how to shoot we’ll help with
that,” he said. “We can ana-
lyze their shooting and they
can also book private train-
ing sessions with us as well.”
Sim Shot currently off ers
concealed carry classes, pri-
vate training sessions and
judgmental training sessions.
These drills put the individu-
als in a real-world scenario,
involving anything from a
traffi c stop to a school shoot-
ing — and the instructor can
control the simulation in
order to analyze the user’s
instincts and shooting skills.
“It basically puts you in a
real-life environment, where
you’re looking at the screen
and we put you into that
environment and see how
you respond to it,” Minar-
ich said.
Other simulated shoot-
ing sessions include a virtual
shooting range, which will
allow Sim Shot to replicate
the actual training and tests
involved in attaining shoot-
ing qualifi cations — includ-
ing a planned simulation that
emulates the International
Defensive Pistol Associa-
tion’s training model.
“We’re going to be hold-
ing concealed carry classes
here,” Minarich said. “Once
they get done with the class,
we can actually put them
in a simulated range envi-
ronment and they can do
their qualifi cations and get
familiar.”
Minarich also stated that
Sim Shot would be more
than willing to off er its ser-
vices to law enforcement for
training purposes.
Sim Shot is currently
BARGAINS
OF THE
MONTH ®
off ering bookings, with
walk-in sessions available
if a bay is open. Sessions
are sold in 25- or 55-minute
increments. One person can
book a half hour session for
$35, two people can book
an hour for $65 and three
to four people can book an
hour-long session for $80.
The range is open Tuesday
through Sunday.
Sim Shot is the only
range of its kind in the
region, and the owners are
open to possibilities moving
forward. With few shoot-
ing ranges in Eastern Ore-
gon, Sim Shot is looking
to become a popular enter-
tainment and fi rearm safety
venue for Union County
and surrounding areas.
“We want to serve the
entire Eastern Oregon com-
munity,” Minarich said. “If
people want to come in from
Pendleton, Baker, Wallowa
County, come on down.”
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