Pete Lien and Sons Shooting Complex

The Pete Lien and Sons Shooting Complex is a 400-acre public shooting facility located 10 miles north of Rapid City, South Dakota, set to open in late October or early November 2025. The complex is approximately 90% complete and represents the largest shooting facility of its kind in the region.

The facility includes more than 200 shooting positions that can be changed and reconfigured to accommodate specific activities:

• •50-yard shooting bays (free to public)
• •100-yard shooting bays (free to public)
• •300-yard range (free to public)
• •Archery range with shelters, electrical outlets, and infrastructure to support outdoor learning
• •Shotgun and long-range areas featuring metal and acoustic targets, as well as clay and electronically triggered targets
• •Tactical training bays (north end of complex)
• •Law enforcement training areas with specialized ranges for police and sheriff's departments

• •Long-range shooting has an entry requirement: shooters must be able to shoot three rounds into a 12-inch circle from 300 yards before being allowed on the grounds. This ensures shooters have the skill and equipment necessary to shoot long-distance safely without rounds going beyond the facility.

The shotgun and long-range area uses QR code targeting technology. Shooters can scan a QR code with their phone or tablet and link up with electronic targets. When they shoot, the results register on their device in real-time, showing exactly where bullets hit—making it easy to track performance without walking downrange.

A dedicated education facility includes:

• •Classroom space for instruction
• •Office areas
• •Commercial-grade kitchen
• •Storage facilities
• •Indoor archery and air gun range (doubles as a banquet hall)

The complex will host:

• •HuntSafe classes (hunter education and firearm safety)
• •Gun safety classes for new shooters
• •United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Area Three Championship (September 25-29, 2025) – approximately 650 registered shooters bringing families and expecting high participation
• •Club meetings and events – Prairie Thunder and Cowboy Action Shooters, plus other shotgun clubs have expressed interest in holding regular meetings
• •Glock annual meeting – annual summit already scheduled
• •Olympic trap or bunker trap competitions – events not currently available in the immediate region

"With all of this going on, there is lots of excitement. Folks are calling every week. They want to shoot. We just can't let them in just yet. We just need to get this done and get the doors open." — John Kanta, GF&P Section Chief

The complex will operate with:

• •3 full-time employees
• •Seasonal staff
• •A volunteer network
• •A shooting complex director (operations and scheduling)
• •A facilities manager (buildings, grounds, staff, daily operations)
• •An education specialist (programs, classes, outreach)

• •Operations and maintenance funding comes primarily from Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax funds—a tax assessed on firearms and ammunition purchases that gets redistributed to shooting sports facilities. This ensures long-term financial stability focused on public access rather than profit.

A recent study by Elevate Rapid City projects the shooting complex will generate:

• •$2.6+ million annual economic impact for the Black Hills region
• •More than 44 direct and indirect jobs
• •Regional destination status – expected to draw shooters from across the region and beyond, with minimum 30,000 visits annually

Funding breakdown: - $13.4 million from Governor's Future Fund (economic development) - $8.8 million in private donations - $2 million contribution from Pete Lien and Sons

"It's a huge asset to Sturgis, Piedmont, Rapid City, and western South Dakota because it's going to be a huge economic driver. One of our business plans is we want people to come here and shoot ... but then stay and go to Sturgis, go to Deadwood, hit Mount Rushmore. We have so much to offer in the Black Hills. It really can be a destination for the shooting you want, but on top of that, all the great things we have in western South Dakota." — John Kanta

The north end of the complex includes bays and ranges specifically designed for law enforcement training, competition shooting, and tactical instruction, available primarily to:

• •Local police departments
• •Sheriff's departments
• •Security forces from Ellsworth Air Force Base
• •South Dakota Army National Guard
• •Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI)
• •Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

This controlled-access space ensures that professional users have dedicated, properly maintained facilities while the public areas remain free or low-cost for recreational shooters.