Forreston business offers a home on the range for gun enthusiasts

FORRESTON – Talk about a gun shop with the whole works.

A husband-and-wife team in Forreston opened a shop in March that does a lot more than just sell guns and gear. It also offers a firing range, a shooting simulator, gunsmith services, a training area, and whole lot more.

Keith Ruter and his wife, Karen, opened Smokin’ Gun Worx, 8785 N. Baileyville Road, in March. When Keith, a gun enthusiast himself – as well as Forreston’s dentist for the past 32 years – decided to sink his teeth into the gun business with Karen, the couple had plenty of support.

“People kept saying, ‘You should open a gun shop; you should open a gun shop,’ and we were able to make it a reality,” Karen said.

Smokin’ Gun sells firearms, both new and on consignment, takes trades and offers a large selection of gun gear, such as concealed carry purses.

Need to make sure your firearm is fit for duty? The shop can take care of that too, courtesy of gunsmith Jarrett Wehunt of Prophetstown.

As for their target audience, the Ruters have them covered.

A pair of 25-yard indoor ranges sit atop one another – something of an innovation among ranges. Keith said such ranges are far and few in between.

“They could never really figure out how to do the floor in a way where shooting up from the lower level wasn’t a danger.”

The range takes care of that with a layer of precast concrete, two separate layers of concrete, and a lining of ballistic steel between ranges. The six stalls are separated by steel plating and a slew of sound-dampening baffles.

While safety comes first for the Ruters, the business also is environmentally friendly.

The ranges get thoroughly cleaned of lead dust and residue by staff members in protective suits, eye protection, and respirators. A full ventilation system in each range circulates the air and passes it through high efficiency particulate air filters.

“The air that exhausts out of the building is actually cleaner than what came in to begin with,” Keith said.

If you’re looking to learn a thing or two, Smoking Gun hosts children’s safety courses, introductory classes to handguns and reloading, Illinois concealed carry classes, hunting safety classes, and private instruction.

For those who’d rather not take a shot at the real thing, a simulator room offers scenarios for all ages.

Kids can have fun on the balloon safari, shooting at mobile balloon animals, and adults can take on a variety of simulated targets – personal defense, hostage situations, and zombies among them.

Customers who want to make a day of it at the range can unwind in the party room, where food and drinks can be served. Smokin’ Gun also offers events for fans of firearms – and some might even trigger a little romance, like the Couples Date Night held at the range on Wednesday.

Among Ruter’s staff are passionate firearm experts like Danielle Eberle Oscar Welty III, a Marine veteran and board member of the Byron Oregon Sportsman’s Club, and Katrina Meier of Lena, a range safety officer whose shooting skills landed her silver and bronze medals in the Junior Olympics.

“I enjoy watching and studying other shooters techniques, so I can help them develop [their skills],” she said. “I want them to leave the range with sense of accomplishment and higher confidence then when they first arrived.”

SMOKIN' GUN WORX

Address: 8785 N. Baileyville Road

Phone: 815-938-3006

E-mail: smokingunworx@gmail.com

Online: smokingunworx.com and on Facebook

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.