Things to Do in Prior Lake

Action Packed Paintball’s arsenal of combat settings include two outdoor and two indoor locations. Each outdoor field features an urban combat course that conceals opponents behind plywood structures, and a speedball course dotted with inflatable obstacles. After differences are settled on the field, outdoor combatants can retreat to onsite grilling and picnic areas. For those who prefer indoor face-offs, Action Packed Paintball keeps its well-lit Maple Plain location, like the well-orchestrated battles of the Gallic Wars, at a steady 70 degrees year-round. The location’s course is set up for speedball, and it also boasts a private party room for friendly revelry. Alternatively, the indoor Minneapolis location invites paint slingers to spar on an urban combat field that dots green turf with stony structures. All locations offer free CO2 and compressed air fills.

A marksman aligns her sight on the target 25 yards away. She pulls the trigger, steadies the recoil, and watches the round pierce near the bull's eye—but she never fired a bullet. The target wasn't actually 25 yards away, either. That's how precise Gander Mountain Academy's simulators can render its simulated targets, from scaling distance to adding bullet holes based on its laser-guidance system. The simulator's technology delivers an array of training benefits, such as making the experience less intimidating for novice shooters, allowing more repetition by cutting out ammo costs, and letting advanced marksmen choose more-sophisticated target scenarios.

Gander Mountain's ownership developed this training technology upon recognizing that with nearly 120 stores, it was among the nation's largest retailer of firearms. This led to Gander Mountain Academy, a place where technology meets elite-training resources previously available only to the military and law enforcement. Blending multimedia classroom and hands-on range training, instructors use the academy's FRS Learning System—which stands for fundamentals, repetition, and simulation—in every class, from youth safety programs to advanced tactical training. The live-fire range's booths are wide enough to comfortably accommodate both a shooter and instructor, and fully armored partitions encase each booth in bulletproof protection.

For even more in-depth training, program directors load simulations that challenge marksmen to engage threats in up to a 300-degree space. An array of scenarios allow students to develop accuracy, speed, and precision. Time on the ranges or in the simulator can be prebooked through the academy's online reservation system or by phone.