The Qazaq Shooters shooting club in Almaty has become one of the city's most unusual leisure options. Here, tourists and locals can fire real firearms and test their marksmanship skills. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The club combines several venues: a 25-meter pistol range, a 50-meter range for rifles and machine guns, and a separate VIP range for events. According to deputy director Kairat Karmanov, the building was constructed in 1971. Initially, it was used for training law enforcement officers and military personnel. Three years ago, the site was purchased and opened to the public.
"Now we work only with civilians. We offer so-called Fun Shooting—recreational shooting. For those who want to pursue it more professionally, we even offer training at our practical shooting school," Karmanov said.
Notably, it was at Qazaq Shooters that Kazakhstani bronze medalists in bullet shooting Islam Satpayev and Alexandra Le trained before the Paris Olympics.
Before entering the firing line, each visitor undergoes mandatory instruction. Instructors explain the most important thing—safety rules—and show how to properly hold the weapon and work with the target. Only then can shooting begin.
After the first shot, you realize that movies greatly embellish reality. Real firearms are very loud, and shooting without special headphones is almost impossible. Moreover, the recoil is much stronger than it appears. After a few shots, excitement kicks in: hitting the center of the target seems easy, but in reality, it's not that simple.
According to the deputy director, the number of foreign guests has grown significantly in recent years.
"Our main flow of visitors is on weekends. In addition, we often get tourists, usually foreigners. They find us themselves. Medeo and the mountains are already a passed stage for many, but shooting real weapons is something unusual and exotic."
"The first question from most visitors is always the same: 'Is the weapon very loud?' Many are scared at first. But after five minutes, they ask if they can try a machine gun. What surprises me most are the girls. They come in with caution, but then they return a second time or sign up for courses," says Kairat Karmanov.
The club has another feature that even fans of Soviet and Kazakh cinema may not know. It was here in the 1980s that the famous scene from the film "The Needle" with Viktor Tsoi was shot. The scene where Dina shoots at targets while Tsoi's character watches her with his feet on the table.
That very table has been preserved and greets guests at the entrance to Qazaq Shooters. The shooting lane where the filming took place is now part of the VIP zone. It is used for corporate events, birthdays, and other private functions.
In addition to the range, the club operates an IPSC school—an international practical shooting discipline. Unlike "classic" shooting, athletes do not stand still. Shooters move between exercises, engage multiple targets, and compete not only in accuracy but also in speed. The final result depends on both precision and time.
IPSC and ACTION AIR (the same practical shooting but with air guns) instructor Dmitry Suboch told Kursiv LifeStyle that this discipline is rapidly developing in Kazakhstan.
"Recently, I went to Shchuchinsk with colleagues and demonstrated ACTION AIR to the president and the minister of defense. For now, competitions are held mainly on enthusiasm, but interest is growing noticeably."
There is also a separate area for practical shooting with air guns.
"Here, a person shoots while moving, at several targets, some of which even move. IPSC and ACTION AIR are considered very dynamic disciplines, and as far as I know, they will gradually be introduced in Kazakhstan among young people as a full-fledged sport."
Several packages are available for visitors, ranging from 12,000 to 90,000 tenge. They differ in the number of shots (from five), type of weapon, and format: from a short introduction to a pistol to individual training with rare models.
To visit the shooting club, three documents are required: an ID, and certificates from a psychoneurological and a narcological dispensary. These can now be obtained through eGov. After each shooting session, information about the visit is sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs—a mandatory requirement of Kazakhstan's legislation.
In addition to the ranges, the club has a souvenir area, themed photo spots, and its own club cards. Today, the venue increasingly resembles a civilized urban leisure space with beautiful design, rather than the classic departmental range it was just a couple of years ago.