PdC shop offers re‘MARK’able shooting experiences
Chad Smethurst started NCS Gunsmithing and Sales in Prairie du Chien in 2013, alongside his brother. The business, at 815 E. Campion Blvd., has grown from a hobby into a full-service firearm and archery store and sportsmen’s range. (Photos by Correne Martin)
Pictured above is the band Parmalee, composed of (from left) Matt Thomas, Barry Knox, Josh McSwain and Scott Thomas.
By Correne Martin
Any seasoned hunter can tell you that pre-season preparation can make all the difference in your game.
For sportsmen and women of all skill levels—from extreme beginners to the most advanced—NCS Gunsmithing and Sales is the ideal small business destination where outdoor enthusiasts can fine tune their capabilities or maybe enjoy a few hours of entertainment at an indoor shooting range.
The five-year-old Prairie du Chien enterprise has grown from a hobby into a thriving business for Chad Smethurst. He and his brother, Nick, started NCS in September 2013, as an act of pure impulse, when they decided to check into purchasing the former roller rink.
“I was retiring from the military and Nick and I, on a whim, thought we’d ask what we could buy it for,” Chad recounted. “We operated it together for the first couple years. Then, Nick moved to the cities and I took over.”
In addition to Chad, NCS employs a part-time bow technician, Lisa Van Houten. Both can ensure hunters are ready for the coming season.
The outdoor equipment shop offers certified gunsmithing services, from complete builds and repairs to refinishing, tuning, customization, accurization, stock restoration and glass bedding; sales of new and used firearms, equipment, ammunition and accessories; archery sales such as bows, strings and silencers, arrows and fletchings; crossbows; custom-made targets; blinds; certified appraisals and more.
If that isn’t enough to get a hunter’s fingers twitching, the indoor archery course and virtual trap shooting range are growing out of the sports’ increasing popularity.
Not only are hunters stopping in for periodic tune-ups, but tourists, kids, families, league participants, school trap teams and the occasional bachelor party are thrilled by the opportunity, right here in Prairie du Chien. NCS allows users to bring their own equipment or take advantage of the in-house rental equipment.
“When we started, there were five big paper targets at the end of the building,” Smethurst said. “Now, we have a 40-target 3D course.”
He explained the course has 20 individual targets comprised of paper bullseyes and various animal mounts arranged at 0 to 33 yards in five different shooting positions.
“You rotate through those and end up shooting each target twice,” he stated.
Smethurst said his average customer is 25-55 years old. He sees a lot of people traveling through town, and even accommodates 5-6-year-olds, “as long as they can pull back on the bow.”
At NCS, customers pay per hour or per round, depending on the activity. The virtual trap system gives instant feedback to customers, regarding what they might be doing wrong or what they may wish to adjust.
“It gives them all the statistics. So, they can actually become a better shooter by using this, and they’re not out in the elements,” he said, “even though you can set it up for factors like different wind speeds.”
Just as any outdoor sport provides, NCS gives everyone, from novices to fanatics, a convenient space with knowledgeable staff where “people can just come hangout.”
“People see the gunsmithing sign, come in and don’t believe all we have,” Smethurst said.
For more information, call 326-4868 or visit ncsgunsmithing.com.
