When we started building OtterOrder, we didn’t want to build “another ordering system.” The firearms industry has been underserved for years, and most shooting ranges have been stuck choosing between restaurant technology that doesn’t fit their workflow or outdated tools that weren’t designed with lanes, rentals, or range-specific customer behavior in mind.

We believed there was a better way—something built specifically for shooting ranges, built by listening to the ranges themselves, and built around how the firearms industry actually operates. So instead of trying to brainstorm features in a vacuum, we chose three very different ranges to help shape the early product: Mainline Armory, Frog Bones Family Shooting Center, and Fletcher Arms. Each one brought a totally different operational model, which was crucial. We wanted to see how OtterOrder performed in premium facilities, high-volume tourist ranges, and membership-driven local ranges. Together, these three helped us refine a system that works in any range environment, no matter the size, layout, or customer demographic.

Mainline Armory – Designing a Premium In-Lane Experience

Mainline Armory in Philadelphia was the very first range to work with us, and their involvement set the tone for everything that followed. If you’ve ever been in their facility, you understand immediately that they don’t cut corners. Every detail of their range—from the lighting to the customer service—is designed to create a high-end experience. So when they came on as a beta partner, we knew the bar would be high.

One of the biggest insights we gained from Mainline was just how simple a range menu can be when it’s designed around the customer’s most frequent needs. They pointed out something obvious but often overlooked: shooters almost always need ammo and targets. That’s the core. So instead of overwhelming customers with options, they wanted OtterOrder to offer the fastest possible way to get those essentials delivered right to the lane.

To accomplish that, we built out NFC tap-to-order. Shooters simply tap their phone on a tag at the lane and instantly see a clean, focused menu. No QR codes to scan, no confusion, and no need to leave their lane. That alone transformed the customer experience and helped us see how valuable contactless ordering can be inside a shooting range.

Another key development from Mainline was the creation of customizable order workflows. Traditional hospitality systems assume every business needs the same five-step process: accept, prepare, cook, pack, deliver. But shooting ranges don’t operate that way. Mainline works off a fast, simple model—accept → deliver. So we built OtterOrder to support custom steps. A range can choose two, three, or four steps. They can rename them, color-code them, and decide what each one means. Mainline’s workflow became the model for dozens of other ranges we’ve spoken with since.

We also refined the back-counter experience directly with their team. RSO staff and counter staff don’t need a kitchen screen—they need something built for range operations. That meant:

• Fast ticket printing.
• Simple visual layout.
• Clear indicators for new orders and an interface that prioritizes speed over complexity.

Finally, Mainline helped us establish our automated reporting system. Because they’re meticulous with inventory, they needed a clean way to export ammo and target sales and match them to on-hand counts. That requirement shaped how future POS connections will work with OtterOrder for real-time inventory syncing.Mainline didn’t just help us build features—they helped us build the philosophy behind OtterOrder: keep it simple, keep it fast, and elevate the experience for everyone in the lane.

Frog Bones – High-Volume Rentals Demand Real Tracking

If Mainline helped us focus on premium simplicity, Frog Bones pushed us into solving one of the most complex challenges in the firearms industry: rentals.

Frog Bones Family Shooting Center, located on Florida’s Space Coast, deals with huge amounts of traffic. Locals, tourists, and first-time shooters cycle through their facility seven days a week, and their rental program is massive. When they came into the beta, one of the first things they said was:

“We need a rental system that actually works for gun ranges.”

Up until that point, rental tracking in the firearms world was a patchwork of whiteboards, manual checklists, POS notes, or simple “out/in” logs. None of it provided real-time visibility or accountability.

So Frog Bones essentially pushed us to build what has become one of OtterOrder’s most important features: a complete rental tracking engine built specifically for firearms.

We created a system that allows staff to:

• Track which firearms are currently rented.
• See who has each firearm checked out.
• Check rentals in with one tap.
• Differentiate between individual units of the same model.
• Monitor overdue rentals automatically.

This wasn’t a feature we planned to build so early—but it became core to the platform because Frog Bones needed it to function at their scale.

They also helped us build out dynamic pricing, which was essential for them because members and non-members often have different price structures. Instead of manually adjusting prices, Frog Bones wanted pricing to adjust automatically based on customer type. So we added that functionality while ensuring it stays flexible for ranges that want special pricing rules.

One of the most creative features we built with them is the ability to assign a shooter to a specific lane and then apply pricing, discounts, or rental rules based on that assignment. This gives ranges enormous flexibility in how they run events, private classes, VIP sessions, and high-volume days.

In a lot of ways, Frog Bones forced us to build the “big engine” inside OtterOrder. Their use case required more sophistication, more visibility, and more automation—ultimately shaping OtterOrder into a platform that can scale with any range, anywhere.

Fletcher Arms – Turning Rewards Into a Revenue Engine

Fletcher Arms brought a completely different challenge to the table—one that had nothing to do with rentals or simplified menus. Their focus was rewards and the customer lifecycle.

They use Access as their point of sale and OtterText to manage rewards and communicate with their members. But their issue was a common one: customers earn points, but staff are stuck manually redeeming them, tracking them, and explaining them. When things get busy, rewards slow everything down.

Their request was simple but powerful:

“Let shooters redeem their rewards right in the lane.”

That one sentence reshaped how we thought about OtterOrder. Instead of rewards being something handled at the counter, we turned rewards into something shooters interact with directly.

To make it work, we built a full rewards engine inside OtterOrder that can:

• Sync with OtterText.
• Pull reward balances from access.
• Let customers log in with just their phone number.
• Display available rewards instantly.
• Let them redeem rewards during checkout in their lane.

Best of all, this removes staff from the equation entirely. Customers get to use their rewards without needing help. Staff get fewer interruptions. And the range gets an increase in repeat business.

Fletcher also pointed out a crucial insight during development: the easier it is to redeem rewards, the more often customers shoot. That insight alone validated why rewards must be tightly tied to in-lane ordering—and why the firearms industry needed this connection more than other industries.

What These Three Ranges Taught Us About the Future of Range Operations

Working with Mainline Armory, Frog Bones, and Fletcher Arms gave us three completely different perspectives on how ranges run. But interestingly, they all pointed toward the same conclusion:

Shooting ranges need an ordering platform designed around the realities of range operations—not adapted from another industry.

We didn’t build OtterOrder to compete with POS systems. We built it to work alongside them:

• POS handles retail, compliance, and inventory.
• OtterOrder handles lanes, rentals, rewards, in-lane ordering, and customer experience.

When the two work together, ranges operate more efficiently than ever before.

Across all three ranges, we saw the same benefits emerge:

• Less friction for staff.
• Shorter lines at the counter.
• More ammo and target sales.
• Smoother rental operations.
• Better customer experience.
• Increased repeat visits.
• Higher average revenue per lane.

This was the confirmation we needed that OtterOrder wasn’t just solving isolated problems—it was addressing systemic gaps that almost every range deals with daily.

What Comes Next

This beta program was just the beginning. Now that we’ve learned from three very different ranges, we’re expanding OtterOrder with features that benefit all facilities, including:

• Deeper POS inventory syncing.
• Multi-location management.
• Optional integration with OtterSign for digital waivers.
• New analytics dashboards.
• Expanded NFC tools.
• Enhanced ordering customization.
• Better onboarding tools for staff.

Our goal is simple:
Make OtterOrder the central system that powers the shooting range experience—from the moment a customer checks in to the moment they leave.

The firearms industry deserves technology built for it—not adapted to it. And thanks to these three ranges, we’ve taken a huge step toward making that a reality.

Ready to See OtterOrder in Action?

The feedback from Mainline Armory, Frog Bones, and Fletcher Arms helped shape OtterOrder into the first ordering platform built specifically for shooting ranges. If you’re looking to streamline operations, increase lane revenue, and create a better customer experience, now is the perfect time to take the next step.

👉 Check out our pricing page to see which plan fits your range best.
👉 Watch a quick demo to see how in-lane ordering, rentals, and rewards work together.
👉 Sign up today and start transforming your lane experience in as little as 24 hours.

OtterOrder was built with ranges, for ranges. Now it’s your turn to experience it.