"The Wyoming State Shooting Complex (WSSC) broke ground on April 25, 2026, on what it said is intended to be the premier shooting sports destination in the nation.
Held on the $20 million complex's 2,000-acre site 7 mi. south of downtown Cody, the ceremony drew community members, elected officials, industry leaders and shooting sports enthusiasts for a milestone moment in Wyoming history.
Groathouse Construction serves as the general contractor, while Engineering Associates and Ardurra Engineering handle engineering and design. Nicholson Construction is developing the access roads, while Geotech Associates of Casper is performing geotechnical soil studies.
The ceremony featured a moment unlike any groundbreaking before it. In addition to a ceremonial shovel in the dirt, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso dedicated the land with a rifle. Using an M1 Garand, Gordon and Barrasso fired the first rounds on the future complex grounds, symbolically opening a new chapter for the state's shooting sports legacy.
"This is a day that Wyoming will remember," said Patrick Giles, CEO of the Wyoming State Shooting Complex. "The shots heard round Wyoming weren't just symbolic — they were a declaration. Wyoming is open for business when it comes to shooting sports, and we are going to build something here that makes the entire state proud."
The groundbreaking also served as the public announcement of a landmark $10 million challenge grant from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), an organization dedicated to firearms safety, youth and marksmanship training. Structured as a three-year matching initiative, the CMP will match new private and industry donations to the WSSC dollar-for-dollar, up to $10 million — effectively doubling the impact of every contribution made to the project.
Beyond the financial commitment, the CMP partnership includes a CMP retail store within the complex's event center, shared expertise in both range design and operations, and a collaborative vision that leverages Cody's unique position as home to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West — which houses more than 7,000 historic firearms at the Cody Firearms Museum.
Construction at the WSSC is under way. Core infrastructure and interior roads now span much of the site, giving contractors access to begin work on individual venues. The design of the action shooting venue, a layout confirmed to meet the requirements of all major action shooting disciplines, was recently approved.
Architectural designs of the event center, which will include a retail area, classroom, catering kitchen, and a multi-purpose conference hall for indoor archery and air gun, are in progress. A mid-2027 opening is the goal.
