The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is exploring improvements at its shooting range using a portion of a newly conserved property along the Cape Fear River west bank.
The office is in talks with Shooting Targets USA to redo or add to its range, according to emails obtained by the StarNews. The company is based out of King, a small city just outside of Winston-Salem. The business provides supplies for military, law enforcement and civilians. It has partnered with a variety of manufacturers, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The county currently owns a firing range off U.S. 421, near the Battleship North Carolina.The range is used by a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service.
In December 2025, the Board of Commissioners authorized the $2,240,000 purchase of 28.55 acres along the west bank of the Cape Fear River. The land was acquired for the purpose on conservation, in addition to providing a safety buffer and prevent encroachment to the existing shooting range. The land will also provide river access for the sheriff's marine unit.
From 1988 to 1997, the tract was used for an oil storage facility with eight above-ground fuel containers. Fuel leaked onto the soil, and a 2007 environmental study found that both soil and groundwater on the property were contaminated, but there was no contamination flowing into the river. The tanks were removed in 2008, and excavation and remediation efforts began in 2012. A representative from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality informed county staff that the site does not pose a major environmental threat.
County staff said that fencing has been put up to secure the property, but no significant work has yet to take place on the site. A timeline and a cost estimation for the improvements is not yet available.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover Sheriff's Office to improve west bank shooting range
