Smith & Wesson Opens New Training Academy in Tennessee

iSportsman Staff

The famed Smith & Wesson has opened the doors to its new Smith & Wesson Academy, a dedicated training facility on the company’s 236-acre headquarters campus in Maryville.

The Academy builds on the history of the original Smith & Wesson Academy and the Shooting Sports Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, which served shooters and professionals from 1969 through 2017. The new facility offers pistol and carbine ranges, a 300-yard rifle range, a multi-purpose flex range and a two-story shoot house designed for scenario-based training. It also includes classrooms, a fitness center and offices for the Academy’s training staff.

Registration for classes opened this past weekend with offerings ranging from introductory firearm safety to advanced pistol, carbine and rifle instruction.

The academy will be led by Mark “Coch” Cochiolo, a retired U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer with more than 30 years in Naval Special Warfare. Cochiolo served four deployments to the Western Pacific, spent eight years with the Navy’s top counterterrorism unit and later oversaw training and combat systems for Naval Special Warfare Unit Three. Since retiring, he has trained thousands of future SEALs in marksmanship and tactical skills.

“My decision to partner with Smith & Wesson stems not only from their strong alignment with my values but also from my personal experience carrying a Smith & Wesson for the past 30 years,” Cochiolo said. “At the Academy, we’ll teach you how to use them.”

For more information and course registration visit academy.smith-wesson.com.