NRA Whittington Center Museum of the Southwest

Photo from the Gun Shop Guide review of New Mexico Shooting Ranges

The Frank Brownell NRA Museum of the Southwest sits in the visitor center at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, one of the largest shooting facilities in the country.

Don’t miss

  • American service rifles from a colonial Brown Bess to the M16
  • Classic Winchester and Colt firearms
  • Native American, mountain man and soldier tomahawks, knives and powder horns
  • Cartridge collection of about 200 drawers in the Eyman Research Library

Our visit

The NRA Whittington Center near Raton is one of the largest shooting facilities in the country: more than 33,000 acres, a long list of ranges, campgrounds and back-country cabins, and a segment of the Santa Fe Trail. The Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest and the Eyman Research Library are on site.

The Gun Show Loophole Tours have stopped here more than once, most recently on July 27, 2026, the same day as the Philmont museums down the road in Cimarron. The photos below are from those visits.

Timeline

  • 1973 NRA buys the property
  • 1977 Renamed the NRA Whittington Center
  • 2008 Museum of the Southwest opens

Plan your visit

  • Located in the visitor center at the NRA Whittington Center shooting complex
  • The museum and Eyman Research Library are free; range use carries a separate daily fee

Still not enough maps? Nobody is judging. Go see more 2A Gun Law Maps

Nearby on the guide

More history: All firearm museums · New Mexico guide

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