gilbert's small arms Lorton/Springfield

[zephyp]

Thanks, Mark. I was just looking at some lead free ammo to buy online and was thinking precisely the same thing. Any idea how we might find out - short of asking them if they are in compliance?

[Tinygnat219]

I havr been going to Gilberts (now Sharp Shooters) since joining in March 2009. Yes, the range equipment is improved. The air flow is bad, and it is hot on the range. Why there is little to no a/c is beyond me. I have been there weekdays, weeknights, weekends, the range is not well regulated for comfort - bascially it's a sauna - you will sweat! About the staff - argh! I have had numerous bad experiences there. The first bad experience is the day I joined, the latest is when I transferred a new 45 to them as my FFL. The owners would be well served to get new staff that know a little about customer service.

I have been shooting at Gils/Sharpies for the past 5 years or so. I do it b/c it's close and they are the only range in the area that will let you shoot Birdshot for load patterning. NRA won't allow you, Blue Ridge only allows Slugs and Buckshot, and I haven't shot at SE Group yet so I will reserve comment. I also have yet to shoot in an climate controlled range. Basically, if it's hot or cold outside, it will be the same on the range. As for the staff, maybe it's your attitude. I've had nothing but good experiences in there particularly on Tuesday nights when I will shoot.

This range is close to my house and 30% less than the NRA. Next year I will purchase the yearly membership at NRA. The money will be well spent.

The NRA's great, if you want to wait and be stuck with wierd hours, or if you want to sit next to some fool with an AR-15 or Mosin Nagant Carbine.

The prices at Gilberts are so-so. You can get a reasonable deal on a firearm, but be prepared for the run-around with the paperwork. Their ammo prices SUCK. Their AMMO policy sucks also - but really - do you want to purchase more than a box?

Prices in Northern VA suck at any of the stores in Nova. I consider it part of the "priviledge" of living here. What "runarounds" with paperwork are you talking about? My purchases there take 10-15 minutes at most. That's WITH a wait. As for the ammo policy, they have it so people can actually buy and SHOOT ammo. I can't tell you the number of people I have seen come in to purchase their entire inventory of ammunition and this is just once every couple of weeks. The Ammo situation sucks all around. However, just like 94, this too shall pass.

Parking is not good. Getting there can be rough - it's 95 after all.

Their parking is as good as the next gunshop. Getting there is simply knowing the backroads, and not trying to get there at 1 PM on a Saturday either.

[zephyp]

Good stuff Tiny. All in all Gilberts is not a bad place to go given our choices. I've already said enough good things about them but will add that their ammo prices arent much different than what you find online considering shipping.

[dean2k]

I note that Tinygnat219 did not dispute the lack of a/c on the range. Look, if things were so great at Gilberts - then why in the world did they need to close down and "remodel"? There were lanes that routinely were not operational, it seems it may be fixed. However, it does not appear that the a/c on the range has been fixed. The last time I went to shoot on the range at lunch time during the work week - it was so hot I sweated through my dress shirt and needed to change before going back to work. In all honesty, my real problems with Gilberts (or Sharp Shooters) is that when I joined - I paid more for my membership then I should have and got a lower membership than if I had paid less. At the time I joined - I was new to Gilberts and was not familiar with all the membership options. After being a member for a month, I determined that my wife and I had paid more to purchase the Gold membership than the Premium membership. When I mentioned this to the staff - they laughed and said I was stupid. I asked to upgrade my membership - and was told that was not an option (perhaps they would have needed to give me a refund). My question is - when I was purchasing the membership with my wife - why didn't the staff member point out that the Premium membership would be an upgrade and cost less than purchasing the Gold membership. That incident - and the response by staff there, says a whole lot about "customer service" and valuing customers / patrons / members. Clearly, when I purchased a membership there along with my wife, we certainly did not want to pay more and get less. WTF - IS THERE ONE PERSON ON THIS FORUM THAT WILL PAY MORE $$$ FOR LESS SERVICE (GOODS) - THAN THAT HIGHER LEVEL OF SERVICE (GOODS) THAT MAY BE PURCHASED FOR LESS $$$ ? There have been other incidents related to "customer service" at the range, but, like I said before - it may well be me as I do have a piss poor attitude about the range and staff, and until something changes there - my attitude will likely not improve. I will say, that I have had pleasant exchanges with some of the staff. I took a class from a couple of the staff (it was outside of Gilberts) and the experience was pleasant, professional, informative and very reasonably priced.

On a final note, I took a couple of friends there to shoot and they were not impressed. And when I related to my friends the incident regarding the membership it may well have served to give them a negative impression of the customer service at Gilberts. We all value good customer service. Good customer service goes beyond selling an object at the stated price. Good customer service is informative (and perhaps educational regarding products or services) and good customer service makes adjustments when there is clearly an over payment for services or products. Perhaps if the owner(s) of Gilberts (Sharp Shooters) were there more often and there would be a change in the level of customer service.

[zephyp]

Dean - I'm amazed that someone there actually called you "stupid." And yes the air conditioning does suck. And no Gilberts isnt the best place to shoot. It is a convenient place to shoot and shop for many of us. I've always been treated decently and had a pleasant experience - other than the air temp on the range. They will keep my business unless things change drastically.

[Bobtail1911]

If the air handlers are not moving the air out, then they are in violation. Gun range air quality always has a lot of lead in it and it has to be filtered properly.

If they have faulty AC I would bet they are not in compliance.

Never shot there, but I did go in once to look around. No employee talked to me. No customer service. Walked out after looking at some of the long arms on racks.

No intention of losing any I.Q. through exposure to lead either.

[dean2k]

Well - maybe they said - "that was stupid." At any rate - it's just about the same.

[dean2k]

Today I called Gilbert's (Sharp Shooters) to arrange a transfer of a pistol I am in the processing of purchasing from an online website. I spoke with "Robert." I was told that Gilberts does not accept transfers from Centerfire Systems located at http://www.centerfiresystems.com/ because centerfire systems is a wholesaler. Robert went on to state that they only do transfers from other gun shops like themselves and individuals. Robert stated - no transfers from wholsalers or manufacturers.

Now I must regress a moment and share yet another problem that occurred at Gilberts a while back. As some of you may know, Gilberts (now SharpShooters) promotes that they have discounted FFL transfers for premium members. The regular FFL transfer fee is $40, however, they advertise transfers to premium members at $25. So, a couple months back I purchased a Detonics Combat Master .45cal from an online dealer, and had the gun shipped to Gilberts my FFL. When I went to pick up the gun, I was charged $40 for the transfer. I stated that I was a premium member and that I was entitled to the $25 transfer fee - mananger stated no. After completing the transaction and paying the $40 fee, I was leaving the store and and observed the written notice on the bulletin board stated that premium memberships to include Gold have a reduced transfer fee of $25. I took the sign off the wall and took it to the manager, at which time an adjustment was made. There is more to this story, however, suffice it to say, that once again customer service is lacking.

When you "join" Gilberts (now SharpShooters) one of their selling points is that they have this discounted FFL transfer fee. Now it turns out that the FFL transfers are limited to firearms from whomever they want and when they want, certain retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers are off limits and not permitted to transfer. I have contacted the Owner via email - lets see how long it takes to get a response and what their policy about FFL transfers is now.

I can say this - Gilbert's or Sharp Shooters - leaves a lot to be desired when one considers all of the BS that has to be accepted. This was just about the worst $300+ membership I have purchased in my life.

[zephyp]

Why did you pay $300+ for your membership? I paid $230 for a yearly premium w/10% discount on all new gun purchases.

[zephyp]

Just got back from Gilberts and feels like they've solved the air problem on the range. Nice and cool considering previous visits. Better air quality too.

[Bobtail1911]

Zephyp

How busy are they on Saturday?

[zephyp]

Zephyp

How busy are they on Saturday?

Not as busy as me. Today they were probably at 30-40% capacity on the range. I've not seen it full yet.

Picked up a lightweight Colt Commander (.45) today. Very sweet.

[dean2k]

I paid $300+ because my wife joined at the same time - I had high expectations, thought these folks at Gilberts (Sharpshooters) weren going to treat me right.... it's all crap there - one f'ing problem after another - now a new policy about gun transfers

[Tinygnat219]

I note that Tinygnat219 did not dispute the lack of a/c on the range.

That's correct. The air handlers there suck in whatever air is outside, whether it's cold or hot and blow it down the lanes to catch the lead particles. This is why I limit my shooting time in August. I spoke with "Mark" about the lack of A/C and he mentioned that having that amount of airflow via A/C is expensive and more than the range could afford to do. I do have to correct my previous comment though. The NRA range IS climate controlled. They also spent 5 million to do that. Most other indoor ranges I have been to do not have the climate controlled luxury on the line.

Look, if things were so great at Gilberts - then why in the world did they need to close down and "remodel"? There were lanes that routinely were not operational, it seems it may be fixed.

They closed down in part to update the range, the old one was 26 years old and was having reliability issues. The staff there would routinely come in early and make repairs on the range prior to opening. Then, they'd have issues when a security guard trainee or other yahoo would shoot the cable and render a lane offline. The new owners apparently thought some upgrades would be in order. The new rifle layout is also nice as there is now room to walk around on the right hand side of the store. I just wish their PRICES would go down, as they are on the high side.

However, it does not appear that the a/c on the range has been fixed. The last time I went to shoot on the range at lunch time during the work week - it was so hot I sweated through my dress shirt and needed to change before going back to work.

You don't know how jealous I am that you can shoot on your lunch break, whether you sweat through clothing or not!

In all honesty, my real problems with Gilberts (or Sharp Shooters) is that when I joined - I paid more for my membership then I should have and got a lower membership than if I had paid less. At the time I joined - I was new to Gilberts and was not familiar with all the membership options. After being a member for a month, I determined that my wife and I had paid more to purchase the Gold membership than the Premium membership.

Yeah, that "Gold" Membership needs to go away. It should be pretty much Monthly and then Premium. The Premium is definitely the best deal in the area. You get what, 6 guest passes, 10% off, and discounted transfers and if you add a new family member it's only 50 bucks. They also get the full benefit and get their own card in addition to the guest passes, etc.

When I mentioned this to the staff - they laughed and said I was stupid. I asked to upgrade my membership - and was told that was not an option (perhaps they would have needed to give me a refund).

Man, I'd be livid too! Interesting, although if you do the math you quickly realize that the Premium membership is the way to go. Have you talked to the management there? Try Eman. She's there during the week M-Thursday and is ultimately in charge of the store and can probably fix your problem for you. Shes' the representative from the new ownership. For monthly members doing upgrades to one of the annual memberships, 15 bucks is taken off the membership price. I don't see why you couldn't be upgraded if they do this for monthly members.

In all, if you compare the NOVA shooting places, Sharpie's (my affectionate nickname for them) is the best deal going. Yeah, their range is whatever the weather is outdoors, the "Gold" Membership level sucks as a mid-tier option, and sometimes the staff can be "Good Ole Boyish" depending on the night you go and how busy they are. Try Tuesday nights and ask for "Jason" or "TJ". I've had good luck with both of these guys. If they don't know something, they freely admit it and will ask the other staff there.
As for the fees, Sharpies is the best deal going in the Northern VA area.

The NRA is 300 for the year (with the plus being rifles are allowed to be shot) with the plus of being climate controlled as well. If they had a small gun store there, it'd be perfect!

SE Group is around 500 for the first year and 400 for the following year. They have some nice range features though and while their gun store side is nice, they could actually have an inventory once in a while.

Blue Ridge "We love Obama" Arsenal is around 500 for the first year and 400 for the following year, PLUS they will do direct debit from your checking account and the guns they have for sale are few and far between. Also, the guys they DO have tend to be 3 H&K, or 2 Glocks.

Sharpshooters' most expensive membership is $245.00 and is the closest one to the Beltway. They also have the largest assortment of handguns and longguns outside of Loudon Guns in Leesburg. Cons being: Transfer policy, lack of range A/C, and that damned "Gold" membership level.

[Tinygnat219]

Zephyp

How busy are they on Saturday?

Saturdays and Sundays are probably the worst times to go right now. WAY too many people. The best times are usually Wed. and Thurs nights. Tuesdays there are crazy, and Friday's a hit or miss thing.

[zephyp]

Zephyp

How busy are they on Saturday?

Saturdays and Sundays are probably the worst times to go right now. WAY too many people. The best times are usually Wed. and Thurs nights. Tuesdays there are crazy, and Friday's a hit or miss thing.

I go Saturday or Sunday and never have to wait for a lane. And you're right. The Gold is definitely the best deal on membership. The 10% discount is nice.

[40shooter]

I also frequent Gilbert's/Sharp Shooter, (I'm supposed to be there now) I asked about the lack of AC on the range and was told it was because the air had to be refreshed on a regular cycle. B/S?, I don't know, but it sounds good. Yes the staff can seem less than friendly but I personally have had no issues with them, I've done one FFL transfer for an internet purchase, again no issues. Yes 95 sucks, that's why I'm still at home, but I'll make it there today (I hope).

[zephyp]

Didnt have a chance to make it to Sharpshooters this weekend. 40shooter I live on Edsall road and take Backlick south to 7100 which takes you straight there. It avoids all the traffic and is a much nicer drive. Only prob is a few redlights but it beats sitting in a parking lot.

[40shooter]

I went by there today with my 12 yr. old daughter, it was hot on the range as usual but not very crowded at all. I spent at least an hour and a half, talk with the staff up front after shoot. They were professional as usual and even gave me some good info on skeet shooting ranges in the area.

[zephyp]

I too have had good interaction with the staff and noticed the range is not overly crowded on the weekends. Sure wish they would so something about the air handlers.