Sharpshooter's/Gilbert's off 7100

[IanMcC]

hey all i am saying is if you and all the others on here are going to piss and moan on how we operate, go buy your self a building and build your range and store front and you see how many "KNOW it ALL's" you get in the store and see how it pisses you off. I know i dont know everything, but if i dont know something i will tell you but i will find the info out and get back to you or get someone who knows the product better.

[Mindflayer]

Wow. Basic business sense - if your customers offer constructive criticism, take it, learn from it, and build a better business. "I'm taking my marbles and going home" is just.... wow.

[Diomed]

I'm with Mindflayer. IanMcC, you are a terrible representative of your company (if you're not a plant: I acknowledge the possibility). Were I your boss, you'd be walking on Monday. At a minimum you need some serious disciplinary action, because you're speaking as a rep of the company and insulting current and potential customers. Quick way to fail in business.

And if you are the boss, you deserve to fail.

[zephyp]

@Ian - "all the others" here dont complain. Several of us shoot at SS on a regular basis and I am a member...have been for almost 3 years. I will promote Sharpshooters because I know from experience it is a decent place to visit...I wont promote your attitude though. I know you're ticked but those of us who shoot there know the real deal...keep your chin up and dont let these guys get under your skin...

@Mindflayer - I have yet to see much constructive criticism here regarding Sharpshooters...most of it has been gratuitous bashing...

@Diomed - I agree for the most part, however, give the kid a break. I have a pretty good idea who he is and he's pissed cause he takes pride in what he does...he promotes this site and makes my occasional 3 hour visit pleasant...

[IanMcC]

thanks Zephyp i do care about my job and love doing what i do, i am just trying to make sharpshooters have a good name, if there is anything i can do for anyone on the forum to have them have a good experience at sharpshooters please let me know and if there is anything i can do to change the range let me know and i will try my best to change the range. we are trying to change alot but its gonna take some time

[CowboyT]

Ian, not everyone here is bashing Sharpshooters. Nothing wrong with taking pride in your work, but you're not currently representing the company well. DK's right. Chill some, dude. You're a cool guy and you're better than this.

If I didn't like shooting at Sharpshooters, I wouldn't be there as often as I am. And you know I'm there a fair amount. There's a reason for that.

- T

[zephyp]

thanks Zephyp i do care about my job and love doing what i do, i am just trying to make sharpshooters have a good name, if there is anything i can do for anyone on the forum to have them have a good experience at sharpshooters please let me know and if there is anything i can do to change the range let me know and i will try my best to change the range. we are trying to change alot but its gonna take some time

Hey, no prob Ian. All you can do is press forward and influence your sphere...and no matter what you do or how good the range gets someone somewhere will always be unhappy...

[Goldie]

I thought I'd chime in on this one. I made it out to sharpshooters this morning and was pleasantly surprised. I actually brought three DC residents, none of whom have any real experience with firearms, and stick out like a sore thumb anywhere outside of a DC hipster bar that serves PBR in cans.

I was a tad worried at first walking in with a group of 4 obvious outsiders, and it took a few minutes to get the ball rolling (they were fairly busy). Once we got to filling out the paperwork, it was smooth sailing. The RSO was friendly and helpful, the guy I checked out with was the same. I dealt with 3 different people over the course of two hours, all of whom were friendly. The other guy (white hair and glasses) I didn't deal with directly, but could observe him with other customers and he seemed just as helpful.

I ended up spending two hours, bought 2 boxes of .38spl, 10 targets, and a cleaning kit for my .22. All in all it was a good experience, I felt welcome, no "smart-ass remarks" as I've heard, no cavalier handling of weapons on the range, no inattentive service. The actual lanes may not be as nice as Silver Eagle, but this place is 15 minutes away as opposed to 45.

I didn't rent any weapons, but my companion rented a glock 9mm and had no complaints. One thing I liked was it seemed the RSO was on top of things. He was attending to all the lanes and I definitely felt like he had a good handle on who was doing what where. This doesn't mean he was breathing down any necks, just that he was aware of what was happening at all times. I consider this a very good thing.

I absolutely would recommend Sharpshooters to anyone, and I intend on going back in the very near future to take my girlfriend shooting for the first time.

[Hiwaytahell]

I shoot at SS every so often. It is very close to me opposed to SEG. The problems had by others... I have see happen. Especially to the sensitive types. IMHO the staff are doing a good job to correct these flaws. I will continue to shoot there.

[IanMcC]

most of the new rso we have have been trained by myself since i am a certified CRSO, they cant do everything i do like repair the lanes, they have a basic idea and i taught them how to repair some minor things. By my main goal as a CRSO is to make sure all RSO know their job and how to handle certian things.

[gunlawyer]

Ok I will chime in. I stopped by on a whim in late January because my GPS found the store address while I was heading up 95 to go home and so I stopped in to check it out. I ended up buying a Draco pistol and a Saiga 12 and a membership (the platinum or something?). Quite a splurge and I am only just now caught up on my credit card! I had never heard good or bad about the place before showing up and have been there 4 or 5 times so far. Here are my impressions:

1) The ROs are friendly and professional. One even helped me figure out what ammo the .22 conversion kit in my MAC 10 SMG liked. Great folks so far. Have yet to meet an ass. Great guys.

2) The staff out front, so far anyway, have been professional and I have even found them to be quite friendly and personable at moments. The seem to deal with a constant crowd so I can understand if it get's old for them but, as with the ROs, I have yet to meet a jerk out front. Small shop but laid out ok up front. And they sell and display suppressors! That is always nice to see. Still, I wish the range was bigger and allowed rifle calibers!

3) They are 15 min. from my apt. so it is convenient as heck for me.

4) They let me shoot my SMGs there which is quite nice.

5) The gun prices are definitely on the higher end of retail but with the large size of the staff and range overhead, I suppose it is what it is. The 10% member discount helps!

6) About the only downside I could mention is the ventilation on the range. It can get fairly smoky there and I have to say I have some concern about what the lead levels in my blood would be if I shot there a lot. I have not found the smoke to be an issue at Blue Ridge. So if Sharpshooters could just crank up the fans a bit higher it would be great.

I say you get what you give. If you are patient, polite, and kind with people, such as the folks at this shop, or any other, you usually will get the same in return.

Bottom line, I give them a B+. They will get an A from me if they can suck more of the lead filled smoke out a bit faster.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble.

Stay safe,

Chris Thomas

[caps85]

Waiting on a suppressor I bought through these guys right now. Some of the staff seems disinterested or to only be interested in their friends, but there are 3 or 4 guys in there I've spoken with, one of whom I believe is the manager, who are absolutely great to deal with. I don't shoot there, but I like to drop in from time to time to see what they have in stock as it's one of the closer shops to me and I get an absolute kick out of watching the room packed full of the most interesting looking clientele I've ever seen for a range at 8 in the evening.