Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

what do you all think of gilbert's small arms range? some places online say that its in springfield, others say its located in lorton. either way, its the little gun shop/range off of the fairfax county parkway near its intersection with route 95.

i like the gun shop, not a huge fan of the range. the range is great if you want to practice low light situations, but i've found that its kind of run down and not well-lit. the distance isn't that great either, probably shorter than that of blue ridge arsenal.

the gun shop has a pretty good selection of used guns that turns over frequently. i've haggled with them on the price of used guns in the past and usually gotten a few bucks off of the price on the tag. since firearms turn over so frequently there, its been a good place for me to sell as well. the shop itself is pretty small, but has a good selction of handguns considering the size of the place. they used to do concealed carry classes there but i understand they do it off site these days. back when they did the concealed class there, they'd pack ten or so people into a very small room with hardly enough floor space for all of the folding chairs. small instruction room, but the class was cheap, $50 at the time, so i can't complain too much.

what do you think?

I shoot there because it is close to my house.

Yeah, small range. Dimly lit. For some reason, I like it. It just feels more like a range than the sterile NRA range. Dunno why. Got a membership when I bought my sig p220 so I could get the discount. Basically, the yearly fee paid for the discount on the gun and now I don't have to pay range fees.

There is one guy there who works there who is kind of a dillweed, but the rest of the staff is civil, if not friendly. But hey, it's a gun shop/range. I'm not going there to pal around with the staff - I"m going there to shoot.

I've been a Gilbert's customer for quite some time now.They have a good selection of hardware pieces -- new and used (+ consigment). Bought a few pieces and have also sold a couple via their consignment service. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Tim, the gunsmith has worked on my Colt Combat Commander and Sig 225..no complaints. He has given me helpful tips when I was building my RRA AR-15. Their range, which is often full, could use some updating, though.

Just went there tonight after work. Was about five people in there shooting. Definately good to go during a work week and not a weekend morning.

BTW: They have a NEW POLICY on ammo sales. You can only buy ONE box of a particular caliber and brand of ammo. Guess people were buying up too much and there was nothing left for the range customers to shoot?? Anyway, just FYI to anyone who is heading out there and not bringing their own ammo.

Oh, one more thing... I have noticed a lot of gangsta wannabe types at Gilberts. They use the rental guns and some of them have no frigging idea of what they are doing. Stuff like holding pistol sideways and firing, just talking random smack, etc. None of them can hit the broad side of a crack house, but still it is annoying sometimes.

ha, you're so right. i've seen some gangster type clientel there. maybe because its close to hybla valley and woodbridge too!

they rent glocks.

jpoolsmyd2 wrote:BTW: They have a NEW POLICY on ammo sales. You can only buy ONE box of a particular caliber and brand of ammo. Guess people were buying up too much and there was nothing left for the range customers to shoot?? Anyway, just FYI to anyone who is heading out there and not bringing their own ammo.

Where else can you rent all the guns you want for $10/hr? That's $10 TOTAL, not per gun. You have to buy their ammo to shoot in their guns but that's standard. Largest selection of rental guns I've ever seen - great place to go if you're undecided about what to buy and want to try some out.

They didn't want to sell their ammo to even their range customers. Had a little disagreement after renting a .45, then wanting to rent a 9mm was told no because customers can buy one box total. Eventually worked it out and clarified customers are allowed to buy one box of each caliber. Ended up renting 3 guns in 3 different calibers for a total of $10 plus $40 for the ammo. Unlike Walmart these days at least the HAVE ammo.

After a year of thinking the range was too dimly lit for iron sights I found the 2nd light switch to turn on the lightbulb inside the booth in addition to the light for the target. Cold in the winter but hey, I've never waited for a lane and my 10 yr old shoots free on my membership.

I have been shooting at Gilberts since Shooters Paradise burnt down. I shoot every Tuesday and I have never once not felt safe. I generally shoot from 430 - 600 and some days I have a place all to my self. Ernie the manager retired and the new manager has made a few changes. Now there is a range master in the back watching. This has put a stop on some of the gangter style shooting. There are two draw backs to Gilberts - poor lighting and temperature control.

It's been several years since I've shot there, so I have no opinion on the range. But I have been in several times in recent months to look around, and always felt like the good ole' boys behind the counter were only interested in waiting on their good ole' friends. I tried asking a few times about their prices, but always got the response their best price is on the tag. I have no interest in going back, other than to look around.

FYI Gilbert's is now Sharpshooters. They are just finishing up their 2 week range & store rebuild. Should be re-opening this weekend.

I've visited Sharpshooters (formerly Gilberts) a couple of times since they upgraded the range. For the most part they have the same staff, but today I was immediately greeted by "Hey sir, can I help you?" One of the guys behind the counter (different from the one I was greeted by) spent about 30 minutes with Young helping her try different rental pistols until we found a couple she could handle. The range master was also on the ball. Took us to our station, showed us the light switches and controls, and made sure we were comfortable. Many improvements from the previous setup and seem to be many improvements with the staff. I'm of the opinion that Gilberts has been a place that grows on you, but now they seem eager to make sure you are welcome and comfortable from the get go.

Big kudos to their range upgrades and staff attitudes. Maybe I even saw one or two of you there today?

Quite the ringing endorsement Zephyp. I might just have to brake down and give Gilbert's/Sharp Shooters a second chance.

BlueTiki wrote:Quite the ringing endorsement Zephyp. I might just have to brake down and give Gilbert's/Sharp Shooters a second chance.

The range is much better IMO. They still have a slight prob with cooling but its not bad. The lighting problem seems to be fixed. The stations are well lit and they have selectable lighting for the targets but you can find it in the shadows in different places. But, the BG arent always going to be standing under a street lamp either.

I just got back from Sharpshooters this morning. Definitely did a nice job on the redo. I liked being able to pick up the rifles on the wall rack without having to ask. Had a good selection including surplus. Range was nicer than before. Still wasn't comfortable for me temperature wise though. Might have been the coffee...I don't know.
All in all a pleasant experience.

Hey Bruce am going in a few myself. Would have gone earlier if I knew you were there. They do need to fix the air handlers.

Sorry I missed you DK. We should meet up there one weekend, and do some

Hiwaytahell wrote:Sorry I missed you DK. We should meet up there one weekend, and do some

Sounds great. I'll let you know next time I plan on going. I try to go at least twice a month. Just got back and it was hot. I had to step into the safe area 2-3 times just to cool off and wipe down.

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.

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 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?

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

The good news: it's close to Costco, it's close to 495, it's right off the highway.

rating: 2 out of 5

Are they trying to improve? I think so.

Dean - I've rarely had trouble with the staff. There is one guy there that's not very friendly. Older guy, about 6 foot, gray hair, beard, and glasses. Everyone else including RSO seem pretty friendly and helpful. I've also bought couple guns there and never had trouble with paperwork although I've not done a private or out of store transfer there. And yesterday is the first time they've ever restricted an ammo purchase for me. I could only get one box of .45. The clerk did tell me I could get several of 9mm or .40 if I wanted. IMO their ammo prices are a bit on the high side but I usually order mine anyway. They do restrict ammo purchase if you rent one of their guns to one box per caliber per visit. For me they are close and I never wait for a lane to shoot. AND the RSOs leave you to do your business.

Air handling on the range - sucks big time.
Drive down 95 - sucks even more.

I'll give them a 3.5 our of 5.

I would worry about lead content in the air. Believe it or not, gun ranges have very strict EPA regulations on their air handling systems. If SShooters has bad air flow, they may be in violation. Just my 2 cents.