Northern VA Ranges

[Meth0d]

Where are people shooting in the northern VA area?

I've been going to Silver Eagle Group in Herndon, VA for the past couple months. The facility has been completely rebuilt since October of 2011 and it looks great. I'm thinking about taking a couple classes here as well.

[Moltke]

I used to shoot there each weekend but then moved farther away, still in northern VA but far enough that I don't go to SEG anymore. Now I shoot pistols at Sharpshooters in Lorton, VA.

[bdcheung]

I shoot at NRA. Cheaper than SEG but not as many lanes. I do like that NRA requires a written range safety test.


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[Wake27]

Yeah I shoot NRA too. Herndon is about an hour with traffic, but may be worth checking out I guess.

[Meth0d]

Not sure why I wrote Herndon. It's actually Ashburn but not much further at all.

44620 Guilford Dr, Suite 100, Ashburn, VA

[JSantoro]

In addition to those mentioned, there's Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly. NRA and SEG have the best facilities, though I'm basing that off of having been to SEG before their most recent mods. If they didn't alter their target carriages to something with a simpler menu tree, then just about anything they'll have done is cosmetic, only; worth a look.

Try to not go to ANY of them on the weekends the Nation's Gun Show is in town at the Dulles Expo Center. Seems like every untrained mouth-breather and white-collar poindexter in the area goes to the show, buys a gun, then hits one of the ranges to see how many people they can flag.

It's like the cantina scene from Star Wars on those weekends, and the next one is right around the corner, 10-12 Feb.

[Moltke]

Try to not go to ANY of them on the weekends the Nation's Gun Show is in town at the Dulles Expo Center.

He's right, it's a guaranteed disaster going to a local range on a gunshow weekend.

[mallowpufft]

It's not exactly NoVA but if you head down 81 to Harrisonburg then cruise 33 to WV there is a forest service range with a covered 100yd rifle range and a 25yd pistol area. Lots of Bubbas out on the weekends and evenings but if I'm coming through the area on a weekday it's usually empty or darn near it.

[Moltke]

Been to the range on 33 many times during college, its not so hot. When I've been the last few times there's always alot of people there. Mostly bubbas and dumbass college kids. No sense of muzzle awareness, nobody to supervise the idiots if there are any and it can be uncomfortable walking downrange to change targets with a bunch of strangers around. Especially if you've already seen them ****ing around and being stupid!

Also ran into many of the Bubba crowd who ask me about my guns and then tell me that they're good examples of the guns people shouldn't own. It gives hunters a bad image to be associated with us other kind of gun owners. Those evil black rifles, short barreled shotguns and the like. Usually I shrug it off and keep shooting but I haven't been there in months as a result of the people I keep meeting. The sad part is I used to be one of those dumbass college kids a few years ago.

[mallowpufft]

It's definitely an "interesting" place. This time of year there aren't usually many people around. I've been twice this month and haven't seen anyone else.
I usually stay at the pistol range as the berms ate big and I can have 2 targets set up and draw and shoot from my CCW and get in odd positions unlike the indoor range in the area.
I also bring my own homemade target stands (pvc & 1x2) with room to staple several targets each and set one up at the 50 and one at the 100. I also bring binocs so I don't have to go down range of others are around and not ready to walk when I am.
I've been thinking about some steel targets so I can stay put.