Northern Va area

SD_Chop · April 4, 2006, 08:46 PM

Anyone from northern va? Where do you shoot? Any hidden places i dont know about? Thanks in advance

BlueTrain · April 5, 2006, 05:53 AM

I'm not from here but an immigrant from West Virginia. My wife is, though, and we were married in D.C. across the street from the hospital where both she and her father were born. But that wasn't what you asked about.

First of all, there are no secret places. Way too many people around here for shooting anywhere out of doors and not bothering anyone. There are a few indoor ranges both here and in Maryland. The best, meaning the one I like the most, is Gilberts. It has a Lorton address but it's really in Newington, if you know the difference. There is another place called Blue Ridge Arsenal, almost within sight of my office window near Dulles. Their shop looks rather bare for guns anymore but they have an indoor range. There is also a place called Shooter's Paradise (I think that's the name, which is a good one). They are well stocked with everything but I've not seen the range.

For rifles, it is another story.

The NRA headquarters in Fairfax has an indoor range where I understand you can shoot rifles. I assume everyone here but me belongs to the NRA. There is also Clark Brothers on Rt. 29 the other side of Warrenton, which has been there forever. You buy the ammuntion and targets there and shoot for free. The store is jam packed with everything to make a shooter happy and the walls are decorated with old Winchester lever actions.

There are also public shooting ranges in the George Washington National Forest up the road a few miles but I've not been to one.

SD_Chop · April 5, 2006, 06:13 AM

Yea a lot of my family migrated from WVA also. Not like it is here as in back in the home country any more huh. I know very well blue ridge, NRA, and clark brothers. I am fortunate enough my friend has partial ownership on 300acres in middleburg (about 25min west on 50 past blue ridge) so we shoot there every now and again. Never heard about the GWNF ranges. Are they in harrisonburg? Thanks for the info

BlueTrain · April 5, 2006, 07:25 AM

As I said, I haven't been to the public ranges in the GW National Forest. Curiously enough, I've been to the Shenandoah maybe forty times since I've been here but only once to the GW National Forest in the same time and it's even free. There are supposedly at least two public ranges. You might look up the Forest Service web site for the details. They are probably down the road a ways from the northern end, which is just over the hill from Front Royal.

You probably know the NRA headquarters used to be about two blocks from the White House on 16th Street, I think it was. They had a range there, too, but moved out of town because of the DC laws.

One of the older and better known local gunshops, Dawson's, moved from Fairfax County (Annandale) to Woodbridge in Prince William County because there was a waiting period in Fairfax County and none in PW County, whereupon Fairfax County dropped the requirement. At the time, there was a small indoor range next door to Dawson's (not owned by Dawson's) but it has since closed. The number of gun shops around here is dropping. Potomac Arms at Zero Prince Street in Alexandria is no longer in the guns and ammo business since a few weeks ago but will still be selling army surplus for a couple of months. Steve's brother owns the surplus side and will be moving to a new location.

llkoolkeg · April 5, 2006, 06:08 PM

I lived in NVA for 25 years before fleeing(the traffic and crime) to Frederick, MD. For handguns, I shot at Gilberts, Blue Ridge Arsenal and Shooters Paradise. I preferred Shooters Paradise in Woodbridge b/c it was a little cheaper and I liked renting guns just to try them out in addition to the ones I brought, e.g. .50AE Desert Eagle. For rifles, I shot at Clarks Brothers and for shotguns, Clarks or the Bull Run clays course. Oddly enough, I've never shot at the NRA Range even though I'm a Life Member.

I really got spoiled, though, when I went to college. There was an Army Corps of Engineers FREE 25/50/75/100 yard outdoor shooting range in Blacksburg across from Pandapas Pond on RTE 460 that I would visit at least once a week. You would donate a few bucks to pay for the target frames and then blast until content. I would bring my fishing tackle, firearms, mountain bike and golf clubs and leave my place at 4:00am...fish until 8:00am, shoot until 11:00am(or until other yokels arrived), bike until 3:00pm and then hit a couple buckets of balls at the driving range on the way home back to Radford. The advantage of this arrangement was that I often had interesting things on hand to shoot at besides paper, e.g. extra range golf balls, balloons, etc.

I miss it so bad that I'm planning a long weekend excursion back there real soon with all my stuff so that I can camp, boat, fish, shoot, golf and bike like I used to before I became Mr. Married W. Children.

SD_Chop · April 5, 2006, 11:33 PM

yea thank god Va is a red state and our people made fairfax getrid of the the waiting period and arlington county get rid of their no carry law.

KONY · April 6, 2006, 07:00 AM

I shoot at the NRA on Fridays ~6pm with a group of folks. Afterwards, we dine at a local restaurant with most of us open carrying.

Duxman · April 6, 2006, 12:52 PM

Chop,

You are welcome to join us for maximum fun:

1st Sunday of every month - Fredricksburg Rod and Club for IPSC tournaments - last week it was 7 stages of pistol shooting fun. Over 120 shooters came along and we had a blast. Its hard to go back to the range and shoot at paper targets when you can run around, and shoot at multiple targets. Rescue hostages and talk to a bunch of gun folk.

2nd Sunday of every month - North Mountain IPSC - I believe this one is slightly smaller, I went there last month, and it was 5 stages of fun!

Send me a PM if you want invites. Open to all shooters.

I am not going to be there this coming Sunday (We are going Groundhog hunting on Saturday 1000 acre farm - sorry no slots left), but next month I plan to make it to both events.

If you are a wheelgun fan, there is an ICORE tournament on the weekend of the 12th. I can email you details on that. All you need is a revolver, holster and 2 speed loaders.

BlueTrain · April 6, 2006, 03:36 PM

I just remembered that the Izak Walton League has a private range somewhere near Aquia Harbor and Quantico Marine Corps Base but that is a ways down 95. I also think there are a couple of other private clubs that have ranges somewhere around here, like the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, but I belong to none of them and know nothing of them.

SD_Chop · April 6, 2006, 04:32 PM

Thanks for the info, i will come down to some of those. Sent you a PM aswell. Does it matter what pistol? Will a .357sig SA XD be fine? Also for the wheel gun, ahhh, might be hard with a 8" raging bull in 454casull for speed

Norstrog · April 6, 2006, 04:49 PM

I'd say just go to the NRA. I've been to both the NRA and Blue Ridge and like both. The prices of Blue Ridge have gone to something like $20 an hour because they remolded. That is completly outragous as far as I'm concerned. If you are around the Fairfax area the NRA is where it's at. You don't have to be a member but if you are going to go regularly you might as well join.

www.wheretoshoot.org/wts_subresults.asp
http://www.packing.org/range/virginia/

These two links may help.

SD_Chop · April 6, 2006, 11:05 PM

I wouldnt mind meeting at NRA, good range, i am a member there

Duxman · April 7, 2006, 02:14 PM

Round counts usually run to the 130 - 200 round level.

Minimum pistol round is 9mm, so .357 SIG is fine.

If you can afford to shoot off 200 rounds of those bad boys, go for it.

SD_Chop · April 7, 2006, 02:55 PM

i dont mind 200 rounds at all, its the 454casull that will sneak up on you and take you out of house and home.

April 4, 2006, 08:46 PM	#1
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	Northern Va area Anyone from northern va? Where do you shoot? Any hidden places i dont know about? Thanks in advance __________________ Liberty or Death...

April 5, 2006, 05:53 AM	#2
BlueTrain Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 6,141	I'm not from here but an immigrant from West Virginia. My wife is, though, and we were married in D.C. across the street from the hospital where both she and her father were born. But that wasn't what you asked about. First of all, there are no secret places. Way too many people around here for shooting anywhere out of doors and not bothering anyone. There are a few indoor ranges both here and in Maryland. The best, meaning the one I like the most, is Gilberts. It has a Lorton address but it's really in Newington, if you know the difference. There is another place called Blue Ridge Arsenal, almost within sight of my office window near Dulles. Their shop looks rather bare for guns anymore but they have an indoor range. There is also a place called Shooter's Paradise (I think that's the name, which is a good one). They are well stocked with everything but I've not seen the range. For rifles, it is another story. The NRA headquarters in Fairfax has an indoor range where I understand you can shoot rifles. I assume everyone here but me belongs to the NRA. There is also Clark Brothers on Rt. 29 the other side of Warrenton, which has been there forever. You buy the ammuntion and targets there and shoot for free. The store is jam packed with everything to make a shooter happy and the walls are decorated with old Winchester lever actions. There are also public shooting ranges in the George Washington National Forest up the road a few miles but I've not been to one. __________________ Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands! Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag, and return us to our own beloved homes! Buy War Bonds.

April 5, 2006, 06:13 AM	#3
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	Yea a lot of my family migrated from WVA also. Not like it is here as in back in the home country any more huh. I know very well blue ridge, NRA, and clark brothers. I am fortunate enough my friend has partial ownership on 300acres in middleburg (about 25min west on 50 past blue ridge) so we shoot there every now and again. Never heard about the GWNF ranges. Are they in harrisonburg? Thanks for the info __________________ Liberty or Death...

April 5, 2006, 07:25 AM	#4
BlueTrain Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 6,141	As I said, I haven't been to the public ranges in the GW National Forest. Curiously enough, I've been to the Shenandoah maybe forty times since I've been here but only once to the GW National Forest in the same time and it's even free. There are supposedly at least two public ranges. You might look up the Forest Service web site for the details. They are probably down the road a ways from the northern end, which is just over the hill from Front Royal. You probably know the NRA headquarters used to be about two blocks from the White House on 16th Street, I think it was. They had a range there, too, but moved out of town because of the DC laws. One of the older and better known local gunshops, Dawson's, moved from Fairfax County (Annandale) to Woodbridge in Prince William County because there was a waiting period in Fairfax County and none in PW County, whereupon Fairfax County dropped the requirement. At the time, there was a small indoor range next door to Dawson's (not owned by Dawson's) but it has since closed. The number of gun shops around here is dropping. Potomac Arms at Zero Prince Street in Alexandria is no longer in the guns and ammo business since a few weeks ago but will still be selling army surplus for a couple of months. Steve's brother owns the surplus side and will be moving to a new location. __________________ Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands! Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag, and return us to our own beloved homes! Buy War Bonds.

April 5, 2006, 06:08 PM	#5
llkoolkeg Junior Member Join Date: March 24, 2006 Location: Fredneck, MD Posts: 8	I lived in NVA for 25 years before fleeing(the traffic and crime) to Frederick, MD. For handguns, I shot at Gilberts, Blue Ridge Arsenal and Shooters Paradise. I preferred Shooters Paradise in Woodbridge b/c it was a little cheaper and I liked renting guns just to try them out in addition to the ones I brought, e.g. .50AE Desert Eagle. For rifles, I shot at Clarks Brothers and for shotguns, Clarks or the Bull Run clays course. Oddly enough, I've never shot at the NRA Range even though I'm a Life Member. I really got spoiled, though, when I went to college. There was an Army Corps of Engineers FREE 25/50/75/100 yard outdoor shooting range in Blacksburg across from Pandapas Pond on RTE 460 that I would visit at least once a week. You would donate a few bucks to pay for the target frames and then blast until content. I would bring my fishing tackle, firearms, mountain bike and golf clubs and leave my place at 4:00am...fish until 8:00am, shoot until 11:00am(or until other yokels arrived), bike until 3:00pm and then hit a couple buckets of balls at the driving range on the way home back to Radford. The advantage of this arrangement was that I often had interesting things on hand to shoot at besides paper, e.g. extra range golf balls, balloons, etc. I miss it so bad that I'm planning a long weekend excursion back there real soon with all my stuff so that I can camp, boat, fish, shoot, golf and bike like I used to before I became Mr. Married W. Children. __________________ "when they kick out your front door, how ya gonna come- with yer hands on yer head or on the trigger of yer gun? when the law break in, how ya gonna go- shot down on the pavement or waiting on death row? you can crush us, you can bruise us but you'll have to answer to OHHHH-oh the guns of Brixton" ---The Clash

April 5, 2006, 11:33 PM	#6
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	yea thank god Va is a red state and our people made fairfax getrid of the the waiting period and arlington county get rid of their no carry law. __________________ Liberty or Death...

April 6, 2006, 07:00 AM	#7
KONY Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2004 Posts: 109	I shoot at the NRA on Fridays ~6pm with a group of folks. Afterwards, we dine at a local restaurant with most of us open carrying. __________________ "Man's got a right to protect his property and his life, and we ain't gonna let no rancher or his lawman take either." - Boss Spearman

April 6, 2006, 12:52 PM	#8
Duxman Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2005 Location: VA Posts: 1,294	IPSC tournaments in NOVA Chop, You are welcome to join us for maximum fun: 1st Sunday of every month - Fredricksburg Rod and Club for IPSC tournaments - last week it was 7 stages of pistol shooting fun. Over 120 shooters came along and we had a blast. Its hard to go back to the range and shoot at paper targets when you can run around, and shoot at multiple targets. Rescue hostages and talk to a bunch of gun folk. 2nd Sunday of every month - North Mountain IPSC - I believe this one is slightly smaller, I went there last month, and it was 5 stages of fun! Send me a PM if you want invites. Open to all shooters. I am not going to be there this coming Sunday (We are going Groundhog hunting on Saturday 1000 acre farm - sorry no slots left), but next month I plan to make it to both events. If you are a wheelgun fan, there is an ICORE tournament on the weekend of the 12th. I can email you details on that. All you need is a revolver, holster and 2 speed loaders.

April 6, 2006, 03:36 PM	#9
BlueTrain Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 6,141	I just remembered that the Izak Walton League has a private range somewhere near Aquia Harbor and Quantico Marine Corps Base but that is a ways down 95. I also think there are a couple of other private clubs that have ranges somewhere around here, like the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, but I belong to none of them and know nothing of them. __________________ Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands! Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag, and return us to our own beloved homes! Buy War Bonds.

April 6, 2006, 04:32 PM	#10
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	Thanks for the info, i will come down to some of those. Sent you a PM aswell. Does it matter what pistol? Will a .357sig SA XD be fine? Also for the wheel gun, ahhh, might be hard with a 8" raging bull in 454casull for speed __________________ Liberty or Death...

April 6, 2006, 04:49 PM	#11
Norstrog Member Join Date: March 13, 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 59	I'd say just go to the NRA. I've been to both the NRA and Blue Ridge and like both. The prices of Blue Ridge have gone to something like $20 an hour because they remolded. That is completly outragous as far as I'm concerned. If you are around the Fairfax area the NRA is where it's at. You don't have to be a member but if you are going to go regularly you might as well join. www.wheretoshoot.org/wts_subresults.asp http://www.packing.org/range/virginia/ These two links may help.

April 6, 2006, 11:05 PM	#12
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	I wouldnt mind meeting at NRA, good range, i am a member there __________________ Liberty or Death...

April 7, 2006, 02:14 PM	#13
Duxman Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2005 Location: VA Posts: 1,294	Round counts usually run to the 130 - 200 round level. Minimum pistol round is 9mm, so .357 SIG is fine. If you can afford to shoot off 200 rounds of those bad boys, go for it.

April 7, 2006, 02:55 PM	#14
SD_Chop Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Va, USA Posts: 474	i dont mind 200 rounds at all, its the 454casull that will sneak up on you and take you out of house and home. __________________ Liberty or Death...