Blue Ridge Arsenal

Things went reasonably well up until my last two visits. I don't know why but they had a change of several staff including a couple range masters that were not only qualified to do the job but were very unprofessional that tended to hover over shooters issueing warning for very absurd actions they referred to as violations, including;

1) any weapon on the lane tray that was ever so slightly canted other than perfectly pointed downrange.

2) on-shooters reaching into the lane tray to pickup magazines and loading them behind the line

While they have the right to make the rules, rude, condescending staff on their own power trips is unacceptable. When I finally had enough and packed up to leave the range on my last visit, I stopped by the desk and complained to one of the older employees (tall bald dude, I think his name is Mark). He did not even take a second to listen to the complaint, he shrugged it off and just moved on.

I am a 12yr Army x2 combat veteran and I know range safety, these range masters were little men given authority. I have used BRA about 50 times and the wife and I loved the place, after being treated like crap, my last visit will be my last visit.  There are too many good ranges with professional staff (a new one now in Manassas) to deal with this type of customer service.

This is not the only review I have complained about BRA but they have some way of getting all complaints removed. So my way of defending my criticism (and to make them accountable for their actions)  is to give my phone number and welcome all calls that would like to hear about this from a human, call me at 703.973.7174 and leave a brief message and I will call you back.

Just a quick update that Earl Curtis (BRA Owner) did call me the day after I posted this review. While I did return his VM out of courtesy he was not available so I did not speak to him. Bottom line, the opportunity to correct the situation was when the complaint was made not a year later after a review (that cannot be removed). I have since started shooting at a new range in Manassas (not going to advertise for them), but can say that if and when the BRA employee Mark (the guy who blew off my original complaint) ever shows up there as an employee I will advise this new range why I do not shoot at BRA any longer.

The point I am making is poor customer service (whether by the business or the employee) has consequences. Don't blow me off when business is booming and then become concerned when your business is threatened!

unknown

I didn't like them very much. It's very expensive. Their customer service is poor. The overall experience was bad. It took twenty minutes to get the sales representative even though there were some who was available.

I took my god daughter shooting for the first time today. I took her to Blue Ridge Arsenal. The staff was very professional and very friendly. After my hour was up, I still had 5 rounds in my six shooter that she was shooting. I asked if she could finish the ammo in the gun and they said sure and gave her an extra 15 minutes to boot! We will be back!

Been shooting here-off and on--for around 6 years now. The staff is always friendly and offers advice when asked. Range Officers are not intrusive, but will correct improper weapon handling when they see it. Saw some wounded Veterans shooting here once and the Range Officer asked them where they had served and was joking with'em when they began competing with each other. When they were getting ready to leave the RO stopped them and thanked them for their service, that may not mean squat to some folks but it means something to me. These folks are A-OK in my book. Only and quot;negativeand quot; I can think of is the price and the fact it's only 25yards. But it's Northern Virginia, so prices will be higher and ranges will be about that unless you wanna drive an hour or two and shoot outdoors.

Went in looking for AR15 parts before they were unavailable. Staff was
not available to talk and when they became available where rather rude
to some of my questions.

I really enjoy going to Blue Ridge Arsenal. The staff people are friendly and helpful. Even on a weekend, I've had only a short wait (five or ten minutes) for an opening on the range. They have a broad selection of firearms and associated equipment. They rent guns and hearing/eye protection. The range rules are clearly spelled out.
One side of the range has the helpful keypad to select the distance of the target (in feet or yards). The parking is sometimes an issue, but they now have valets (no charge, just whatever you tip them). All in all, I look forward to every visit.

Blue Ridge Arsenal is professional and have good inventory. The staff there are very helpful. They are experts and know what they are doing.

Bad. The rangemaster over reacted to a minor infraction. I was removing an unloaded firearm from my range bag. I had two fingers on the butt of the revolver, no fingers on the trigger, it was pointed down towards the ground, nowhere near anyone. The infraction was the weapons were to be removed from their container only at the bench and I was a couple feet behind the bench. I was wrong. The rangemaster approached us and began yelling at us as in a way I can only describe as : like the drill Sgt on Full Metal Jacket yelling at Private Pyle as Pyle was climbing up an obstacle. He was emotionally enraged, as if he was scolding his children for an egregious offense. It was ridiculous the way he overreacted. Regardless, I was wrong. I committed an error. We packed our bags and exited the range as instructed without any argument and without any challenge to the range master's authority. His job is extraordinarily important, and his authority on the range is ultimate. The BUCK stops with him. So for better or worse, anyone and everyone on the range has to obey the range master. Having been in Law Enforcement and going to gun ranges for just about 20 years, at least twice a year, and never having an issue other than weapons malfunctions, I understand the concepts and philosophies regarding firearms and shooting. I have witnessed numerous mistakes, misfires, and incidents that could have been tragic. I've never seen anyone lose it like this person did. Being in charge is not a license to be abusive. Professionalism is the key. You had to be there. This happened over a year ago, and I'm still bothered as I recall it.

They are very reputable and I've enjoyed working with them. They provide good services not only for target practice but also for sales of weapons. They are very knowledgeable and have a very professional staff. It is well run and well organized and very safe.

You can't find any place better, it is awesome!

They are a gun range and gun smith all in one. They have an excellent shooting range and an extremely knowledgable staff. They are highly concentrated on safety and can educate the public to be comfortable and safe with guns.

The Mossberg: It took a month, and I had to call repeatedly to find out the status. When I finally received the shotgun back, the front sight looked like it had been mounted by a junior high school shop student. The sight itself is slightly out of alignment, the finish of the barrel is marred far more than was necessary to solder on the sight, and Paul used spray paint to cover things up. The paint is thickly glopped on the sight base, and over spray discolored the dayglo insert before it was wiped off. It's a cosmetic nightmare. Another gunsmith who I learned about in early February 2011 (doesn't it figure?!) -- a former Armorer for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, called the job "amateurish." Paul charged me $149 for this. The Colt: One of the things my wife and I both remarked upon when we bought it was that although it showed heavy wear (it was a D.C. Police gun), the hard rubber Colt grips were intact and the screws were pristine. When I got it back from Paul, two of the side plate screws had been buggered, and there was a pronounced scratch adjacent to one of the screws where the screwdriver had slipped out of the slot under pressure. The AMU gunsmith tells me the screws cannot be replaced. Paul charged me $65 for this. On January 25, 2011 I wrote a letter to the owner of BRA expressing my dissatisfaction and asking for my money back. As of February 16, I have not received the courtesy of a reply.