Rant about Gilbert Indoor range

[jaypark]

Hi, new here, first post. im a noob to guns, and i joined gilberts range cause i live very close by. they are very friendly, shot my first gun there. i was just wondering where i can find information about this ffl situation with them?
also, where does everybody get cheap ammo? if youre a member there, the fiocchi ammo for 9mm is 14.95. the same ammo at cheaperthandirt is around $20, not including shipping. so obviously there is cheaper ammo out there, but the ammo you are paying for seems to be a reasonable price compared to online stores. thanks for the help, after reading some treads here i definitely wanna check out the nra range.

that sounds pretty off as you can see they are 50-100 % over retail MSRP, they have no FFL due to the volume of infractions (taken all the way to 4th Circuit in the Fed system), and the staff are untrained morons BUT other than that their great

 

[actfast]

that sounds pretty off as you can see they are 50-100 % over retail MSRP, they have no FFL due to the volume of infractions (taken all the way to 4th Circuit in the Fed system), and the staff are untrained morons BUT other than that their great

i have been there recently, compared to cheaperthandirt their ammo is cheaper. where can i find cheaper ammo? thanks

 

[jaypark]

i have been there recently, compared to cheaperthandirt their ammo is cheaper. where can i find cheaper ammo? thanks

probably cheapy reloads as honest business isnt part of their playbook

ammoman.com
walmart
bunch more on here poke around

 

[actfast]

probably cheapy reloads as honest business isnt part of their playbook

ammoman.com
walmart
bunch more on here poke around

haha. thanks

 

[jawn]

haha. thanks

Wal-Mart has Winchester 115gr 9mm FMJs at $24/100 rounds out-the-door (after tax). They also carry Federal Champion in 50 round boxes (some people like it, some people don't) for 10.50. You can get steel cased 9mm ammo for $9-10 dollars a box of 50 if you look online and buy in bulk.

The "slight" premium you pay adds up quickly over the long run. I can go through 200 rounds of ammo in an hour at the range. That's a difference of 12 dollars each trip.

 

[actfast]

Wal-Mart has Winchester 115gr 9mm FMJs at $24/100 rounds out-the-door (after tax). They also carry Federal Champion in 50 round boxes (some people like it, some people don't) for 10.50. You can get steel cased 9mm ammo for $9-10 dollars a box of 50 if you look online and buy in bulk.

The "slight" premium you pay adds up quickly over the long run. I can go through 200 rounds of ammo in an hour at the range. That's a difference of 12 dollars each trip.

thanks. got anything against cheap cci blazer rounds?

 

[jawn]

thanks. got anything against cheap cci blazer rounds?

I personally haven't tried Blazer, but I'm sure someone can jump in with their experience. Some of them are brass and some are aluminum cased. You can't reload aluminum, if that was a consideration.

 

[swinokur]

www.ammunitiontogo.com

 

[jaypark]

blazer is unreloadable but works pretty good

 

[StanleyG]

I personally like Gilbert's . It's 10 minutes away from where I live. They are open late and early on the weekends. Usually there is no wait time unless you come on Saturday. The Saturdays are busy times for them . The staff is knowledgeable and at least the ones I talked to seem to know guns and love to chat about them.
I took the NRA's basic hand gun course there and the two volunteers were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Its a bit expensive.. but for a casual shooter llike myself with no farm or friends with a private range its a better deal then spending half of Saturday driving to a range and then waiting fro a chance to shoot.

The fact that you can't bring your own ammo has to do with Montgomery county's progressive rules.

 

[swinokur]

Driving to the NRA Range in Fairfax from any location in MoCO could hardly be construed as half a day.

I found the staff at Gilbert's to be surly, unfriendly and not really interested in any level of customer service. That and their ammo prices are simply unacceptable to me.

I'll pass.

 

[dev]

I went to Gilbert's once on a friends pass and decided not to go there again because I felt it wasn't safe. I am having a much better time with a membership at Hap Baker which is about a 45 minute drive for me but worth it because they seem to be better equipped for my needs and it's outdoors. The range officers are strict about the rules but reasonable and not on any kind of power trip. I have been there four times already and feel very comfortable being there as if it was a sanctuary for shooters.

 

[boricuamaximus]

i have been there recently, compared to cheaperthandirt their ammo is cheaper. where can i find cheaper ammo? thanks

aimsurplus
http://gun-deals.com/

 

[Gilbert Indoor Range]

Gilbert Indoor Range

Maryland Shooters

A customer brought my attention to this forum and all the comments that are going back and forth. I just wish I was made aware earlier of some of the issues so they can be addressed and rectified.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed and I will do my best to resolve some of your issues and questions. My door is always open and any of you can call me directly at (301) 315-0300. I know that I cannot please all of you, but I will do my best!

As most of you know opening an indoor range in MC was very difficult and expensive. We had to go through the Board of Appeals for approval to operate the range and apply for a SE. I had to be in a certain zone and be non-commercial, thus we have memberships and that satisfied that requirement. The other restriction/stipulation, was that ammunition had to be purchased at the facility which is the focus of most the forums attention.

I would like to extend my hand out to all of you and offer a free two week membership with annual members pricing on ammo.

This is our present membership breakdown:
We have 3 memberships available: TRIAL $15, unlimited range time for 7 days, no discount on ammo or guest privileges.
MONTHLY: $30 unlimited range time for 30 days, discount on ammo and no guest privileges
Active Duty Military: No ranges fees annual pricing.
Wounded Warriors: No charge and I give them the ammo, plus we accept donations to go into the ammo fund. We see alot of these heros coming using our facility from the nearby hospital.

ANNUALS: $100, $150, or $300 and the price drops for renewing. Unlimited range time, (5) free guest passes, can purchase additional, 10% off accessories, best pricing on ammo and the pistol ammo pricing competitive with Wal-Mart. I believe our annual members shoot for less than any other indoor range in our area. A annual member pays $13.95 or a box of 9mm and your 2nd box drops to $12.70, 45 acp $21.95 2nd box $18.65, 40 $18.95 2nd box $16.95 Yes, I sure you can find it cheaper from some on line distributor, but, I am not a distributor or have the buy power of a Wal-Mart.

Our rifle ammo is high for the reason the rifle shooter do more damage and wear and tear on our equipment. Most of the damage you see on our carriers/target holders are from rifle shooters. We are constantly repairing and welding the range and we have already replaced the steel backstop ($$$$$)on the rifle side.

Dev: I have no influence on the legislation.
Flipz: I regret that you feel that we rip people off. All I can say is for you to give us another chance, accept my offer for two free weeks at annual members pricing.
Swinokur: Are you related to Henry and Stuart Winokur,? Please accept my offer.
Tkbourc: Thank you for policing your brass, I wish everyone had the same ethical responsibility as you do.

SAFTEY:
We require everyone to watch our safety orientation video and we will go out with you if your are a beginner. Everyone is a RO and can call a Cease Fire at anytime or report any unsafe activity to the staff.

I want to apologize if any of my staff has treated any of you with any disrespect and please bring it to my attention and the matter will be addressed promptly.

Again, I hope all of you will accept my offer and come in for 2 weeks of unlimited range time at annual members pricing. I am sure some of you will still be critical and refuse my offer, but I will keep on trying. Please come and see me personally to redeem your 2 free weeks. This offer will stay open until December 15, 2011.
Dick Gilbert

 

[swinokur]

Maryland Shooters



Swinokur: Are you related to Henry and Stuart Winokur,?

Yes. One and the same.

 

[Norton]

Dick,

Just want to say thanks for being willing to jump in and clarify some things as well as to extend that offer of the 2-week trials to the membership.

It's good to see that there are business owners who are willing to address criticisms head on and try to correct perceptions.

I hope some of the membership will take you up on the invitation and bring back positive feedback.

 

[Zombie_013]

I personally like Gilbert's . It's 10 minutes away from where I live. They are open late and early on the weekends. Usually there is no wait time unless you come on Saturday. The Saturdays are busy times for them . The staff is knowledgeable and at least the ones I talked to seem to know guns and love to chat about them.
I took the NRA's basic hand gun course there and the two volunteers were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Its a bit expensive.. but for a casual shooter llike myself with no farm or friends with a private range its a better deal then spending half of Saturday driving to a range and then waiting fro a chance to shoot.

The fact that you can't bring your own ammo has to do with Montgomery county's progressive rules.

Agree -I love the range and the people. I hate the cost.

 

[Zombie_013]

BTW - I am a member. PM me if you want to go as a guest for free.

 

[sailskidrive]

Hmmmm... I think I'll give Gilberts a try especially if I can shoot my AR Inside during the Winter.

I used to be a member at On Target and would shoot there at least twice a week. Living three miles up the road made the logistics of getting there favorable. However, the last few times I've been there to make a purchase the staff has been very distracted standing in groups at the far left side of the store talking. They could clearly see three of us waiting at the rifle counter but chose to ignore us.

 

[Dogabutila]

I go to gilberts pretty frequently. I've only ever had bad service once, but she was new and I've not seen her since.

TBH, the only real problem they might have is ammo prices. Everything else is just random hate. There was a discussion on ammo costs here

It's more expensive then what you might normally shoot or reload, but it's better ammo then WWB et al as well. Maybe you aren't picky, but I like shooting ammo that is loaded closer to HD levels. My friend shoots WWB from wally world pretty exclusively, and he has SGD 115 +p+ for his HD stuff. Took out 2 mags of the SGD for kicks and he couldn't shoot it well at all because he was too used to the lower powered stuff.

The euro ammo costs a little more, but people have chronoed it at levels pretty close to what you shoot HD.



So, that's my justification as well as being lazy and paying for convenience. I like being able to go and shoot and still have time in my day for other things. If I had to block out a whole day (or a significant portion of it) for shooting I'd never be able to go.