iobidder
1 point'er
In the new year...kinda stupid since people flock on the weekends and they thought they would lose money if MIL can shoot for free on weekends.
Rant about Gilbert Indoor range
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In the new year...kinda stupid since people flock on the weekends and they thought they would lose money if MIL can shoot for free on weekends.
Lou45
R.I.P.
Hey, that's only three days MIL can't shoot for free; they still have the other four days.
Didn't mean to cause a ruckus over the ammo (Ford VS Chevy syndrome), just trying to exemplify the ammo pricing Gilbert's has for the one year stent is not at all a bad deal.
Maybe I should have Gilbert put me on his payroll when I get down there soon in the not too distant future...............
Gilbert Indoor Range
Gilbert Indoor Range
- Nov 20, 2011
- 16
iobidder,
Before anyone criticizes our policy, ask yourself what you have done lately (besides those who have served) for the Wounded Warriors or Military. I have extended this courtesy for over ten years to the WW & Mil and have personally contributed tens of thousand of dollars towards their benefit. If any of you guys can top that God Bless You!
The sad fact is that I only can accommodate so many shooters at one time and Fri Sat & Sun is packed. It is unfortunate that we had to change the policy, but, we have to give priority to our members that paid to use the range.
We are a business and yes, we have to make a profit so we can have programs like ours for the WW & Mil. I do not know of a single range that has a policy similar to ours.
Maybe, in the summer time when it slows down we can go back to 7 days a week.
Before anyone criticizes our policy, ask yourself what you have done lately (besides those who have served) for the Wounded Warriors or Military. I have extended this courtesy for over ten years to the WW & Mil and have personally contributed tens of thousand of dollars towards their benefit. If any of you guys can top that God Bless You!
The sad fact is that I only can accommodate so many shooters at one time and Fri Sat & Sun is packed. It is unfortunate that we had to change the policy, but, we have to give priority to our members that paid to use the range.
We are a business and yes, we have to make a profit so we can have programs like ours for the WW & Mil. I do not know of a single range that has a policy similar to ours.
Maybe, in the summer time when it slows down we can go back to 7 days a week.
I joined the range yesterday! The sign-up/checkin process was painless, the staff was friendly, pleasant and helpful. The lanes were fairly empty (3:45p) and I put a 100rds through my AR and 100rds through my .40 sig. Check out was painless, minus the large bill for signing up (expected) and again quick.
I'm looking forward to being able to go shoot 15 min away vs 45 to on-target. (I just want to add- my only complaint about on-target is location relative to my residence, which isn't a valid complaint. )
The zombies took a pretty good beating yesterday!
-Matt
I'm looking forward to being able to go shoot 15 min away vs 45 to on-target. (I just want to add- my only complaint about on-target is location relative to my residence, which isn't a valid complaint. )
The zombies took a pretty good beating yesterday!
-Matt
iobidder
1 point'er
Hey, no critism, just an observation, and one I happen to disagree with. I can't see a VET walking in to your range on a Sat after a year long deployment and find this out only for you or someone on your staff to turn them away. I know I couldn't do it. Otherwise in general, keep up the good work, I am a happy member, staff is overwhelmed at times, but great to deal / chat with overall. Plus it gave me the opportunity to make a lot of Rockville PD friends! Oh and Fred is great guy with a plethora of experience!
Gilbert Indoor Range
Gilbert Indoor Range
- Nov 20, 2011
- 16
Thanks for the comments and observations which are always helpful, it is the only way we can improve our service. Also, thanks for being a member and I will pass the word to Fred.
We would never turn away a vet returning from deployment or a WW if they happen to come in on a Fri, Sat or Sun.
We would never turn away a vet returning from deployment or a WW if they happen to come in on a Fri, Sat or Sun.
Dogabutila
Ultimate Member
- Dec 21, 2010
- 2,362
For a first post brand spanking new member? Yes.
Gilberts has gotten really busy on the weekends with their new shooter promotions, new membership levels and ammo pricing. The wounded warrior program is still great. It's just restricted to the less crowded times. They also collect unfinished boxes of ammo and let the WW shooters use the ammo for free.
Maybe they should update the wounded warrior sign on the door to list the hours of the program?
- Feb 27, 2012
- 322
Gilberts experience
Mr. Gilbert,
I bought a standard annual membership as it's the only indoor range in the county and is fairly convenient. I shot there for the first time about a month back. Went on a Friday afternoon, wasn't a wait, but I didn't have the most pleasant experience possible.
I rented a Kimber .45 and put some rounds down range. Here's what I found.
The rental had a non-Kimber mag (which I didn't find out until I returned the piece) and this apparently makes a huge difference. I had to clear the weapon about every five-ten rounds because of improperly fed rounds. Not fun.
Then the target sled stopped accepting programing so I had to leave the line to find a RO who did the technical equivalent of slapping the box and jiggling the power cable to get it to work again briefly. I had to go out and get him a second time minutes later, and this time he called a cease fire to retrieve my target to move it to another lane. One in which it appeared that the motor for the target sled was being worked on, the case was open and at about my head height on the right side of the lane. I'm a fairly tall guy and had to be wary of hitting it as I moved in and out of the lane to get and put up my targets.
Over all, the range was cluttered with empty boxes of ammo and other trash on the tables behind the lanes. There was no signage indicating where to find cardboard to tape the targets to.
I don't think these issues are anything that any range doesn't face. But how you handle them is what separates the men from the boys. Proper equipment maintenance encourages shooters to keep the range clear and safe. Empty trash cans encourage shooters to properly dispose of their trash. Easy to find tape dispensers reduce clutter.
And there's more to customer service than just being pleasant behind the counter. Keeping things organized, turning around paperwork quickly, just generally being efficient and not ignoring people as they enter goes much farther to keeping your members happy than ammo discounts.
Also, having a RSO behind the lanes at all times would be beneficial. Sure, when you're slow there's not much for him/her to do, but knowing that help is one step back, not 15 feet and two doors away, would again give shooters a better feeling about how the range is run over all. As long as there is one shooter on the line, there should be a RSO back there with them.
I will personally, gladly, pay more for ammo or membership fees if I think I'm getting the best service possible -- that the range cares about my experience and wants to make it as enjoyable as possible. But as it stands now, I'm wondering if the NRA range is worth the cost of gas.
Mr. Gilbert,
I bought a standard annual membership as it's the only indoor range in the county and is fairly convenient. I shot there for the first time about a month back. Went on a Friday afternoon, wasn't a wait, but I didn't have the most pleasant experience possible.
I rented a Kimber .45 and put some rounds down range. Here's what I found.
The rental had a non-Kimber mag (which I didn't find out until I returned the piece) and this apparently makes a huge difference. I had to clear the weapon about every five-ten rounds because of improperly fed rounds. Not fun.
Then the target sled stopped accepting programing so I had to leave the line to find a RO who did the technical equivalent of slapping the box and jiggling the power cable to get it to work again briefly. I had to go out and get him a second time minutes later, and this time he called a cease fire to retrieve my target to move it to another lane. One in which it appeared that the motor for the target sled was being worked on, the case was open and at about my head height on the right side of the lane. I'm a fairly tall guy and had to be wary of hitting it as I moved in and out of the lane to get and put up my targets.
Over all, the range was cluttered with empty boxes of ammo and other trash on the tables behind the lanes. There was no signage indicating where to find cardboard to tape the targets to.
I don't think these issues are anything that any range doesn't face. But how you handle them is what separates the men from the boys. Proper equipment maintenance encourages shooters to keep the range clear and safe. Empty trash cans encourage shooters to properly dispose of their trash. Easy to find tape dispensers reduce clutter.
And there's more to customer service than just being pleasant behind the counter. Keeping things organized, turning around paperwork quickly, just generally being efficient and not ignoring people as they enter goes much farther to keeping your members happy than ammo discounts.
Also, having a RSO behind the lanes at all times would be beneficial. Sure, when you're slow there's not much for him/her to do, but knowing that help is one step back, not 15 feet and two doors away, would again give shooters a better feeling about how the range is run over all. As long as there is one shooter on the line, there should be a RSO back there with them.
I will personally, gladly, pay more for ammo or membership fees if I think I'm getting the best service possible -- that the range cares about my experience and wants to make it as enjoyable as possible. But as it stands now, I'm wondering if the NRA range is worth the cost of gas.
Gilbert Indoor Range
Gilbert Indoor Range
- Nov 20, 2011
- 16
Speaker2wolves
Thank you for you comments, without them we cannot strive to improve our services. As for the maintenance of our carriers it is a never ending endeavor. The carriers are checked prior to opening and repaired as necessary. Most of the problems are from shooters hitting the carriers and tracks, particularly those using rifle rounds. If you notice there are hardly any issues on the pistol side (left side). We have been looking into purchasing another carrier system that can withstand the constant punishment of the rifle rounds. However, the carrier systems that we have looked into purchasing have additional concerns.
The cardboard on the carriers are inspected every morning and replaced if necessary. We do place rolls of tape out every morning, but people tend to put them in their bags and take them home.
The range meticulously cleaned every night with a heapa vacuum and zamboni and will work on keeping the trash cans emptied during the day. We do expect members to police their own brass.
Our rental firearms are cleaned and checked on a regular basis.
As for the RSO, every member of the range is a considered an RSO and anyone can call a cease fire or call out an unsafe action. This is one of reasons why we make everyone watch our video and take our test. We feel that is best to have everyone to be a RSO and safe, then just to have one person walking the line. In addition, we ask what level of experience the shooter is, if they are a beginner we will go out with them and make sure they are safe. If we feel the shooter is unsafe, they will not be allowed to continue without further training, we want to insure the person next to you is safe. We will explore and formulate a procedure in regards to the RSO.
I do appreciate your comments and will address your concerns to our staff, please contact me personally the next time you come in(that is if you do) and would like to discuss with you any other concerns.
Dick
Thank you for you comments, without them we cannot strive to improve our services. As for the maintenance of our carriers it is a never ending endeavor. The carriers are checked prior to opening and repaired as necessary. Most of the problems are from shooters hitting the carriers and tracks, particularly those using rifle rounds. If you notice there are hardly any issues on the pistol side (left side). We have been looking into purchasing another carrier system that can withstand the constant punishment of the rifle rounds. However, the carrier systems that we have looked into purchasing have additional concerns.
The cardboard on the carriers are inspected every morning and replaced if necessary. We do place rolls of tape out every morning, but people tend to put them in their bags and take them home.
The range meticulously cleaned every night with a heapa vacuum and zamboni and will work on keeping the trash cans emptied during the day. We do expect members to police their own brass.
Our rental firearms are cleaned and checked on a regular basis.
As for the RSO, every member of the range is a considered an RSO and anyone can call a cease fire or call out an unsafe action. This is one of reasons why we make everyone watch our video and take our test. We feel that is best to have everyone to be a RSO and safe, then just to have one person walking the line. In addition, we ask what level of experience the shooter is, if they are a beginner we will go out with them and make sure they are safe. If we feel the shooter is unsafe, they will not be allowed to continue without further training, we want to insure the person next to you is safe. We will explore and formulate a procedure in regards to the RSO.
I do appreciate your comments and will address your concerns to our staff, please contact me personally the next time you come in(that is if you do) and would like to discuss with you any other concerns.
Dick
nope. But it's cheaper.
- Feb 27, 2012
- 322
Mr Gilbert,
Thank you for taking the time to reply, I'll be sure to ask for you the next time I stop in.
iobidder
1 point'er
I do want to address some things that you mentioned being that I too am an annual LE member, and there are some areas of concern.
1)To avoid the cost of tape, a lot of other ranges hand you a staple gun and you must give it back to retrieve your license or ID upon exiting. Another option, Some ranges do this too, affix via a small chain the staple to each booth.
2)As far as an RSO, there is no argument there, you all have been pretty busy and the need for an RSO is there. And when I say an RSO, I mean not just because they work behind the counter that qualifies them as an RSO, but a real one. As a human being it bothers me the amount of people there lacking experience and how they handle their weapon being either a handgun or rifle as such, and to mitigate that would be an RSO making sure that people are aware of their surroundings. I shoot with a lot of fellow Police and now we are forced to wear our vests with Police markings because we want to make people aware that we are there, and we are watching. It takes away from the atmosphere of shooting in general. Another thing, it would potentially eliminate the need for 2 person rental and could potentially allow 1 person to come in...
3)Most of the people I see shooting at your target holders are those security guards that come in the 'qualify'. Perhaps being that Gilberts has a contract with them, you could maybe make them liable to some degree. Just a thought.
Dogabutila
Ultimate Member
- Dec 21, 2010
- 2,362
^
I'm a little bit scared of the security guards sometimes. The groupon and living social people are okay for the most part, but the security guards sometimes have a little bit of carelessness because of experience. If that makes any sense.
I'm a little bit scared of the security guards sometimes. The groupon and living social people are okay for the most part, but the security guards sometimes have a little bit of carelessness because of experience. If that makes any sense.
iobidder
1 point'er
krztov
Active Member
The bring a friend rental thing is probably my biggest gripe, was bigger of a gripe before I bought my first pistol because I had to convince a friend to come with me and pay etc, just to see what I liked for purchase. I think it should at least be waived for annual members
Dogabutila
Ultimate Member
- Dec 21, 2010
- 2,362
They are too comfortable (used to?) having the weapons with them and are thus occasionally careless about being safe with them // lose respect for the weapon and handle them carelessly.
Them not being able to shoot is a completely different matter. I've known people who can shoot well and handle firearms in an unsafe manner just as I've known people who couldn't shoot well and handle them in a safe manner.
iobidder
1 point'er
No arguing that, but I guess in this case, they go hand in hand, and that worries me when I go there.
