Rant about Gilbert Indoor range

[tchin]

I'm a fairly new member to Gilberts, and i only wish they would open earlier on the weekends. I used to go to Ontarget early on the weekends, I'd shoot and be home before the wife and kids were up and ready to go out. Now, if i want to shoot on the weekends, it has to be right in the middle of the day.

 

[huesmann]

When comparing prices or public ranges (indoor) Gilberts beats NRA, Sharp Shooters, and Blue Ridge. But the 3 I mentioned have one major thing over Gilberts, and that is an RSO is always watching which when at a public range, Which I prefer. Gilberts needs that.

What about Silver Eagle? That's a really nice range.

 

[krztov]

What about Silver Eagle? That's a really nice range.

Yeah but the problem is its too far to go for those of us with kids, if my daughter takes a nap on a Saturday, my wife can chill at the house while I drive 15 minutes to Gilbert, that being said I did like silver eagle (first place I ever shot a gun, thanks to living social)

 

[Darkhorsemwms]

Loves me some On Target

I shoot at On Target twice a month. Great facility, great prices. If you get a membership, you frontload a lot of the cost associated with non-member range fees. Membership = shoot long, shoot a lot, shoot often. Well worth it.

When I shoot the long guns, its Hap Baker for me. Good prices, good RO's and a really nice facility. Just my 2 cents.

 

[gmhowell]

Silver Eagle looks like about an extra $10/session for me due to the extra gas, not to mention the time to get there.

 

[krztov]

Just ran 100 rounds after we put daughter to bed, quick and painless as always, got there at 830

 

[iobidder]

What about Silver Eagle? That's a really nice range.

Nice range and friendly staff, but far and very pricey!

 

[MikeH]

I took my brothers-in-law and my son there yesterday. Place was more crowded that I'd imagine on a Tuesday afternoon. The last time either in-law shot a gun was when they served in the Taiwan Army over 20~30 years ago. Both had a blast, particularly with my AR-15. They didn't care too much for the CZ-75B and M1911A1 I also brought along, though. I had to return unused handgun ammo to the counter and get more .223.

The ammo bill did give both a sticker shock, though.

 

[iobidder]

Been meaning to go back...no time

 

[AliasNeo07]

Sorry forgot "IMO"

It is cheaply made, a ton of duds if you buy it in bulk. No it is not Russian ammo level, but don't compare it to Speer.

I've never gotten a dud in the 2k 9mm or 200 380 fiocci I've shot. For that matter though, I've never had a "dud" with any centerfirr cartridge including thousands of WWB, FIOCCI, S&B, blazer, Federal...etc

In a similar vein, I would argue it's not apples to oranges to compare something like XM193 bulk to XM193 boxed. The quality difference is huge.

How so?

 

[iobidder]

To each his own, remember, it is not always quantity, but rather quality too. I even shot Black Hills Seconds .223 ammo to run through my AR15 and had zero issues as compared to Remington which for me almost always gives me issues. For Duty I use Black Hills 5.56 TSX Barnes 55gr. I mean Fiocci is what it is, cheap enough to shoot at a range but certainly wouldn't call it reliable.


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[MikeH]

I went to Gilbert's yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised that ammo prices haven't gone up yet. All calibers are still available. There is a 50-round purchase limit for .223, though, and employees aren't allowed to buy.

 

[huesmann]

Do they actually have 25- or 50-round boxes? Last time I was there (admittedly weeks ago) they only had 20-rd boxes.

 

[Ruger556]

Another Squid! Maybe we'll have a majority soon.

Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
Richard Winters: We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded....

 

[iobidder]

Do they actually have 25- or 50-round boxes? Last time I was there (admittedly weeks ago) they only had 20-rd boxes.

It is only 20rd boxes

 

[huesmann]

So how do they have a 50-round limit when they have 20-round boxes?

 

[Mavourneen]

I get to shoot once a month at FIL's farm up in Frederick, but when I can with my limited time, I go to Gilbert's first thing in the morning on Saturdays and there generally is no issue getting in. I don't fuss too much about the ammo prices / buying theirs, and every time I've had a question Brian or one of the other guys there knows or finds out the answer.

I also took my NRA Basic Pistol class there ( my intro to guns ) and my instructor was fabulous. High recommend to any man whose wife would like to learn the basics. I felt comfortable and not treated like a complete noob.

The 2nd or 3rd time I was there was a Friday night, and 2 completely inexperienced young women showed up at the range to shoot. They had on sparkly nightclub type sequin blouses and heels - really dressed inappropriately. I eyed them through the glass and nudged my husband to get his attention. He had seen them, too. They disappeared to watch the video and 30 minutes later, I caught them as they left the range. I went back to shooting. As we left, I asked the employee who I saw attending to them what had happened. He let me know that after watching the video twice - they both failed the test and Gilbert's declined to give them range time. I was glad they didn't just take their money and let them shoot. They were completely unprepared and absolutely dressed inappropriately.

I do agree with other posters that they need more employees to tend to the lanes during peak times. It gets cluttered with trash and spent casings are everywhere. You know it's bad when you take the push broom and sweep around the area to help others out. Also, having this person double as RSO would be good. Getting a free employee's attention during peak times is near impossible if you have an issue at your lane.

Also, the staff at the counter sometimes forgets where they are, and you see people eating pizza, texting, etc. But these minor complaints don't keep me from going there. I've read through this entire thread, and I'm really glad to see this thread has become much more positive in the past year. It sounds like they have improved things.

 

[MikeH]

Stopped by Gilbert's this evening to do a little shooting, and saw that ammo rationing has gotten more severe. IIRC:

.223 Rem - 1 box, annual members only
.40 - 1 box
9mm - 2 boxes per gun per day

I was a bit confused with their policy on 9mm. I brought two 9mm handguns with me, but they only sold me 2 boxes. So it's pretty much 2 boxes per head.

Not their fault, but it really sucks.

 

[Mavourneen]

Stopped by Gilbert's this evening to do a little shooting, and saw that ammo rationing has gotten more severe. IIRC:

.223 Rem - 1 box, annual members only
.40 - 1 box
9mm - 2 boxes per gun per day

I was a bit confused with their policy on 9mm. I brought two 9mm handguns with me, but they only sold me 2 boxes. So it's pretty much 2 boxes per head.

Not their fault, but it really sucks.

Wow, I haven't been there in about a while. That's terrible.

 

[2flhun]

If ammo dries up more than it has, I wonder if they would let us bring our own? I'd go through the magnet check.