Clark Brothers Gun Shop

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

EDITORS NOTE: I had properly paragraphed this review prior to publishing it. Google, however, will not allow page breaks. I apologize in advance for their lack of formatting support. On with the review.. I havent been to Clark Brothers for a couple years, but today was a nice day for outdoor shooting. I decided to stop by, bringing two female, first-time shooters with me. None of us live nearby, so we decided to carpool and take the 1 hour trip down. They were excited to get some trigger time in and trying something new, and I was excited to try out some new equipment. Before we left, I remembered their policy about using their ammo only at the range, so I brought some ammo with me that I purchased from them a couple years ago that they no longer stock. As soon as we arrived, I also bought $50 worth of their overpriced ammo in the store. After leaving the store and entering the range area, I immediately had my shooting bag searched by the "range officer" for ammo inspection. This was something new that I had not seen before, ever, at any range. "Any range" for me would be Quantico, Silver Eagle, Blue Ridge Arsenal, NRA Range, and Gilbert. That pretty much sums up every public range in the northern Virginia area. I explained to the range officer I would be firing a shotgun and a couple rifles. One rifle is chambered in .308, and the other is chambered in 300 BLK. After verifying that I had brought ammo purchased from them, I was cleared to use their range. Both of my female companions looked bewildered as this complete stranger rifled through my personal belongings. I pretended as though this was normal range officer behavior and just smiled. The first few rounds fired went without incident. Upon firing one magazine of my older ammo that is no longer stocked there, I was quickly approached by the same range officer. Puzzled, I looked at him as he pointed his finger in my face and said that the ammo I was shooting was not theirs. I quickly attempted to explain to him that it was in fact their ammo, I had simply purchased it a couple years back. Before I could finish my sentence, he started pointing in my face again and told me that he gave me the benefit of the doubt, and if I were to keep talking, I would be kicked off the range and told not to return. He then stated he would "let this slide" but to not do it again. Even after following all of their silly rules, a range officer had the nerve to be completely rude and asinine about our visit. Needless to say, all three of us were disappointed with his impudent, childish behavior. This type of experience exemplifies the stereotype associated with gun stores and gun ranges, and is a step backward for the shooting sports. First impressions mean everything, and this imbecile certainly made one for all of us. This experience will be cross-posted among several online forums so that others may be informed of the type of treatment to expect while visiting their establishment. We have permanently boycotted this establishment and would recommend the same to anyone else we may come in contact with. Bottom line: When you see that brown bear on Route 29, turn around. You have far better options out there.

A

A Private User

I just came home from spending 4.5 hours and $120 on ammo and targets at Clark Brothers Gun shop. I WILL be returning to this range/shop! 4/5 stars. LIKE: HUGE selection of ammunition, new & used guns, magazines/clips, accessories, etc. Friendly and helpful staff - I came here with 3 inexperienced shooters and the range officer walked over and offered friendly advice and pointers for my newbie friends. Heck, I learned a thing or two, and I used to shoot "expert" in pistol with the Navy! The range is free to use as long as you buy your ammo and targets there, but if you shoot .22LR rimfire like I do, you will save a TON of money by shooting here vs. Blue Ridge Arsenal, NRA, or Sharpshooters up in NoVA. 525 round box of Federal bulk was marked up by $8 per box over what Id pay at Walmart, but a) I didnt have to go to Walmart for the ammo, b) that was essentially an $8 range fee for myself and my 3 friends, and we could shoot as long as we wanted to (as opposed to the $20 + $30 (10x3) it would have cost plus ammo at Blue Ridge Arsenal). Cease fires were observed and there were no potentially dangerous moments on the firing line. Very laid back atmosphere, and friendly people! (My girlfriend and I were offered a chance to shoot our lane neighbors 9mm) On the rifle side, theres a 100 yard backstop, which is great for rifle shooting! It was my first opportunity to shoot my Ruger 10/22 at that distance, and there were additional target positions at 25 and 50 yards. Again, friendly people - my newbies were offered a chance to try a Mosin Nagant, a 1903 Springfield, and an AR15. NO LIKE: No rapid fire allowed, even on the pistol line, and even if it was clear you are both accurate & safe (though after I asked him, the rangemaster let me fire 10 rounds quickly from my Beretta .22, all rounds in the "X" ring at 7 yards). There were a lot of inexperienced shooters on the line, and some of them werent shooting from as far forward on the line as they should have been - as a result, I kept "catching brass" from the newbies with a .45 in the lane to my left, one of which burned my neck pretty bad. Minus 1 star for the rangemaster not making them move forward! (Just kidding!) OTHER STUFF: Some of their Glock pistols were well below MSRP, and some of their AR15 rifles were priced above MSRP, so depending on what youre buying, do your homework on pricing and you might save a few bucks by shopping there, or by realizing that you can find it for cheaper elsewhere! Its kinda far away from where I live (Alexandria VA), so thats a bummer. BOTTOM LINE: My newbie shooters liked the place, and had a positive first time shooting experience. As an experienced shooter, I liked the range a lot! It offered me a one-stop shop for pistol, rifle, and shotgun practice at a very reasonable cost. I wish Clark Brothers was closer so I could shoot there more often, but its a great place to spend a while with your gun and some friends.

DA

Darrin Nunyah

Most gun stores are rude, but even for a gun store, this place takes the cake. Its cramped, claustrophobic and the wait on a weekend just to check out is far too long. But this place becomes ridiculously annoying when you make the mistake of using their gun range. First, its the only range to which Ive been where they require you to use ammunition purchased at their store. They search your bags/box when you enter the range like you were a crack smuggler (to ensure you possess no competitors ammunition). I had 3 boxes of ammunition in my ammo can for a weapon that I didnt even have in my possession that day, and the guy acted as if I was trying to be sneaky by smuggling it in for someone else. But just when you get that bit of drama out of the way, you enter the Range Nazis zone. Now, I will tell you here that I grew up in a very armed family, hunted since I was old enough to aim a rifle, served in the military for 23 years and own enough weapons to hold off a small platoon for the better part of a day, so Ive seen my fair share of ranges in my time. Range safety officers have an obligation to ensure the safety of the range users. There are repercussions for ignoring range safety rules. I get it. However, a young boy of about 15 firing next to me made the mistake of touching his weapon (bumped it while getting up from his prone perch), which brought the range officer down to yell at him. No one was down range, and most were still lying or sitting where they had been firing when the bump occurred, Well, the range officer lit into the kid for the better part of ten minutes as we all lay there watching this guy call the kid names and yell at the top of his lungs. -Not that these safety measures were to be ignored but geez, why ramble on in a long tirade for almost a quarter of an hour? Tell the kid what he did wrong and get it out of the way already, or if someone does something so heinous, send them off the range, but dont waste everyones time. He did this two more times; each time bringing him down to waste another 10 minutes. It took him nearly 10 minutes to get out what he could have said in 10 seconds, and the range was far over-crowded, with many people leaving because of not being able to get on the range. Anyway, the whole experience at Clark Brothers left me feeling really tense, which is exactly the opposite of how you should feel after a session at a gun range. Do yourself a favor and visit one of the other local ranges. You dont need the aggravation.