Great to see that we have a large, nicely designed new range option.
Great to see that we have a large, nicely designed new range option.
Nice facilities. Makes me wish I lived closer to Manassas. I can't justify driving 45 minutes each way when there is an indoor range 5 minutes from my house.
Pure "Xmas gun" enthusiasm, which'll fade. No different than the influx of N. Year's Resolution enthusiasm at gyms; burst at the beginning of the year that fades quickly. Add to that: the Dulles goon-show within the same time-frames; folks buy stuff there, then Dukes of Hazzard their way to every range in NoVA to muzzle-sweep everybody they can before being stopped.Originally Posted by Mjohn3006
To date, I've had to wait once at ESS, this past Saturday evening, and it was a whopping 10min.
Great facility. Personally, I think it's a bit too damned warm, but....
Went to ESS for the first time today.
It's an incredibly classy place. Clearly the owners spent a lot of money making it feel high class. Staff was friendly and professional, but some need further seasoning. One RO spent a couple minutes talking to a shooter who had a loaded gun pointed cross-range on his table and the RO never even noticed it.
They require you to pass a safety demonstration test if you want to draw from aiwb. An RO made me clear my pistol then watched me draw and reholster. Entire process took a minute and was zero problem. He was very friendly about it. There was no sense that they would rather me do something else.
Target system is identical to the NRA's, which is no surprise as the chief guy at ESS was the chief guy at NRA when they got the new system. It's outstanding.
If the wait times on the weekend are short compared to the NRA, it would be worth the extra 15min each way for me to get there. I've basically given up shooting on weekends during cold & hot months (I have access to a reserved bay at Peacemaker when the weather is nice). This could give me more options for planning my practice schedule.
The proximity to Dulles Airport (IAD) and the Courtyard Marriott a mile from the facility make it an ideal spot for hosting classes, which is intended in the future.
This is a lot closer to me, please let me know if you need a training buddy on the weekends.
#RESIST
FWIW: I would encourage folks to go a few miles west and stay at the Hampton Inn in Gainesville, rather than in Manassas.
Hampton Inn Gainesville-Haymarket
7300 Atlas Walk Way
Gainesville, VA 20155
I started going over there in December. I had been fed up with the previous facility in Ashburn for a while, and was glad to take our colleagues advice to avoid dealing with that particular group and give the new business patronage.
Uniformly excellent experience. Great build out, attentive staff, and a lower than usual derp factor among the patrons. A few tense moments here and there when it got very busy, especially with new shooters trying out recent purchases, but addressed quickly enough and nothing nearly of the routine measure of unsafe behavior which has caused issues at other ranges in the area (other than NRA).
Any thoughts on the relatively positive spin that Washington Post put on this? My guess is they are looking at their subscriber base and demographics are changing due to more women shooting and a change in attitude about guns due to the last Supreme Court rulings.
Cody
That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state;
No, the Post is resolutely antigun and will remain that way.
#RESIST
Since Bezos took over, they've definitely changed their public messaging on guns, especially now that Volokh is part of the Post.
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