Congratulations.  You just lost me as a potential customer.

Pomerol is a goooooood guy......

Pomerol is a gun monkey (supports the RTKA, been to IRAQ boots on the ground defending freedom, trigger pulling, SAW carring,  2nd amendment is your carry permit cough cough not the flimsy piece of paper the state of VA issues you to carry a gun)  the only thing I have against him is he drinks Light beer..........type of guy.....sorry pom about the light beer comment....


SEG is running IDPA and USPA matches
They sell guns, and are a CLASS III Dealer––>willing to sell to the general public.

Steve Marquez former Special Forces fought defending our country in my book hes an American Hero! I've met the man and hes a regular door kicker/ down to earth type of guy.
Phil Strader is in a short list for being one of the top shooters in the WORLD!
The armorer of SEG is a former Employee of a Top notch AR Manufactor in the US
The operator of the sales department is a former employee of FN one of the largest manufactors of firerarms to the big Green and the general public
Many of the employees their came from places such as shooters paradise/BRA/etc.....

All these guys are beer loving, gun loving, freedom enjoying people....

I will say this...Before SEG there was a serious lack of shooting places in NOVA now there is another convient place to shoot, buy guns, train play with machine guns etc.....


I don't understand the problem

I think it can be summed up as  a "You are not welcome" feeling many of us have from the owners/marketing department. I think a little goodwill at this point from SEG might go a LONG way.

Yeah I'm with you guys, reeks of the "club fed" attitude
I'll pass thanks. I like to frequent the NRA range and the Izaak Walton league where my hobby actually supports noble causes and not someone's egotistical Pee Wee's
playhouse.

Because I don't live in Ashburn anymore and I discoverd really cheap bowling as a way to waste time on my day off.

Hey, I love the training thing since we flat out didn't have any place after Q-town got shut down. And I'd gladly take classes there. But we've got some sort of attitude thing going on. A lot of us were on the fence it seems about the whole "you must be this tall to ride this ride" thing and the whole Obama thing.

Hell, all the RSO here had to say was something like, "hey, they did it just for contracts. They're big 2nd A guys and sometimes you dance with the devil. Sucks, but so it goes."

I've never seen anyone dig a hole like the guys at SEG have done.  As an FFL/SOT (manufacturer) I'd never treat my potential customers the way that SEG has treated people.  When several of my customers and friends told me how the "war hero" treated Dick Heller's attorney, I decided at that point that these were people I wouldn't deal with at all.  After I found out just who they were giving money to, well...

I'll respect the owner for his service to our nation but that doesn't excuse his condescending attitude nor his abusive treatment of the man who got Heller to SCOTUS.  The way that happened was absolutely deplorable.  Sorry, but SEG is not interested in 2nd Amendment rights and with their political leanings show me that they will throw the citizens of this nation under the bus for money.  I for one will not contibute to that atmosphere.  

I would hope that everyone that reads this thread takes the money that they were going to throw away at SEG and donate it to the Heller Foundation in order to push more cases to SCOTUS.

Mike

Up until the last page, I actually wanted to know where this place was at.  After the range 'tool' gave his cute little post, I see no reason to ever darken their doorstep.

BTW, I agree it appears as if they are scrounging for clientele by now attempting to cater to us 'regular folk'.

You absolutely do NOT have to make donations to the Democrats to win .gov contracts.  If that's how you're getting them, I'm sure the GAO would love to hear all about it.

The pseudo-advertising without sponsoring the site also isn't cool.  The rest of us understand the rules here; they ain't exactly rocket science.

Ain't that the truth.  See former Sen. Stevens from AK...Duke Cunningham...Dusty Foggo to name a few.

The OP seems to be hinting at a "pay to play" scheme going on between his employer and the Obama administration. As the recently impeached governor of Illinois has learned, this is illegal. I trust the OP has done the right thing and informed the U.S. Attorney.

Agree - except that it is tough to cater to people you call "armchairs" - I was thinking about trying out SEG this weekend, but now I think I will hold out some.

How about a simple explanation from someone at SEG as to why they contribute to Obama and/or Hillary Clinton?

What's the story there anyway?

I agree with what VA-gunnut and HardRock have said so far.

To this post, let me just say that as far as I can tell and recall, from this thread and the previous longer one, no one from SEG has suggested that those donations were made in a pay to play context. I think the suggestion was originally raised by another member. And if an employee did make the suggestion, I think it's safe to say they speak for themselves. The idea that you could get a big government contract because you gave $2500 to someone's campaign just doesn't add up. That said, these guys have been giving money to anti-gunners at least since 2002 (when the GOP was in power and quite popular), according to that site (though Kate Hanley probably does not have the same anti-gun fervor as those to whom they gave money in 2007 and 2008). I will suggest that these guys are probably just Democrats or RINOs, and when they vote and open their wallets, the 2A isn't on their mind. Guns probably aren't on their mind at all, unless it's in the context of making money. In other words, it isn't that a lot of people think they can buy favor from a potential power broker in Washington, it's that they think one party or another will do more to promote their business interests. Now why anyone would think Democrats are better for your business is beyond me, unless you're in the business of selling red dye...

I guess my point is mainly that if you're going to try to make money from people who hold strong ideological views on a particular issue, you probably shouldn't fund those who are working to undermine the freedoms those potential customers most cherish. If you were running a Catholic Church supply store, would you expect business to boom if you were donating to politicians whose views accord with NARAL and Planned Parenthood?

That kind of leads into the attitude thing. My impression, like others', is that yes, SEG wanted to earn money from two sources: government, which doesn't care about your freedom, and rich people, who can throw enough money to keep their head above water (and rent machine guns) while the rest of us commoners sink in the sea of oppression. Remember in Das Boot, where the British merchant seamen are flailing in the ocean, begging to be pulled aboard the U-Boot? You can save them, just drive away, or machine gun them. A desperate fight is coming, and as gun owners, we're all sailors in this war. Setting up your business for only some people is like driving away from the rest of us. Donating to Hillary and Obama is like pulling the trigger as we tread water. How could you possibly expect us to support you now that you've discovered you don't have enough people aboard to keep your ship running?

(FWIW,  from previous IMs, I get the impression Pomerol is a good guy, maybe he just stuck his foot in his mouth a bit (OK, a lot) here. I'm not defending what he said, just suggesting that when you're Joe Employee, and your employer has this type of thing staining its image, it can be very frustrating trying to convince Joe Customer to come do business with you. When you're working hard to promote a product you love, it's very disheartening to know the guys in the back office think Joe Customer shouldn't be allowed to own the product. Unfortunately, the solution may be to check your ideologies and determine if you really want to be on a boat whose SOP is to machine gun people who could be supporting you. )

I think I'm going to head over there on President's Day. Anyone want to go and bust a cap?

I haven't met this supposed evil owner yet, but everyone else at SEG has been cool so far. The only thing this place is missing is a spa for me to get a manicure when I'm done shooting. Either that or a sports massage prior to shooting so that I can shoot better.

Thought I'd throw in my opinion on your club.  First of all, before this thread, I was interested in going to your range and take a look around and see what all the hype is about.  Only problem is that your website has an address in a picture (very small), but no hours of operation.  I truthfully  had no idea what time you were open so I decided to go to BRA.  I would recommend atleast to change your website up a little and show some information that people would actually need.  Not just pretty pictures.

The people who own this place are, through monetary contributions, demonstrably aiding and abetting *the* enemy of firearms freedoms in our great country. In other words, the dollars patrons spend there are being given to the very people who will stop at nothing to see that this freedom is completely stripped. The hypocrisy is unbelievable and I am totally appalled at how easily this has been accepted by gun owners given what's done with the money you spend there.

Equally appalling are the reasons or attempts to justify spending money there. The notions of "It's a super cool range" or "man, I can shoot idpa here" are somehow allowed to override the fundamental flaw. This clearly does not pass the "sniff test" and I am at a loss for the reason so many people don't seem to understand.

They have cleverly pitted some of "us" against ourselves and we're too enamored by the thought of a "shiny new range" to see it.

Randy

You can take your shoothouse and stuff it. I don't know who Mr. Marquez is, but if he is the type of person willing to donate money to people like Obama and Hillary in order to potentially ensure that his bread stays buttered, then that is an egregious display of lack of integrity. I definitely wont support that with my shooting dollars. Yeah, NRA has many drawbacks, but I tell ya what, I'd wait an hour to shoot at NRA before Id spend a dime to walk right up and blast away at SEG.

I ran by Silver Eagle today.  It's looks pretty good.  The three people at the desk were friendly.  There were about a dozen cars in the parking lot.  They said that full auto is allowed and I believe weapons up through 50 cal.  They told me $25/day or $100/year and $35/month for unlimited use.  I'll give it a try and see how it goes.

While I can't vouche for what Rob said about SEG, I do know Pomerol in real life(gasp..I have a life off the internet) and he is a great guy.  Hell, he invited me to hang out with his family on Thanksgiving.  So don't judge someone who is a little frustrated. I quoted ANGST because the "you are not welcome" feeling was generated here on Arfcom(they way I've seen it)  I know several shooters who visited SEG during their grand opening(and they've never spent a minute on arfcom) and they are not even close to being the richest guys in town, but they had nothing but positive things to say about SEG.

From the little I have browsed here, it seems SEG is reaching out to the shooting community. For awhile I saw at least one new topic a week about a IDPA style shoot and now they have stuff all the way up to 3 gun.

A question to all the haters:  Have you ever stepped foot inside SEG? I know a few have, but really how many have? If you haven't then you need to shut your pie hole and stop making assumptions  based on something you read on the internet(thats not a comment just surrounding this convo, but life in general)

As to the price sure its a few bucks more, but IMO its worth not driving to chantilly or fairfax for BRA or NRA. BRA is convenient for me if I wanna shoot on my lunch break, but not if I wanna shoot on the weekend(pistol and my sbr....I shoot 100-500yd at my places in Purcelville and Winchestor).  SEG is 8-10 minutes from my front door to SEG's front door.  BRA is 20 minutes at best(I can make it there in about 15 on my motorcycle) but more  realistically 25-30 minutes from me. I spend a few hours a week in my car already.  Also getting my gear together to go shoot is time consuming enough as it is, so $10 extra seems kinda worth it in my book.

From first appearance SEG does appear to cater to the "Elite" crowd because they seem to push their platinum membership or whatever its called. That may be their niche' market because no one else that I know of offers it. So I will agree their marketing dept. did push that a bit much. I'll probably shoot at SEG this next pay period, and when I do I'll post up my results and feelings toward the place. I'm not siding with anyone yet, because I've learned to stop making an ass of myself by having pre-conceived notions about stuff

Since you quoted me, I will let you know that I personally spoke with Dario Marquez at the open house for quite a while . I have been shooting there , the staff is GREAT . I was treated well , they were quite professional . The range is great, the RSOs are great, the counter staff is great.

I am not sure that the Marquez's are the ones who want "our" business.

I am thinking that the employees may be the one reaching out to us , as they are sitting around , not seeing much business , and are starting to worry.

Some are wondering if the Marquez's are just waiting until they can get some government contacts for training, then we will be kicked to the curb.

This isn't about how nice the staff are, it's about an attitude catering to the elite (check SEGs own press releases), but who are now seeking out us common folks since the money isn't flowing, as well as the contributions to anti-2A politicians.  I joined the Isaac Walton League and seem to be doing just fine without the gym  and concierge service.  Who knows, maybe SEG can lobby the new administration for all us common folks to store our weapons at their site as a way to help, after all, look how well it worked for the British.

So is anyone going to tell us about how SEG treated Heller's attorney?

I'm paraphrasing here so bear with me.  Dane VonBruchienreichardt (forgive the butchered spelling) went to the open house at SEG to check out the range.  He introduced himself to one of the owners.  All he said was 'Hi, I'm Dane VonBruchienreichardt, attorney for Dick Heller of the DC gun case.'  Before he could say another word, the owner came back with, "We don't get politically involved.  We don't want that kind of attention."  And other comments like that... He cut Dane off time and time again and would not let Dane speak to anyone there and rushed him out the door.  All Dane wanted was to see if he could set up a place where he and Dick Heller could go shoot in relative peace and these guys acted like he was the Devil incarnate himself.  They lost a couple of very good customers for nothing.

Several others there who witnessed the exchange mentioned how things like "get him out of here" was whispered between the owners and some of the staff.

The day after the open house, Dane called me and told me what happened.  He had no idea why he had been treated like that and he didn't know what he had done to cause such a reaction.  I was offended that he would be treated such and decided at that point that I would avoid SEG like the plague.

As I said at the beginning, I am paraphrasing some of the comments as this is from memory.

Mike

This thread should be tacked for a bit.

Dane von Breichenruchardt also spoke at the VCDL Anti-Bloomberg protest in DC last year and is a true leader in the 2nd Amendment fight.

I will NEVER give the Silver Eagle Turkeys ANY of my hard-earned money and will go out of my way to ensure that any of my fellow gun enthusiasts follow suit.

Money to Obama

So, anybody from SEG want to comment on that?

Gilbert's seems to be pretty happy with being politically involved. And they're nice guys. NRA range too.  

Pomerol -

My two main reasons are:

1. Distance - I live in Manassas - the drive to Ashburn for me is just...ugh. i cant stand driving anywhere in Nova anymore...thats not you guys, it's just the area in general.

2. Price is high up there on my list -

other than that...I've had a buddy who lives close by tell me that it's a nice place, with friendly instruction.

If any of this is true, these folks need to be run out of business, and I couldn't give a rat's ass if the owner was Special Forces, donating to Obama has undone all respect I may have had

Edit: This thread needs to be tacked.

I find it hilarious that ANYONE at SEG, whether they be an employee acting of their own accord or officially representing the company, would imply that the cost of shooting at SEG is comparable to 'other ranges in the area'.  They're twice the cost of an hour at the NRA, and something like $8/hour more than BRA.  And BRA is off my list anyway because it's a dump and the owner is another political traitor to the 2A in the name of the almighty dollar.  I strongly believe that these folks assume that once the .gov is done fucking the American gun-owner, all the fudds will still need a place to shoot, so they're covered either way.  Fuck 'em.

As far as I'm concerned, based on almost everything I've seen/read/heard about SEG and BRA, there is only one range in this area that will get my business and that is the NRA.  I'll wait the hour+ to get a lane thanks.

This is me voting with my wallet.

Well Silver Eagles, care to explain why?



If this is even remotely true, your business can tank tomorrow and I wouldn't shed a singe tear.  You can get a bailout from your Dem buddy Obama.



 

Thanks for posting that.  That story plus Pom's comments, above, just made up my mind.  Too bad.

It was billed as this elite country club for shooters and when that didn't pan out, they extended their arm
To the common man.

But if you look on their website (last I checked) info is sparce and difficult to find about walking in and shootig (flash sites = fail)

I've been there, it is a nice place to shoot, don't get me wrong.

But it seems like their advertising (and that it what this thread seems like) must have been put together by HK, "you suck"

Sure they have kinks to work out like seating areas (and the wash off sink in the enterance/exit of the range was a terrible idea)

Will I go back? Possibly

And it is disengenous to "sell" no waits as a "plus" -
What happens if it becomes popular?

And to be fair, as far as the political contributions go...

If their true desired client is .gov they have no real reason to not support the democrats, it speaks to the fact they don't care about the individual right, but more about the govt and their endless flow of cash. I don't see it as a range built for "citizens" - just the govt (goes to who they donate to)

I dunno Hippo...maybe it shouldn't - someone above brought up a pretty good point - the thread seems like advertising. If the people who read and respond to this thread feel so strongly about it, mabe it's better off not to offer free advertising to someone...maybe it's better off to just let it die. We here at VAHTF tend to take care of the people who over the years have taken care of us - Va Arms., NRA, the Old Shooters Paradise, Greentop, Showplace Shows, Nations, etc. etc....and even helped a few new guys break into the business... Somehow, I don't see that happening here... I would like to see some sort of official damage control from an authorized rep. of SEG answer some of the hard questions posed by the VAHTF - certainly before I visit the range.

-tc

Shot there for the first time today. Little awkward  signing in at the front desk and then having to pay for a day pass down the hall at the store. The Range 1 is beautiful. Reminds me of the NRA range. Didn't get a chance to look at the other ranges. It was kinda nice having a RSO around. He was nice and gave pointers to a first time shooter who was with me without being condescending. Other than that he just sat back and watched. The guys working the shop were eager to answer questions but not being annoying about it. Gun and accessory prices were a little steep. All in all a good experience. I'm hoping the range prices will drop in time and the classes will be affordable.

I shot a match there the other month, and had a great time.  Their ranges are excellent, and the cafe idea is terrific.  The only real problem is the cafe has no atmosphere.  It would have been so much cooler if you could drink/eat while overlooking the range.  Instead it has windows facing the parking lot.  

Regardless of that, I'm not shooting at SEG because its too expensive, and too far out of my way.

Lately, whenever I go to the range I've been taking a friend, or my girlfriend with me.  And I just can't fathom paying $15 extra to let a newbie shoot a few rounds through one of my guns.  Its bad enough that its already $25 an hour to shoot.  But to just have someone come along and do more watching than shooting bumps my price up to $40 an hour.  

For that much money I'd rather shoot at BRA or the NRA and spend the extra dough on another box of ammo.  But thats just my opinion.

To boast business they should have a ladies shoot free night.  And dial down the Ex-military type atmosphere.  Do you really need to get buzzed in through the front door?

Ed, you have to be buzzed in to gain entry to the building? That in itself makes it seem like the public is not welcome, at least in my opinion.

Yeah the buzzing in part caught me off guard the day I was checking the place out. I pulled on the door a few times and I was like WTF? There were  a couple guys standing inside debating on whether to open the door for me. Then finally the lady behind the glass buzzed the door open. Was very awkward.
I didn't wait in whatever line was at the door. I just walked back to the shop.

Hold on, let's check the monitor to see if this guy looks like he has enough money.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression that businesses with these types of doors fall into two categories:

1 - Pawn shops in the ghetto
2 - City jewelers who are undermanned and unarmed or who would be outgunned against multiple robbers

Anywhere else, it's just weird.

Yep, I don't know if they always have a buzz in policy.  But the night of the match I was.  Then after signing in I was escorted to a conference room before the match.  Theres no way I couldn't have walked the 25-30 yrds on my own to find the room.  

Since we're discussing SEG.  Has anybody tried purchasing ammo there?  What are their ammo prices like?

Why am I not shooting at SEG?

1) NRA range is on my way home
2) NRA range costs less
3) this thread

I might go there once or twice just to see what it's like.  Maybe.

If all you people refusing to support a local gun range in a very liberal area because they donated money to some libs, you better shut off your computer because Microsoft and IBM donated money to Obama. You better stop using Google because so did they. Better switch banks if you are using Chevy Chase or Citibank and you better stop going to movies and watching TV because Time Warner supported him as well.

You = FAIL

Since when do MS and IBM sell firearms? When did they get into the gun business?

My employer bought my computer, I  don't use Chevy Chase or Citibank, I don't go to the movies, and I don't own a TV.

It appears that a winner is me.