hubby11

Hi, fairly new to hunting in Virginia and am just about to take up muzzleloading. I'm having a hard time finding any decent hunting shop in the DC area, other than the dreaded D I C K S. I know that there it a Gander Mtn about an hour south and a Bass Pro Shop near Baltimore. I was hoping that there was at least one local shop where they know what they are talking about, especially with regard to muzzleloading. Any help appreciated.

Steve

rick64

What part of NOVA? There's BPS's off I95south of Baltimore and north of Richmond. Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg. You might think about joining athe IWLA or other club that has a range, the members are good source of info. There's gun shops all over NOVA, you can try Clark Bros., near Warrenton. They can help you and they have a range, but their prices are high.

hubby11

I am talking about the immediate DC area, Fairfax county. I know about Gander, Bass Pro Shops and Clarks Bros, all of which are at least an hour away in different directions. I was holding out for the slim possibility that there was a decent gun shop in Fairfax county that catered to hunting in general and ML specifically, instead of being stocked up with a bunch balistic nylon products for the SWAT wannabe.

It would be nice to hit a store after work rather than devoting at least three hours on the weekend to getting to one of the three above.

rem700man

hubby11
other than the chain stores you already listed there aint much,,,,i have always wanted to open a place here in the fairfax manassas area that catered to hunters and hunters only and if things work out i will do it within the next 3 years(no help to you now),,,,, but it seems like all the gun shops have a gleam in their eye for the local police force,,,carrying products that cater to them with a few odd ball items showing up in their used inventory that may attract us hunters. Taking up muzzleloading will be one of the most fun things you have ever done,,,i have shot most on the market from the old flintlocks to the new thompson center encores and finding the load that your gun likes is nothing but fun. I currently own the t/c encore,,,i would'nt trade this gun for anything,,,i shoot the 250 grain shockwave and 2 50 grain triple 7 pellets with winchester primers and i get rifle like accuracy at 100 yards,,,if im on my game i can put 3 shots in the bullseye all touching everytime,,,,that gun just gives me confidence!!! and to top this all off,,,i paid 250.00 for it at a local pawn shop in manassas,,,the guy at the counter did'nt know what he had and i just happened to be the lucky guy to walk in and see it sitting there,,,,so keep your eyes outat the local pawn shops for deals,,,most in the area put new guns out on tuesdays,,,i make it a point to take "the loop" every tues. night on the way home just to see whats new on the rack,,,if you need any help or info. there is all kinds of guys with unlimited knowledge on here about muzzleloaders in the muzzleloading section and i will help with anything i can,,,,,,,,,good luck

hubby11

Rem700man, thanks for the info. I am waiting for my Omega X7 to arrive by mail and wanted to hit the ground running with some supplies. As you said, it seams every store in the area caters to the "black webbing tactical" crowd. I even went to the Nation's Gun Show in Dulles last week. Only one booth had inlines. Looks like mail order is the way to go.

I decided to get into MLs for the extra few weeks of deer season but am pretty sure I will get sucked into the whole aspect of working up different loads. My limiting factor seems to be finding a range that is not too far away. I have so far just used Clark Bros (about 50 min from my house in Clifton).

Curious, where do you do your range work?

Steve

VA5326

Hubby, do yourself a favor and devote the time on the weekend anddrive to Green Top which is close to the Bass Pro Shop just North of Richmond. They are the best and closest around the area as NoVA has nothing to offer. They know what theY're doing too and will steer you in the rightdirection. All the guys that work at Green Top; hunt, fish, shoot, etc.etc.Hands down bestcustomer service in the area.

rem700man

hubby11:
i moved out to marshall a while back and i do most of the range work right off my back deck. If the neighbors are busy outside i usually go to clark bros just to keep their good graces if ya know what i mean but their not around much,,,they use this place behind me as a 2nd home,,,maybe we can hook up for some range time once ya get yer stuff together
Mike

hubby11

Thanks again for all the advice.

VA5326, looks like I am south bound to check out the Green Top when I get the time.

rem700man, thanks for the offer, I may take you up on it once I get some idea of what I am doing.

crenshaw

you can also check out Loudoun Guns in Leesburg. They have everything T/C and i think a bunch of Knight guns too. They are about the only place in the area that will have more hunting guns then M&P stuff. There prices are fairly good too, and Leesburg isnt that far if you take the Greenway and pay the toll. Its a good shop, might not have all the stuff, but if your looking to buy a gun and deal with people who know there stuff its a good bet.

Ron Duval

removed by RD