The Marksman

I know quite a few people that patronize The Marksman and finally decided check it out for myself. I was greeted promptly and all of my questions/concerns were readily addressed. Ultimately, the primary reason I would recommend this as a choice training facility for enthusiasts and novices alike is JuanΓÇöheΓÇÖs an impeccable trainer, patient, personable and professional. IΓÇÖm a customer for life.

2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago

3 weeks ago

Awesome gun range with friendly and knowledgeable staff.

a month ago

It's a fun place

2 months ago

Called this morning to see closing time and what I can shoot. I got there 2 hours before closing time and the last employee was pulling off as I pulled in and the building fully locked down. They close at 6,I got there at 4. I drove an hour for nothing. Sorry to hear about your loss.with that being said: 11/19/2024 returned today and had the opportunity to use the range. Totally unimpressed. This is a low level range.The staff is rude and lack personality. There's a young man with pubestache who instead of greeting me immediately yelled " what's in the bag?!" Uh a gun duh and I've already spoken to staff you're alittle late. Atleast he had some spunk,the remaining staff seemed dead inside. The actual range itself was small. Very tight stalls. Brass all over the place.poor ventilation.gets hot quick.old school hand crank targets held on by wooden clothes pins. It's very dark in there. There's very few ranges in the area so my recommendation doesn't matter however, It certainly isn't my favorite.

3 months ago

Straightforward from the beginning. Ask questions, finished shooting and then left. Short and simple.

3 months ago

They rented the wrong gun to me, then refused to accept responsibility or even apologize for the mistake. To clarify, I've never owned a handgun that fires in the .45 caliber, and wanted to rent one to try it out and get a feel for it. I walk in the door, and the man at the front was very nice to me. We'll call him Mr. Mustache. We chat for a bit, and laughed. He was fun. When my father eventually catches up, he signs and completes his paperwork to use the range (he brought his own gun). Being my turn, I tell the other man in the store, we'll call him Mr. Ponytail, that I'm interested in trying out something compact that fires 45s, because I'm interested in owning a .45 caliber for conceal carry purposes. Instead of recommending me a firearm or doing anything helpful, he simply gestures broadly at the glass case and says "we've got what we've got." So after looking through the guns and asking a few questions, I request the Glock chambered in .45. He reaches in, pulls out 'a' Glock, and then I fill out the paperwork and get checked out. The total came to over $50. Only after going to the range, firing my bullets, and coming back, does he decide to inform me that the gun he gave me was not a Glock chambered in .45, which they clearly have in the case, but rather "a Glock 45, chambered in .9mm." His exact words. When I asked why he gave me this gun, when I clearly articulated at the beginning that I wanted to shoot a .45 caliber gun, he was dismissive and deflective. He claimed "that's the one you pointed at." To be perfectly clear, I only ever pointed at one gun in the case. It was a Beretta, and that was to ask what exactly it was, since it didn't have a visible card identifying it. I won't be returning. I came for the sole and explicit purpose of trying out a .45, and for some reason unknown to anyone but him, Mr. Ponytail chose to creatively reinterpret that request into meaning something completely different. Fifty dollars is far too much money to not even get the gun you explicitly asked to rent, and as far as I'm concerned, that's a debt Mr. Ponytail owes me. I'm not optimistic about collecting. He couldn't even spare me a 'sorry for the misunderstanding,' he just blew me off. Zero customer service. If you want to shop there, that's your choice. But I would advise strongly against buying anything from them or using their range. And if you do, be EXTREMELY specific about your purchase, and do not allow them to hustle you along and get you out of their way. They care a lot about their house rules for using their range; they don't care very much at all about you as a customer. Mr. Ponytail didn't let me test the weight or grip of any of the guns in the case, did not bother to ask if I was sure this was the gun I wanted, and did everything he could to swipe my card and hustle me out of his way, even though there was no one else in the store. He very clearly made a mistake, a mistake that 'I' had to pay good money for, and he didn't even have the decency to apologize. A complete waste of time and money. I won't be back. Which is a shame, because I liked Mr. Mustache.

3 months ago

The Marksman is awesome! The staff are so kind, incredibly knowledgeable and take safety very seriously. Highly recommend!

3 months ago

Let's start with what others should know before going to this facility: Range side: -poor lighting (I've seen abandoned buildings with better lighting) -poor ventilation (non existent) -cramped lanes (I'm not a big guy but there's barely more than shoulder width of space) -out dated equipment for targeting (hand crank is fine by me but theres no distance indicators and the lines have way to much slack that drops the target a good 4-5") -strange rules for target shooting Ex: "no headshots" or "no rapid fire except double tap" Customer service side: -aggressive attitude They did not like that I was shooting my .22LR AR-15 pistol on the wrong lane and actually came into the range to yell at me about it. -miscommunication Both staff members told me different procedures for when to don ear pro and eye pro and then were upset with me for not following the "right" procedure. Also misdirected to the lane they wanted me to shoot at. -misinformed For Lord knows what reason the staff believes that .22LR goes faster when shot through a longer barrel which is why my AR-15 pistol needed to be on the rifle side This was my first experience at a public indoor range and it really makes me never want to go back to an indoor range. I'll stick to my seasonal outdoor ranges where I can actually practice shooting drills and for a reasonable price. After my experience at The Marksman I completely understand the stigma of ranges run by boomers/fudds; over priced ammo, strict dictatorial rules, draconic practices, and a whole lot of lead paint stares. I will not be returning to this range and actively advise against patronage of this facility.

6 months ago

Juan obliged me to leave a review, I did a Google search of his name prior to my firearms safety course. And because I know he is reading this, I'm not trimming my beard, see you again in five years if not before hand, Il be at the range again soon. Asides from that the actual review is glowing, Juan is very knowledgeable and sticks to his guns pun intended. Everything I learned about him prior to the class held up thanks again Juan!

6 months ago

6 months ago

Friendly staff, but make sure that you are properly hydrated because it's hot 🔥 in there

7 months ago

You know if you have to get the itch out and do a little pistol shooting and you're living in the denbigh area of Newport News this place will scratch that itch. Now with that said if you're really wanting to train and get better as a shooter and work you're handgun working different drills mag changes and drawing from holster this is not the place. They definitely need a major upgrade to the ventilation system because as soon as you walk back into the range area you're breath is taken away with gun smoke and the wonderful fumes that shooting produces Lol this place is by no means a high end shooting range so just be aware of that so like I said in the beginning if you're not trying to make the drive to Virginia Beach or Norfolk to some of the 757 better shooting renges. The marksman does the trick to put holes in paper nothing more nothing less.

7 months ago

8 months ago

If there is a wait list you have to pay first and dnt get a refund if you decide to leave before your time. The ventilation is far from the best and IΓÇÖm sure the a/c was probably broken

9 months ago

9 months ago

My hats off to Juan Bell. I’m glad to have had him as my instructor for concealed carry. Anyone using a firearm in todays society, regardless of intent to conceal carry should invest the time to learn about the current legalities pertaining to lawful use of firearms. Proper transportation, access to information, and a lot of detail were a part of Juan’s class! Thank you Juan…

9 months ago

I go in on a Saturday afternoon IΓÇÖm the only customer in the store thereΓÇÖs five people working each one glares at me as I walk in. When I ask for help they just blank stare at me and walk away. When IΓÇÖm finally ready to checkout the ladies at the registers sneer at me and give me dirty looks. Make me wait five minutes with no line to buy two boxes of ammo cause theyΓÇÖre ΓÇ£busyΓÇ¥. DidnΓÇÖt buy the gun I came in for due to staff hostility. Never coming back.

10 months ago

bad customer service. horrible employees after we paid.

10 months ago

I've gone here many times over the years. I took someone new to the area and brought them in with me today. Today will be my last. When I walked in there was a sign that said you could not shoot 45 Colt among other calibers, temporarily. I politely asked the person at the sales desk "what's the reason for not being allowed to shoot 45 Colt?". I expected to hear something along the lines of they were doing maintenance and if I was in their shoes I would have said when it was expected you could shoot 45 Colt again. Customer Service Skills 101. Instead the response from the person behind the counter was "Because I said so" in a very rude tone. This was a response from a person trying to get my money. I didn't want to ruin the experience for the person who was brand new to the area by just leaving after that rude response, but if I had been alone I would have left right there. After we got done shooting and were walking out to the parking lot the person I took expressed shock at how rude that gentleman behind the counter was. I would assume he was the owner, which is fine he can make rules because he said so. But I can also pick other shooting ranges and will do so in the future. What's hysterical is the guy I brought there to show him the Marksman as a place to shoot decided he would go elsewhere based on the owner's comments to me. I told another friend who shoots the story and he came to the same conclusion, he's done going there too. I intend to tell every single person in the shooting community in the area I know this story. My advice is if you want to go shooting in the area go to Freedom in Virginia Beach. It's a great store and my customer service experiences there have been great. You might have to wait some for freedom, but they run a good business and its popular for a reason. I don't have time anymore for rude people who want my money and won't ever give the marksman a chance again. I think the owner if he'd like to increase his business volume should take a serious hard review of his customer service skills.

10 months ago

Very friendly staff, with a great selection in their online inventory. Highly recommend this place.

10 months ago

This place is not friendly, nor are they respectful of customers. We walk in to use the range and are asked about our gun skills. We inform the guy that we know enough to be able to safely handle the gun and want to refresh our skills as it’s been a while for both of us and he tells us … “ we want you money, but we have no one to go on the range with you to guarantee your safety and he refused to allow us to shoot …. First off if we did not feel confident using a gun safely we would not have came, second off isn’t that what the range is for …. To improve your skills …. This place is a joke … I would not waste my time even going there and he lost our business as we were looking to both buy our guns today.

10 months ago

Happy with facility and prices. Very friendly staff. Highly recommended!

11 months ago

We had great time here! Amazing staff. The area looks small but good shooting range for a beginner.

11 months ago

Juan is an incredible teacher. I am so glad I took his class! I am from out of town and I will be making special trips back here just to further my training with him.

11 months ago

I've been going to The Marksman for years and have never had any hesitation in strongly recommending the range to anyone with pistol shooting needs. Their pricing is competitive, they have gun rentals and their staff is second to none. Another word on staff at The Marksman: I have had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know The Marksman's staff, Steve (Esteban), Gary, Brad, Sherry, Dillon, etc. They're highly knowledgeable, customer centric and maintain a strong bias for Safety. They all represent the range quite well. They're a couple of places that I can shoot but I always gravitate back to The Marksman because of their excellent staff. Great job, Everyone! 5 Star Rating all day long today and everyday, well done!!

a year ago

Pretty ridiculous that I'm a legal gun owner and a member of the military but can't use the shooting range because I'm under 21. This policy makes no sense at all, and the reasoning they give on the website is also incredibly stupid. They say you need to bring someone who is 21 with you so they can take liability for you. Read the law, 18 year olds are liable for themselves.

a year ago

a year ago

Just kind of flipping through these reviews and man, they are scary. It seems people are upset for you all having safety procedures in effect. I however, am extremely grateful that you implement the things you do. There is nothing wrong with making sure someone who uses your range knows how to operate their equipment in an environment outside of their living room. I feel safe every time I utilize your range, that is not the case for every range I've been to. So, Thank you for that. Keep doing what you're doing and I'll see you in a few hours 😁

a year ago

The Marksman is the only range in my area and that is so disappointing because all of the people there are absolute sticks in the mud who will hand wave away your concerns and make sure you have zero fun. Zero rapid fire on the range. So you're limited to training for form, grouping, and sighting in only. Want to empty the mag of overpriced ammo you bought there? Too bad, Little Timmy put a 9mm into the wall once because there was no RSO (Range Safety Officer) inside the range at the time and they shut it all down. No intermediate caliber rifles of any sort. When asked why I've been told 3 different things 1. The range was built for pistols only, so rifles will blow through the back stop. Which if true, means I'd be scared of shooting anything more hefty than a .45 ACP. 2. The ventilation system was overwhelmed by the amount of gas ARs put out and they were getting bad reviews about it. (This I could believe cause even with a pistol alone your mouth will taste of gunpowder for a day after your visit.) 3. They had to order special frangible ammunition meant for this type of range that is (apparently) very hard to get. When asked, they cannot provide a name for this ammo. I offered to bring my own Mead ammo, meant SPECIFICALLY for this kind of situation, and was told, "Nope. Can't be sure." This whole facility is run by old people who dislike modern firearms and think the 1911 is the greatest weapon bestowed apon man by the God John Moses Browning, and wooden grips give you +10 to accuracy. They either can't, or won't, upgrade their facilities to meet or match the modern shooters needs. They will look at you like you're stupid if you provide any data to disprove their oldworld, outdated, "I read it in a magazine once" way of thinking. Go anywhere else if you want to do anything other then the bare minimum of what your firearm is capable of and have fun.

a year ago

Went there earlier this week for the first time & they treated us pretty good. Explained the range rules & did everything properly. the targets they sell are priced great imo. Had a good time shooting & will definitely return soon!

a year ago

When I visited as a first time gun owner the staff was not welcoming and actually tried NOT to help me at all. Said they couldn’t “babysit”… Superior on Mercury is extremely helpful.

a year ago

Great customer service when I picked up the gun I ordered offline.

a year ago

Member since Jan '23. I know that's not long, but I've been shooting there every week since Nov '22. If you're in Hampton Roads, VA (specifically Hampton, Newport News, or Williamsburg), I recommend visiting & joining. It is quaint--only has 8 lanes (4 short & 4 long). But the training offerings, store, and staff are all exceptional. They make you feel like family. (Support your local small businesses!)

a year ago

a year ago

Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Felt like I knew them for years. Very good experience at this establishment.

a year ago

I visited with family. We all were new to a range. I think the only thing that needs to be said and matters is that the staff here is amazing. I highly recommend

a year ago

Good place

a year ago

Nice people (the staff and your fellow shooters) fair price, it sucks you can't use rifles here but for a pistol range; couldn't ask for anything better.

a year ago