Richard P

Review of Barracks 616: Firearms Trainin...

While Barracks 616 do have the nicest facility in ...

While Barracks 616 do have the nicest facility in mid Michigan this company falls VERY short where it's employees and business practices are concerned. Their prices are unnecessarily high, especially ammunition. When I attempted to purchase a scope from them they were very informative and helpful but even with a supposed discount their price was still $100 more than other retailers. I ordered a case of ammunition and was quoted a certain price. When the ammunition came in I was charged $3 per box MORE than I was quoted. I purchased a used 1911 which I was told was in complete working order but I found out afterwards that the backstrap safety was non-functional and the thumb safety retention pin was actually loose and needed to be repaired. I had to take it to a gunsmith before it could be made safe to shoot. When I tried to bring the issue to their attention Mark completely ignored me for nearly half an hour and then was extremely rude and belligerent before walking away mid-sentence to help other customers. On another occasion I took my WW2 Luger P08 to have the ejector spring replaced and a new magazine ordered. The gunsmith told me that his fingers weren't strong enough to fit the spring so he cut the new spring down which of course means that I will have to replace the spring again shortly. The magazine that they supplied caused jams and when I tried to remove the magazine it jammed inside the gun so I had to strip the gun and forcefully remove the magazine from the frame with tools. I was also quoted $450 for a repair to my Luger that a previous gunsmith quoted $50! In under six months I spent several thousands of dollars at this store, I even bought an Officer's annual membership and a CPL course but the way I have been treated is beyond unacceptable. My last visit was the final straw. I booked a lane on their range for myself and my girlfriend to try out a new shotgun. This reservation was made several hours in advance. When we arrived at the range we were told that they were just about to close down the main range to set up for a weekly event and that they were going to put us on the smaller private range instead. Shortly after we began shooting the range safety officer, Wayne, approached my girlfriend and told her that she could not have her holstered pistol on her hip while we were in the range and she would have to leave it on the table with the other firearms we were using. This is not one of their rules and not something that other customers have been asked to do. After checking with another employee the RSO did admit that he was wrong but the harassment was uncalled for. Shortly afterwards we were told by the employee at the counter (Wes) that our reservation had not been saved in the computer (even though we saw him check the booking when we signed in), the lane was now double booked and we were going to have to leave the range but said that a second reservation was being made for us for an hour later. He said to finish up what we were shooting and come out to the waiting area. As we were packing up the handful of guns that we had brought with us, Wes came back in the range and began shouting at us for taking too long to pack up. We finished loading up, retrieved our IDs from the employee at the counter, and left the building. I went back in to speak with a manager about the way we had been treated. Gregg the general manager refused to see me and sent out a young man who claimed to be a manager as well. When I attempted to explain the situation, he was dismissive and clearly did not care at all. So all in all the policies and staff behavior completely counter the quality of the facility. It's a shame because the facility has so much potential if it were only run by better people.