Norpoint Shooting Center

[deadshot2]

Sounds like they got rid of "Teri (or Terry) the range "Femi-Nazi". Also good to hear the shop has some stock. For a few years all they had was space and shelves, no merchandise.

 

[coltemp]

Hi All,

Updates. Norpoint Shop is much better! One of the reasons for the increased stock is they have a new investor and most of his buy in was to bring his inventory with him. Hence the increase in the number of handguns available.
Now if we could get them to stock more supplies so they could be a more normal gun shop I would be able to purchase more there.

They have been working hard at improving things. Look forward to hearing better responses in the future.
Paris

 

[pezz]

I have noticed the increased inventory as of late. I've had mixed encounters there, but that is typical in gun shops/ranges for some reason.

 

[chillin7]

Two weeks ago I wanted to shoot the AR, so I checked their website for hours and updates. I then called their phone and selected the option for hearing their hours. Everything was normal so I packed up for the 55 minute drive, only to find out the rifle range was closed and prob would be for at least another week. Very frustrated I mentioned this to the person working the range as well as someone in the retail store. They acted like it was not that big a deal and actually said I should have called and got a person on the phone to confirm the range was fully operational. Why have a website or phone message with updates and hours if nobody ever ensures it's accurate? Big fail.

 

[CarlMc]

Two weeks ago I wanted to shoot the AR, so I checked their website for hours and updates. I then called their phone and selected the option for hearing their hours. Everything was normal so I packed up for the 55 minute drive, only to find out the rifle range was closed and prob would be for at least another week. Very frustrated I mentioned this to the person working the range as well as someone in the retail store. They acted like it was not that big a deal and actually said I should have called and got a person on the phone to confirm the range was fully operational. Why have a website or phone message with updates and hours if nobody ever ensures it's accurate? Big fail.

I gave up their web site for current information. As to the status of their rifle range, they had to overhaul their rifle range since some idiot went in there with steel core ammo (snuck it in) and tore up more than the backstop.

 

[optiontrigger]

I gave up their web site for current information. As to the status of their rifle range, they had to overhaul their rifle range since some idiot went in there with steel core ammo (snuck it in) and tore up more than the backstop.

Don't blame the "idiot" with the steel core. The rifle range allows just about all high calibers short of .50BMG so the rubber backstops will eventually get shredded. When you rent their AK you have to buy their ammo, which is steel core but you can't use your own. This has been brought up with them before - why is their steel core ammo superior to my steel core ammo of the same brand?

 

[CarlMc]

Don't blame the "idiot" with the steel core. The rifle range allows just about all high calibers short of .50BMG so the rubber backstops will eventually get shredded. When you rent their AK you have to buy their ammo, which is steel core but you can't use your own. This has been brought up with them before - why is their steel core ammo superior to my steel core ammo of the same brand?

They do indeed limit calibers. They generally don't do anthing larger than 30 cal over about 2800-3000fps, and their combloc rifles, as far as I know, are fed ammo with no steel core. I had a brief email conversation with Jan one time about the difficulty of finding food for them, and it is indeed very hard to find, but it's out there. I'd be surprised if the ammo for it actually had a steel core. It's hard to tell the difference without taking a round apart, and they don't want to do that to their customer's ammo.

Thirty caliber does do a number to their backstops, but they intend to make them last as long as possible before they have to replace, hence the higher cost of using that range. She told me that fixing the backstop is a $25,000 hit, not to mention the loss of income from the range while its out of service.

Just so you know I don't work there, I really wish they had a wider selection of firearms to choose from. I'm interested in getting a .40S&W piece, and last time I asked they didn't have that caliber.

 

[optiontrigger]

They must have recently reduced the caliber requirement then since when they built up the rifle bay they said it would handle most every caliber. Thanks for setting me straight. I've been going there for about four years and have been turned down for shooting my 7.62x39 steel core but they had Wolf bi-metallic (steel core) for sale to go along with their Lancaster AK. And the workers clearly admitted that there is a bias in that their ammo is okay because you're buying from them instead of bringing your own. The magnet either sticks to the case only or it also sticks to the bullet. I've had to stock up on Yugo mil-surp non-steel core just to shoot my AK.

 

[WIRED tactical]

I won't be renewing my membership.

Having the range be pretty much unusable on Sunday's due to their online group specials and the range therefore being packed on the weekends makes it almost impossible for me to get in most weekends. You would think members get preference over walk ins but nope I still get told to come back in two hours when I live 40min away.

That and the attitude lately of some of the employees.

 

[CarlMc]

I won't be renewing my membership.

Having the range be pretty much unusable on Sunday's due to their online group specials and the range therefore being packed on the weekends makes it almost impossible for me to get in most weekends. You would think members get preference over walk ins but nope I still get told to come back in two hours when I live 40min away.

That and the attitude lately of some of the employees.

The employees on the floor aren't real fond of the groups either. They like the business, but the workload of their employees is intense, as they all need to be babysat. They did a drink and plink thing with some social discount thing over the summer and were happy to see it end. In the long run, though, some of the visitors will hopefully come back as customers and new gun owners, which is good for all of us. I can only complain so much, as the large view result is the reduction of the number of hoplophobes in Western Washington, which is a big thing to me.

 

[Lurkus Maximus]

They must have recently reduced the caliber requirement then since when they built up the rifle bay they said it would handle most every caliber. Thanks for setting me straight. I've been going there for about four years and have been turned down for shooting my 7.62x39 steel core but they had Wolf bi-metallic (steel core) for sale to go along with their Lancaster AK. And the workers clearly admitted that there is a bias in that their ammo is okay because you're buying from them instead of bringing your own. The magnet either sticks to the case only or it also sticks to the bullet. I've had to stock up on Yugo mil-surp non-steel core just to shoot my AK.

I'm guessing it's a volume issue. If all the rifle ammo shot was bi-metalic (and since it's the cheapest, I'm sure it would be if allowed) the blocks would be torn up a lot faster. Limiting to what they sell, they very effectively limit the volume.

 

[WIRED tactical]

The employees on the floor aren't real fond of the groups either. They like the business, but the workload of their employees is intense, as they all need to be babysat. They did a drink and plink thing with some social discount thing over the summer and were happy to see it end. In the long run, though, some of the visitors will hopefully come back as customers and new gun owners, which is good for all of us. I can only complain so much, as the large view result is the reduction of the number of hoplophobes in Western Washington, which is a big thing to me.

So the range should now be usable on sundays?

 

[CarlMc]

So the range should now be usable on sundays?

I haven't been there for a couple months. Call 'em up and ask. On the weekends later in the day the place is usually busy even without groups, so I prefer to get there when they open and we pick any lane we like. I prefer a lane on the right side of the bay, which is easier to collect my brass from, since it has less distance to travel before coming to a stop. Those lanes tend to be a bit dim most of the time, which I actually prefer.

 

[norpoint]

Hi,

I am one of the owners of Norpoint. I wanted to respond to a number of questions surrounding the Wolf 7.62 question and our rifle range. We had an issue a few years ago with someone shooting AP ammo which demolished a portion of our backstop. As a result we built a backstop made out of steel and special rubber bricks that could theoretically handle 50 BMG (no we do not allow that). It is correct that we do not allow steel core ammo. However, we realized that non-steel core ammo presents an issue with respect to AK ammo. When we tested the impact of steel core ammo on our bricks, it was apparent that the steel core ammo does significantly more damage to the bricks than non-steel core ammo. As such, we decided that we would allow steel core ammo for AKs if you buy ours. The reason is purely monetary. We charge slightly more for Wolf ammo than some online retailers. The additional charge 'monetizes' the additional damage the steel core ammo inflicts on our bricks. No, our ammo is not different from any other Wolf ammo you can buy. However, we took this step to give shooters a choice. Pay slightly more (but still less than non-steel core AK ammo) for our Wolf ammo and get to shoot your AK, or procure non-steel core ammo. I hope this answers this AK ammo questions. (BTW, CarlMC - my name may be Jan but I am a guy

As to LivingSocial Group question - we will only do large group events during our slow time; i.e., late Spring to Summer. So our Sunday's may be busy, but you should be able to shoot with only a short wait, if any.

Finally, I want to apologize to chillin7. We dropped the ball on that. You should not spent an hour driving for nothing. We are going to modernize our website. Until them, please check our facebook page regularly, as we update that forum almost daily. Chillin7, you want to come up again, I will comp your range time. Please PM me.

Let me know if I can field any further questions.

Jan

 

[590]

https://www.facebook.com/nwgunsandgear/photos_stream#!/media/set/?set=a.437858842930525.94810.154074187975660&type=3

 

[ralstonj]

Went to Norpoint today friendly staff selection didnt look too bad, was coming in just to shoot my Glock 20, and my MP'S .40 and .45, Big up to Anthony B. Guys as customer oriented as he is deserve my business. I ended up buying the 1 year membership today $200 bucks isn't that bad

 

[CarlMc]

Thanks for the reminder. Went over the weeked with my wife and had a good time. Tested some .223 handloads and checked out the FN FAL I just finished assembling. My wife did amazingly well with her revolver and we called it a good day. Staff was excellent, more stuff is out, and the store has more than it used to. Staff was keeping busy with more customers than I would have expected at that hour.

 

[CarlMc]

I noticed on Facebook today that Norpoint posted this:
"We need your help. If you come across threads (good or bad) about the Norpoint Shooting Center when you are surfing the net, please send to Earl@NorpointRange. We really want to know what we are doing right and doing wrong. One of the best ways is to see what people are saying in the forums. We are committed to being your "go-to" range. We will make it worth your time and effort..."

It appears that Earl is more interested in what their customers have to say than another owner, who alluded to me privately that he simply didn't have time to pay attention to all the stuff their customers were saying, and didn't seem willing to address the things that he felt were simply wrong. Earl must understand that the customer is the source of his income and what his customers have to say is extremely important. Ignore the customer all the way to your demise.

If that is indeed true, I look forward to Earl introducing himself on this forum and thread in particular.

 

[deadshot2]

I noticed on Facebook today that Norpoint posted this:
"We need your help. If you come across threads (good or bad) about the Norpoint Shooting Center when you are surfing the net, please send to Earl@NorpointRange. We really want to know what we are doing right and doing wrong. One of the best ways is to see what people are saying in the forums. We are committed to being your "go-to" range. We will make it worth your time and effort..."

It appears that Earl is more interested in what their customers have to say than another owner, who alluded to me privately that he simply didn't have time to pay attention to all the stuff their customers were saying, and didn't seem willing to address the things that he felt were simply wrong. Earl must understand that the customer is the source of his income and what his customers have to say is extremely important. Ignore the customer all the way to your demise.

If that is indeed true, I look forward to Earl introducing himself on this forum and thread in particular.

Hopefully his goal is as stated. Or, those who've had bad experiences will just get PM's from one of the owners challenging you for just expressing the negative treatment or indifferent attitude of some in their employ.

What businesses don't often realize is that once you have the "poopie" taste in your mouth from poor service, bad attitude, or sometimes just stupid comments, no amount of apologies or platitudes will wash it out.

 

[CarlMc]

What businesses don't often realize is that once you have the "poopie" taste in your mouth from poor service, bad attitude, or sometimes just stupid comments, no amount of apologies or platitudes will wash it out.

You nailed it right there!