Hand down, Silver Eagle Group is the nicest indoor facility I’ve ever shot at.
This location officially opened up on December 15th, 2018. Prior to that, they were located just down the street. I’ve shot at both the old and new facility several times. Aside from the public range and lounge area, SEG has private member lounges and additional tactical training facilities.
Sadly, I have not explored those places just yet. I’m not a member, only a regular joe-public attendee from time to time.
That said, let’s talk about what you can expect to see.
The Facility
Silver Eagle Group is part of a growing trend in “Guntry Clubs.” Most of us grew up with shooting ranges being fairly minimalistic. There’s a berm, some benches, maybe a covered shooting area, and sometimes a front office to grab ammo and targets as you check in.
This one is decidedly different. It wants the shooting range to be a destination. It’s the kind of place you can easily see taking someone on an afternoon date if they were so inclined. The facility is clean, modern, and welcoming. It’s not the only one in the area, either. About a 20-mile drive south in Manassas is Elite Shooting Sports.
Upon entering SEG, you are immediately in front of the registration area. They will divide you into members, returning public users, and new shooters. If it’s your first time at the facility, then you have to attend the new shooter orientation. This includes information about the ranges and the safety rules of shooting.
Once past the registration desk, you’re in the pro-shop. This area has walls of nicely displayed long arms, handguns, optics, and knives. I was actually impressed to see several Spartan Blades items inside the cases.
The handgun case looks to be your standard assortment of Glocks, S&Ws, FN, and a few others. They are more than happy to order something if you want. I also did not see any “cheapo” optics in the cases. Plenty of ACOGs, Aimpoints, EOTechs, and RMRs, though.
Checking In
Once past the reception area and pro shop, you check in for your range at another desk. This is where you can purchase any additional ammo, targets, and pay your range fee. You can also ask to check out a rental firearm.
SEG has a nice selection of rental firearms to choose from. I noted several ARs, AKs, a SCAR, and other long arms. In the handgun rental case is a representative from most major brands. In fact, it was renting a CZ P07 at the old facility that finally tipped me over the edge to purchasing one.
The view from the control booth
Once you pay your fee, they direct you to the RO at one of a few control booths. You hand the RO your check-in card and they’ll let you know how long the wait is.
They seem to overestimate the wait a lot. Most times I’ve come, they tell me it’s a 40-minute wait, but it’s usually not taken more than 15 minutes. On a couple occasions, I’ve walked right into the range.
While you wait, there are comfortable couches, vending machines, and tables to sit at. Down the hall are classrooms where SEG puts on recurring training every week for everything from CCW classes to tactical carbine courses.
Silver Eagle Group Ranges
While sitting in the waiting area, you can see at least three of the ranges. There is a 25-yard “tactical” range, a 50-yard range, and a 15-yard pistol range.
I was sent to the 25-yard range today, since the 50 was reserved. That worked for me, since I planned on working with my rifle at 25 yards and in.
While waiting, I happened to notice one of the ROs detailing drills to a portion of the range. It appeared that a local LE department was doing qualifications. I definitely heard a few full-auto blasts while in the waiting area as well.
Each range has a target hanger on a long track. You control the distance with a digital touch screen on the side of the bay. The controller lets you pick your distance in different increments like feet or yards. It also lets you rotate the target at angles for snap shooting practice.
Digital lane controller 
The view down the lane
The booth itself is somewhat tight, but not terribly so. Every time I go, some brass ends up bouncing off the thick bulletproof glass on each side and hitting me. I’ve only been burned once, though.
The top edge of the booth doesn’t go all the way up. A few times, I’ve had my neighbor’s brass fly over the barrier and hit my head.
Lead Abatement
Silver Eagle Group appears to take lead seriously. The air is carefully filtered from the inside of the lanes. Sticky floor pads as you exit the entrapment areas grab residue off you feet. Once back to the lobby, bays of sinks with lead-removing soap are next to the doors.
The instructors talk about it as part of the safety briefing as well.
Not even in California did I ever see this become a thing. I’m impressed.
Thoughts on Silver Eagle Group
I’m not one to gush over seemingly mundane things. Silver Eagle Group appears to be a well-run range ideal for bringing people who might not be into the “culture” the rest of us were brought up with.
I know there are private member lounges and CQB-style facilities on site, but I haven’t seen them. I’m not the kind of person to make a day out of it, anyway. I tend to hit the rang with a purpose in mind and get it done with the time allotted.
It would’ve been nice to have 100 yards to shoot at, but I realize that’s tough to do with an indoor facility in a place like Northern Virginia. I would say this facility caters more towards pistol shooting than
I definitely drew a few looks from fellow range-goers as I dropped into sitting and squatting positions. My hits were good enough to silence any snickering, though.
The other thing I need to get used to is the cost. For a non-member like me, it’s $25 for an hour. When I lived out west, I typically paid $40-$50 for the year and got unlimited range time. I realize that’s an outlier stemming from the sparser populations and near zero overhead for the facilities, though.
In the end, I’d definitely say check it out. They even have official “date night” events where local breweries come in and serve folks who’ve completed their range session.
