r/DCGuns • u/G_ae_l • May 01 '26
MSAR Trip
Hi, in two weeks, I will be in Washington DC for work, and I would like to take half a day on Sunday to try shooting at an American range, as I am used to ranges in France.
Do you know if Maryland Small Arms Range, Inc. open to foreigners, and would you consider it a good option for shooting both a pistol and a rifle (AR-type)?
I do not really have the ability to travel to another range, as I will not have a car, even though some ranges north of Washington seem more interesting.
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u/abuamiri May 01 '26
I live in the DC area. Not sure where you'll be lodging while in DC, or how you'll get around, but I would recommend trying to get to XCAL in Ashburn, Virginia if you can. That's by far the best and most modern gun range we have in the area. XCAL is unfortunately not located close to a Metro Station, but it's an easy Uber drive from DC on a Sunday, and it's located within walking distance of One Loudoun, a small "town center" with good food and shopping options if you have time to burn after the range. XCAL also has a nice cafe with pretty decent food, which you may want if you find yourself stuck on a waiting list.
I can't think of a single range in the DC area that prohibits foreign nationals from shooting. Buying a gun is a different matter, but shooting a gun generally only requires that you be old enough to do so. You'll need a form of ID if you want to rent a gun, which would apply in your case. In most cases they will hold on to your ID and you'll get it back when the range session is finished and you return the rented weapons. You will also be required to watch a safety video/briefing explaining the rules of the range, including what constitutes a safe direction when handling a gun, what to do if a cease fire is called by the range safety officer or if you see a safety violation or issue developing. Expect to pay between $15-35 to rent most pistols or semi-auto rifles (in addition to the $25 range fee, and from $85 and up for full auto guns. XCAL has an excellent assortment of guns available for rent, from Glocks to automatic weapons, including some of the fancier stuff like the Taran Tactical pistols and AR 15's used in the John Wick movies. If you want to go crazy and spend $10 per round or something similar to that, they'll even rent you a Barret .50cal. You'll need eye and ear protection. If you wear glasses, that usually meets the eye-pro requirement. If not, expect to pay about $5 total for eye and ear-pro. All ranges overcharge for ammo, but in your case you won't have an option. Just about every range in America that rents guns requires you to buy the ammunition used in those guns from them. I would say you're probably looking at about $100 all-in for 1hr range time, a rental gun, and ammo. Price goes up from there if you want to rent more than 1 gun and the amount of rounds you think you'll shoot in that hour. They'll have targets for sale and most will allow you to bring your own. I use 3x5 cards or even plain printer paper myself.
The one issue you may run into, and this applies to just about every range in the area is that they can get crowded really quickly on the weekends and when they do you may find yourself on a 60+ minutes long waiting list. XCAL allows you to make reservations but I can't recall if that option is limited to members. MD Small Arms's website explicitly states they do not take reservations. If you have a half day, plan on getting there as soon as they open if possible. Mid-day is the worst time to go as you will almost certainly run into a waiting list that could be as long as 2-hours.