NRA National Firearm Museum

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Hokie_PhD

Hokie_PhD

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I had to head up to Reston Va and got up there a bit early to make sure I didn't get caught up in the insane traffic.

Since I'm originally from that area I knew it really well. Having a little time to kill I decided to swing by the NRA HQ and visit the National Firearms Museum.

Not being a "gun nut" I only got my first shotgun and pistol about six or seven years ago. And my first AR about five years ago. So while I'd go by the NRA all the time I never had any interest to check it out. So today I didn't know what to expect.

Well to make a long story really short I was blown away. Now keep in mind I grew up in that area so I'm effectively a D.C. "Native" the many museums in DC are ones I've been to many times. To say I was a bit spoiled having all of the Smithsonian museums, the National Archives and various monuments, battlefields and historic sites in my backyard made me one very spoiled history nut.

I mention all of this as having easy access to the best museums in the world is pretty cool. It also sets the bar VERY HIGH.

So today when I went to the NRA museum I guess I wasn't expecting much. To my delight like the majority of museums in DC there was no charge. So that was nice. Next I was blown away with the size and quality of the displays. The museum is another Workd Class gem in the D.C. Area.

So my only complaint was that I didn't have enough time to spend my time casually looking at everything. There was just so much to see that I had to rush through.

I guess the cool thing is that since my work takes me nearby often I can return easily. So I'll have to plan to spend much more time and go back with a lot of time so I can casually take it all in.

So for anyone going to the D.C. Area a trip to the NRA museum is worth the effort. It's not near the Metro so a little planning is in order if you're there without a car. Otherwise it's very easy to get to and has plenty of free parking!
 
Hokie_PhD

I was there several years and I was totally overwhelmed by not only the number of guns but the outstanding job they did in displaying them. Definitely something there for everyone. Another great museum nearby is the U.S. Marine Corp. Museum in Triangle, Virginia near Quantico. Lots of awesome, life-like displays and weaponry to see there.
 
bannockburn said:
Hokie_PhD

I was there several years and I was totally overwhelmed by not only the number of guns but the outstanding job they did in displaying them. Definitely something there for everyone. Another great museum nearby is the U.S. Marine Corp. Museum in Triangle, Virginia near Quantico. Lots of awesome, life-like displays and weaponry to see there.
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Yes the Marine Corps Museum is also amazing. As a kid in the 70s I used to watch Baa Baa Black Sheep and fell in love with the Corsair. So walking in the door and having one right there is TOO COOL.
 
I will put in another vote for the U.S. Marine museum....it is the best.....really a must stop.

As to the NRA museum I was there when they where in the middle of a remodel.....so I might be biased.....but I will say yes they have tons and even more TONS of stuff....but little real info.

To use a bad phrase it really needs a womans touch. Their touch screen computer system (again at the time) was really lacking....it would give you the country, and dates but little more info on the item. And some of them just did not show up in the computer at all. They had these little numbers hanging by the gun and you would touch the screen it read just two lines or so on that item and that was it......really not much....and it was this way for everything they had the computer system for.

I hope they have improved on that system....but I found it really lacking.
 
Hokie_PhD said:
... So for anyone going to the D.C. Area a trip to the NRA museum is worth the effort.
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Roger that! I lived in the DC area years ago, and have a brother who lives there now. He and I decided to go to the NRA range. After shooting for a while, we thought we'd take a few minutes to walk through the museum. Several hours later, we realized it was way past the time we told our wives we'd be home. It is a wonderful display.

Nowhere near the scale, but also quite good, is the Texas Ranger museum in Waco, TX. Really enjoyed that one, too.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed it Hokie, and delighted you're coming back.

fpgt, we agree with you that the info delivery system in the Museum is not what it should be. One of our big projects right now is to replace the electronic kiosk system with old fashioned physical signs and labels, so you know what you're looking at without having to go through all the fuss. The new signage system is already installed in the Petersen Gallery ('the finest single room of guns in the world") in the entry area, and in our other big Museum, the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield MO. It will be several more months before it's fully installed at the Fairfax Museum, but we're working on it.

Thanks to all for the kind words. - Jim Supica, Director, NRA Museums
 
JimSupica

I was at the museum in Virginia a number of years ago. I thought all the displays were great, especially the ones which dealt with the weapons of WWII. I also saw so many other guns that I had only read about that I was just amazed so many of them could all be here in one place. You're doing a fine job at the museum; keep up the good work!
 
JimSupica said:
I'm glad you enjoyed it Hokie, and delighted you're coming back.

fpgt, we agree with you that the info delivery system in the Museum is not what it should be. One of our big projects right now is to replace the electronic kiosk system with old fashioned physical signs and labels, so you know what you're looking at without having to go through all the fuss. The new signage system is already installed in the Petersen Gallery ('the finest single room of guns in the world") in the entry area, and in our other big Museum, the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield MO. It will be several more months before it's fully installed at the Fairfax Museum, but we're working on it.

Thanks to all for the kind words. - Jim Supica, Director, NRA Museums
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Yes fantastic news....keep up the good work.

I am only a few hours north of springfield and really need to get down to them and check it out.

Any plans on partnering with other Bass Pro (and now Cabelas) locations.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed the NRA museum. Can also heartily recommend the Buffalo Bill Center in Cody, the Museum of the Fur Trade in Nebraska, the big cowboy musuem in OK City, the Wadsworth in Hartford, CT and the Frazier museum in Louisville, KY. Probably several others I'm forgetting.
 
Hokie_PhD said:
Well to make a long story really short I was blown away. Now keep in mind I grew up in that area so I'm effectively a D.C. "Native" the many museums in DC are ones I've been to many times. To say I was a bit spoiled having all of the Smithsonian museums, the National Archives and various monuments, battlefields and historic sites in my backyard made me one very spoiled history nut.
Click to expand...

If you grew up in Virginia, you are NOT a D.C. native. Please don't confuse the cesspool of D.C. with Virginia. Us Virginia natives don't like anyone to think we're from D.C.

Oh and yes, the NRA National Firearms Museum is a fantastic place to visit. You might also consider the Marine's Museum in the eastern end of Prince William County.
 
Oops you're right
I usually put D.C. Area
Left out area

I remember when Fairfax was nice
I left 10 years ago as I couldn't take it anymore
 
The NRA museum is right up there with the Smithsonian when it comes to DC-area museums. They're one of the few things I miss about living there.
 
Sergei Mosin said:
The NRA museum is right up there with the Smithsonian when it comes to DC-area museums. They're one of the few things I miss about living there.
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You mean you don't miss the traffic and all of the rude self centered people that took over and destroyed the place?

I miss the food, shopping, Caps games, and riding my Harley into DC early in the morning. Coming across the Potomac and seeing the river, Kennedy Center, and then all of the city before it got crazy was a joy. I always thought how lucky I was to be able to have what mostly only see on TV. Unfortunately it got insane there. In the 10 years since I left it's only gotten worse.

Anyway, I guess a visit every now and then reminds us there's some good amongst the insanity and we're fortunate to be out of it.
 
I was there 2002-06. It was a great place and time to be young and single and I have lots of good memories, but I have no desire to go back and live there again. I do get back to see my sister and her family occasionally but the kids are too little to appreciate the museums yet and of course anything north of the Potomac is a no-carry area.
 
Always impressed on each visit. My icon photo here is Mal's sidearm from Serenity and Firefly, from the display of movie firearms in the museum. The movie collection includes both real ones like the Dirty Harry .44 Magnum, and fantasy weapons, like my photo here.
 
Hokie_PhD said:
Oops you're right
I usually put D.C. Area
Left out area

I remember when Fairfax was nice
I left 10 years ago as I couldn't take it anymore
Click to expand...

I've been in the area since 1946. I've seen one heck of a lot of change. I remember when Skyline Towers weren't in Bailey's Crossroads but an airport was there. I remember when there was no beltway, no route 66, trolley car tracks in DC and in Roslyn, and not even a Bay Bridge. In other words, I remember a lot.

I grew up in the city of Falls Church, pretty much in the city's dead center. Yep, one heck of a lot of change.
 
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