Wade's in Bellevue, WA - Pistol classes

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jddssc121

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Anyone taken any of the courses there? Any input? Are they worth the $$? (skills courses or the "legal aspects" course)
 
Without saying anything negative about Wade's, I'd suggest that if you want to stay semi-local, you may get more for your money out of classes offered at Firearms Academy of Seattle.
http://www.firearmsacademy.com/
FAS gives a broad range of courses, both skills classes and classes covering defensive/legal aspects of both CCW and home-defense. They operate out near Chehalis (within a couple hour's drive from Seattle), but do occasionally offer courses elsewhere (e.g., Arlington up in Snohomish Co.).
 
Was pretty close to signing up with their class but switched to the couse at Champion Arms out in Kent, WA. I heard that their instructor was pretty good. www.championarms.com

The class is only 3 hrs instead of Wade's 4 hrs. They also let you bring your own handgun to the basic course.
 
Wade's, great place...at least I've thought so since he wrote me a bad check for an AR15 upper I sold to him.
That and all his employees are the biggest bunch of BSers I've ever seen. I got really tired of listening to it every time I went there.
One guy decided he was going to lie his ass off to me one day...never went back for gun purchases or range time after that.
I asked why they didn't have any reloading supplies in stock...He says they "never" did and no one in the state does cuz there isn't any profit in it, he goes on and on.
The big expert.
When I said Ive been buying it there and places all over Washington for 20+ years and they had "x" brand of bulk bullets sitting in the middle of the showroom last week and etc, he shut up, turned red, and left.
The place is packed with these guys.
Oh, and last time I bought a pistol there I asked the Ranger master for cleaning supplies, he had no problem giving them to me. I broke the gun down and gave it a quick once over and then slapped it back together.
He watched me do it.
The ammo I purchased was still, obviously, in the bag.
The magazine was out.
....So what does he do ?
He screams at me "Show clear!!!" "Show clear!!!"over and over and put his hand on his weapon.
They knew me and I had been going there for many years and they knew better than to think I would do anything weird or unsafe. Let alone load up in the lobby and point a weapon at him or anyone else.
I didn't say anything weird, or make any wierd motions.
He just nutted up out of the blue.
Brain tumor maybe ?

Then a friend of mine tells me he bought an LMT complete lower from them. Says the guy was nice enough to sell him and RRA 2 stage match trigger too.
I pointed out that it came with a 2 stage match trigger and pointed to the left over parts he had in a little bag.
Most obviously not a standard GI trigger.
Ok, maybe the HTS set that came with the LMT wasn't as good as the RRA, but still...
Oh, and they over charged him for the whole package by about $120.00
Nice.

Needless to say, My opinion of Wade and his shop is very, very low.

I have had Gunsmithing done by Steve @ Champion and I trust his shop.

Same with FAS.

They are good guys.
Mike
 
Second draft. First not being high road enough. I would recommend finding somewhere else. Anywhere else.
 
i like champion other then their outragious pricing on parts/guns. the range is ok, kinda dimly lit, and ether the ac is ice cold or doesn't work. but other then that the people there are very nice and helpful at the range atleast, and its cheap.

but i prefer Renton Fish and Game Club, out door, can go shoot skeet then pistol then rifle. i love that place, and the people have some great knowledge.
 
I took the "Personal Protection and the Use of Force" class at The Marksman in Puyallup and thought it was great (see link). There was no shooting other than on the simulator - but that was awesome and the class was very informative. They also have a list of other classes and combat training IDPA, etc. It was worth the drive and the $99.

http://www.themarksman.net/personal_protection.php
 
I like Champion's range the best out of the indoor ones in South King/North Pierce, agree on the dim lighting but it sure ain't as cold as Marksman.

He screams at me "Show clear!!!" "Show clear!!!"
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Nam flashback
 
Unlike many of the other posters, my experiences at Wade's have all been very positive. I bought my first gun at Wade's a few years ago, after taking their begining handgun class, (I cant' remember what it's called.) I thought the class was well taught, and very useful for intended audience (new shooters.) I've never taken any of their advanced classes, so I can't offer any opinions on those classes.

I've work in Bellevue, so Wade's range is a very convenient place for me to shoot. The guys at the range have always been very friendly, and I have no complaints about the range staff. As for the store, I have purchased a number of guns from Wade's, both used and new. The prices are often higher here then they are in other cities, but that's not uncommon when you're shopping in Bellevue. (DJ's in Woodinville, or Ben's in Renton have much better prices on their guns.)

TMann
 
yes Ben's Loan in renton is the ONLY place i shop any more, ive bought both my kel-tec pf9 and rossi .357mag snubbie from them in the last few months, i usually deal with alan, but glad to work with anyone else, im younger(22years old) and they don't treat you like crap or like you know nothing like some other places do.
 
I have to say that unless Champion have redesigned the firing line, I won't be using them for any target practice. I ended up in the lane right in front of one of the doors, in fact I was all but hit in the backside by the door opening. There was very little room between the lane and the back wall, unline Bellevue Indoor which has gobs of room for people to navigate from lane to access door.

Have not been to Marksman to try the range there, did go in during a SIG factory day, and found a CZ75 Pre-B for a VERY reasonable price (picture me doing a "happy dance", not a pretty picture since I have two left feet). Also have not tried the range at Bull'sEye in Tacoma. Yes, you can hear the range upstairs in the showroom downstairs, nice ambience.

I concur that the prices at Wade's are higher in comparison to some smaller shops, but consider that they have the full meal deal there, and room to spread out, to boot.
 
http://www.firearmsacademy.com/

FAS is a top notch facility and is a great value in firearms training. Marty and Gila Hayes are fantastic individuals. They offer a wide variety of training, including pistol, rifle, shotgun, and other defense techniques.

Their basic handgun safety seminar is only $35!
 
In recent years, I have come to the opinion that Wade's primarily caters to the dot-com crowd with discretionary income. I have wondered if they give a discount to Microsoft employees or something.
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That's a good theory.


Wade's has a nice range.....that is about all I can say that is positive. Their employees are at best flaky and some downright rude and officious, their prices nothing to write home about, and their overreaching management of the range offensive and foolish. Thankfully I rarely have to go there.....it's about the last place I'd go if I had the choice.
 
Their employees are at best flaky and some downright rude and officious, their prices nothing to write home about, and their overreaching management of the range offensive and foolish.
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I've never experienced any of those things at Wade's. Did you just have a bad day - or is this from repeated visits?

On the couple of visits I've made, the range guys gave me some ammo and targets, took my money, assigned me a lane and left me alone. In the shop I have asked to see a 642 and was handed it with no BS or pressure to buy. I was given a demostration of CT grips and allowed to try them. I asked for some inexpensive padded grips and was sold some Hogue Bantams for about $20.

I'm not a Microsoftie and I didn't spend much money - but I was treated with nothing but courtesy and respect.
 
I've only been to Champion once, and the line was rather cramped, but the employees' courtesy more'n made up for it. Marksman's my "home range", I need to get back over there again... you see an ugly short dude in khaki and a bomber-jacket there's a good chance it's me, pop over and introduce yourself! Loser buys the sodas afterward...:D

nevermind that the statistical probability is it'll be me
 
I've never experienced any of those things at Wade's. Did you just have a bad day - or is this from repeated visits?
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Repeated visits.....a good friend of mine used to live not far from that range, so when we shot together we generally shot there.
 
When I was shopping for my first handgun a few months ago, I was calling around to see who might have a specific gun for rent, that I wanted to try. I found out that Wades had it, they said to "come on down". I went there and was told that since I was alone and did not bring a gun with me, that they would not let me rent a gun because some people had committed suicide with a rental gun. I asked why they didn't tell me of this rule before I came, and they started getting rude.

I can understand that they are concerned about that issue, but they could do something like the Marksman, where they talk to you first and give you a range card, they should be able to get some kind of sense of somebody's intentions that way. Considering their prices and their rudeness, I have not been back there.

I have been thinking about taking some classes, and wondering about which ones to take. I have heard about the ones in Chehalis before, that they were quite good, and it is good to hear a confirmation.

What concerns me about Champion is that some of the customers there have looked pretty shady to me, gangbanger types giving me the eye. All in all my favorite range in the area has to be the Marksman, but the range and the training are two different subjects I guess.

Ii would be interested in hearing from more people who have been through some of the classes at any place in the area.
 
All in all my favorite range in the area has to be the Marksman, but the range and the training are two different subjects I guess.

I would be interested in hearing from more people who have been through some of the classes at any place in the area.
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duallydave:

Trust me on this: You need look no further than your favorite range, The Marksman. I am including a link describing their class "Personal Protection and the Use of Force". I urge you to call them today and register for their next session. It will be the best $99 you spend on gun instruction. This is not a shooting course and there is no live fire - but their interactive video simulator is AWESOME.

What you will learn is how, when, why - and why not - to use your concelealed weapon.

It is taught by two exceptional LEOs and is a one-day six-hour session. they also have skill-building courses which I will be signing up for next. Believe me...I drove from Seattle and my buddy drove from Hoquiam to take this class. We both agreed it was well worth the drive, the money and the time spent.

http://www.themarksman.net/personal_protection.php
 
I will shoot at Wades if it is raining. They do have a nice range.
They will rent a gun to a lone individual if you bring your own gun. You have to use their ammo, which is not cheap, but I can understand as it is their gun.
I used to live near there and shot there a lot. Some of the guys are sometimes tolerable, most are not. I have numerous examples of them behaving in a manner that is anywhere between strange and downright insulting. My favorite was the time one of their trainers was waiting for a bus load of Asian tourist to show up. I can't tell you what he said to the guy at the rental booth as it would violate forum rules. It was extremely racist, and within earshot of a couple of Asian guys filling out their waivers.
 
the line was rather cramped
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If you go on the weekend get there early or later in the day. But that can be said about any place.

Been to Champion twice now. Even though its a little further than I would prefer, I really like it and will probably be going there most of the time from now on. Lighting is good, on the range. Just not at the counter. I will still stop by BullsEye once in awhile and still make the rare trip to Marksman. Might even make a trip some day up to the range at Wades just to check it out.

Btw I found out you can shoot at least .223 at Champion, but it has to be with frangable ammo.
 
I took the "Introductory Handgun" course at Wade's and I had Paul as the instructor. I thought he did an excellent job of making sure we knew how to handle firearms safely. We live fired .22s, .38s, .357s, .41s, and .45s. I found the chance to experience shooting each of those calibers very beneficial.

The people who work behind the counter in the shop seem to have very different personalities, but they all seem to be knowledgeable.

I haven't shot at Champion but they have a good store. When I need a gunsmith I go there, primarily because it's the only place with a gunsmith anywhere nearby.
 
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