Hi There Fellow NJ 3rd Worlders (a.k.a. anything in NJ that's below Bordentown),
I've been inspired to join NJ Gun Forums due to responses about Hague's on a certain internet review, where someone best summed up Hague's with some hilarious, albeit awfully naughty worded, reviews. My name is Kerry, my husband & I were firearm virgins when we happened upon Hague's once the liberal spoonfeeding & koolaid drinking I'd had since childhood (thanks to our awesome school system) wore off & we heard about the horrors one of our neighbor's endured during a home invasion. That woke us up & for my birthday, I was presented with a box, of which I thought contained a telescope, but was chock full o' awesomeness, a Remington 870. My husband didn't want to wait to get the handgun permit to make sure I was protected in case something should happen while I was alone, so that was my introduction to becoming a firearm owner. Shortly after he received his handgun permits in the mail, we took to searching for a handgun he felt good with & wound up at Hague's. He was looking at some guns, but taken aback at the pricing, when he was shown an XD 40 & with some finagling on their part to bring the price down, our relationship with Hague's was born. At first, all was well with everyone at Hague's. As the better half had already put in for another handgun permit & I wanted to get a handgun that suited me better, we were shown a used Beretta 92FS & offered the price of $500, which I thought was fantastic (stupid, stupid, stupid!) & we made plans to come back with the money. I had asked both Nick & Steve, if it mattered who signed all the paperwork for the gun, as we weren't sure who was going to get their permit 1st & figured that whomever got the permit 1st would be able to pick the gun up. They said it didn't matter & that it was no worry as they would hold the gun for 1 year, blah blah blah. (Long story short, Thanks to my having a really crappy autoimmune disease, & never knowing how well I will be from one day to the next & since the new gun laws where you not only have to contend with the local police, but make an appointment with the state for clearance, I still haven't gotten my own F/A ID, nor a handgun permit YET- however this is the year I will have at least my F/A ID, as I don't care if I lose limbs or barf up a lung while waiting at the state police barracks, I owe it to myself to be able to say I am a LEGAL & RESPONSIBLE gun owner & user.) So, a few months goes by & the better half gets his new permits in the mail & he saunters on over to Hague's & guess what: the story changed! As I had filled out the paperwork when paying for the gun (while being told it didn't matter who did it, so long as a F/A ID & permit were shown when it was going to be picked up, all would be well for either of us to claim it) the owner (who was there for once) made a stink about this being a "straw purchase" & rag rag rag! So, we figured, oh well, I'll be able to straighten it out in due time. Sadly, that was the 1st hint that something was off at Hague's, yet we did not heed it. As time went on, my husband & I were lulled into joining the range as every time we went, we were paying about $175 a pop. Also, in the beginning of our patronage, when the range was literally dead, with only us 2 there, Nick & Steve would let us use 2 lanes instead, & were really quite laid back & helpful. We signed on as members, but even then, we'd still run up a bill of at least $100 a pop & as time went on, we noticed better pricing for ammo at other places (here's a shout out to Darrell down at County Sports in Penns Grove: DUDE, you rock!) & as we started using the membership allotment to bring our own ammo & targets we noticed the cooling of the atmosphere with the employees at Hague's. Little by little, we also noticed that the range was attracting some "gangstas" & thugs who did not respect rules, would do dangerous things such as crossfiring at each other's targets, holding their guns sideways & being terribly LOUD & rude. I'd noticed one of these "fine" gentlemen looking at our firearms & in our bags. Luckily, thanks to the fact that we were no longer able to use a 2nd lane, we were not robbed of anything, as we'd always watch our stuff while the other shot. We also noticed that the cooler members (perhaps the said jar-heads & cops the OP felt Hague's catered to) were slowly being replaced with loud-mouthed morons & ding dongs of various sorts. The feeling of Hague's went from laid back & respectful to being antagonistic & snobby. The last time we went, it seems they changed the rules somewhere, & were now manning the lane area to rag at the users, proclaim whatever they felt to be a "foul" & get this, when I mistakenly shot the top of the target holder twice, thanks to the crappy sight they'd sold us going on the fritz, Steve proclaimed that I would not be allowed to shoot the shotguns ever again! WTF? It seemed everything we did afterwards was wrong, or an infringement of a rule that was just made, where it got to the point that my husband saw that I was looking downtrodden & my once silly, ear to ear grin that one can only get from blasting holes in something accompanied by the smell of gun oil & cordite can bring, was no longer with me & I was almost in tears at the constant reprimanding. He sure had nothing to say to the thug (1 of the few who were "perusing" our stock) & his dimwitted girlfriend 3 lanes down who were doing the same thing & firing at a target in the vacant lane next to them all the while using very foul language (I'm no wallflower, goody-goody, shrinking violet, but I do mind my manners when near others who may be disgusted or insulted by cursing & have never discussed sexual acts in a public place amongst strangers, yet this fellow & his girlfriend were very graphic in their descriptions of what they either did or would do & were quite vile), but as it was obvious that our gun collection grew & we only had gotten a couple from them & that we no longer got suckered into buying their overpriced ammo & targets ($3 for a friggin paper Zombie, $1.50 for a DirtyBird splatter target? c'mon!) & weren't spending $100 a turn (not before spending at least $5000 in 1/2 a year) I guess they felt that we were no longer worth their being friendly towards, but were all too happy to vent their hostility & frustration at us. My husband's last time there had him with a friend & again, he & his guest were singled out for constant reprimands for any infraction, real or imaginary, while other patrons were flagrantly breaking serious rules & ignoring safety issues, but as he no longer "fed the monster" by purchasing ammo & targets there, I guess Steve felt justified in targeting him. It saddened me to think of how they could do a total 180 degree turn in how they treated us, as I was always respectful of them & other patrons, even when it was obvious that they were not courteous to us any longer. They put a damper on our newfound hobby for a while & my husband was so disgusted with the whole situation that we made no effort to retrieve the gun we'd paid for, nor did they contact us for it nor renewal of membership. They honestly don't care about their patrons & look down on those who seek to be respectful, courteous, responsible, & mindful of keeping the facility clean. (I ALWAYS swept up our shells before leaving & if it was near closing time, I'd clean up the other stalls as well.) As for those who are looking for a truly good shooting experience, I suggest you seek out other rangers where the rules & decorum applies to EVERYONE, not just those they feel like picking on. I also feel that kids should not have to hear "motherf----r" used 4 times in every sentence & witness just what NOT to do with guns while surrounded by those who think holding a gun sideways & talking smack, talking about things which I & most others concern as pornographic. I feel that Hague's has gone downhill in all aspects & that they take advantage of the newly interested in firearms. They were always ready to sell something, but when I had questions, answers were not always forthcoming, nor helpful. Perhaps the employees are sick of their jobs, or are mistreated by not only their boss, but by patrons, but we never did anything to warrant the open hostility they gave us. I know for a fact that other ranges & gun clubs offer better pricing on everything that Hague's offers, & you should strive to be appreciated as a customer, not treated like crap & have to contend with other patrons who don't care how they act, nor what they say when in public. When it comes to firearms, ammo & supplies, we found that County Sports in Penns Grove, NJ is THEE place to go, & Miller's in New Castle, DE is always happy to help you whether you buy something from them or are just looking. As for ranges, we enjoyed Target Masters over the line in PA & are hoping to check out Central Jersey. Perhaps Hague's will seek to keep their lanes a bit more on the level for all, instead of picking & choosing who they will reprimand or ignore.
