NRA National Firearms Museum

[RetiredUSNChief]

So, I finally had a weekend off and decided to visit my oldest brother and his wife who live 3 hours from where I work. They weren't going to be home until Saturday afternoon, so I decided to visit the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA, which his about 20 minutes from their house.

http://www.nramuseum.org/


Holy. Cow.

If only I didn't have a raging headache my entire time there...I took hundreds of pictures (thank God for modern digital cameras), but came nowhere near what I would have loved to have done...which is take individual shots of each firearm.

There are over 2,000 firearms there aranged in more than 80 galleries. The galleries are well laid out and, for the most part, offer plenty of opportunity to take good gallery shots with cameras.

I'm at work now, so I can't post any...but I'll do so later today. If anybody else has any NRA Museum pictures in their gun porn collection, feel free to post them.


Admission is free. They're open every day of the year, except Christmas day, from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. If you want to take pictures, you need to sign a simple form that basically says they're for personal use and not for profit.


One of the coolest rifles I saw there was (I believe) a German made, dual flintlock (wheel lock?) rifle made in 1580. It was centuries ahead of it's time, based on design and capability. It was designed to be loaded with 16 or 18 (I don't remember which) stacked shots which would be fired roman candle style. And for something going on four and a half centures of age, it was in outstanding condition.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Visited a few years ago. Loved it. I don't remember taking any pictures, just gaping at one spectacular exhibit after another. Another museum in the area with a lot of interesting firearms (and other weapons) is the Marine Corps museum at Quantico.

 

[MoscowMike]

Truly an amazing collection. If you want some high-quality pictures, this might help http://www.amazon.com/Treasures-NRA-National-Firearms-Museum/dp/0785829768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412612056&sr=8-1&keywords=nra+firearms+museum

For people closer to Wyoming, the Center of the West museum in Cody, also has a great collection. http://centerofthewest.org/

 

[JColdIron]

The book is worth buying. It is chock full of wonderfully shot photos.

We got to the museum at 3PM when we visited due to traffic. Closes at 5M. Talk about drinking from a fire hose! Managed to get through it but at a speed walkers pace.

As a museum professional I'd like to see their displays updated, at least the graphics. Some of the labels were way out of date with the currently displayed pieces. There were computer terminals to look up the artifacts but the case info was not well tied into the on screen content. It's been close to a year since we went. Hopefully those have been resolved.

If not, and the NRA is reading this... contact me and I'll help you fix it.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Here's the German Multi-Shot I mentioned earlier. It's on loan from the Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show. Circa 1580, this beauty is in marvelous condition going on half a millennia:

 

[SouthernBoy]

Been to this museum a number of times since I live about 20 miles from it. I also shoot at the NRA range on a frequent basis. Both are outstanding facilities.

 

[BullRunBear]

Love the place! I've visited several times and can never get my fill. If possible for first timers, try to allocate half a day at least. There is so much history on display as well as movie and TV nostalgia. Tom Selleck's Sharps From "Quigley Down Under" is my favorite. The NRA gift shop in the same building has a great selection of books covering all sorts of weapons, history, and true adventure stories.

Jeff

 

[JimSupica]

Thanks to all for the kind comments! And JColdIron, I'm painfully aware that signage is not up to snuff in much of the Museum. Correcting that, along with freshening the exhibits, is at the top of our TO DO list for the next year or so.

We were tied up for the last couple years designing and installing our brand NEW museum - the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield MO. I'm sure that anyone who enjoyed the museum at NRA HQ in Fairfax VA will be equally interested in the new facility. In the first year of operation, it had over 375,000 visitors!

We've also been working on a new and vastly improved version of our TV show on the Outdoor Channel, NRA Gun Gurus. The new format will air beginning in January. I'd enjoy knowing what folks here think of it when it comes on.

Thanks again! - Jim Supica, Director, NRA Museums

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

And that right there is why I love being a member of the NRA.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

WOW! JimSupica is the Director of NRA Museums!

This is SO COOL to have someone like you drop in!

I rather imagine the maintenance and upkeep aspect alone is an impressive undertaking.

I do wonder, though...some of the (obviously) much older displays which include bullets apparently never no protection for the lead bullets in the displays, given that many are in quite advanced stages of lead oxidation. If I may suggest, if those are ever repaired (i.e. the lead bullets replaced), put a protective laquer coating over the lead to prevent recurrence.

I'd also like to express my sincere appreciation for what the NRA has accomplished in these museums. It was truly breathtaking not only in expanse, but in history as well.

I'm coming back for sure!

 

[BinRat]

If you want to check out the NRA museums, you can go to this web site.

http://nramuseum.com/

If you place your cursor over the "Guns" label in the top toolbar, you can click on "Galleries" and view all the guns displayed in them. Some have just the various guns individually, some have videos, some show a shot of the entire display....it varies

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

If you want to check out the NRA museums, you can go to this web site.

http://nramuseum.com/

If you place your cursor over the "Guns" label in the top toolbar, you can click on "Galleries" and view all the guns displayed in them. Some have just the various guns individually, some have videos, some show a shot of the entire display....it varies

Well, waddaya know! This dot-com link is the same as their dot-org link in my initial posting!

Whoda thunk they'd have used two domains? Pretty smart, actually...

 

[wannabeagunsmith]

Ive been there. Mind boggling, isn't it?