The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) publication SHOT Business runs a regular feature called Undercover Shopper. In the latest edition, Undercover guy went looking for “a good hog gun at stores near Birmingham, Alabama. I asked about models that chambered substantial rounds, were durable, and had compact barrels and iron sights—or were at least drilled for a scope. Not too much to ask, right?” The rhetorical question foreshadows phenomenal fail (e.g. “After a lengthy wait, I walked toward an idle clerk who reluctantly asked if I needed assistance.”) What’s the worst gun store you’ve ever visited? Name names, no holds barred.
GAT Gun, E. Dundee IL. A nice eclectic mix of FUDs and Mall Ninjas.
+1
I occasionally see Mall Ninjas there. Haven’t seen too many FUDs. But I’m a late-30’s white guy so my FUD-detector may not be as acute as yours.
Do you mean Fudd or FUD? the first is the “Second Amendment is about duck hunting what do you need that AR-15 for” and the second is a spreader of Fear Uncertainty and Doubt.
I see your GAT Guns and raise you JR Shooting sports in Aurora, IL and Mega Sports in Plainfield, IL.
I bought a rifle from JR’s. Total came to $907 and change. I offered the manager $900 in cash. He said yes and to come back in 24 hours. I did, and the owner’s daughter was working the counter. She took my paperwork and said that it looked like I left a $900 deposit. I told her about the cash deal and she said that meant nothing since only the owner could make deals and I’d have to pay the $7 and wait another 24 hours. The manager refused to consider the deal, he was going to get his $7.
I came back in (stupid me) to ask about a transfer. I was going to have my dad send me my trap gun. The owner said “transfers are $116 or 20% of the cost of the gun, which ever is HIGER. And you have to pay sales tax on the gun to me.” Even if I already owned the gun. He then priced my O/U at $2,200 and wanted to charge me $440 + 8.25% for a total of $476 to hand me my gun. For that much, I could have bought a plane ticket back to FL and brought my gun back with me in person.
Mega Sports on the other hand is filled with tacticool assholes. They walk around in 5.11 pants, polos, and holstered pistols like an off duty swat team or a Blackwater bodyguard team. Ask to see anything that isn’t an H&K or Glock and you will get lectured on how you are stupid and you should buy an H&K or Glock. Then the manager will look at your FOID and if see you live in Aurora or Cook County, he won’t sell you a semi-auto at all. Doesn’t mater if they magazine capacity is below the legal limit. They are not taking the risk with the AWB’s. You can buy some ammo, but after that, you can leave.
For that matter, I haven’t found a single gun store in the Chicagoland bubble that isn’t owned, run, or staffed by miserable assholes. Even the Cablea’s in Hoffman Estates and the Bass Pro in Bolingbrook. Every other Cabela’s and Bass Pro I’ve been to (and that’s quite a few) have been nice and pleasant. In Illinois, they are just rude. I can’t figure it out. When they built the Cabela’s in Rapid City, I practically lived there. I was buying a gun per paycheck when I lived in SD. Now that I live in Aurora, it is such a miserable experience buying a gun, I think I’ve bought three in the last two years and two of them were off Gunbroker.
I think if I end up in Illinois for the long run, I might get an FFL and open up “Big Jake’s Gun Emporium” with the tagline “The only Chicagoland gun store not staffed by dicks.”
Try marengo guns, a bit of a drive from aurora but good people, good prices, and only 10$ for ffl transfers. The selection is decent and they will order you anything you want if they can get it (like all shops sub2000’s and the like will be on a prayer)
p.s collecting tax on an item that was not sold at the shop is illegal, he might be able to charge tax on the transfer fee but not the purchase price of the gun.
+1 Marengo gun and coin. The nicest folks I’ve met in the borders of this cesspool.
a local place I’ve seen for years but never stopped in. Sign out front says “GUNS” and its in a strip mall. It’s a mix of mostly military surplus junk, a few new guns in the case and more used stuff (asking near MSRP) on the wall. Old guys behind the counter smoking and cursing and talking shit about guys driving “imports”.
I did my best to check a few things out and then made a graceful exit. Good thing they didn’t see my Mercedes out front. ROFL.
Would that happen to be Dominion Arms, in Manassas, VA? Because it sounds just like it. If so, then you should try actually talking to the owner. A little weird, sure, but he’s a good guy, helpful and knowledgeable.
Runner Up:
Midwest Guns Lyons, IL
If you want to go somewhere you are pretty much treated like a felon upon walking in the door, or shoot at a range, that I’m pretty sure one of the SAW movies were filmed in, be my guest.
The range sucks, but I’ve bought two firearms there and was treated well.
Agree – I don’t care for the range, but the sales staff was outstanding.
I’ve never had a problem there. knowledgable staff and great instructors. I’ll agree the range isn’t great, but there is nowhere else nearby to shoot.
You, sir, are the man.
Winchester gallery in Ft Worth. Showroom is cramped, dark, and musty. Used and new guns are overpriced. Worst part though is I stood around for minutes while two clerks talked to one guy. during that time others came and left without being greated. I finally gave up and left as well. Havent been back.
I hate saying bad things about a business, and I feel LGS get more hate then deserved though.
Worst place I ever went to was Dick’s Sporting Goods. Not naming a particular location because I’ve been to several and they seem to be universally bad. I know guns aren’t their main bread and butter but the least you can do is put someone back there that knows SOMETHING about firearms. The clerks are unhelpful, occasionally rude and generally know nothing about what they’re selling.
ditto for Academy
I’ve always had some pretty good luck with dicks, if you catch them on a good sale the prices can be amazing (last one got me a mossberg 500 for 260$) the “lodge members” have admitted to me that they are not very knowledgable but have never tried to bluff the way to a sale. Also the manager of my local store is a big supporter of his customers and will bend over backwards to make them happy, including knocking a few bucks off for scuffs and scratches
The one time I went into Dicks for gun stuff, it took me about 30 seconds to realize I’d mistaken the title of the store for a name when it was actually a description.
I bought my Remington 1100 at Dicks on sale. They are a good source of ammo at reasonable prices. You have to remember that Dicks is sporting goods store that sells guns and not a gun store. Same think for golf clubs. They have a good selection but don’t expect a PGA professional to be running the place.
I bought my first gun (Mossberg 500) at a local Dick’s (Poughkeepsie,N.Y) this past December. The older guy that waited on me was great and helped a lot. Was in and out in about 30 minutes. The other people there were friendly as well.
Only one of my local gun stores jacked prices up during the “shortage” ($30 pmags, $425 for a pf-9, etc) but they are always high compared to the others.
At another local dealer I was assured that the S&W 460 magnum was chambered for .410…
I ask things like that as a test. To establish their credibility, I’ll sometimes ask questions whose answers I already know, before asking and possibly relying on their answer to a question which I genuinely don’t know.
I had a seller at a gun show actually tell me that .223 and 5.56 are exactly the same; that the number differences are only cultural differences, whereby some measure in metric and others use English. So there are no implications whatsoever with using either in firearms chambered in one or the other.
Right….. So I stopped asking questions after that.
I like to ask if the revolvers come with extra mags. Some get the joke and others well….don’t.
Ask for some ammo for your left-hand twist rifle. When they point to it on the shelf, inform them that it won’t work on yours because that’s right handed ammo.
My Single Six Revolver has two “mags”. LR and WMR
KCK
what kind of tires do you run on those “Mags”?
I also ask questions I know the answer to in order to establish credibility. During “the shortage” I was at Get Some Guns & Ammo in Orem, Utah looking at a Colt 6920 that they had jacked the price up to $2400. I asked what a 6920 “normally” would go for, and the manager looked me straight in the eye and said 2 grand. What a joke. I’ve got no problem with increasing pricing but at least be honest about it.
If that guy was dumb enough to not realize that was an obvious trap then he doesn’t need your business.
Ha! At Scheels in Eau Claire WI, I was looking for some softpoint Mosin ammo, stated that when asked because the ammo shelf was a disorganized mess and had to then tell the salesman what caliber it was, making sure to say 7.62×54 RIMMED. He looked confused, almost grabbed some .303, then noticed the Sellier & Bellot box and makes up a long BS story on how the R stands for Russian. I told his manager that he was a moron and should be kept away from customers who know guns. He laughed his ass off and said he just finished talking to a guy who told him the same thing. Last time I walked through, the idiot was still there and was flagging almost everyone in the store with a Walther while he talked to a nervous looking customer.
My friend put money down on a keltec sub-200 (pre-Newtown), but when it finally came in months later (during the gun rush of ’13), they told him the price was now $150 higher, and if he didn’t want it, then someone else would.
Red’s South in Austin is pretty terrible. They turn up their noses and make snide remarks if you use them as an FFL for online purposes.
McBride’s has spotty customer service and pretty bad prices, but it’s huge, has tons of inventory, and even an in-house gunsmith.
Have to agree. Red’s wasn’t bad really, but I mostly went there for the range and was unimpressed by the staff, facility, and pricing. McBride’s has been my go-to since moving to Austin, and they earned a very loyal customer when the in-house gunsmiths cleared up a minor problem on my wife’s old rifle without charging us.
I dropped into this store as an out-of-state visitor to see if they had a Scar 17, and sure enough they did. They handed it to me, I examined it, and told them I wanted to buy it. They said great, so I took out my bordering state ID and CHL, and when they saw that they said, “whoa, whoa, you can’t buy this gun!” and promptly put it back on the back wall. I asked why I couldn’t purchase it, and they said, “You’re out of state.” I told them that federal law allows the sale of rifles to residents of other states, and they said, “Our ATF agent says no, so we say no.” Long story short, I finally had to arrange to transfer it to an FFL in my state in order to buy it (costing an extra $125 in the process.)
I don’t know the store you’re talking about of course, but I’m inclined to believe him when he says his ATF guy says no. I work for a gun store and our ATF guys have threatened to shut us down over the most menial shit.
You are partially right about Red’s and McBrides. I have bought all of my current firearms from those two places and both have a handful of people who really know what they are talking about. Eugene at Red’s South is EXTREMELY helpful and knowledgeable about anything sold there, and their prices are usually pretty good. Another one of the old hats around there, dont remember the name (just know it isnt Red himself) has been really helpful. If I go in to buy something and either of them isnt around I usually just browse and then leave and come back some other time. You have to watch out for the younger kids at Red’s they dont have a clue and are borderline douchebag or mall ninja. The best advice I got from one of them was “well I wouldnt buy a glock, too many fanboys like them and I think they are ugly” (dont know his guy but he he has a distinctive bomb tattoo on his neck). A couple of the others (again only had this problem with the younger people who work there, FWIW I’m 27 so this isn’t a case of some old guy hating young people) behind the counter seem like they couldn’t give two shits about the customer and want you to sign up and give them your money while asking as few questions as possible.
On the other hand any person I have interacted with at McBrides has always been very knowledgeable and helpful. Prices are high if you have to order something and they require 50% upfront and no promise of when you will get your kit, but anything in the case has been honestly better priced than any other retailer I have been to. My one gripe is that sometimes I get the sense they are too busy so they arent always friendly and act like they expect you to come in with your mind made up. Regardless they have always answered my questions and seem to know what they are talking about. I see gun buying as something special so I always enjoy being able to go in and shoot the breeze while I am considering my purchase.
Recently I have done several FFL transfers exclusively through Central Texas Gun Works. Mike is an extremely friendly and knowledgeable person to do business with and they offer the cheapest FFL transfer in Austin aside from going through one of the private FFL holders located from gun broker (Im sure that is legit but I was never comfortable doing so, CTGW is great value and you go through an actual dealer not some guys garage). I plan to take a CCW class with them in the fall and will probably buy my intended carry pistol from them, they have a pretty poor selection but they are top notch people to work with. Next door to CTGW is a very impressive AR shop, you cant get everything except a lower there. They anything from roll pins, barrels, and miscellaneous parts, all the way to full on in house built custom rifles. Their resident gunsmith is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
If you dig big box stores Cabelas in Buda has an impressive selection and so far people behind the counter know their stuff and point you in the right direction. The whole process makes you feel a little like you are cattle being herded in a stock yard. I would stay far away from Academy and Walmart though. The people I have come across there are downright clueless.
Adding to this Austin thread, I have also used Central Texas Gun Works for three FFL transfers, and they have been nothing but gracious and efficient. I felt bad once when they had the exact gun I’d just purchased online in the case, but they didn’t make a stink or anything. Good people. I also purchased an XDM Compact there last year when things were still pretty hard to find, and their pricing was fair. So, thumbs up for this smaller store.
I just took my second trip out to Sportsman’s Finest and they have an outstanding selection, good pricing and nice folks behind the counter who are very willing to take the time to show you stuff.
At Red’s South, I too have had really mixed experiences. One of the younger guys there (with a beard) is top notch, one of the older guys there is pretty crotchety. I tend to just use ’em for range time, but my Better Half has purchased a couple of nice gifts for me there and she seemed to have a fine experience in spite of her X chromosome status.
The older guy who wears the 5.11 Tac Vest is probably the person you’re describing. He used to be in the Pflugerville store, and now seems to be in the south store all the time. He’s extremely cranky, and demeans you when you ask simple questions. He’s the guy that pulled the Scar from my grasp when he saw my out-of-state IDs, and acted like I was a criminal for even looking at the gun. If he’s in the store when I go in, I leave. You’d think some gun shops would figure out who the bad actors are.
GT Distributors is a LGS in Austin, and I’ve been quite satisfied in my buying experiences there, apart from the occasional long queues.
I have two in mind in PA but PAFOA has it covered.
I had to explain to the guy behind the counter at Bass Pro what the FMJ and HP on the boxes of 7.62×39 meant and why I wanted FMJ instead of HP…
I had to explain what SP meant to a WalMart employee once. She still didn’t get it when I was done.
She also thought that I was 20 because I was born in 1984.
If it has guns,
It passes the main qualification.
I don’t agree with marking down a gun shop because the clerk doesn’t know anything about hog hunting (or hunting in general). It’s nice if the clerk is knowledgeable about your desired use of the gun, but there are lots of guns in lots of calibers for lots of uses and it’s unreasonable to expect a clerk to be knowledgeable about all possible uses. I’d rather a clerk who admits what they don’t know vs. the more common wrong info on topics they claim to know a lot about.
The store and it’s employees should be knowledgeable about the game that is hunted in the area, and the guns normally used for taking of said game. They cannot be expected to informative about guns that are seldom used in their local area.
Of course, if their in the gun business they should have some basic knowledge about types of weapons, and cartridges.
Basic knowledge, sure. But if anyone’s seriously expecting some poor kid who’s barely making $9 an hour with no commission to tell them everything they could possibly need to know about outfitting their hunting trip, the problem isn’t with the clerk. He’s not the one doing the hunting, remember? You are, and therefore you’re responsible for knowing what you need before you ever set foot in there.
If a hunting guide can’t answer your questions, fine; go ahead and bitch, but expecting a sales clerk to do a guide’s job would be asking too much even if you didn’t have access to Google, which –if you’re reading this– you do.
excuse me, but isn’t that why you go to a retail outlet to get the experience of the people who work there! If not just by of the internet it’s much cheaper!I thought that’s why all of us gun owners went to our local gun shops in the first place to support local business. If not by all means orders online you’ll get a better deal and you won’t have to deal with dealing with somebody else’s attitude or opinion. But usually when I go to a local gun shop or a local sporting good store I expect the people that work behind the counter or helping me in the aisles to know what the hell they’re talking about! That’s why Home Depot hire people who are contractors people who work in the department still working in like if you go to the tile section you’ll find a couple of guys that have laid tile for many years in a retired energy supplement your income by helping people because they have the knowledge. I blame the management your store is only going to be as good as the people who work in it. If you hire knowledgeable people in the field in which they work, there won’t be any issues.
If by “contractors” you mean “apathetic 17-year-olds whose parents forced them to get a job,” well then, yeah; Home Depot hires tons of contractors, for 1/6th of their old salary, just to help you find the best tile grout. Whatever makes you feel better, go ahead and believe it.
I disagree, at least from my experience if Im in a place like Bass-pro, cabela’s, Academy, Dicks, etc its probably because I have made my mind up and am price hunting or they have a deal on exactly what Im looking for in which case I just need someone competent enough to facilitate the purchase.
If Im shopping at a smaller shop, the people behind the counter better be competent because I go there when I need advice or want to talk shop and compare options and kick tires. I bought my first 1911 last year and probably spent 3 hours and multiple trips to different shops before settled on “The One”, the price usually reflects this added tier of service and I pay it gladly if the advice I get is good.
That’s exactly what I was going for. The gun shops I visit staff plenty of knowledgeable people to work the counters, but since I do my own homework on guns this mostly means I have some more buddies to shoot the breeze with while I fill out paperwork. But the guys who brag about using trick questions to humiliate the teenager at Bass Pro are either A: stupid to expect that kid to be an expert, or B: assholes for arbitrarily picking on someone who’s job forces him to put up with it.
So, we’re about to head off to our African safari, huh? Doubles, solids, elephant vs rhino, and $9/hr kid. Think about this.
I’ve nominated them before, and I’ll say it again: Bullet Hole in Belleville, NJ. There are some good gun shops in NJ and a lot of bad ones, but this one is the absolute worst. Again, just because you have one of the few gun stores in the area AND you have a small range, doesn’t mean you can treat your customers like crap. The customer service is terrible, the dinky range isn’t very safe…there is no reason to spend money there. I will gladly drive an hour or more to different stores/ranges just to avoid that crap shack. But I’m not bitter.
McDaniel Gun shop I’m south Lyon Michigan. The store is about a hundred years old. No ammo, onle a few gums. Everything is under an inch of dust and the 70 year old dudes running it scream fud. All accessories appeared at least five years old and when asked what guns they have available I was handed a ruger cataloque.
To be fair this shop may have been the guys retirement hangout for him and his buddies, but it was pretty off putting.
Amen on Bullethole. I used to shoot at that pisshole when I was in college. It’s ran by a retired Bellville cop who treats people like they are garbage.
The minute you ask for a range they immediately demand in a rude manner to see your FID Card.
I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, so I went to their range a few times, just as long as I didn’t have to deal with the counter crew. Except for a few regulars, many people in that crammed, dinky range are new to guns and do not know how to handle them safely. And even if they do, they think they are the know-it-all tough guys who can do whatever they want. And that’s sort of the case, since the range officers seldom speak up. They’d rather be buddies with those guys than enforce safety rules. Speaking of which, there’s no safety briefing at all for people new to guns, which, speaking from experience, makes for some unsafe conditions. So I stopped going there and I won’t be back. Unfortunately, there isn’t much competition for them in the area, that’s why they can stay in business even though it’s obvious they should do something else for a living. You can read others’ horror stories on Yelp or Google.
When I lived in Georgia, the worst one I ever encountered was Franklin Gun Shop, Inc. in Athens, GA. A bunch of pretentious, know-nothings. It seemed like half the employees for Glock-only fanboys and the rest were 1911 die hards. Service is lousy and prices are ridiculous.
In Virginia, the worst one I have been to is Virginia Gun and Sports Supply in Newport News, VA. The owner is an absolute a-hole that doesn’t want you handling any of the guns because you might scratch them. He is also a Glock armorer and and one time I had to go in there to buy a trigger housing pin because I knocked mine off the table during cleaning and couldn’t find it. He told me that I wasn’t smart enough to be removing pins on the Glock and that I should only let a professional work on it. I will never be back.
+1 on Franklin’s.
Wolverine shooting sports.
Clerk there was male, late 40’s, black. always wore body armor and said ‘affirmative’ to everything. Look, pal, if you were that high speed and low drag, you wouldn’t be working in a gun shop, you’d be out dusting tangos or something.
So i had a catastrophic failure on an xd(m), the slide flew completely off the frame after a cycle, i didn’t know if there was non ejected brass, nothing, or a live cartridge in the chamber. So i did what i’ve been taught to do: i called a cease fire and headed up to the counter, and informed tactical ted what had happened and what i had done and that i was requesting advice on how to behave on his range with half a potentially loaded and nearly destroyed pistol 5 yards down range.
he proceeded to start screaming at me about gun safety rules and how i put the whole range in danger and that i shouldn’t have called a ceasefire on his range. that i should have just stopped the guys (wtf) and went forward of the firing line to retrieve my slide. he was a complete idiot, the sort of guy who growls about m14’s and 1911’s while looking down on everyone in the range. you know, the kinda guy who is a total operator but couldn’t run 20 feet without falling down and having a heart attack.
i’ve never spent another dollar there, and won’t ever again.
Are you talking about the one in Brownstown Michigan.
Place in Pa. This had nothing to do with me but I was in there and a woman was buying her first gun and two clerks were treating and talking to her like she was some kind of idiot. They were arrogant, condescending and rude. Have not been back. Guess they didn’t want to sell a gun.
Glenwood Gun & Pistol Range. EASILY the WORST GUN SHOP. Glenwood,Illinois. The crazy old man who runs it is racist, rude, deaf & INSANE. Crappy selection, high prices, paranoid behavior, aggressive German Shepherd . I buy & sell for a living I can deal with almost anyone. How THIS old guy stays in BUSINESS is way beyond me. Anybody else been there?
We’ve got a shop here that’s owned and operated by a former cop. A former CORRUPT cop, some will tell you. The regulars are always hanging out at the counter and they’ll stare at you with suspicion as you look over the offerings. The whole place will go quiet when someone walks in who isn’t a regular. Every gun fan I know, including several police officers, can’t stand the place. I have yet to meet anyone who continues to go there. So you wonder how the hell they stay in business. Whatever, though. Plenty of alternatives, although I have yet to find a gun shop that I really like. Cabela’s at least offers anonymity and the freedom to browse in peace.
“We’ve got a shop here that’s owned and operated by a former cop. A former CORRUPT cop, some will tell you…. The whole place will go quiet when someone walks in who isn’t a regular…. So you wonder how the hell they stay in business.”
Gun smuggling? Illegal straw purchases for the local gangsters? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that was the case.
Sportsman’s Warehouse in Silverdale WA. It changed hands several times since then, but I still don’t go there, as I was basically banned from the store.
The story…
SW was my local Cabela’s equivalent, a huge store with lots of goodies, and a huge guns section. The problem was their staffing, as the managers only seemed to hire cute college age girls who knew nothing about products in fishing and camping/hiking sections. However that didn’t bother me too much.
What bothered me were the “owners’ buddies” type assholes at the gun counter, who would jabber with each other for minutes on end, even when you stood at the corner and tried your best to look interested.
One of them started bringing his hound dogs and puppies to work, and you could hear them howling and baying as soon as you walked into the warehouse store. It echoed through the whole place. Sorry to hound lovers, but I absolutely hate the sound of these breeds. Customers shouldn’t feel like they walked into a kennel.
The last straw was the ammo and firearms selection. I’m an AK and milsurp guy, and SW refused to stock anything but fuddish rifles and shotguns, along with pistols and a pretty large selection of ARs. They always had tons of .223/5.56 ammo in bulk displays (pre Sandy Hook days).
NEVER did I find a single box of 7.62×39, or any other combloc caliber for that matter.
I was in a bad mood one day and finally went up to the guy at the counter, and asked him “what’s the deal with your bulk ammo? you have tons of AR food, but I’ve never seen a single box of 7.62×39 any where on your shelves. what’s the deal?”
The guy actually said, “what’s that for?” I said “AKs and SKSes mostly.” His response? “We don’t sell that commie shit here, sounds like you better go somewhere else.” I asked to speak to the manager of the guns section. “That’s me” he says. Wow.
I told him he could shove his shitty department where the sun don’t shine, he told me not to come back, and I never did. The chain owner went bankrupt later that year and gutted/reworked the place. It might be better now, but I don’t live near it any more and I don’t care to find out.
Jesus. How the hell do people like this stay in business, scorning the weapons of their customers. Oh, wait. I just kept reading. They DON’T stay in business.
They prey on un-educated buyers with their high prices. They make enough on their first year of business, they can just close down after that. They probably have outstanding payables too.
The LGS where I work.
I’d like to think we have pretty good customer service, at least compared to Dick’s, but the upper management is frustratingly out of touch with reality. I just found out that after weeks of turning away frustrated customers looking for .22 LR, 9mm, and .380 ACP the company has been stocking it all up at their distribution centers for a “sale” in April.
Also, they’ll advertise .22 LR and then send us 2 boxes. I’ll spend a week telling furious customers that the first guy through the door (and his girlfriend) bought everything we had and then robbed some fool at a gunshow.
Every Local Gun Store. Every single one that I’ve ever visited in 20 states over 25 years. Customer interest/service varies between laughable to hostile to non-existent. Seriously, short of corporate big boxes, POTG are seemingly unable run a customer service business – except at gun shows, then for some reason they act civilized.
If you aren’t one of the old farts that hangs out all day you’ll be ignored, till they feel like it. Short of slapping down a stack of c-notes on the counter. (Though I’ve done that more than once, and they still took their sweet time…)
If I want a new gun I just order through an FFL friend.
Vandalia Tactical (in Vandalia, Ohio) is probably the worst one I’ve been to.
Their selection isn’t actually too bad, but everything is a ripoff. Plus, my friend was in there once and he picked up some rifle off the shelf to inspect it (as you should when you’re going to drop $500+ on a product) and some old man behind the counter remarked “Gotta touch everything!!” in a very unfriendly tone.
Neither of us have ever gone back there.
Good to know. New to Dayton that WAS going to be my first stop for a new LGS.
Olde English in Tipp City is good if you’re looking for “hunting” type guns. They have a decent selection of handguns as well.
The Vandalia Range & Armory has a better selection of “tactical” type stuff, plus a pretty fancy indoor range.
Atlantic Gun and Tackle in Bedford, OH. Dark, dingy, I was there at the height of the panic, complete panic pricing and the guys behind the counter were really hamming up the panic and how we’d never see freedom again. Due to its location, you’ll see a more diverse crowd there, which I think is good, minorities need guns too, but at the same time, it looked like it was often frequented by thug wannabes. They have a location in Brecksville that is much cleaner, brighter and friendlier, I haven’t been to either since then but I never plan on going back to the Bedford store.
+1 On Atlantic Gun & Tackle in Bedford. They are also at the very top of the ATF’s list of stores responsible for the majority of straw purchase/crime guns in NE Ohio.
If ATF doesn’t like it, I DO!
I’ve driven past there plenty of times. I’ve never stopped in, even though it’s probably the closest gun shop to my house. Maybe I don’t really need to…
Upon further review, I’ve been to the Brecksville location. I was on a quest to find a double action .44. I was ignored for about 15 minutes in the store before I left and took my money elsewhere.
I can think of several, but none match the idiocy on display at your average gun show. Good dealers, bad dealers, and then your grouchy old hobbyists who pay for a table but never want to close a sale. I had one guy try to sell me an original painting by Hitler. Yeah, right, buddy.
They treat you like a one time customer, because that’s probably what you are. They will probably never see you again when the show closes. To them, your just a dollar sign, to be plucked dry.
Hey, believe it or not, Hitler was an artist! He wasn’t too bad. Landscape art is what I remember in Art History class. Guess you have to watch out for frustrated artist 🙂
For anyone interested in how Hitler and the Nazi’s fascination with art played a major role in WWII, I highly recommend the book The Rape of Europa and the documentary with the same name. The documentary is on Netflix and is hands down the best doc I’ve ever seen.
Having been on the other side of the table, vendors act like jerks for a reason: a vocal minority visiting gun shows are complete morons.
Don’t touch my ammo and ask what the price is when there’s a giant tag on the item stating the price. Don’t shove it in my face and tell me how I should give it to you for what you got it for in 1990. Who the **** are you, buddy?
I’ve almost gotten into fights with some of the morons who turn up at gun shows.
Wow, exactly the arrogant, condescending attitude most LGS owners / employees feel toward their customers. The ones paying theirs salaries.
Yep, F Y buddy and every Gun Shop in S. Florida. Love watching the close shop.
Some people ARE morons. Now let’s have those morons point guns at you all day long and see how polite you’re willing to be.
My opinion is that gun stores and dealers in general treat customers like they are stupid. Almost all people in this business talk down to their customers for some reason
I’m into quite a few solo-oriented gear-based hobbies and ‘tude often comes with the territory. Mix in the highly opinionated and independent nature of more dedicated POTG and even a stack of perfectly good cash still isn’t enough to keep them from puffing out their chest. I finally found a shop with no ‘tude but that is likely because the owner runs his shop crew like an Imperial Japanese battleship captain.
I wonder if that’s because a lot of their customers ACT stupid?
Theres a really rude guy at my local cabelas who is always rude to everybody. I’ve almost lost my temper with him a couple if times, luckily I haven’t. Everybody else are fairly knowledgable and helpful, as well as friendly.
Ask him if he’s from NYC!
Cowboys & Indians in West Richland Washington.. They are NEVER open and when they are its for 30 min or so.. screwy hours and a gun smith in name only makes this place a point and and wave attraction…
The hours are unlike most LGS, but they are posted on the window and Randy is always there at those times. He also has a phone so try calling him. He is good people.
Not going to name names or locations, but it used to be my only local option. They’ve since come under new ownership, and last time I was there was wonderful.
However, once upon a time, things were not so. There was a rack of engraved Steyer (and comparable) bolt actions with an average price between five and six thousand dollars (in one of the most economically depressed areas in the country), and you’d be ignored or otherwise treated like you didn’t matter if you were more interested in, say, a Mosin or K31 on the “used” rack. And the looks you’d get if you asked about a GLOCK or Springfield when there was a custom handmade 1911 in the same case… It was similarly unthinkable in one clerk’s “professional” opinion to look at Ruger or Browning for a .22 plinker when there was a perfectly good S&W model 41 right there for just three or four times the price. I have to wonder if the counter clerks were payed on commission.
They did actually treat me quite well when I ordered (and picked up) my G22 through them (again, only local option, plus only authorized dealer within 100 miles), but that involved a .22 long gun that had an MSRP of almost twice that of any they had on the shelf at the time.
Illinois Gun Works. Elmwood Park, IL. Used to be my home range because it was 5 minutes from my house, and the range fee was $10. They rarely had more than 10 firearms in stock. The range was dirty, and they never monitored it for unsafe behavior. It has closed and was torn down for a McDonald’s.
Which would you rather have, a Jennings, or a Big Mac with extra cheese and fries?
Jennings, if I can get it for the same price as the Big Mac meal.
Either one will probably do you in, one way or the other. The Big Mac & fries might take a little longer!
Yeah, but the Jennings will get you a $50-100 dollar gift card at pick-a-store.
I’ve got 3 now. A lorcin, a Jennings, and a hi point.
Given to me.
Waiting for the next “buy back”.
I get free stuff and a laugh.
Gander Mountain in North Little Rock, Arkansas. More than once I have been ignored while “busy” clerks wandered around aimlessly. The worst experience involved standing at the gun counter for 20 minutes being ignored by the aimless wanderers. When I decided to give up & leave, I noticed another fellow that had been there ahead of me – he said he’d been waiting over an hour.
Retail+ pricing on everything, used firearms priced like new ones, indifferent (at best) staff. Only way it could be worse is if they opened fire on customers coming in the door!
Chris at PSA on 200 Business Pk in Columbia, SC.
Guy is horrible and condesending. He was a Marine but still has the attitude. I’m like really? Oh, why does he have this attitude? He’s an instructor at PSA. WOW. Really, wow.
Anyway, he tried to pressure sell me like a used car salesman on a 2×7 Burris that was $50 more than the online price. Wow. Pound it. It wasn’t like a used car though, he just kept pushing it while I was at the register. For like 5 minutes, not wanting to be rude I just said, no thanks. He walks off giggling he’s a bad, bad man. No, more like a douche bag but whatever.
Now the rest of the crew there is awesome. Especially JT, call and ask for him by name. He loves it.
I agree, he is one of the only bad apples at PSA off of Farrow Rd. I find them to be one of the better gun stores in Columbia to be honest. I have had two bad experiences/stores. First, was Sportsmen Warehouse, I was browsing and a customer walks up to the counter and asks the salesperson “What does +P stand for?”, the kid at the counter who looked 12 goes “ummm I think plus powder.” I minded my business because no one likes that guy at the gun store. Then the customer asks “I have an old .38 S&W Detective my grandfather gave me, can I shoot these in it?” (holding said box of +P .38 Special) Salesperson looks at the customer and says “Oh yea it will be fine”, at the point I casually asked the customer if the gun was rated “+P” which I knew to be a giant NO. The customer looked to be 45-50 years of age. Which means that .38 S&W Detective was probably made in the 40 or 50’s. I told him if your gun is not rated +P you shouldn’t shoot the ammo through it and explained that +P means, Plus Pressure. The salesperson looked on as if he didnt even care and here he was giving dangerous advice on guns and ammo. I still go over there for reloading supplies but that blew my mind.
The one gun store I will not set foot in is Shooters Choice in West Columbia, by far the rudest, overpriced LGS I have ever been in. I feel as though I am hassling them when I walk in the store and God forbid you ask a question. There are overpriced on even used guns and milsurps, and I am glad PSA opened an indoor range so I never have to set foot in there again.
Found this place at Pafoa, JMC Defense in Peters Township near Pgh. One man shop. Nice guy who knows guns and is always patient and helpful.
I’ve had two bad experiences at two seperate Academy Sports in the DFW area. I don’t remember the exact locations, it’s been awhile.
One location the older guy at the gun counter literally attempted to dissuade me from buying handgun.
He said he didn’t believe people should be able to have handguns and that I would likely just end up shooting myself.
The other location the guy said that he didn’t think “civilians” should have “assault weapons.” It was during the Obama panic, the second one I think, so people were buying ARs like crazy- camping out for them even.
Anyways, I was getting shotgun stuff and I guess he thought maybe since I wasn’t buying an evil assault weapon that I thought like him.
Those are the only two “bad experiences” I’ve had, other than the typical gun lore and mythology you hear at every gun stores.
I do find that once you actually start buying stuff from some of these grouchy gunshops, their opinion of you and their demeanor change. All the same, its no excuse for poor service. In my college town, there was a pawn shop/gun shop/gun smith, as soon as you walked in, he’d be eyeing you like you had your pants around your knees and a necklace that read ‘Thuglife’ he’d only growl his responses to your questions and was just an A-hole in general. He went out of business by my senior year. Good riddance. Opposite of this was a young veteran who opened a shop and did smith work and class 3 transfers. His place was clean, well-stocked, reasonably priced and even if you didn’t buy something from him, he always acted like he was happy to see his customers and was more than willing to let you handle the guns, even the expensive ones. I left that town, but I imagine his business is booming and good for him and good riddance to the crappy and grouchy shops that close because they don’t know how to treat customers.
The Las Vegas Gun Range on Blue Diamond, in Las Vegas, NV. I’ve been to every gun store in town multiple times, and every time I’ve visited the LVGR it seemed like the good old boys there were too busy talking to each other to ask if I needed help, or to even acknowledge that I was there. Every time I would be there at least 20 minutes or longer before I had to physically walk up to someone and to get their full attention away from whatever it was they were doing (most times it was sitting in a chair reading or talking with another employee). The staff all seemed to act like their customers are beneath them and when asked simple questions, it seemed like those questions were a huge burden on them. Finally the prices are outrageously high because the shop caters to out of towners. There are only a handful of good shops here in LV, and one of them has them all beat hands down. I am not going to plug their company name, but Jim and Sherri have the best shop in LV! Fellow LV Gun Folk, know who i’m talking about.
Guns Unlimited in Omaha has a great staff except for the manager. He’s an old Fudd who still thinks that you can’t dry fire any gun. Sure there are some limitations in regards to dry firing some guns but if I can’t at a minimum try out the trigger, GO FUCK YOURSELF! That’s like a car salesman not even letting you sit in the car before you buy it let alone test drive it. Bass Pro shops are even worse with trigger locks on every damn gun.
I Do not know why Gun shops worried about dry firing, don’t keep
(bright orange) snap caps readily handy.
Guess they figured selling without dry firing would be like Pelosi
and Obamacare “YOU GOTTA PASS IT TO FIND OUT WHAT’S IN IT!!!
Once you bought it your stuck with it………..
I frankly have better luck at a place called Pine Tree Trading in Lewiston, Maine. It’s a fairly typical pawn shop but with a heavy emphasis on firearms. Better still, they’re friendly and will chat you up immediately once you show an interest in conversation. Last time I was in there, looking for a Mossberg 500, the dude lamented that they didn’t have any and offered to send an H&R Pardner out to have its barrel sawed to 18 1/2 so I could use it for home defense. Think he was offering it for $175 new. I didn’t get it, but I still take all my business there (if I’m not doing it on the internet, that is) because they’re friendly, they know their guns and they don’t have that air of disdain for their customers the way some local shops do.
I think that you will find that the best shops are small, owner operated, because they need your business to stay in business! The clerks at the large complexes are 9 to 5 folks, and as long as they have a paycheck coming in at the end of the week, that’s probably the only thing that matters to them. Of course there are many exceptions, finding them is the problem.
American Classic Marksman in Norcross, GA (since changed names and under new ownership I believe)
Typical LGS. Hostility and condescension were the norm, assuming you could get anyone’s attention to begin with. Academy dropouts, Fudd’s and one morbidly obese windbag behind the counter. Once an employee–let’s call him Angry Middle-Aged White Male–regarded my dark-featured friend with suspicion as we tried to pay for our range session.
“Do you speak English?” he said to my friend.
“No, I speak American,” my friend deadpanned.
I hate gun stores.
And here I thought it was just me. We went to American Classic right after we moved to Georgia, since it was the closest one to the house. Haven’t been there since the rebuild so i might go see if anythings changed.
It’s OK under the new management. They even let folks they know draw from the holster when they are too busy.
I have two main interests – music and shooting. I hate to say it, but I’ve never been in a gun shop that offered customer service at a level I’ve come to expect in ANY guitar shop. I don’t know the reason. Perhaps the fact that there is no potential that selling a guitar to the wrong person will end in criminal prosecution allows for a more open atmosphere. In big box stores, you’re met with ignorance. In specialty gun shops you are met with suspicion, unless you’re a regular. It’s a bit off putting.
That’s a cool parallel. I could apply the same thinking to dirt bikes. Go in to look at dirt bikes, you’ll end up in a long, animated conversation about riding and sticky situations been in. There’s common ground and banter and it’s generally a good time whether you buy something or not. It would be awesome if gun stores were like that. As you say, maybe too much political stuff riding the undercurrents for that to happen.
I think part of the suspicion stems from paranoia. There isn’t an active movement afoot to dis-guitar(TM) the population. There aren’t a bunch of blowhards running around trying to convince everyone how deadly guitars can be. Let’s not even discuss deadly, high-capacity assault guitars.
You are right; I was treated with suspicion at my preferred local range…for years. This year, I bought a prepaid membership. The staff attitude changed in less than a heartbeat; it’s been nothing but laughs and dirty jokes since. I guess maybe you have to become an official member of the club or something.
+1 on this. I’m a musician as well and the parallel is a good call. If price was the only consideration, I’d just buy online. I like the conversation. I like to talk to people who may well teach me something I did not know or did not consider.
Partially from chance and partly because I’ve not been a gun owner as long as I would guess the average TTAG reader has, I haven’t had any notable horrible experiences with gun shops.
I have had remarkable customer service experiences at Ready Line in Newtown, Ohio (just outside of Cincinnati). They have a great selection with a knowledgable, attentive, and friendly staff, though they did look at me funny when I asked if they have anything in the way of a ’62 Telecaster. But seriously, I will definitely be making my future purchases through them.
Lead belly,
I think it is the passion for the item.
I’d love to get a job in either. Being able to explain the difference between a Les Paul versus anything and piston driven versus gas impingement.
American strat versus Mexican strat versus….
Yup. You nailed it in my language.
Saint Petersburg Police Pistol Club. This place is a real SHIT HOLE, built in the 70s or 80s. Place stinks when you enter. Plus ED the retired cop that runs the place has run off more business then the place ever brought in to begin with!! Hes got the worst personality of anyone you’ve ever met. HATES BLACKS, and YOUNG PEOPLE! IS FLAT OUT RUDE, CRUDE, and down right MEAN! He actually told me to SHUT MY FIN MOUTH AND SHOOT! I guess talking to other shooters in a friendly way is against the rules! He stays in the front of the range all night watching a 14 inch black and white TV, Perry Mason if I recall. Ohhhh heres the best part, at any time there will be multiple lanes open and yet he will make you wait so that when his ex cop friends come in they have a fully operational firing lane. Instead of one that blows the circuit breaker if you leave it running more than 10 sec at a time. And OOOHHHH BOY if you pop the breaker, all you will see is a flashlight coming and his fowl temper cursing at you for shorting his SHIT HOLE WIRRING OUT!! LOVELY PLACE TO HAVE TO SHOOT!!! NOT!! If they actually hired someone that liked people, and remodeled the DUMP, it would be a decent range. I personally drive almost an hour in one direction just to shoot Rather then 8 mins to his place. Ohh just another couple of things, don’t have your target fall off the cardboard backing!! A new shooter that a few of us were helping teach him some safety and fundamentals to dropped his first target he had ever hung in a range before, Ohh god, all you herd was ED CURSING OUT this young man until he got so upset, he just packed up and left. Ed latter made the comment “that little pus$ couldn’t take the heat”. Then said and I get back the new target for free and the lane!! Ohh that reminds me, one target to choose from A BULLSEYE TARGET with that old ass yellowish tint paper with the black circles! Save your money go some where else, any where else. And this type of thing goes on almost every time I went! Apparently the range is no place to relax, talk to other like minded people that share the same interests! You PAY, YOU SHOOT, YOU GET THE FUC^ OUT!! ED’s POLICY!! Should have bin a prison guard, miserable old ass fellow that should never deal with the public, or people in general!! If you have a HORROR story from this place, please share!!
So you don’t recommend the place?
;>)
What you are describing is a mental defective who has found a way to live his life. This does not mean you should put up with it, but maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. OTOH, going in the shop I would be prepared to defend myself.
Substantial round, durable, compact barrel and iron sights? Ruger M77 Gunsite Scout. Not sure if it’s the best option for the beast of a boar you had up here a little while back, but it fits the criteria.
It’s a toss up between one in SW CT whose name I cannot remember where an employee through a fit because he didnt understand the Internet and Hoffmans where an employee spent twenty minutes making up a string of complete nonsense about a particular rifle I was looking at as if either I was a moron or he was a genius.
Half the time I think gun store employees are anti’s in disguise the way they act.
I have learned to give the guys at the LGS a little slack. I am not sure what the ration of ‘Lookers’ to ‘Buyers’ is but if it is 10-1, 20-1 or 50-1I kinda get their ire and ill attitude at the general public. Even if I do not buy a firearm I try to at least buy some ammo. That sometimes changes their attidude.
Also, the worst LGS I have been to has been The Outpost Armory near Murfreesboro TN. Every firearm is much more expensive than say Academy, Bass Pro and in the area. I paid $509.99 for a Gen 3 Glock 26 at a local pawn shop or could have paid over $600 at The Outpost Armory.
No slack and no return visit. I shouldn’t have to earn decent customer service. These stuck-up retailers forget that their business is kept afloat by the “general public’s” disposable income.
Been to a nice car dealership or a jewelry store lately? They’ll kiss your butt up and down the place because they wouldn’t exist if they expected everyone to buy something on the way out.
Man maybe the writer of this story should have asked if any of us have bin to a LGS and Range that didn’t SUCK ASS!!! Lol Seems like most of these gun ranges HATE US SHOOTERS more than the OBAMA ADMIN!!! Something for you asshole LGS and Ranges to think about!! There just taking money and supplying SHIT SERVICE, do to all the new gun owners out there! And what I mean by this is simple, we the gun guys and girls that have been keeping these shitty places in business for the last 20 years have bin replaced by the NEW GUN OWNER. The new gun owner in general, is not going to know if a firearm was built like shit, there new to the whole industry. Where as I am not, and can tell quality on all production guns in the last 2 years has become SHIT LIKE!!!!!! I have had more stuff come back in and shipped back to factory for replacements this year, than in the last 25 years as a gunsmith. And before the guys at S&W, GLOCK new your business and who you were is over, now even I have problems dealing with S&W over out of spec parts!! Remember when the customer was always right,LOL THOSE DAYS ARE GONE!! They don’t care if they loose a 30 year customer, they will replace you with 100 new customers that have NO IDEA what they just bought to defend their life with, IS JUNK!! Time for the American gun owner stand up to these companies that dumped all there R&D on the consumer!! And time to bring back more REAL GUNSMITHS, and LESS GUN TECHS or ASSEMBLERS!!
Big Hoss,
Kinda sounds like the Republicretins. They know that we POTG will vote for them because they’re “better” (slightly) than Democraps and we don’t really have any other place to go. Once in office, we get the ol’ bad service.
too bad Mr Ted Nugent wasn’t running for office with the Tea Party, maybe we will actually have someone that can run the country within his means and ours!
I can’t believe that no-one from Portland has mentioned the “The Gun Room” on Foster Ave. This place is run by a couple of the biggest tools in the industry. When you go in, you immediately are given a lecture as to why Glocks suck, including a collection of photos pulled off the internet showing Glocks and Springfield Xds in various states of Ka-boom. The conversation will quickly turn to the genius of the 1911, and further discussion as to why the 1911 is the only real choice for a pistol. Of course, no photos of 1911 Kabooms are shown, even though they are quite easy to find on the internet. And then there is the issue of pricing: pretty much everything is marked at MSRP +20%. They have probably the best selection of used guns in the entire City (including many Mil-Sups), but most everything used is way overpriced (by sometimes as much as double the going rate). I’m not sure how these idiots even stay in business – I suspect their overhead is really low and they make just enough sales from a combination of newbie suckers who don’t know any better, and rich dudes who don’t care about price.
You’re right I spent a couple years in Hillsboro and think I tried every gun shop in the area just checking out what was out there. The Gun Room had a nice selection and great location I would think. The staff however was the worst and that was the reason I never returned. Suspect that was why the selection was so great? nobody wants to deal with their staff.
By contrast there is a very nice shop out in Hillsboro in a strip mall (cannot remember the name),despite the location it was one of the best in the area. Two Kimbers, a Browning shotguy and a commie Remington I purchased from them for various needs during my stay. Reasonable prices, good selection and a knowledgeable staff. The owner and most of the staff shoot or hunt and they do have an opinion of what they like/prefer but are smart enough to not press the issue. I’ve also seen them spend the time with newbies talking about firearms and their needs you have too love a place like that.
Shore Galleries in Lincolnwood just a few blocks outside of Chicago. High prices and if you’re not a Chicago cop you can go F yourself.
JJ’s guns
crosby MN.
First experience was just fine, was special ordering some handgun ammo from them, no problems.
Couple years later went back shopping for a rifle and was completely ignored even though there were persons standing behind the counter BSing with themselves. Asking to see specific a specific rifle it was grudgingly handed to me, I looked at it, handed it back, they took the rifle put it back on the rack & turned back to BSing. again ignoring me.
Most have serious drawbacks, over retail prices, condescending counter help, lousy selection etc etc…
Gunshows way to go.
At a gun show, I imagine they feel the pressure of direct competition. Not to mention the pressure of hundreds or thousands of potential customers all in one place. Suddenly, they have to be on their best behavior. I suspect some of them just can’t muster it.
No kidding. All you have to do is walk 10 feet, or just turn around, and there’s another dealer. They can either get with the program or stay home.
Gun store or store with guns? Dick’s. Hands down. Or hands up if you prefer.
Adventure Outdoors, Smyrna GA: http://www.adventureoutdoors.us/
My brother and I were looking around and I decided to check their AR selection. I wouldn’t mind having a .300 Blackout but it would have to be the right price. The guy at the counter showed me the one used .300 they had and then went on a tirade. He explained that he is a former LEO and that he felt that no one except the military and the police should own any of these things. He didn’t stop there… He went on about idiots with guns and “civilians” are too stupid to carry… My brother and I didn’t say much, I handed back the rifle and I haven’t been back since.
The place has the largest selection in the south-east. I don’t care. I tell everyone who asks to avoid the place like the plague.
+1 on Adventure
Also, Stoddards Guns in Douglasville GA is good and bad. The range is really good. Clean and well ventilated and they are not range nazis.The store is decent. Prices and selection are always competitive. The employees on the other hand, well let’s just say most of them are pricks. And their membership is completely jacked. Every other time I go to shoot they have to take my member card to the back and have to figure out why I am not showing in their system as a member. (Even though I am always in good standing) Not a huge deal, but it is annoying. The only reason I keep going back is because my IDPA club shoots there twice per month, and they are a great group of guys. Other than that I would find so we here else to shoot.
Mr Guns, cedar falls, IA
A very small single owner shop. Guy was only interested in interacting with you if you tell him straight out that you will be buying something. Didn’t want to answer questions to someone that was new and trying to get into shooting, wouldn’t let you try the trigger on anything, or even the action of bolts on rifles. Was completely ignored a couple times, never went back.
When I was home in Oregon I hit every gun shop possible in Portland and the Eugene/Springfield area. I never had a bad experience but one store in Portland took the MSRP and multiplied by two or three on everything. There is no way I am paying $700 for a chicom SKS, or $2000 for a beat to hell Trapdoor springfield that I could buy in Springfield for around $400.
My local stores here in Kansas are all pretty good. The worst thing about any stores is waiting for your turn, but that’s not a problem for me.
Sportsman Warehouse, Puyallup, washington. i tried to purchase a 22lr for my grand daughter and got a hold from atf which is common with me as i have purchased about a dozen firearms in the past 10 years, with a “hold” being the norm. typically i have a few days wait and then i was able to purchase the guns. Not here, they have a no release policy until they get a go ahead. that typically never comes and the other stores sell the gun to me ,by law. i am a cpl holder , hunter, fisherman, shooting enthusiast, and i spend thousands of dollars per year on sporting goods. i will not spend a dime at Sportsman warehouse again
Doesn’t Washington’s CCW exempt you from the ‘Brady Check’?
No, it exempts you from the WA State Patrol check and waiting period. With a WA CPL you just do the 4473 on the pistol and take it home. Otherwise the WSP does their own little check, enters the pistol into their registry (yup) and calls back to the FFL and gives the go-ahead.
The grey area is the 5-day waiting period. The state is supposed to enforce it, and allow you to pick up the firearm once the 5-day period is expired – even if they don’t send back an OK to the FFL. However I’ve had one case where I transferred two pistols at once to the same FFL, did not have a CPL at the time, and within a couple hours of the state getting the paperwork, they called the FFL back and gave me the OK, so I turned around and drove back to pick up the pistols without issue.
So to answer your question, having a WA CPL will do NOTHING if the ATF puts a hold on your 4473.
This is why I couldn’t sell guns. You’re upset because your LGS wouldn’t release a gun to you after the ATF put your transfer on hold? You’ve known about this for years but a)haven’t gotten yourself a UPIN, and b) keep going to gun stores and acting like Ground Hogs day every time you get denied.
Did you know you can appeal NICS holds? If you are constantly getting a hold, you can appeal it, and they’ll give you a unique ID number that you can put on future 4473’s to avoid problems.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/appeals/nics_appeals_brochure_eng
Wes
Wes,
The downside there is that all of your juicy personal info is then on file with The Man. At least with the current [crappy] NICS system, you’re somewhat anonymous.
I have had delays from dealers at shows, which meant I had to wait the 3 days and then drive to their shop. I’d rather do the drive than give up the data.
Just sayin’
GAT In East Dundee IL has great product availability, ok prices but the customer service is really hit and miss. Ive had people be awesome, I’ve had people treat me like dog crap. Product knowledge is above average, inventory is good. But their glocks are 20% too high.
Interesting how many WORST shops are in Illinois. I wish my local Illinois shops didn’t suck so bad. All my favorite gun shops are in Indiana #1 being Blythes in Griffith, Indiana.
Well, think about it! Opening a gun store is a business decision. If I were interested, IL, CA, and NYC are 3 areas I would first move away from. Leaving no one with any sense opening a gun store in such areas, why ask for a lifetime of grief?
sounds like a lot of LGS could benefit from a customer service and marketing course
Exactly. I’m pretty much used to clerks in stores not knowing anything worthwhile about the products they sell, so I don’t care so much about that. But if I walk in looking to drop actual money on a gun, and the sales guys spend 10 minutes ignoring me while they play grab-ass with each other, I won’t be back.
I’ve been shooting and buying guns for close to 40 years. Mostly in north NJ and notheast PA. I’ve been in a couple of local gun stores that were less than friendly, but no real horror stories like I’m reading here. In my shooting “career” I’ve seen many shops come and go, some in less than a year mostly because they were underfunded when they started the business, or the owner realized that it is a low margin business tha required a lot of work.. And I’ve seen all manner of shops, from those that are basic “huntin’ fishin” stores, to specialty shops catering to trap shooters, or competition handgunners. Years ago I bought firearms at a local chain of stores in north NJ called “Laneco”, a dept store similar to a Walmart that sold clothes, toys, groceries, bicycles, and furniture. Zero service, and minimal selection, but really cheap prices. But if they didn’t have it in stock, there was no ordering it. And I’ve bought at small “mom & pop” sporting goods stores, pawn shops, and good ol’ Walmart. Now I wouldn’t try and buy dancing shoes at a Nike store, and the same goes for trying to buy a competition .22 bullseye pistol at Walmart, and I have found very few gun shops that would have EVERYTHING a person might want. So I’ve been thinking about this, and out of the stores that I know of that are still open for business, I’d say that Dick’s Sporting goods is about the worst store I’ve been in for selection and service in the last 10 years. No meaness or deliberate rudeness, but the clerks there seem to know less about guns than they know about socks. L.L. Bean’s store in Maine is first rate in my opinion for friendly service, and knowledgeable clerks. And the selection of long guns was mezmorizing. Prices in the summer of 2012 were nothing to brag about, but they weren’t bending the customers over either. I also like Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA, they really try to be friendly and polite, even on Saturdays when they are swamped with all kinds of folks, some of whom are rude, stupid or just plain a-holes, but that store is a 90 minute drive, so I only make it if I have planned a large purchase. No sense in driving that far for one box of 30-30 cartridges. And I must confess that with the economy of the past 10 years, I haven’t spent much time in gun shops. I’ve been spending my money on my other hobbies, like eating and having a place to sleep and a car to drive.
Guns and Ammo, Memphis, TN
The WORST customer service.
Gander Mountain in Mooresville, NC. They took out their friendly, accessible gun racks and cases and put all the racks behind the glass cased pistols, scopes, etc. Then they decided that you had to get a number and stand in line to talk to a salesman! I guess it separates the buyers from the lookers, but it also separated me from that store!
+1
There is one guy there (name slips my mind) that is OK to talk with, and he won’t try to sell you crap like it was gold.
But all the guns are WAY overpriced – MSRP + 20% or more. I wonder if anyone ever bought a gun there.
Same applies to ammo.
Was at that shop earlier this month while visiting friends in Belmont. Yeah, the prices were a bit up there. OTOH, being from the People’s Republic of MA, I loved the huge array of evil kitten-killing rifles, 8~)
Buddy thats ALL Gander Mountains now.
Yep…they all used to gave the guns out for touchy feely and ammo stacked on pallets to the ceiling and then they all went upscale or something. At least they are just MSRP. Some of the mom and pop shops here are MSRP+. I have absolutely no use for an LGS anymore except to do transfers.
Just me, but I would never go into a gun shop looking for advice on what I should get based on my needs… this isn’t the the early 90’s where the internet was a vast wasteland of nothingness – we live in the 21st century where a plethora of information is at our fingertips, with user reviews, opinions and experts galore, far more than any gun shop in existence. For any gun purchase I’ve ever made, I researched based on my needs, narrowed my selection down to a few (or one in some cases), and range tested to see what might work best if possible and made my purchase.
Get Some Guns and Ammo in Murray Utah. Worst customer service ever. If you aren’t willing to pay their ridiculously over priced costs, they want nothing to do with you. Some of my happiest moments are when I’m able to steer people away from buying from them.
Borders Sporting Goods in Ashland Kentucky.
For a while it was the ONLY gun shop around, and it SUCKED. They price gouged before that was commonplace, then went full retard during the Obama panics. Charging $60 for a 50rd box of Aguila .45 auto 230grn FMJ because they had a hand-made sigh that said the gun bans are coming.
Many years ago, i stopped in to get their FFL info to order a carbine. I might as well asked them to give me their underwear. after much hassle, i got the info, and also found out that the fee they charge for an FFL transfer and NICS check was going to be 30% of the cost on the invoice of the firearm I ordered. I told them never mind, and found an FFL that did it for $10, and he had been a good friend ever since.
My (now ex) wife was wanting a double barrel .410 shotgun, and Borders had one. After waiting 20 minutes for someone to come over to hand the shotgun to us, he looked at me (ignored my wife) and said “you don’t want the .410, you want this here 12ga. 12ga is much more common.”
“No, she wants the .410.”
“Well, if she wants it, then i guess i’ll show it to you.” Hand the shotgun to ME.
We looked at it, noticed the $200 higher price tag than should have been, and handed it back.
I don’t go back. There has been another shop open up one mile down the road and it is eating Boarders alive.
Dominion Arms in Manassas VA. Everything is over priced and the selection is non existent. Just like the staffs customer service skills. These guys definitely gouge when ever they can. Avoid at all cost and visit Virgina Arms right down the road.
Never been to Dominion Arms but will second your opinion about Virginia Arms. I bought my Springfield Milspec there and had several scopes mounted gratis by their armor. I have mixed feelings about Guns and Ammo Warehouse down the road on Route 28. Friendly staff but not a great selection and the screwed a scope mount.
Atlantic Guns in silver spring, maryland. Very high prices with no service to justify.
I’m still a little bitter at Engage Armament in Rockville, Maryland. When I was a noob and trusted someone’s advice to go stop in, they sold me a slightly used mossberg 500 for $450. It was my ignorance and I’ve taken it as a learning lesson, but they completely took advantage of noobness.
Stonewall Range and gun shop in Brecksville, Ohio. Rude staff, high prices and 1 round at a time for rifles on their range..
I’ve been going to Stonewall for years to shoot, and I would have agreed with you up until about 8 months ago. I’ve noticed that a lot of their staff has changed, and with it, the attitude. I’ve also seen their prices come down quite a bit, though not quite to Fin Feather and Fur levels. If you haven’t been back recently, it may be worth it to give them another shot.
Edit: the 1 round at a time for rifles is lame, and that hasn’t changed. If I recall correctly (and I may not) that rule was instated because someone had gotten carried away with rapid fire and done some damage.
I may give them another chance someday, but for now I’ve been going to pro armament and riverside in cuyahoga falls. Mostly because I bought my sbr and silencer from pro armament and can use them at riverside whenever I want while I’m waiting for my stamps.
It was some species of hardware store in Watertown, NY that sold guns as a sideline. The events below took place in the last century, so I’ve forgotten the name of the place. One of our fellow officers in 10th MTN Div. received a revolver from his wife for Christmas. When it was his birthday, three or four of us went into town to buy him some ammunition for it as a present. We were all in high spirits when we entered the store, but when the clerk – a middle-aged, dyspeptic-looking stoat – was informed of the nature of our purchase and the fact that it was for a friend, the sun quickly set on our happiness. The little Napoleon of commerce delivered a lecture of great rudeness and condescension and informed us that it was ILLEGAL (horrors!) to buy handgun ammo for another person. Since we were all in uniform, the absurdity of this rant inspired awe that any state or salesman could be so incredibly idiotic. If we or the birthday boy ever wanted to go rogue, we could have levelled the block with the weapons at our disposal. The idea that we couldn’t be trusted with revolver ammuntion was so nonsensical that we just did a slient about-face and left the premises forever.
Riley’s in Hooksett, NH.
Was there with a friend who, around 4:52pm on a Saturday, finally decided what rifle he wanted. We went to the counter and he said he wanted to buy it. “Not right now you won’t.” We looked in confusion. “We close at 5. No time for that now.” Obviously some lazy worker who didn’t care about the job. I’ve done 4473s right before closing and walked out with my firearm. We never bought the gun there after that attitude.
Huge selection at Riley’s. They always have ammo. They will build you a gun. And they have any firearm accessory you could ever need from reloading to safe storage. Their prices are higher than they should be though.
Black Water firearms in Hudson prices all of their handguns at MSRP and gouged prices on ammo and ARs after Newtown. These guys wanted $165 more for the 1911 I bought at Lee’s in Hudson.
Torent,
I dunno. II have been to Riley’s several times in my trips across the border and I have found staff to be helpful. One time when I went up with my sister, the limit on primers was 500. When I got to the register, the clerk said that my sister could also buy 500. I started to say that she doesn’t reload and….. my sister said that she would indeed get 500 primers. The clerk said, let’s just put them in the same box for travel. He certainly didn’t have to say anything.
As far as not processing a firearm sale at 8 minutes to closing, I’m empathetic. Depending on who-the-hell-knows-what, I have had “instant” NICS checks take 30 minutes. That. of course, after I have filled out the 4473 and before the payment. Hey, I like to get out of my job on time, too. Just sayin’
RGUNS.NET, I have never been to the actual store but I can only imagine from my experience with them through email, and phone. A few years back I was looking to purchase a Krebs and it seems that those Unicorns are only sold in a few places on the planet, one of them (use to be) RGuns, anyways after months of waiting to have one of their “in-stock now” Krebs shipped to my local FFL, I canceled the order and promptly received a very cordial, “I CANCELED IT”, in all caps and nothing more, the very same day my credit card info they had on file magically purchased a bunch of electronics from the Best Buy in the Illinois area, luckily my bank caught the transaction before it could go through. Oh, and their “all-nude girls and guns calenders” are hot, I’m sure those girls are clean.
Bills Gun Shop in Hudson WI has a range supervisor who likes to look over your shoulder while you shoot. It’s creepy. I sometimes buy ammo there but don’t use the range anymore because that guy makes me angry. Last week I watched him slap the trigger on his own gun, then play with the front sight because he had poor control. Makes me wonder how many people he has “corrected.”.
Which person? I frequent that place and Ive known that the management are strict with the RO’s, and make them enforce rules vehemently. I’ve never had problems with any of the rest of the staff however.
The range is very clean (besides brass which can accumulate quite fast) and they let you shoot rifles, pistols and shotguns on the same range with a very few restrictions on ammo.
Otherwise my experience with customer service at that place has been pretty good, prices on new guns are meh – pretty average, but the used guns are usually priced very well.
Dunno. It was about 9 months ago. I just remember that I asked him twice to back off and the third time I’d had it and left.
Another complaint, their gunsmith doesn’t seem to know his hourly rate. Any time I’ve ever talked to any gunsmith about a gun, he’s been able to tell me what he charges. This is the first time for that.
Impact Arms in Ogden, UT. They have a nack of telling you what you want when you don’t want it. They have made or turned away so many people that I am quite surprised they are in business. If you visit just tell them you are looking and not shopping it usually turns them away fast.
Euless guns and ammo, in Euless Texas.
I walked in and I was asked if I needed anything in particular. He was very friendly but it was like me saying NO didn’t register. Dude kept following me like a damn hawk. I went for some Mosin ammo and they had some Winchester white box…..for $33! 100 white box of 45? $80! Tula 45? Twenty eight freaking dollars.
I may have been born on a Monday, but it wasn’t the Monday BEFORE I went there.
I don’t even know if it’s still open, but if it is? Hands down “The Gun Room” in Portland, Oregon. The guy there acts like you’re interrupting his enema if you ask him anything, and if you ask him for something he doesn’t have, it’s automatically dismissed as a POS. Prices are (were?) astonomical, but the selection was good.
The Gun Room is still there, and it’s still absolute sh!t.
I went in there a little while ago, and they were trying to sell heavily used Colt ARs for upwards of $2K, PTR-91s for $2K, and AK series rifles for over $1500. I snickered and left. There are many better gun shops in the Portland area.
I can’t say that I have visited a “worst”. I certainly did not have the greatest experience when the new Cabela’s opened in our town but in all fairness they were filled to the rafters with customers. Then there was the time I went to the Gander Mountain in town and stood their in front of the AR’s for a full 20 minutes and never saw a clerk. I did go back the next day however (after going to Cabela’s again and discovering the AR I wanted was out of stock) and was promptly waited on and went home the happy owner of a new black rifle. A couple of frustrated experiences but that does not make them the worst.
Dick’s Sporting Goods in Utica, MI wouldn’t sell me a shotgun after I told the imbecile at the counter that it was for my wife. He actually got excited that he had stopped a real live, baby-killing straw purchaser. smh…..
Millers gun center, New Castle Delaware. Picked up an 870 wingmaster to look at it and a militant little man snatched it out of my hand telling me they were locked up and I should have asked first (they were not locked up), I then asked for a holster for open carry, little man lectured me, he was ex cop and Delaware was Not open carry state, that if I turned sideways and officer could not see my gun, then it was concealment! He then pointed in the direction of holsters and walked away. Guess they don’t need my business.
Gun Center in Frederick, MD.
The story has the greatest selection in the area but the owner is the biggest jerk ive ever talked to you, he acts like he doesnt have the time of day to even look at you.
I’ll second that! I was looking at an FNX-9 before the 10/1 crap went into effect. I wanted something that had interchangeable grip straps for the wife and I (I have bear paws she has rabbit paws sort of a thing)…. Well apparently she needed a snubbie 38 and I needed a 1911! NO thanks! I like revolvers and 1911s but we are on a limited budget and that was double what I was willing to spend! Went to Shooter’s Discount in Mt Airy instead and got a Glock an a 38 revolver (not a snubbie) for LESS than I would have paid for the FNX-9!
Buck’s Gun Rack in Daytona Beach, FL. Went in looking for a light for my FNP, guy pulls a Glock out of a display case with one of the Glock-branded lights on it and starts lasering my chest. Didn’t clear the gun or nothin.
Southern Oaks Gun & Pawn in Orlando, FL.
You suck and they hate you.
Heavy Metal Firearms, Steven Point , WI…hands down the absolute worst…
Bad attitudes and high prices abound…
http://www.heavymetalfirearms.com/
I’ll take a different approach; quality – service – product knowledge – facility *excellence* as opposed to deficiencies and failings.
The San Diego area has a fair number of gun shops and gun shop/range establishments. I’ve purchased at five LGS stores and used the range at the two of these locations that have them. One LGS/range is by far a standout that has been continuous upgraded since early 2008 when I began using it. That range and gun-shop is my ‘go to’ facility.
P2K (Project 2000) is far and away the best local range and gun shop in the San Diego / South San Diego area. They have a welcoming and extensive mostly younger staff with a wide range and depth of knowledge of firearms and shooting including competition shooting. Two indoor well lit, extremely well ventilated shooting ranges; one long range rifle and one short range pistol, rifle and shotgun. Multi shooter outdoor trap – and skeet – ranges, and a limited use outdoor range for LE training shoots / special activities. They maintain a well-stocked inventory of guns of all types, and ammo / shooting gear is plentiful. Very shooter – and family – friendly. The facility has regular ongoing significant improvement upgrades which are accomplished with very little intrusion or impact on operational activities. The ranges are designed to be intuitively safe and range rules are promoted in ways that effectively gain range user cooperation without being ‘coercive’. The character and tone of this establishment is cautiously very upbeat and positive in nature. Plenty of seating with large commercial 8 place tables near the various range entrances, and there is an assortment of snacks available along with full size cases containing cold drinks and ice cream. Always a positive experience; and I always treat myself and anyone with me to an ice cream on the way out.
BTW I have no affiliation with P2K other than as a customer – member.
This has been a fun ass thread.
Indeed, I’ve enjoyed the rants.
Jerry’s shooting irons in Ocean Springs, MS.
After Sandy Hook, I remember they were selling Tula 223 for about $24 a box. Helluva lot more for other brands. I left and didn’t return until recently. I went in and asked if they had any stock wrenches for sale. The owner (guessing Jerry) turns around and says “I do….but not for you.” I immediately turned around and never been back. Dad’s Super Pawn in Pascagoula, MS is a close second. Heard the employees argue with a customer about open carry. Employees didn’t like the idea of everyday Joe open carrying. They believed it would turn the coast into the “Wild West” and “blood will flow on the streets”.
Any gun store outside of California. It’s like they hate me for living here. No matter how much I promise I won’t tell anyone if they sell to me anyway…
Because regulations, laws, policies, and taxes. I don’t blame them. I don’t sell to CA, NY, MA, WA, or CT due to regulations.
What is the problems, deal or restrictions buying or purchasing in Washington state?. I have noticed WA shows up in the state restriction notations, in listings for seemingly nothing type stuff.
Seems like there might even be weird sales regs related to black powder arms. Can anyone enlighten me?
This blog is about “gun stores” which pretty much rules out places like wally world since they don’t depend on firearms as a main draw.
I;ve got 2 the first is Shooter’s World in Phoenix they tried to sell me a Class 3 on which they were “only” making 5% markup because they were doing the xfer/process for a good customer (it was a class 3 Reisling). They only wanted $1500 for it. I finally bought the firearm (the same one) for $799 from a quality dealer in Scottsdale. I guess my 5% calculator and theirs don’t work the same.
Second: A place called August Arms in Rio Rancho, NM it is/was dark, dirty and the counter help was usually a couple of gang bang looking kids who already knew more than anyone who came in the store. The only one worse was the owner whom was condesing and rude and also knew more than the rest of us. I understand they finally closed up shop after being sued for sexual harassment all in all they were a poster for everything about a gun shop that should have never existed.
How about a blog on the “best” gun shops ever visited I’ve got a huge list of those I would recommend.
One more small IL gun store makes the list. D & J Guns, Lakemoor, IL. I tried to get some information on my first gun purchase while I waited for my IL FOID card to arrive. After ignoring me for some time with only one other person in the store, the gun toting salesman and saleswoman basically told me to come back when I got the card in mail. I know I need the card to handle a gun, but I was just looking for some information on a gun they carried. Maybe it was the BMW convertible I had parked in the front of their small store? I have filled two gun safes without ever going back. Go figure!
Bass Pro in Altoona, IA
I have shopped at all of the gun stores in a 100 mile radius and the only place that sent me away from their gun counter in disgust was Bass Pro. I do shop there for other stuff but no guns anymore.
Incident 1.
I am looking for a Marlin 336C. I walk up to their wall of guns and stand next to the lever actions. A nice clerk comes up to me after 5 minutes to ask me what I would like to see. I say Marlin 336C. She then proceeds to go to the far end in the Bolt actions and works her way down the rifle’s tags through the ARs and finally to where I was standing to find a Marlin 336C. I ask to see the one in with a blued finish, she hands me the stainless. I look it over and then walk out. Went and bought the 336C from the ma and pa place about 10 miles away with one guy working the counter who knows what he is talking about.
Incident 2.
I am in the market for a set of rings, bases, and a cheap scope for a shotgun project. I look online and see some interesting prospects but I am pressed for time so I head over to the closest place (Bass Pro). I stand at the counter looking at some of the lower powered cheaper optics they had. I found a mount that had a weaver style base. I noticed there was a cheap scope with some weaver rings that came with and I asked to look at it to check clarity and the reticle. The clerk asks me what I wanted to do with it and I told him. He says oh!, that scope can only be fitted on an Assault Rifle. I said ok and walked away putting my mount back where I got it and proceeded to cannabalise another project at home to complete the shotgun one I was working on. Assault Rifle my butt!
Local Gun store in cedar rapids ia has an indoor range. Said range is featured in every advertisement they put in the paper. U went there once, bought 100 rounds of .40 and paid for range time and the owner wouldn’t stop grousing that i hadn’t purchased my handgun there too. Like every other word out of his mouth was him asking why Id purchase a weapon from one of his competitors. (All of his competitors have prices which reflect reality.) I left vowing to never return
Long Island Shooting Center
Gun Traders in Reading, PA is horrible. The fat dude who owns the place is a total jerk and a slob. Most of his stock is moldy old wood long guns or rusty handguns. He talks down to everyone who enters the place. His store is dirty, with shit all over the place. His prices are high. His store gets broken into about 3x a year, so you have to wonder how he’s staying in business – losing so many handgun every few months.
http://www.theguntraders.com/
There is a store/range in Torrington, Connecticut called Tactical Arms…. http://www.c3tactical.com/ . I am not the only one who has had issues with this place check their reviews online. The owner is a small bald man with an attitude towards customers that is unbelievable. My last visit was due to him; I went in and was looking to buy some .45GAP ammo, there were price tags on the boxes, iirc they were $24.99 ea. I brought them up to the counter and the girl scanned the boxes with a reader. She gave me a total of $89.00 I gave her $90 cash and got a buck back. I took the receipt and the three boxes of ammo out to my car and then I got my calculator out and did the math…I was charged 3 dollars more per box and tax… I went back into the store and the girl asked if there was a problem and I said yes that the price on the sticker on the box is different from the price I was charged… out of the back room comes the bald slight man with a large attitude… he says “She scanned it, that is the price” and I showed him the stamped prices on the boxes… he said No the scanned price is correct and I said that he had to honor the stamped price by statute… he turned red and said sarcastically “what do you want me to do credit your credit card?” And I stated that I payed with cash… with no eye contact he retreived a cash drawer and a calculator and made exact change about $9.50 he placed it on the counter and went back into his office…. haven’t spent a dime there since…
The Marksman in Puyallup, WA.
If you call about a gun, you’ll be on hold for a while, then they’ll check their stock, and then refuse to give you a price because of “competitors wasting their time’. Y’know, like they expect customers to waste time on the phone, or driving any distance to visit them and find out they’re not cheap.
If you go and ask to handle a gun, the muzzle has to stay pointed at the floor. I grok safety, sure, but how do you shoulder a rifle pointed straight down? Also – maybe this depends who you get – no dryfiring allowed either.
If you take a gun to their gunsmith… well.. don’t. Not only did he severely mangle the finish on my AR, he also doesn’t (“can’t”) test for things like, y’know, alignment of the gas port. Minor things like that. Even getting handgun sights swapped isn’t a safe bet.
The range is also kind of crappy. The safety brief is a joke. It’s dark, and they swear that there’s no way to heat an indoor range, obviously, DUH. Unilke EVERY other range in the area, including Bullseye, and that’s saying something.
All of which is a shame, because they have a FANTASTIC selection of Springfield everything, and some super nice specialty 1911s. I guess the stock is good because people can’t actually buy things there, because….:
If you bring a gun in for trade, and another, unrelated customer who is a complete stranger to you offers to buy it from you, they’ll throw YOU out of the store, even though you clearly stated your intent to trade that gun TO THEM for a brand new XDS two-tone.
Not that I’m bitter or anything.
I can vouch for Jerry’s Shooting Irons in Ocean Springs, MS, but there are worst ones. I had one good experience there on a FFL transfer, and after that it went down hill. The last time I was in there was on my last trip to Ocean Springs in September 2011, thought I would drop by and see what was there. I guess I got Jerry, and he is even more cranky than he was in 2005 when I was living there.
I have had good and bad experiences in Alaska at all the gun shops in Anchorage, just depends on who you get behind the counter I guess.
Top Gun in Taylor, MI
Been in there a few times. If they are busy you have to push through the crowd of people to get to the counter if you want help. If you just try to wait politely others will push in front of you. There is no line and they have no idea who came in when.
One time I was looking for a holster for my new gun and I had brought it with me. The salesperson took me to a table in the back by the range and said try these you can use your gun if it is unloaded. I showed him it was and began trying the gun in the different holsters. I asked him about extra magazines and he said there in the back give me a second. Right after he left another sales person came over and yelled at me for having my gun out of it’s case and how I was endangering everyone in the building. I tried to calmly explain that another sales person had told me it was ok but he wouldn’t listen so I quickly put my gun back in the case. Then the other sales person came back with the extra magazine and asked me if I was a member. When I said no he said well the non-member price is $80 but since your buying the holster I’ll give you the member discount which is $72. I told him I had just bought an extra magazine at a nearby gun store for $30(it was there last one in stock which was why I was still looking). He responded that sooner or later high capacity magazines(it was a 17 round 9MM magazine) were going to be banned and then it would be worth way more so to look at it as an investment.
I bought the holster and told him to forget about the magazine. That was the last time I went there.
Bass Pro Shop in Memphis, TN. You couldn’t get service unless you were a camo clad Fudd.
Any store run by Get Some Guns and Ammo in Utah. Runner up would be the assholes at Gunnie’s in Orem UT.
Any reasons why?
Worst by a mile: The Gun Shop in Norcross, Ga. (used to be in Buford, Ga)
The owners barely literate asian girlfriend made me pet her box turtle (seriously) while the owner explained that he preferred to sell to gangbangers because they paid cash, didn’t shop around and bought whatever he showed them. Liked the new location because it offered more of the above clientele. Lousy selection and price to boot. Classy joint I tells ya. Needless to say, I bought my shotgun elsewhere.
Carter’s Country I-10 in Houston. I’ve been twice, been turned off by lack of customer service twice. I’m done.
ATP in Summerville, SC. I can’t believe I am first to post this. People joke that it stands for “Always Triple Price”. The absolute highest prices I have ever seen. The staff is pretty much worthless. Even worsel they allegedly send employees to other gun shops to buy up ammo so they have the only supply available, thus forcing customers into their store. The only thing I like about the place is that their large selection is great for showrooning.
Man I totally agree about ATP in Summerville, SC! I remember being there before they had their big shop and picking up a M1 Garand and an overweight clerk heckled me because it was a 30-06 & that the recoil was probably too much for me. Even though I’m the size of a man who would carry one into war in WWII. Kind of annoying and it made me get my Garand from somewhere else. I also once asked them to see if they could get me a Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant & then told me that they don’t exist. They kept telling me that I mean what kind of finish the rifle had. After a debate & with me showing them on my phone, they still weren’t convinced so I went somewhere else. This was many years ago.
I stopped in there recently since I never went into their new shop & it was the same deal where they seemed more annoyed that I came in there. I won’t be going there ever again at this point.
Hands down the worst gun shop in America is:
Gun City USA
In Nashville, TN on Murfreesboro Road.
The selection sucks but what is even worse is the people who work there. If you need help they act like they are doing YOU a favor and grunt and moan about having to move 2 feet to get anything. They have ZERO parts, zero anything relevant. They do have a range but its underground with ZERO ventilation and hasn’t been cleaned since 1972.
STAY AWAY and go to the best shop and BEST range in TN, the Nashville Armory.
Worst – Buffalo Gun Center
Pros- Good selection overall.
Cons – About half the staff seem to have either a bad attitude most of the time or a “hurry up and buy something or I’m moving on” attitude.
Prices are high and they don’t negotiate, even on used guns, at least in my case.
I was interested in buying THREE used handguns and made an offer that was 10% below asking price. I felt this was fair since they were already not priced at “deal” prices and I would have been buying THREE guns. This with the fact that I have heard them offering people insulting trade-in values numerous times makes me confident there was PLENTY of wiggle room. As a result I bought ONE handgun.
Now that I think about it my cabelas has a sign stating that ALL firearms must be checked at the front and be unloaded. Makes me laugh because I’m defiantly going to check my carry gun whatever that may be.
Bulls Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma, WA.
After the DC Sniper tar and feathering they took I thought I’d give them some love.
I was looking to buy a used .22 military trainer, and found one for about $300.00 used. I was very interested in buying it, and ready to plunk down my cash, but I wanted to inspect the internals of this simple blot action rifle.
I didn’t want to disassemble a rife didn’t own so I asked the guy behind the counter if he could help me. He tried, and failed, but had the good sense to ask the shop gunsmith, who was hanging out further down the counter doing nothing in particular.
The gunsmith look exceeded to have something interesting to do, and we spent about 10 minutes looking online for schematics and the manual of arms.
Then some guy, manager, owner? wandered by, looked at the gunsmith and said, “how much time are you going to waste trying to sell a $300 gun?”
The gun smith looked shock and frustrated. I left without the rifle.
I also didn’t buy the $1100 Sig P220 Elite Dark I purchased the next week at West Coast Armory in Issaquah, or the $700 Remington 870p, the $650 Sig P245, the $700 Kahr PM9, the $600 Sig P238, and $1200 Remington 700 Police tactical rifle all purchased from DJ’s Loan and sport in Bothell. Both of these shops offered excellent service.
Shoot Straight, Apopka, FL. They have some honest good employees, but awful management. I can’t say much more, but I and people I know have decided to boycott them for a variety of reasons.
you must be talking about Larry out at shoot straight Apopka I grew up in Orlando I’ve been a customer of shoot straight for over 28 years. Yeah they’re management does leave a little bit to be desired!
Kinsey’s Outdoors in E-town, PA. Went in there as a complete newb to handguns interested in checking out a Springfield Armory XD. Dude behind the counter totally dismissed my interest in the XD, saying he didn’t think it was a safe gun for a new shooter. Then tried to sell me a more expensive used H&K. I wound up buying an XD online. They didn’t get the transfer either.
I have to agree with Mr. Pierogie and Jared – the Bullet Hole in Belleville, NJ ranks high on my list of lousy gun stores. I went there to pick up some powder and primers and it was lunch time on a Saturday. The clerk gave me crap about interrupting his lunch for such a simple request and then disappeared for about 30 minutes. When he came back he only had 1 can of Win 231 – told me they were out of everything else, even though I had called the store earlier and they said they had everything in stock. It’s very small and crowded with either newbies or the local LEO (the police department is literally right around the corner).
Now Mr. Pierogie, if you are looking for a good range check out “Gun For Hire” up in Woodland Park (the old West Paterson) – state of the art range with everything you can think of. Hard to believe that it is located in the Socialist State of New Jersey.
Texas Guns, 7122 Bandera Rd, San Antonio, TX. Absolutely the worst!!!
New Century Outdoors, in Valdosta, Ga.
The big guy and the biker chick who worked here were nice enough, but the prices were horrid. It was in a strip mall, and the only decor was made up of banners and stickers from gun companies. Very limited inventory of any kind, outside of mallninja specials. It was clean enough, but it was in an older shopping center, so it could never look clean. I never bought anything there, as they never had what I needed or wanted in stock. I did, on several occasions, help them gain sales. Mostly when the “gunsmith” guy came out of the back and tried to drive off customers.
Gander Mountain in Valdosta, Ga
Yeah, I know.. 20% over MSRP, who saw that coming? 10% Over MSRP on used guns? Ok, so they usually have the ammo I am looking for. (Not TCM, of course, but hey..) And the staff is super courteous. Sadly, they are mostly clueless when they get behind the gun counter. I go there every chance I get, as they have an amazing selection of weapons to fondle. The folks who have worked the counter have gotten to know me, and let me do anything I want, short of loading the guns, or walking out the door. But the struggle I feel in my head as I correct the mind numbingly stupid things some of them tell the customers is sometimes to great to keep trapped inside. I should NOT have to explain a Euro mag release to anybody working that part of the store. And the advice they give on legality and ownership of suppressors, SBRs and SBSs… It’s a good thing the customers do their 4473 on a computer… I swear, line 11F should apply to people selling the guns as well.
Now, can we please have another thread, where we all pimp our awesome LGS? I want to share my happiness about the place where I actually spend money.
Point of information…… FUD????
is it
Fnnnnnnn Useless Dum….$$.
or other ?
FUD = Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (e.g. “The last lead smelter in the US in closing!!!!!! Now no one can make bullets!!!!!)
Fudd = (i.e. Elmer Fudd) Folks who believe that the 2nd Amendment only protects 19th century weapons suitable for hunting.
Note that quite a few people here use FUD when they mean Fudd.
THANKS ! ! !
Is it remotely possible that us people of the gun can be difficult sometimes? I have been on both sides of the counter and could point fingers in both directions. Begin flaming in 3..2..1
Agreed.
Some gun store customers are jerks who don’t seem to understand that being a dick to the guy behind the counter doesn’t change the fact that no one has any .22 LR in stock or that it takes a few weeks to get Glock 42’s in after SHOT Show.
On the flip side, some gun store clerks are jerks who don’t understand that they are being paid to provide great customer service to everyone who walks through the door. Even the guys who just want to complain about .22 LR availability.
BMG Gun Sales, owner was named Greg, guy was a thief and sold me a new FN Fal that didn’t work than gave me the run around for months about fixing or replacing it. His staff would tell me its ready to be picked up and all fixed and I would drive 45 minutes one way to find that no one knew what I was talking about. After 4 months of this I went up on a Saturday and made a big stink to a full store saying either you refund my money or were going to court and finally got my money back. They still have my rifle case I never got that back, but now the owner is going to jail.
http://www.registercitizen.com/general-news/20140305/connecticut-gun-dealers-plead-guilty-to-federal-firearms-offenses
Good what a bunch of criminals.
hey since the topics bad gun stores, what about horrible gun manufacturers. Top of the line most recent problem Smith and Wesson.I purchased a brand new shield at shoot straight Clearwater Florida.didn’t even get to see it until after they handed me back my credit card CWP and my ID. I bought the firearm directly from Smith and Wesson that was having a meet the customer show at the shoot straight Clearwater. Could not shoot the weapon because no 9 millimeter not even self defense ammo was available at the time, so I took the gun put it in my gear bag and went on home.took it out to clean it before shooting it and realize that the front sight was canted left 3000 of inch out. Now I’m a gunsmith here in St Pete and I know when a gun is not manufactured correctly. I ended up sending weapon back two different occasions both times I wasn’t sure the problem was corrected and finally I got him on the phone and they told me that yes the site was 3000 out at the dovetail and they wouldn’t fix it they said it was within the specs end of story. So I then asked if I could purchase a brand new slide out of my pocket after spending 500 already buying this piece of junk! They said no that there were no slides available to be told that every slide made was going on a new shield to be sold to a new customer. The third time I sent it back I demand a refund and after 4 weeks finally got my check! Needless to say that will be the last Smith and Wesson I will ever buy again! They lost a customer of over 27 years because of their b******* excuses and just straight out lies that they told me on the phone I’ve got all of it on recording just in case there’s a Smith rep out there listen you need to do something serious with your customer service department it sucks! be like Amber they fired their entire customer service department including the management staff and good ol Sig Sauer pick them up and their customer service department there is laughable and were a cigar Verizon dealer at our store! I’m tired of buying junk and selling brand new guns to my customers that are right from the factory M&P 10 with receiver extension tubes that are crooked and bent just junk!
A lot of gun stores are pretty good, but a lot of them are quite bad as well. I had a gunsmith screw me over on a simple Makarov repair. They were 1911 guys I guess so they didn’t care and gave me my gun back in a bag, gee thanks. After saying no problem we will fix it right up. It never dawned on them that I might own a bunch of 1911’s that I would consider having some expensive smith work done on… You know I might want to test them out on something cheap and hard to mess up, yet it comes back to me in a bag…Yeah I’ll let you hack up an Ed Brown…sure…
A lot of gun store counter jocky’s need to remember that some of their potential customers that maybe looking a cheap 10/22 today do own a lot of very expensive firearms and do spend a small fortune on their hobby. Some of us have lots of pistols and don’t care that they think the Glock 19 is the best handgun in the world, yeah we already have lots of different types. A lot of guys treat you like they are doing you a favor giving you a bit of their time. Oh gee thanks I appreciate that, I think next week when I order my Sako TRG 42 with a $3k piece of glass on it I won’t be doing it from you. Oh and my buddy just spent $5k on a Wilson Combat 1911, not from you either. Cough Joe Joe’s gun sales, cough…
Some gun stores are absolutely fantastic though, I have one that when the owner retires I’m going to be up the creek without a paddle he is so fantastic. Great prices, great service, no attitude. I could be buying a $100 cheap Mosin or a $2,500 Desert Eagle, doesn’t matter. Its a small store but unlike the big ones with a lot of lookers its all buyers.
Nagel’s in San Antonio. Nothing but rude no it alls there. By contrast, I’ve never had a bad experience at Durys in the same city. Hence, I buy my guns from Durys at a slightly higher price. Customer service is worth the cost.
that was supposed to say we are a master Sig Sauer dealer and the company that fired their entire customer service management crew was Kimber firearms because of all the issues they had with customers complaining about being treated like crap!so 6 or higher the mall and now their customer service department is laughable they say they have a limited lifetime warranty what a joke, the warranty covers the gun until they put it in the box and its out of their sight! I’ve had 3 p2 38 and 380 come apart while shooting complete garbage! But they used to make one of the best semi automatic firearms in the businessa lot of this is because all of these manufacturers are under such demands for high output that the qualities going right out the window. The new gun owner doesn’t know the difference between a firearm built correctly and one built in correctly. So that’s why they don’t get their enormous amount of returns that they should, so basically they’re feeding of their own kind by ripping off everyone that purchase a firearm from these guys. Freedom group is a prime example a bunch of guys that know nothing about the gun business in firearms in general uses a name like freedom group that’s like a used car salesman name on its John these guys had the balls to buy at every company they can get their little grubby hands on and then turn the product in the garbage look at Marlin Doodle Jump now these to build one of the best lever action rifles made now junk same with Remington same with the PMS and Bushmaster don’t even get me started with them!
Carter’s Country, I-10 Frwy at Bunker Hill, Houston, TX.
I truthfully can’t express how I really feel without some profane verbage. The level of exasperation I experienced while attempting to;
1) Get the attention of a salesman who wasn’t more interested in holding down the back counter with his ass while jaw-jacking with local police about the BBQ at the food place nearby.
2) Express my desire for a non-Remington brand firearm of a given caliber.
3) Explain why I wanted anything non-Remington, which should be my choice and should not be ridiculed as a “beginner’s mistake”.
These people are RUDE, OFFENSIVE, ****heads. I am amazed that they can hold these jobs.
Even worse is that complaining to the upper management is much like telling some bully that his kid is a bully. You get zero feedback other than your business is not needed.
So, having been told that essentially my business was not needed, I spent my money somewhere else and then took my family there, some friends, and a friend that works with my wife… All to save them the hassle of dealing with Carter’s Country. It’s not any cheaper, but at least they are not treated rudely (that is, IF they would even GET treated at Carter’s).
And to be fair, this was not the first time I had been there. I had been before, with my wife when she was looking for a pistol. On that trip, to the same store, she was looking for a .357 S&W with a 3 or 4″ barrel to carry in her ample purse.
On HER trip, after asking this j*ckass for help (he looked at her three times and SHE had to ask HIM for help while he just held down that back counter with his ass), he reluctantly came over and asked her how could he help her. She said she wanted a .357 S&W revolver with a 3″ or 4″ barrel and ordering it would be fine if they didn’t have one in stock. His reply?;
1) First he reached into the display case and brought out a .25 auto, Beretta, and offered it to her to hold. She declined, restating that she wanted a .357 S&W.
2) Then he grabbed the .32 auto on the upper shelf and told her “Now this is perfect for you, little lady.” She pushed it away and nearly growled that she wanted a .357
3) He finally moved to the revolvers area and reached under and pulled out a .38 special snub-nose that was used, and not S&W.
My wife asked him why he wouldn’t show her a S&W .357 and to this he replied, “Well OK… If you think that’s what you really want…”
…and then actually tried to show her a S&W chambered for .38special, telling her that .357 “kicks hard”.
My wife had been shooting my .357 S&W 686 6″ for over a year when she decided to get her own.
Tucker’s High Desert Tactical in Pocatello, ID. Never has anything in stock, mostly empty shelves and a few Mall Ninja accessories. How he stays in business I don’t know. The rumor is that he does a lot of custom work for online clients but has the poorest showroom I’ve ever seen. There are at least three major gun shops within a few miles that are much, much better, and generally much friendlier.
Hey MOBC…I buy & sell for a living. Any business needs to cultivate new & existing customers. Guns are no different. I haven’t been a gun owner for that long. I learned very quickly who valued your business & who doesn’t. And being 60years old I don’t put up with BS. I expect to be treated the same whether I’m buying a $1000rifle or a $20 box of ammo. I also don’t CARE if YOU like a particular brand. It’s my very hard (lately!) earned money.
I am not real fond of CTD, but they aren’t a “gun store.” So that makes it any Gander Mountain for me. You get the big box service without the big box retail price. We don’t have one locally but I’ve been in several around the country and they are identical. Everything is over priced, ammo, guns, and accessories. At a store in Alabama, I was looking at at Sig 226 in an FDE color scheme. It was more gold than FDE and I had never seen one before. It was at least $100 over MSRP and a couple hundred over what you could get a 226 elite for at the Sig store in Exeter. When I mentioned that it seemed a bit steep, the Sales person looked me straight in the face and guaranteed me that you couldn’t get that gun any cheaper anywhere including the Sig factory where it was made in Germany. um, ok.
A store in North Raleigh, Glockwerks I think, no longer in business, The owner insisted that the only gun to carry was a 1911 in 45ACP and that anyone that carried anything else did not know what they were doing. Now I know We all have our preferences and favorites but this guy was crazy and rude. Nice collection of old guns though.
Several years ago a guy in EDs in Vass NC insisted that US Stealth fighters were used in the Falkland War in 1982 and that Argentina sunk all three of the British aircraft carriers!!!!!
Remember we all have preferences with calibers and manufactures and nobody knows everything. Ask your friends which is the best handgun caliber.
Gun shops sell guns, but don’t expect an employee to know everything. Dicks sells sporting good, sometimes the employees are knowledgeable, some are not. Certainly don’t expect the girl working the gun counter at Wally World to know the difference between a Colt and Sig AR
Olathe Gun Shop in Olathe, KS. Went in after work (dress clothes, nice haircut, clean shaven) looking for a basic 1911 to turn into a fun range-gun project. The clerk was hostile from the moment I stepped foot into the store, demanded to know what I wanted to buy. A little taken aback by his tone, I stated I was interested in seeing their 1911s. I explained what I intended to do with a 1911 — customize a good basic model and take it to the range. One of the other clerks actually laughed at me because I said I enjoyed working on my last 1911 and wanted to work on another one.
The first clerk glared at me, rolled his eyes and in stentorious tones explained that if I were to work on my 1911 while it was loaded (completely odd, since I had never suggested doing such an idiotic thing), I probably would shoot myself with a negligent discharge if I pulled the trigger… and that it would hurt a lot. At this point, I decided to give into morbid curiosity and just humor him to see how far down the rabbit hole would go…
He showed me one 1911, then told me that ATI 1911s are better than RIA 1911s. He then demanded to know how much I was planning to spend. I had budgeted around $800 for my initial purchase but told him 400-600 to keep from committing to anything but still seeming serious for a low-budget build. He started talking about concealed carrying a 1911, that I should get a threaded barrel in order to install a silencer on it, and eventually worked his way down the counter in an attempt to convince me that I should look at a nice .380 and take a concealed carry class next month. Then he explained that they were closing up shop, so I’d need to go.
On the way out, I saw the owner and asked about the concealed carry course. He didn’t even look at me, just grunted. Wished them both a nice day and went out the door with my money in my pocket and the knowledge that they just aced themselves out of a chunk of change.
Contrast the above with Cabela’s in KC, where you pay more but they encourage you to look at different models and treat you like an intelligent human…
Closed now but Lenny’s in Houghton lake mi. Went in asked for a box of .45 acp, he looks all around and gives me a box of .45 colt, I say no 45 acp scratches head can’t find a single box( this was in 1998) . I said hold on and walked out and back in, he asked me if I forgot something in my car, I told him nope was just checking to make sure sign actually said gun store
lol, Gill you’re my kind of gun owner! that’s like going to a Bakery in asking for apple pie and having the person look at you like you are a little retarded.
watch your wallet if you go to ready line in newtown ohio they will try to charge you more for items than the retail marked price.
Cabela’s in Wheeling, WV. Good friggin’ luck getting service, let alone knowledgeable clerks. If you know exactly what you want & can’t find it anywhere else, get it from them. Or just wait till you LGS gets it in. Cabela’s is no better than a specialized Wal-Mart, so that’s the quality of employee you can expect.
$45 pmag still.
Worst I have experienced is Ammo Brothers in Cerritos Kalifornia. Definitely mall ninjas, brat 20-somethings who act macho and like talking about their latest build rather that helping customers. You have to take a number for just about anything you may need help with. Over priced, they gouged the day of sandy hook. Never went back.
Never had too many bad ones, but while doing a secret shopper thing a few months back I found that the larger department stores had better service. Generally if the store is busy, I don’t bother the clerks unless I’m actually buying. I mean, everyone wants to shoot the bull in a gun store, so if it’s busy they need to quickly determine who’s actually buying and who out of those who actually needs help (I mean, I generally know what I want before I get there. It’s fairly common). Getting upset because a busy gun store clerk determined that you’re not buying today and moving on, seems a bit overly sensitive.
Now in any store I’ve been in, if they’re not busy they’ll talk guns, hunting, and shooting all day long. I think the problem is the amount of strange people some shops get. I recall a shop in FL where we would buy and pawn guns. (The average E5 in the military living below the poverty line and all). When we first went they treated us with a bit of suspicion. And after seeing the usual clientele on subsequent visits I understand. But after a few times there we were welcomed. They loved that we trained our kids to behave, that our kids at 4 and 5 at the time could somewhat stumble through the safety rules. They got the intent if not the actual wording. And they loved that we always paid our pawns off promptly. We actually bought several guns there.
Sure they would probably turn off the overly sensitive the first time around. But they were the best shop around really. They did all my transfers for free since I was military and after we got gunny to open up he offered me a job at gunsmithing after I got out of the Navy. I should have taken it, but I was lured to Houston by big offshore money.
Just about any Wal-Mart that sells guns. Some are O.K. at best, most are frustrating to do business with.
A closed one
Recently purchased gun (10/10/15) at GAT Guns East Dundee, IL. BODYGUARD 380 was jamming 5 times during my first shooting session the day I picked it up. I have used 4 different types of ammo, I shot 120 rounds and I got 5 of them jamming (not extracting the last one). I looked closely at this gun during the cleaning time and it looks to me like it this gun was already used!!! GAT Guns sold me this gun as a new one!!! There are few marks on the slide (typical wear signs when it is carried in the pocket or holster) Also few scuffing under the CT laser on the polymer part of the gun. I went back to GAT guns showing this to them and of course I received info that this is a brand new gun. I do not think so!! Previous gun I was about to pick up was having problem with loading magazine (at the time I was picking up a gun), so they decided to replace it for this one. Right at the moment I had a feeling something is not right, both magazines were dirty, showing previous usage. I understand gun was test fired at S&W but magazines were looking like somebody shot many rounds. I asked if this is something I got by mistake and the gun was used in cancelled carry trainings or so, again same answer by manager – it is a brand new gun! They went to do test fire shots at GAT Guns range and it jammed again. I asked if the gun can be replaced – NO, was the answer. They told me they can buy this gun from me and sell me a different one! What???? Defective product, cannot be replaced it has to be repaired, so now I have to wait 4-6 weeks for S&W gunsmith to look at it and get it fixed. Just to want to point this out – THIS IS MY CARRY GUN !!! And my life DEPENDS on this junk!! I am very disappointed that GAT Guns has no other way of taking care of there customers. This is not my first gun I bought there, previously no problems and now – what a poor customer care!!! I have pictures how this gun looks like, it shows all of those signs that someone was already using it, GUT Guns makes me look stupid, thinking that this is a brand new gun. Beware!!! 10/13/15
LEPD in Columbus, OH is one of the worst I have been to.
Way overpriced on practically every firearm and accessory I have looked at in their store.
Range only allows .22 rifle, but if you want to shoot 5.56 or .308, you must purchase their frangible ammo at almost or more than $1/round. No shot from your shotgun, but you may shoot slugs. Their reasoning is that when they first opened someone damaged their backstops. I think they cheaped out on the backstop and now customers are paying.
I would also add in both Field and Stream stores. Most expensive stores I have ever been in. I spent ~20 min. looking at handguns in the cases and none ever asked if I wanted to see anything. Their sale prices were way higher than another nearby store (Vance’s).
I recently had a bad experience with GG&G, best known for AR-15 components. I had placed an order with them and when they failed to move forward on it I had a heck of a time cancelling the order. It was a really big hassle.
Subsequently I posted a review of my experience with GG&G online and got some pretty nasty responces from their allies in return. One in particular was the proprietor of Arizons Rifleworks of Glendale, Az. who accused me of making the whole story up and threatened to have me prosecuted for slander. Internet blowhards will be Internet blowhards but I would caution anyone considering doing business with this company to think twice, as customer relations is a term they seem to struggle with.
That’s Arizona Rifleworks.
So strong.-