What are your best or worst gunstore stories?

I was in a LGS several years ago to pick up a Browning Citori (Miroku made) o/u I had purchased - a beautiful and very well made shotgun that I own till this day. There was a WW II veteran sitting at the counter that began making comments about the Japanese, Pearl Harbor, cruelty, etc. and that he would never buy any Japanese product - ever. The shop owner then told the man that everything he had said was true but, the Japanese still build good stuff. The Vet (God bless him) did not say another word. I agree with both; the Vet’s experience and that the Japanese build good stuff. Good shooting.

The guy at the range that sold me my Gp 100 357mag told me I shouldn't shoot 38 specials often as it would damage the gun. He said they were built for 357mag and that's what you should be shooting. More recently I was informed that the range was being sold and my annual membership would be void with 6 months remaining. $225 out the window.

A chip of wood hitting me in the forehead, just above the right eye due to an idiot firing a round into the butcher block style counter top.Bullet also ricocheted up into the ceiling, coming about a foot from the top of my head,.

Make a long story short, the moron forgot to clear the camber after he removed the magazine. In fact, his stupid answer was, I didn't know there was a round in the chamber.

It was actually a pawn shop. Small town, the PS was the only FFL for miles and I was there purchasing a Mossberg Cruiser.

I encountered a pawn shop gun salesman trying to upsell a lady who was buying a Mosin Nagant 91/30 for her husband as a birthday present. His strategy seemed to include roundly bashing her choice by telling her that 91/30's were terrible rifles (not true), and that they were so backwards in terms of firearms evolution that the Germans who encountered them during the war basically laughed at them as they hugged their k98s (also not true); he went on to extoll the virtues of the k98 and how it was superior in every way to the tomato stake that was the 91/30.

While this was going on, I located some pictures of Wehrmacht soldiers carrying/using captured 91/30 rifles, explained why 91/30's worked so well during Stalingrad and are still used even today, talked with her about why she had made a good choice (it was actually a Finn'd M39 and very nice) and proceeded to school this schmuck about why he shouldn't bash the nice lady's choice of gift for her husband. Basically, I felt bad that he was mocking her and decided it was a good idea to embarrass him in front of her. Haven't returned since.

Heard a 20 something year old ask a shop worker if they had a "Ruger 6 Barrel". The shop worker looked confused and asked if he meant a 6 shooter, or a gun with a 6 inch barrel. The kid responded "Yeah".

After a few moments of confused word jumbles it came out that he was looking for a 6 shot GP100 with a 6 inch barrel. Apprently a 6 inch, six shot revolver is just called a 6 barrel?

The clerk noticed me hovering, and when the kid looked away, he glanced at me. I gave him a half smirking shoulder shrug, and he just grinned, trying to cover it up as quickly as possible.

I avoid most LGS because the workers always think they know more than I do and treat me like I know nothing. A guy at my office has an FFL so all my x-fers go through him. I rarely have to deal with LGS personnel. I'm sure there are exceptions but that's the stereotype and it has held true in my experiences.

My biggest complaint was when I purchased a rifle several years ago at Cabelas. I'm in Texas. I tell them I'd like to purchase the rifle. They then place me in a line comparable to a ride at six-flags. I tell them, I have my DL, CHL, and credit card and I'm ready to fill out the form, pay, and leave. They tell me I have to remain in this line, fill out the form on their idiot-proof computer system, agree to their rules of firearm purchasing and consent by signing a form, wait for at least 20 minutes while all those ahead of me without CHLs have to have their BG checks run... Needless to say, that was the last time I purchased a firearm at a major chain.

I love ordering EXACTLY what I want, usually for less than a LGS... and have it shipped to my FFL at work... walk in, fill out the form, pay the x-fer fee and I'm done. Literally the process takes all of about 2 MINUTES!

Recently had a shop worker tell me that Lehigh copper bullets were illegal in handguns because they are armor piercing rounds.

I live deep in the heart of fudd country. I've got some stories.

When I was filling out the ol' four-four-seven-three for my Mini-14, some guy walked up and asked what I had. I told him, and we got to talking about autoloading rifles. This guy told me that rifle cartridges were too powerful for automatic actions, and that my Mini would just beat itself apart after a while.

.38 Special will put down anything that walks, while 9mm barely manages to make it out the barrel. Then being told in the same breath that "manstoppers start with a 4!" I started to wonder if maybe I had breathed in a little too much Hoppe's vapor that morning.

"All you need for burglars is a Taurus Judge! It's a shotgun revolver donchyano!" If you're being robbed by a rattlesnake, then yeah.

Too many "custom" guns by Bubba.

I was about 21yo and looking for a pistol so we took a ride to a gun show in Broadview heights Ohio to look for one as me and my best friend were looking for one and this was supposed to be the greatest place for handguns. Well browsing and looking for holsters and what not i said ehh maybe ill look around for some better prices. Well about 2-3 days later I was talking with a family friend about 2 pistols i seen there and a couple duty holsters so i could put myself through the police academy and he said call the store and ask them what the holsters were and if they had a certain handgun. I call and the guy answers the phone and i say yeah i'm looking for a safariland bla,bla, bla but its gotta have xyz and do you carry a smith and Wesson xyz and the guy says "why didn't you look when you were here the other day" I said excuse me? He says "why didn't you and your buddy look when you where here the other day"?
I said what does that have to do with anything i was looking at something completely different the other day! He says "I know you were looking at glock and ruger xyz cause i'm the one who talked to you and your buddy and i don't understand why you didn't look while you were here the other day"! I said because once again i am looking for a specific S&W handgun and holster because i was told to get that by a cop friend for the academy! I said you know what you just lost my business ill check elsewhere! He said he didn't care and hung up! I will never set foot in that place again! Went there with a cop friend about 2yrs later cause i was pretty much forced too and they asked for ID and they give police discount for the range and he shows a PD id and the guy tosses it down on the counter and says i meant a real ID. what you want the discount or something? I don't care if i could get a colt python from this place for $20 i would go elsewhere!

Went to a local range after work with some guys i worked with doing armored car and we wanted to practice from the holster. The counter guy says no belts or holsters half you guys cant shoot anyways let alone from the holster! Im like excuse me!! He let a local cop who was behind us do it though. I never went back. don't care for rude people!

Last but not least was a shop just outside Medina Ohio that just opened and my buddy says want to go there after work and check it out and shoot? I said sure so we meet up and he says i called them and to see if they were open yet and the guy said we had to make an appointment so i got us a 6pm time slot. We walk in and there are couches, coffee table, etc and 2 people reading magazines and no counter guy so we stand in the doorway where it says take a number and no one around so this guy comes out of the stall with a 1911 and says you work here? I said no why? I got a jam and i see the gun and i'm like dude take that back in the stall!!! Counter guy comes out and says they are full we missed our appointment and we told him we couldn't find the place cause its behind a shopping center and then brings the 1911 out onto the counter and starts trying to pry the magazine out of the mag well. Never went back there either.

We have a shop that started out as a mom and pop store and since owns like 5 stores they have top notch customer service and prices! Got another one near Middleburg heights Ohio that i like because the guys are very knowledgeable and i have had to go there a few times for the gunsmith to fix something and he took very, very good care of me! I don't buy guns from them because the cost is way higher but try and grab some cleaner or ammo when i do have to use their gunsmith service even if i don't need the ammo/cleaner. They owned another shop and always had good service from them too. always willing to help and decent prices on accessories. Found a S&W 642 full size grip there for cheap and he helped me fit it. They recently closed but was hard to support them cause of their 9-5 M-F hours. We have a few more around that i try and support because they treat the customer right and don't have that cocky attitude. I'm not the go in and buy right away type i go in and handle it, ask them some questions on how they feel about it and then research it a little more then go buy it from them. some shops don't like that but i always tell them let me do some more research on it and if all checks out ill be back and i usually do. I try and visit one occasionally the guy took care of me when i started reloading i called to see if they had primers in stock cause i couldn't find CCI 450's to see if it helped my H335 powder tighten up and he says yeah i got some so i go there and he says its brick only and im like man i don't want to buy a brick cause i already have a brick of cci 400 at home so he goes in the back and talks to the owner and says ill sell ya 200 primers for $5 a pack. I said okay deal! A few other stores sold them by the 100 so i figured they would too but being new to reloading didn't know this was not the norm. I try and support them also cause they get some odd used stuff like California highway patrol trade in handguns.

I was in a Dicks sporting goods looking at guns. Customer came in with a nice M95 Mauser in 7x57. This is back when they bought/sold used guns so it was common to see someone bring a gun in. Clerk tried to sell him 7mm Rem Mag ammo. I spoke up and doofus told me thats the only 7mm ammo they make and thats what it takes. I got the manager to clear things up. Next time in store I saw that clerk stocking the womans clothing dept.

Good things? I've had some nice old .22 rifles given to me by 2 different gunshops I've gone to for 25+ years. Usually need something minor but the owners didn't want to bother doing the fixing. They know I like to fix them up so they put them in the back room until I show up. I've bought plenty of guns from them so the appreciation is both ways.
Also got a very nice matching Swede Obendorf M38 at a Gander MT. It was marked and priced as a M38 Mosin back when Mosins were dirt cheap. I gave them what the tag said. Which was probably 20% of what the Swede was worth.

Tiro Finale said:

I live deep in the heart of fudd country. I've got some stories.

When I was filling out the ol' four-four-seven-three for my Mini-14, some guy walked up and asked what I had. I told him, and we got to talking about autoloading rifles. This guy told me that rifle cartridges were too powerful for automatic actions, and that my Mini would just beat itself apart after a while.

.38 Special will put down anything that walks, while 9mm barely manages to make it out the barrel. Then being told in the same breath that "manstoppers start with a 4!"

"All you need for burglars is a Taurus Judge! It's a shotgun revolver donchyano!" If you're being robbed by a rattlesnake, then yeah.

Too many "custom" guns by Bubba.

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I cannot stop laughing at that comment!!!

Had a shop worker tell me the 10mm was basically a semiauto 41 magnum. I responded "Well, not if you look at load data and you consider the power levels the 41 mag is capable of." He had no idea the difference between factory and hand loads.

The only things that have bugged me at LGS's are owners who want to sell what they have in stock rather than what the customer really wants or needs and shop owners who take advantage of cash starved people with firearms by paying them 10 percent of their value.

1948CJ2A said:

I avoid most LGS because the workers always think they know more than I do and treat me like I know nothing. A guy at my office has an FFL so all my x-fers go through him. I rarely have to deal with LGS personnel. I'm sure there are exceptions but that's the stereotype and it has held true in my experiences.

My biggest complaint was when I purchased a rifle several years ago at Cabelas. I'm in Texas. I tell them I'd like to purchase the rifle. They then place me in a line comparable to a ride at six-flags. I tell them, I have my DL, CHL, and credit card and I'm ready to fill out the form, pay, and leave. They tell me I have to remain in this line, fill out the form on their idiot-proof computer system, agree to their rules of firearm purchasing and consent by signing a form, wait for at least 20 minutes while all those ahead of me without CHLs have to have their BG checks run... Needless to say, that was the last time I purchased a firearm at a major chain.

I love ordering EXACTLY what I want, usually for less than a LGS... and have it shipped to my FFL at work... walk in, fill out the form, pay the x-fer fee and I'm done. Literally the process takes all of about 2 MINUTES!

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I feel the same cabelas could pound sand as far as i'm concerned! I'm the only one there and they say take a number and stand there! um, no one is around so why not just show me the $700 rifle i'm going to buy and be done! Then they all ran and hid in the back room and shoved some 22yo kid out the door and he says he's not supposed to help me because he's new! I asked about their price match policy and was told they would do it by one of them that hid in the back room and when i started pointing out how the marlin 1895 rattled like a tin can with rocks and asked for another one i was told well we cant price match that low anyways we will lose our ass and takes the gun from me. I said thanks ill go to xyz store they have it on sale just figured support the store in my town instead of a county away! Asked to see a scope i was going to buy that day and was told take a number and then poof everyone disappears. I only go there now if its a need right now thing.

When I worked in a gun shop: Someone told me the story of his consistent 1 MOA AK-47, a genius loaded a round into a taurus 9mm mag backwards and tried to chamber it until it got stuck, many loaded guns handed over the counter after people claimed they were empty, people under the influence of alcohol (there was a sports bar 3 doors down) or reeking of pot wanting to look at or buy guns, "urban youths" and the silly things they say, the guy who lectured me on the Glock 19 I was carrying (9mm will just make someone mad) who then bought a box of 380 hollow points, the list never ends.

At a LGS, a guy was looking for some ammo for his AR. The clerk is showing him some bulk 5.56 FMJ they have. Then the guy says, "Do you have any hollow points, cuz I'm just going plinking?"

Mine have been mentioned in several other threads on this subject. Having been on both sides of the counter, plus in back at the gunsmith bench, there's some good ones.

Not a fan of dicks either i went there cause i had a gift card and some score card money and wanted a savage 22lr. I asked if it had an accu trigger and was told yes so they bring out the box and i said i want to look it over and they didn't want to but i said ill walk and take the trigger lock off i want to see if its an accu trigger. come to find out its not an accu trigger but the sales guy says he can take the lock off and check it and says 2lbs pull and crisp. My double action revolver has a better trigger than that rifle and now im stuck with it. I paid like $95 for it but still take care of the customer.

I worked in the 'industry' for a number of years calling on LGS in several states. Every time I think I've heard them all, I hear another one. Here's just a few:

Two guys in Missouri with a muzzleloader wondering whether they should use Blue Dot or Red Dot and how much. I took the time to explain the difference to two grown men with glassy-eyed stares. I kept waiting to read of someone blowing up their muzzleloader.

Clerk in an Indiana Dick's store telling a customer not to use brass brush because brass will tear up your steel barrel. 'What you SHOULD' use is a steel brush instead'

Dick's ran an ad for all AA shotgun shells on sale for $4.99/box no limit. 28ga hulls were selling for .50 c each at the time. My company fronted us $800 to use for ammo for shooting promotions - yup, you guessed it. 8 flats of 28 ga went in the truck.

The good one's?

The Iowa dealer that knew I wanted an HK P7 M8 or M13 and had one traded in. Called me and put it back for me. Sold it to me for $500.
This little Indiana Sporting Clays range run by a family that I opened. When their clubhouse burned down, the firemen had managed to pull out about 15 8lb jugs of powder before the fire got to close and they just backed off and let it burn. When I came by to see if I could help with replacing some of the guns, he and his son loaded 4 jugs of Green Dot in my truck.

The Missouri dealer that had a lady ask him out to her house to help her sell of her late husband's guns. Went with him and found a 14'x14' bedroom stacked to the ceiling with new, unopened boxes of pre-64 Model 70's and Model 94's. According to the lady, he told her to sell what she needed to live on a bit at a time and gave him my dealer friend's name. Ended up buying a pre-64 30-06 from him for a good price.

In a pawn/gun shop a woman was returning a box of ammo.
She told the guy she needed something smaller because the bullets he sold her were to big.
He kept asking what caliber she needed and she kept telling him just smaller ones.
He took back the .25 and sold her a box of .22.

When I was stationed at Ft. Knox in the early 1980's I used to hang out at a gun store between Radcliff and E-town. One Saturday I couldn't help but overhear a young soldier bragging about how he was going to keep his newly purchased Ruger Mini-14 in his barracks room along with the ammo that he had scrounged.

I had to shake my head at how stupid anyone could be, but it soon got a whole lot more serious for him. After he left the shop another bystander whipped out his badge and demanded that the gun store show him the 4473. He was CID, and I guess that he gave that young troop just enough time to stow the rifle in his room prior to showing up at his unit to perform a search.

Hokkmike said:

The only things that have bugged me at LGS's are owners who want to sell what they have in stock rather than what the customer really wants or needs and shop owners who take advantage of cash starved people with firearms by paying them 10 percent of their value.

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1. Gun stores that can't sell what they have in stock aren't going to be in business very long. if the customer wants something not in stock.....well go to another store.
2. Anyone who is so "cash strapped" that they are willing to sell their gun for 10% of its value? That's not the dealers fault. Your LGS is in business to make a profit, not an ATM for the "cash strapped". And if that customer wants more than 10%? Ain't nothing keeping him from selling it to you, to another gun store or on Craigslist.

beanbag wrote:
So we've all been in the gun store and heard some outrageous statements or stories...

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The clerk in the gun store who refused to sell me a rifle because I was only 19 and not 21.

The gun store owner who refused to sell me a gun because I was wearing a purple shirt (and was therefore either gay or a supporter of the "gay agenda"). Same thing happened when I took my wife's car to the Cadillac dealer for repair.

hdwhit said:

The clerk in the gun store who refused to sell me a rifle because I was only 19 and not 21.

The gun store owner who refused to sell me a gun because I was wearing a purple shirt (and was therefore either gay or a supporter of the "gay agenda"). Same thing happened when I took my wife's car to the Cadillac dealer for repair.

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LOL. The purple shirt thing is pretty funny. I'd love to know which store this was. I see you're in my neck of the woods. PM me if you care to share but not publicly on this thread.