What are your best or worst gunstore stories?

I once got the privilege of reassembling a Phoenix hp22a that the owner had pulled apart and couldn't get back together. The shop had a new owner who was being an obnoxious jerk to the guy who had recently bought the gun. I asked the owner to see the gun, popped everything back together for him and walked out of the store. Bought that same gun a few months later. It was the 2nd I wore completely out at around 12000 rounds.

Jim NE said:

People can live without guns. Luxury items have a higher markup than essentials. About 50% markup is sort of standard. 100% is what most small retailers dream of, but it's usually less than that.

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Not on new guns. more like 10-15%, if you want to stay in business. Maybe 50%+ on accessories. 100% would only be on clothing and small incidentals.

NoirFan,

I'm from Zionsville and a life long Hoosier. On behalf of all the Hoosiers I associate with, I apologize for your experience.

We may be crude, uncouth, and clinging to our bibles and guns as the aircraft fly over; but I'd like to think we are better than shoulder clipping and calling names.

Oh, where to start...

I once had a dealer refuse to give me back my pistol because he thought I was too young to own it (I was 19 or 20). A few years later I brought a pistol in to another shop to have night sights installed and when the clerk brought back my gun, he handed it to another customer because "obviously he is your father and it's his gun".

My favorite is when I was looking at a few different types of pistols at a rather large store. I was looking at the whole gambit - Glocks, HKs, XD, and 1911s, and honestly I was window shopping and trying to figure out what I liked but I wasn't going to buy anything that day (and told the guy I was working with that). Eventually we move to the 1911s and while extolling the virtues of the gun, he decided to pull a 1911 out from under the counter and start dry firing it at my chest!

Walked into one shop right after selling a motorcycle. I had more than $2,000 cash in my pocket and had my eyes on a DSA FAL. Couldn't get a single person behind the counter to agree to let me handle the rifle.

Yet another shop... was looking for an AK and was trying to decide between buying an AK pistol and SBRing it, or buying a 16" barreled Arsenal. Luckily the shop had both a SBR'd AK pistol and 16" AKs (though none in 7.62x39) so it was perfect to do a comparison. Anyway, I tell the guy behind the counter that I would like to compare both guns, and he doesn't say a word and just slowly walks away and starts chatting with a group of other guys working there. I wound up buying a 16" Arsenal, but not from them.

Bought a S&W Shield for my girlfriend (now wife) and because we were residents of different states, the transfer needed to go through a FFL in her state of residence. You wouldn't believe the number of FFLs who said "oh, we don't have universal background checks here (true), you can just give it to her" even after I explained why I wanted them to do the transfer. I finally wound up going to a small dealer and just saying "I'll give you $20 (their fee) to run this transfer" and they reluctantly agreed. I've never had so many people tell me to commit felonies in my life!



A lot of these events probably had to do with being in my 20's at the time. Some people in this industry apparently don't like the younger generation Even years after these events occurred, I still refuse to visit some of these shops.

I don't have too many good gun shop stories, but I recently was buying a pistol as a gift for my brother in law and the store owner spent probably 20 minutes digging through the back of the store to find the right gun. Sure, they have inventory issues and it shouldn't take that long, but I really appreciated the effort. He also had the best price in town (and was actually comparable to online retailers).

Today I spent about an hour in an Ace hardware looking at new pistols.
They have more firearms than just about any other gun shop it the area.
The kid behind the counter was very helpful and he knew what he was talking about.
He spent all the time we wanted showing us different guns and explaining things.
He knew we were just looking.
He even brought out a new Glock 19X for me to see.
It was on hold otherwise it would probably be in my safe right now.
I will be checking back from time to time to check on that Glock.
On the bad side.
I was in the market for a new AR.
Went to a LGS close to where I lived.
The owner was, and still is a world class AH.
I finally told him what I thought of him and left.

NoirFan said:

The Indy 1500 gun show in Indianapolis. Only time that's ever happened.

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I was thinking that sounds like Lafayette. Sorry that happened to you.

Was in Indianapolis for a few weeks last year, first time I'd ever been in that city. It's overrated.

I've had some great experiences in gun stores across the Midwest, and very few bad.

Here's a good story from a unique shop in NW Pennsylvania:

I was in the shop, window shopping. The clerks know me by face as I've been in a couple times, but I'm not a regular. In walks a man in his 30's with an AMD AK style rifle in a box that he bought the month prior. The buyer asks if they'll buy it back, and the shop owner gets pulled in the back by another clerk. Both return after a few seconds and the shop owner says "I'll buy it back for what you paid for it, tax and all".

Clearly I'm shocked, but after the buyer leaves, the shop owner looked at my confused face and said "The other clerk told me that he got laid off and his wife's sick. Sometimes being a business owner isn't about the money".

This is also a shop that price matched an online sale-price of a limited edition rifle that he had in stock at a steep loss. He showed me the invoice to prove it. He claimed "business was slow this week and maybe this will build momentum".

I try to patronize them as often as possible.

JeeperCreeper said:

I've had some great experiences in gun stores across the Midwest, and very few bad.

Here's a good story from a unique shop in NW Pennsylvania:

I was in the shop, window shopping. The clerks know me by face as I've been in a couple times, but I'm not a regular. In walks a man in his 30's with an AMD AK style rifle in a box that he bought the month prior. The buyer asks if they'll buy it back, and the shop owner gets pulled in the back by another clerk. Both return after a few seconds and the shop owner says "I'll buy it back for what you paid for it, tax and all".

Clearly I'm shocked, but after the buyer leaves, the shop owner looked at my confused face and said "The other clerk told me that he got laid off and his wife's sick. Sometimes being a business owner isn't about the money".

This is also a shop that price matched an online sale-price of a limited edition rifle that he had in stock at a steep loss. He showed me the invoice to prove it. He claimed "business was slow this week and maybe this will build momentum".

I try to patronize them as often as possible.

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This shop deserves your business. The owner seems like a GREAT guy! If only more owners treated their customers right!

I had one LGS where the owner was very nice, had an eclectic inventory, and sold ammo without markups during the problem times.

However, it was a small store attached to his home and positively reeked of tobacco smoke. I always felt like I'd inhaled at least a pack every time I went in there. It was to the point where your clothes picked up a strong smell, like being in a smoke filled bar in the bad old days. My wife always knew when I'd been in there. lol

I have seen this as well and have made a computer file for my wife with each piece I have, what I paid for it and what it should be worth. Some of them I have specified to be given to my children, nieces or nephews and get a fair price for the rest.

TTv2 said:

I've seen so many stories of widows selling dead husband's guns at such low prices because they don't know what the value of them are that I think every husband needs to make a list of what they have that's gun related and what their values are used. After death, selling locally may not be the way to go depending on what offers locals are offering, so setting up a gunbroker account and showing the wife how to sell stuff there and other gun related gear on Ebay may be a good idea for everyone to think about.

Great, now this has me thinking of what I should do in case I die unexpectedly soon. I don't want to see my stuff getting sold for $100 a piece, they're worth more than that.

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sarge83 said:

I have seen this as well and have made a computer file for my wife with each piece I have, what I paid for it and what it should be worth. Some of them I have specified to be given to my children, nieces or nephews and get a fair price for the rest.

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This was talked about in another thread. However, I also have such a list; however, mine is largely to record serial numbers. I learned that lesson when my fathers hunting cabin was broken into and the thieves drilled the safe. I actually didn't know what I had in the safe or the serial numbers. Today that would make me, one of the victims, a felon because I forgot to report one gun, that I had forgotten, in the safe (I still think criminalizing being a victim of a crime is a stupid way to go and causes more problems than it cures).

Back to the point, along with the list, my daughter, who this will likely fall on plans to contact the Masons and get a more accurate idea of the value (there seems to be a bit of a Venn diagram overlap with Masons/Gun-nuts).

A couple of years ago I went to a gun store/ pawn shop that had been opened recently. I was browsing around and was shocked at the gun prices. Used guns in not great condition were priced at new MSRP and the new guns he had were at crazy prices. I remember seeing a Jimenez ja9 for $325.00! Strangely enough, the other items in the pawn shop like TV’s and stereo’s were priced normally. Within a couple of months their was a big sign out front saying “under new management”. I stopped in and the prices were now in line with other local gun stores. I found out later that the store was owned by a person who owns several pawn shops in this state. The original store manager was doubling the gun prices because they didn’t like guns and didn’t want to sell them.

ohihunter2014 said:

the instructor told him if he sees a no weapons sign in a business to walk right on by it that it means nothing.

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That could be good advice, depending on the state. For example, here in PA (and in many other states), “no gun” signs put up by businesses have zero force of law, so you can just ignore them.

Telekinesis said:

Bought a S&W Shield for my girlfriend (now wife) and because we were residents of different states, the transfer needed to go through a FFL in her state of residence. You wouldn't believe the number of FFLs who said "oh, we don't have universal background checks here (true), you can just give it to her" even after I explained why I wanted them to do the transfer. I finally wound up going to a small dealer and just saying "I'll give you $20 (their fee) to run this transfer" and they reluctantly agreed. I've never had so many people tell me to commit felonies in my life!

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It’s surprising how many people in the gun world (including here on THR) don’t realize that private transfers between residents of different states have to go through a dealer. And that’s been required by federal law since 1968. There are no exceptions for gifts and there are no exceptions for family members. The only exceptions are guns passed on through a will or bequest, and for “temporary loans for sporting purposes”.

On many occasions I’ve had people come into the shops where I’ve worked and tell me about a gun that a friend or family member just sold them or gifted to them when they were visiting that person in another state.

Once at my shop in Washington, an older couple showed me a gun their daughter gave them for Christmas in Oregon. The couple were residents of Washington, the daughter of Oregon. They told me when their daughter bought the gun, the LGS owner told them it was perfectly legal to give the gun to her parents without any paperwork or anything, and just recommended they write out a bill-of-sale for the gift. They asked me if they’d done everything correctly, and were shocked when I told them — as nicely as I could — that they had participated in a federal felony.

jwamplerusa said:

NoirFan,
I'm from Zionsville and a life long Hoosier. On behalf of all the Hoosiers I associate with, I apologize for your experience.
We may be crude, uncouth, and clinging to our bibles and guns as the aircraft fly over; but I'd like to think we are better than shoulder clipping and calling names.

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No apology needed but thank you. Unfortunately we all have to deal with people like that sometimes.

Work part time in a gun shop. Had a guy call and ask if we made house calls. Like bring some guns to his house, let him look at them, then do the purchase and transfer there.

Another guy came in with a Cobra break action .38 that was bought new from a Rural King and was supposedly "unfired". Definitely had seen some use and no TLC. Asked for more than dealer cost in trade for it. He wanted to look at a 686, so I got it out for him, and he starts twirling it around as soon as he gets it in his hand.

Another guy was mulling between 2 ARs and mentioned that one "felt different". It was explained that one rifle had standard pistol grip, stock, and handguard, and the other had Magpul furniture on it. That's why they didn't feel the same. He didn't believe it until we swapped the furniture out. Couldn't understand that the tree parts you physically touch being different means that it won't feel the same.

There's plenty others, but those stand out right now.

I've seen dozens of the gunshop know-it-alls on both sides of the counter and I've seen lots of bad advice given and customers steered towards what the salesman wanted to sell and not what the customer really needed. One time I overheard a lady looking for a small defensive revolver and the store didn't have anything that fit her too well. I suggested she try a S&W model 60 with a 3 inch barrel and adjustable sights as I had purchased that gun for my sister and both of my daughters. I told her that its extra weight would reduce the felt recoil and the longer barrel and adjustable sights would make it easier to shoot more accurately than the 2 inch S&W model 36 that she was holding. I showed her the L frame (with the full underlug) in the display case and told her that it looks just like that but as small as the one in her hand. She asked to see one but the salesman insisted that I was mistaken and that no such gun existed. He couldn't be bothered when I suggested he look it up in his catalog. After listening to his BS for a few minutes I walked out to my car and returned with "the gun that doesn't exist". The salesman was speechless, the lady loved it and ordered one - but not from that store.

My best gun shop experience was in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. So long ago I can't remember the shop's name, but the guy that owned it really knew his stuff, but it earns "best" because he was not only familiar with the 5.7mm Johnson, but was actually able to connect me with someone else who had (past tense) actually loaded it.

It was the only time I had ever met another 5.7mm Johnson loader in the flesh.

These are great stories; fortunately not much of anything has happened to me personally. There was a sales clerk agt Bass Pro shop try to sell me 17 HMR ammo, insisting that it was the same as 17Mach2 that I was asking for. When I tried to point out the difference, he said, "Oh a lot of customers try to argue with me and I'm usually right." I just smiled and walked away. Had another incident where a sales guy argued with me about which is better, a 26" or 30" shotgun barrel. Mind you I wasn't saying one was better; I merely told him I preferred a longer sight plane. He grabbed a shotgun off the shelf, shoved it at me and said, "Go ahead and shoulder that and tell me if it's long or short." I did it just for fun and said, "It's short." He mumbled and grumbled and insisted that their was no difference. Again, just for fun, I said, "But what if I just like long barrels"? He snatched the gun back from me and walked away grumbling. Another guy came over, apologized and was very embarrassed. I still go to that store and have never seen the guy again.

I know what I want before I go into a store which saves me from listening to idiocy most of the time.

However, a few years back, friends of ours wanted a handgun so I talked to them at length and we came to a conclusion that a revolver would best suit their needs. They had shot some before and felt more comfortable with revolvers. I agreed to go with them to one of the box stores to look at some revolvers and buy if we found what they were comfortable with.

There was a guy behind the counter that seemed to know it all and kept pushing a low priced .380 semi-auto. I figured out that they must have a lot of them since he was pushing them so hard on it. Finally I had enough and told him that wasn't what they wanted. He was older and tried to act like being older somehow made him more knowledgeable, which he wasn't. We walked out.

My best experience was with Grabagun's retail location. I ordered a rifle and had it delivered to the retail location. It is 20 mins from my office and I drove there, did the paper work, and drove back on my lunch hour. Good customer service and I got exactly what I ordered.

Too many bad experiences to note at this particular gun shop in wasilla ak. It starts with a “C” and ends with “himo’s”. For a very long time it was the only place besides walmart here to go. It bums me out because they have a prime location and a nice shop, but there is 2 or 3 long time employees that act as if everone is a moron. I won a $200 gift card at an Rm elk banquet for their shop. When I reluctantly went in their shop to redeem it, the dude behind the counter was visibly annoyed that i was actually using a gift card signed by him! I cleaned them out of all their .22 ammo which appeared to annoy him even more . Now we have arctic ammo and guns. Best shop ive ever been to.

In my late twenties and early thirties, my general attire was very skater/snowboarderish- hoodie, flip flops, beanie pulled low above the eyes, goatee, etc. It was fun to troll at the LGS when you know more about the guns in their cases then they do...

chiccarones wrote:
Maybe they just don't like LSU fans or people that do Mardi Gras.

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If that was it, I probably wouldn't have even noticed, but it was made clear that it was because purple is the "gay" color.

And I really don't understand that. First, because a gay man's money jingles in my pocket the same as anyone else's. Second, because I'm not gay. Third, because every time I've encountered this - and as I noted, it has happened more than once - there has always been a religious connection to it. And that's the part that floors me.

After all, if religious people are supposed to be trying to spread the good news, doesn't someone who is gay need to hear that message too? And how do you tell them the good news if you won't have any dealing with them?

shootr56 wrote:
...Gander Mtn was the worst gun store chain of all time...

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Someone's experience with a single store is not indicative of an entire chain.

But, since we're going to speak of the dead, I should note that my experience with the GM in Frisco, Texas, was very different. GM's prices were high (although lower than the local Academy) but they never tried to take advantage of me, they never talked down to me (except for one clerk who disappeared shortly thereafter) and their service - while they lasted - was always very good.

I was sorry to see them go.

dogtown tom said:

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.

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Haven't you ever ordered a gun from a LGS. And do you really approve of some grieving widow getting 10% of what she should?