earlthegoat2
Member
Borders Sporting Goods in Ashland, KY. I used to work there years ago. I think they have become much bigger now and aren’t exactly a “hole in the wall”. One off though, for sure.
Boy, I sure wish I'd have known that when we were there.In Grand Rivers Ky there is an incredible restaurant called Pattis 1880s settlement. Right beside of Pattis is Grand Rivers Antiques. They have a gun counter and tend to specialize in single action pistols and lever rifles, essentially modern versions of antique guns. I love that place, and when I go there I know my belly is about to be full too!
Beck Paint and Hardware in Goshen OH, about 40 minutes east of Cinci.
It's a nice little hardware store on it's own right that sells quality paint and Stihl tools, but way in the back there's a gun counter not much larger than my home office desk, and there are ALWAYS people there buying guns. For such a small shop, they don't really mark up their gun prices and there's times I've found better prices there than I could find online. They're family friendly too, my wife likes going there and seeing the odd's and ends for sale, and they have a cool little wooden tools playset up by the gun counter for your little ones to play with while you fill your form 4473.
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But it's an Ohio company. I go to the one in Middleburgh Heights. I bought my Citadel 3.5CS there.Not really anything decent in Springfield Ohio but Fin Feather and Fur in Ashland Ohio is where I get most of my reloading gear. They have 2 locations so I don’t think it would count as mom and pops but they do have an excellent store right off Interstate 71 complete with guns, ammo, fishing and archery.
One long gone from my Childhood, Dave's Army Surplus in Fort Wayne Indiana.. Dave would test out Bullet proof vests in the store.. It was a true surplus store where he had everything, Boxes of trench art, training grenades.. You know the kind that went bang.. Everything..
One that I would drive to was Whittaker Guns in Owensboro KY. Today it is still a large gun shop, but most everything is modern.. When I walked in there the last time the store clerk look at me with shock when I asked for a Mosin.. Everything was modern.
But not so many years ago there was every type of surplus or old gun in the world Thousands.. He even had a rack up front of the store called mystery guns where they could not ID the rifle but would sell it anyways.. The day they changed.. I cried like a baby.. Infact I am tearing up now...
Now in the could still be open is Falls City Firearms Clarksville Indiana. I place my hand on the bible and I swear I do not know how the man can stay in business.. The owner Rick sells only older guns at such low prices it staggers the imagination. People come to that store for miles just to set and shot the bull.. (No I mean talk, not shooting a large critter with a gun).. I almost had my own stool there.
He is so well know there people come in to talk about local history, ancient history of the region, guns or even the weather. I have never seen him greet anyone with out a story and a warm smile.
When some one comes in to selling a gun, he not so much sells it, but finds a new owner that will love it.
With my own eyes I have seen him berate people for bringing in their family guns for trying to sell them and making them take the guns back home.
I saw him once sell two 50 cal Machine guns from an old F-86 crash.
He is so beloved that one time Louisville was putting on their Thunder over Louisville 4th of July show and that Friday the Blue Angels were practicing for the show and he could not make it. A higher up called in and they moved part of the practice show over his shop because he could not leave to see it.
I would trust the owner Rick overnight in an Motel 6 with a grocery bag full of money and my underage daughter.
That Falls City Firearms sounds awesome, I loved going to surplus stores that carried firearms as well with my dad when I was young. We had a surplus store named Koppel's Browzesville which was fun to peruse, especially as a kid.
That they do. I finally visited the one in Middleburg Heights and it was nice. Since the Ashland exit is on my way up to my families town I always stop there to shopBut it's an Ohio company. I go to the one in Middleburgh Heights. I bought my Citadel 3.5CS there.
When things aren't insane, they usually have a good selection of both guns and ammunition.
Friends and I in the Cleveland area used to go to the Ashland store before the Middleburg Heights store opened.That they do. I finally visited the one in Middleburg Heights and it was nice. Since the Ashland exit is on my way up to my families town I always stop there to shop