Gander Mountain expanding gun space?

What's wrong with browsing? Nothing. I go to Cabelas to browse, but it go to my LGS to buy.

Gander Mountain will unfortunately never measure up for me. I get better deals EVERYWHERE else. The time I could waste browsing there is time better spent elsewhere.

They beefed up the one out by me, in Kernstown, VA. It is awesome. The selection increased about three fold. It's worth a look when they get done. I support all gun stores and love to window shop.

I was really disappointed with the Gander Mtn. that opened here in DFW. It went into the retail space that was previously occupied by Sportsman's Whse. I expected a similar operation, but man was I wrong!

They have a large shoe dept. with most starting around $100 and it goes up rapidly from there. Very big clothing dept. and they even have some hunting clothing.

There are quite a few new guns (they claim 2,000) and some are even priced BELOW MSRP, but only a few. The used guns are right up there in price with the new guns, with most of the ones that I was interested in being 85-90% of new retail price.

And they don't carry any reloading supplies or equipment! The asst. mgr. that I asked about the reloading stuff said, "We may have it soon, but I really don't know." That was almost 6 months ago and nothing yet.

I agree with Lex. I can spend my time better elsewhere.

Was in Fort Wayne GM a couple of days ago, YUP they expanded the gun selection, along with expanding the pricing and down sizing the clerks behind the counter to serve you.

Amazing business sense!

I will go back for 1 reason, someone gave me a $25. gift card to waste there.

I hate gift cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A couple of years ago they opened one of their new "Firearms Super Centers" in Monroe, NC (eastern 'burbs of Charlotte). It is basically the reverse of a regular Gander Mountain: 80% firearms and ammo and 20% everything else. It's a fun place to browse and get to actually handle a huge array of new and used firearms. However although the ammo and firearm accessory prices are fairly reasonable, the actual guns are grossly overpriced.

I do my homework there and then buy online or from a LGS.

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I think 5000 guns is a stretch. When they upgraded the local GM to a super center, they brought in 1200 guns late one Sunday night. My neighbor was one of four off duty cops they hired for security.

best
jr

The closest one to me also expanded their gun selection recently. (Bryan/College Station, TX)

Still no reason to purchase anything there...

Yup, my local GM became a super store. The whole back wall is now guns. I had blisters on my fingers first time there from handling guns. But the prices.... forget it.
One thing I forgot to mention. They have the cleanest bathrooms you'll find. Thats important to a guy on the road.

T Slothrop said:

A couple of years ago they opened one of their new "Firearms Super Centers" in Monroe, NC (eastern 'burbs of Charlotte). It is basically the reverse of a regular Gander Mountain: 80% firearms and ammo and 20% everything else. It's a fun place to browse and get to actually handle a huge array of new and used firearms. However although the ammo and firearm accessory prices are fairly reasonable, the actual guns are grossly overpriced.

I do my homework there and then buy online or from a LGS.

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Would I like to see that here being the gander mountain here has a zillion square feet of mostly clothes. 1% has to do with guns

To be honest they sell for about the same as the locals here. The great majority of our locals are at full retail.

Every once in a while you can find a gem. The Fredericksburg store a few years ago had an old milsurp on the rack labeled "unknown Mauser". It was a Type 99 Arisaka, with dust cover and AA signts (no mum, though). It was tagged at 49 bucks. Yeah, snapped that right up.

While I'm not crazy about GM, I've bought two firearms from them (one was on sale so it cost as much as a anywhere else and the other they priced matched). I do use them for when I'm wanting to see how a firearm fits and I don't feel bad just window shopping there either (because I don't ever have anyone ask do I need help). Also they have some items that nowhere else has like a Barrett M107 (how many LGS have those).

They turned the Peoria, IL GM into a gun superstore a little while back. I had pretty much given up on it, dropped in on a whim after the remodel, and just about fell over.

It's far enough away that I don't get to go very often, and the prices are such that I wouldn't give much thought to buying a firearm from them, but it's nice to go and window shop and maybe handle something I'd like to buy in the future.

My local GM expanded the guns a couple of years ago and claimed to have the largest gun room in the state. The prices appeared to some of the highest, too....I rarely go there other than to fondle the goods, then order elsewhere.

To be honest they sell for about the same as the locals here. The great majority of our locals are at full retail.

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Drive up to Champion Firearms in BCS... Well worth the drive up from Houston.

Ir's been quite some time since I've bought a firearm from Gander Mountain, and in the first few years they opened in my area I bought a number of guns from them. Several years back they raised prices substantially and that was it. The only time they get remotely competitive on price is if they have something on sale. Even the used stuff is consistently very high. I've too many other options of other places who give fair pricing to overspend there.

They expanded the one in Little Rock a few months ago, if I recall correctly. Sure, and it won't raise their already high prices ...

"So is the just our store or is this going on elsewhere?"

Beats me, they left town 2 years ago. I suppose they couldn't compete with Green Top and Bass Pro. Lord knows Green Top needed the extra space after all those decades in the old building on number one highway.

The one here on the East side of Columbus was remodeled a year or so ago and the store is mostly guns. I've found out their prices are $100 more than other places that I see here, but they do price match.

I doubt that Gander is increasing the number of guns or brands in stock. They are probably just putting more out on display. Having a dozen 870s on display is really no different than having two on the shelf and ten in boxes in the store room. I actually dislike the practice of putting all the guns on display because that means what you buy will likely have wear marks from all the people playing with them and banging them against other guns on the rack. I think its better to have one sample get all the abuse and then sell people untouched guns still in the box.