Anybody ever actually sit down and try to figure out exactly how many different kinds if ammunition there are? Brands, calibers, bullet types, and specific loadings?
How about all the different kinds of firearms? How many companies, models, ranges of calibers and barrel lengths, types of magazines, different stock options?
And then there's the whole after-market stuff, too, not to mention customization options.
And then there's the vast field of ballistics...which, by the way, involves quite a bit more than just how fast a given bullet travels or how deeply it will penetrate ballistics gel.
I dare say there are darn few of us that are so knowledgable as to be able to actually declare themselves bona fide experts in all these areas, much less even a single one.
A "gun shop" is just that...a store whose main point of business is to sell guns and related products. It's not a gunsmith shop, though they may have a gunsmith or two working there. And even the gunsmiths will have their own field of expertise.
Yeah, it's well and good to say that you expect a gun salesman to have a "working knowledge" of what they sell...but what actually constitutes this "working knowledge"? That is subjective.
A car salesman who can drive a car has a "working knowledge" of cars...but that doesn't mean he's a certified mechanic, that he knows the HP and torque specs on all the engine options, that he knows how to change the oil, or that he's a weekend race car driver at the local track.
Yeah, there are some pretty dumb people behind the counter, some of which have that dreaded know-it-all attitude. There are some pretty dumb people in front of the counter, too, with that same attitude.
How many of us, when considering a major purchase, do a bit if research BEFORE actually making that major purchase? Seems to me that this is the way smart people go about business.
Ever buy a house just off the sales pitch of the realtor? Or do you have inspectors look things over, see what the local housing market is like, check out your own finance options, visit the neighborhood, walk through the house, do your own inspections? You expect the realtor agent to be an expert in foundations, roofing, plaster and lath, drywall, electrical wiring, etc?
When you buy a car from a used car salesman, do you expect him to know whether the car your looking at has a two bolt or four bolt main? Gear ratios? What super-whizbang, aftermarket, monster HP booster is going to suit your track speed needs?
At a car dealership, do you talk to the sales department or the service department when you need repairs?
And even if you do expect all these things...everybody had to start their knowledge somewhere...even the clerk behind the counter.
The clerk in a gun store is there to sell guns. His/her knowledge may vary on the subject, but that's it. Granted, basic things like inventory and locations of their stocked product are part of that. But selling the product is their purpose. There is no guarantee that the salesman is going to be an "expert" on all the details you may be looking for. Seek that information out through whatever other channels you need.
