At the gun store, do NOT screw with my gun.

[bokchoi]

Just a rant...

I was at the shop, putting money down on my new Sig Pro SP2009 with a factory threaded barrel. As the gun is sitting in front of me on the mat while I chat with my friend across the counter, some, er, gentleman trundles across the store and sees this gun in front of me.

"Hey, a Sig!" He exclaims, snatching up the pistol right from under my nose.

To my horror and before I can even anything, he racks, the slide, sights in the pistol, and before I know it, I hear the horrible sound of a slide being dropped on an empty chamber. Dry firing the pistol once, he none too gently plops the pistol down on the mat, and trundles off.

My friend and I are speechless, not really over the potential damage to my pistol (Sig Pros are pretty well built), but just the speed with which this guy managed to basically break every rule of gun shop etiquitte there is in less than 5 seconds. If that was a custom 1911 with a fine trigger job or a revolver which he felt would be nice to flick closed, I would have made a very special note for the guy to never come near a handgun again.

Just my little rant. I'm still apologizing to the gun, as I haven't dropped a slide on an empty chamber in any of my guns since I owned them.

 

[TonyB]

Even worse when the people who work there do these things.......I stopper in to get some ammo and poke around one time.......Iguess these 2 bozos who worked there didn't see me come in because they were racking slides ,spinning revolvers,slamming mags and giggleing like schoolgirls.....when they saw me they stopped,but it had me wondering if they even realize that these are going to be bought by somebody who maybe doesn't want a used new pistol!!!I don't baby my guns ...but they're MY GUNS........a buddy grabbed my Airweight one time and flicked the cylinder in place....needless to say he never handled any of my guns again..

 

[dhoomonyou]

Inconsiderate SOB
Stupidity knows NO bounds.

 

[matsaleh]

Please educate me

I must confess my ignorance here. I'm fairly new to handgun etiquette (not new to handgun safety, however).

To start, it's obvious to me that - whether it's a handgun or a hammer, it's pretty rude to snatch something up from right in front of a person who is obviously attending to it at that moment.

But, why is it bad form to rack the slide and let it slam shut on an empty chamber?

Why is it bad form to spin the cylinder on a revolver and "flick it in place"?

Whenever I'm at a gun shop, I always ask permission to rack the slide and dry fire the pistol, but I never thought there would be a danger to doing so, as long as all safety practices are observed.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, just to learn. I simply wish to cure my ignorance so that it will not be mistaken for stupidity some day.

Cheers.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Thankfully this hasn't happened to me yet...maybe I'll let the guy handle my Karambit while he's at it

Sorry to hear about your Sig. Like the man said, I'm not gentle but they're my guns.

 

[El Tejon]

Rude indeed, but harmless to your weapon. The guy is a sloppy pig, but no reason to start a fight, no matter how much he deserves missing teeth. Some people grow up without fathers and do not know how to behave.

I dry practice with "custom" 1911s all the time. No harm to the weapon. Pistols are weapons, tools to fight with, not adore.

Upon purchase of every new pistol, I kick it to the car so that I do not flinch over every scratch or "flaw."

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

BIG TIME NO NO----grabbing the gun you are buying out from under you. Very rude.

Dropping the slide on an empty chamber----no big deal-----but it wasn't his gun to drop the slide on.


Cylinder spinning on a DA---no big deal--------not good on a SA as it will leave wear marks.

Cylinder flicking is strictly verbotten.

 

[Kestrel]

This just happened to me last week. I was at a shop, picking up an Ed Brown Kobra Carry, blued, that I had ordered about three months ago. Beautiful. A customer walks up to me, asking a lot of quetions about 1911s. Says he's thinking about a Wilson. I also had one sitting in front of me... Well, I had ALREADY paid for these and he asks if he can see how the feel is on the two. I had already glanced him over, noticing his attire, if he was carrying, had any ammo or mags in his hands, etc... (I've seen some nervous things in gunshops...) He was friendly enough and looked okay.

Well, he grabs the slide, with his hand over it kind of like a clumsy gorilla. I'm thinking he's not even sure how to do this. (I'm looking at his fingers to see if he's wearing any rings that would scratch the finish. None.) He pulls it back about 3/4 of the way back and the slide kind of sticks. I realize it's caught on the mag follower, but he didn't know. He starts trying to drop the magazine. I quickly say "wait!", but he's plowing ahead. The mag pops free and the slide smacks home.

He just said, whoops. "These things don't hold back the slide?"

Well, I asked the sales person to put my stuff behind their counter, while I look around. (He kept asking if he could keep comparing the sights and feel of the Ed Brown to the Wilson.) They put them up. Then the guy starts asking me why do I have all these guns. How many do I have? Do I shoot them all? He keeps following me around the store asking me questions, while I look at other things. I finally just started ignoring him, being prepared to politely ask him to buzz off (I'm still irritated about the Ed Brown at this point...) He finally walks off after I stop responding to his questions.

Actually, it still irritates me...

 

[Kestrel]

Skunk,

I wish I had had a Karambit to let him handle... Funny.

Steve

 

[J Miller]

To my horror and before I can even anything, he racks, the slide, sights in the pistol, and before I know it, I hear the horrible sound of a slide being dropped on an empty chamber. Dry firing the pistol once, he none too gently plops the pistol down on the mat, and trundles off.

And you just stood there?
Even after the fact I would have been all over him like a mongoose on a snake.
What he did warrented a very loud and vocal responce.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Bokchoi...

Someone THAT rude needs a quick kick to the 'nads. One should ALWAYS ask before doing ANYTHING involving the touching of someone's gun. Sheesh!

KR

 

[James Bondrock]

Why is it bad form to spin the cylinder on a revolver and "flick it in place"?

This practice is abusive and damaging to a swing-out cylinder double action revolver. It can spring or bend the crane (the part that supports the front of the cylinder) out of shape, which will keep the cylinder from locking properly (or at all) into the frame later. It can also damage the ratchet and pawl that rotates the cylinder, somewhat like fanning the hammer of a single-action. When closing the cylinder of your DA revolver, do so relatively gently, and give it a small twist in the direction of cylinder rotation until it clicks into place and stops to be sure the locking bolt in the bottom of the frame properly indexes with the cylinder notch.

 

[10-Ring]

Some peoples kids

Yeah, the stuff that happens inside the walls of a retail store is truly amazing sometimes!:banghead:

 

[George Hill]

I would have had some words with this Gentilman.
I don't tollerate rudeness.

 

[cslinger]

It's funny when I handle other peoples guns I make a concious effort to ride the slide down very gently but every once in a while the slide will slip out of my hands due to it being under more spring pressure than I am prepared for or the slide release being more sensitive than I expect and the slide will slam home................................................and I always feel sooooo bad and apologize profusely.

Other peoples kids is right.

Chris

 

[Smoke]

EL T said:

Upon purchase of every new pistol, I kick it to the car so that I do not flinch over every scratch or "flaw."

But you don't kick your buddies gun to the car do you?

 

[El Tejon]

Smoke,, no, of course not. Well, once during a "battlefield pick up" drill, I kicked a buddy's AR while running up to it. Right out of the Three Stooges--they called me "Moe" the rest of the class.

 

[foghornl]

I don't know for certain if slamming the slide home on empty is a bad practice or not, but I don't do it on my Springy 1911 or KP-90 Ruger.

Now, as to "flicking" the cylinder closed.... NO! You will eventually warp the crane/yoke, and you will wind up with a messed up revo that has lockup-timing problems.

Saw an idiot the other day load up the cylinder on his 50th Year Ruger single-six, spin it as hard as he could, then slam the load gate closed. Made me want to remove pistol from, his grip, and start "flicking" him about the head and shoulders.

 

[Top_Notch]

Ok, Ok, I apologize already bokchoi. I didn't know it was your pistol.


As others said,

Spinnng and flicking a revolver can bend/damage the crane/yolk and ruin the timing and/or lockup.

Slamming the slide home on an empty chamber I've heard could ruin a trigger job. Take no chances...ride the slide when it's not yours. If you own it, it's your money....so flick away.

 

[forquidder]

Response

And you stood there and said nothing.

Too bad so many people today see themselves as victims rather than stepping up and saying or doing something about it.

Better to be mad at oneself for saying nothing rather than spreading the story looking for people to commiserate with.

 

[Black Snowman]

I treat others people's stuff like it's there only child, but I'll abuse the hell out of my own stuff.

I see lot's of sweeping and other poor and unsafe gun handling practices in gun stores. Even by the employees. I aways speak up if something that makes me uncomfortable is done. I can always take my business elsewhere and I have.

My all-time favorite gun shop in town got a new employee I don't particularly like and I shop elsewhere now. I've bought 3 guns from them and it only took one bad attitude for me to give another shop a second chance.

 

[Sean Smith]

Snatching somebody's gun is a good way to geat a beating, or worse. Not that bad manners alone warrant a beating, but people take grabbing their gun kind of personally in most parts.

 

[dhoomonyou]

come to think of it....

a brother in law that I NO longer speak to (for other reasons)
was at the range with me and picked up my Glock 26 and TRIED to bend the polymer frame, when I asked him ***?, he responded "want to see if the plastic will crack" I told him to "put it the F down" and added if it did crack he was going to as well.

 

[Al Thompson]

When I was about 20 or so, I "flicked" a revolver shut on a fellow's HG at a gunshow. I was royally (but politely) chewed up and spit out. That was about 24 years ago and I remember the color of his table covering, the make of the wheelgun and his face.

This BB, and our intent, is to furthur the RKBA and educate new folks. That guy, that day, educated me. As he so aptly showed me, you don't have to be rude, but you can educate even the most arrogant of new folks. (that would be me)

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Hey George!

Your reply reminded me of the movie "Lonesome Dove". The character Tommy Lee Jones was playing had just beat the S@@@ out of a guy and then as he was getting on his horse he said, "I hate rudeness in a man, won't tolerate it".
Cracked me up!

KR