south dakota
haven't seen s.d. listed, which is too bad because i'd like to compare notes!
also, since quite a few of the people reading this will be here in about 3 weeks (pheasant season opener), here's a couple names:
good (in no particular order):
jack first in rapid city. not an overly friendly staff, and not a lot of guns, but lots of shooting and reloading gear, good place to find obscure parts.
gary's gun shop in sioux falls. friendly, knowledgeable staff, a good selection of guns, lots of accessories - they have about everything. prices are very good. indoor shooting range... if you want it, they likely have it in stock (except the ultra-rare sig 229 40 12-round mags ).
sportsman's warehouse in sioux falls. if you want it, they have it (even the ultra-rare sig 229 40 12-round mags). period. very knowledgeable staff, friendly enough, a little lacking in binocular and gps selection, but passable. massive store.
decent (in no particular order):
scheels in sioux falls. don't care for the sales staff, but they do have competitive prices. biggest drawback is only the 2nd floor is gun-stuff.
leader in mitchell. fair amount of guns, true mom-and-pop operation (great folks, btw). they don't have the floor space to display all their guns, so sometimes you'll have to ask, but they likely have the gun you want. powder selection is passable. scope, binoculars, and spotting scope selection is anemic, but at least they carry some (nikon, leupold, swift, sightron, steiner, and burris). component bullet selection is good, loaded ammo selection is better than average. if his gun prices were a little more competitive, this store would stand alone at the top of my list in the 'excellent' category. still, i buy a lot of guns from there, because they are good people, and they do get the prices 'close enough'.
scheels in rapid city. just a very bland store, but they do seem to have good prices and a staff that knows something. also stock uncommon guns.
places to avoid (no particular order):
cabela's in mitchell. staff is passably knowledgeable, but it is damned hard in there to get help w/ something (walked in once w/ cash in hand to buy a springfield, and it took me almost 2 hours to get out of the store - most of that time begging for somebody to come over and let me please give you money... yesterday, walked in w/ cash in hand to buy binoculars and a gps, and after an hour of trying to get somebody to please take money from me, i left and dropped a ton of money at sportsmans warehouse - in and out of sw in 15 minutes). good selection of everything outdoors, but no niche stuff. still... you'll go there anyway, because you want to see what the noise is about - and cabela's does a fantastic job w/ their dioramas, and providing something for non-hunters/outdoors people to entertain themselves w/ while you shop.
everson gunsmithing in mitchell. run from this store. the guy will rob you absolutely blind on gunsmithing, and bill for work he hasn't done. he will also do his level best to rip you off on gun/accessory prices. word has spread on him, and he is really struggling to stay in business - the front half of his store is now a pawn shop. stay away. there is nothing in there that can't be had in better shape for a better price somewhere, anywhere, else.
there y' go... i named names.
haven't seen s.d. listed, which is too bad because i'd like to compare notes!
also, since quite a few of the people reading this will be here in about 3 weeks (pheasant season opener), here's a couple names:
good (in no particular order):
jack first in rapid city. not an overly friendly staff, and not a lot of guns, but lots of shooting and reloading gear, good place to find obscure parts.
gary's gun shop in sioux falls. friendly, knowledgeable staff, a good selection of guns, lots of accessories - they have about everything. prices are very good. indoor shooting range... if you want it, they likely have it in stock (except the ultra-rare sig 229 40 12-round mags ).
sportsman's warehouse in sioux falls. if you want it, they have it (even the ultra-rare sig 229 40 12-round mags). period. very knowledgeable staff, friendly enough, a little lacking in binocular and gps selection, but passable. massive store.
decent (in no particular order):
scheels in sioux falls. don't care for the sales staff, but they do have competitive prices. biggest drawback is only the 2nd floor is gun-stuff.
leader in mitchell. fair amount of guns, true mom-and-pop operation (great folks, btw). they don't have the floor space to display all their guns, so sometimes you'll have to ask, but they likely have the gun you want. powder selection is passable. scope, binoculars, and spotting scope selection is anemic, but at least they carry some (nikon, leupold, swift, sightron, steiner, and burris). component bullet selection is good, loaded ammo selection is better than average. if his gun prices were a little more competitive, this store would stand alone at the top of my list in the 'excellent' category. still, i buy a lot of guns from there, because they are good people, and they do get the prices 'close enough'.
scheels in rapid city. just a very bland store, but they do seem to have good prices and a staff that knows something. also stock uncommon guns.
places to avoid (no particular order):
cabela's in mitchell. staff is passably knowledgeable, but it is damned hard in there to get help w/ something (walked in once w/ cash in hand to buy a springfield, and it took me almost 2 hours to get out of the store - most of that time begging for somebody to come over and let me please give you money... yesterday, walked in w/ cash in hand to buy binoculars and a gps, and after an hour of trying to get somebody to please take money from me, i left and dropped a ton of money at sportsmans warehouse - in and out of sw in 15 minutes). good selection of everything outdoors, but no niche stuff. still... you'll go there anyway, because you want to see what the noise is about - and cabela's does a fantastic job w/ their dioramas, and providing something for non-hunters/outdoors people to entertain themselves w/ while you shop.
everson gunsmithing in mitchell. run from this store. the guy will rob you absolutely blind on gunsmithing, and bill for work he hasn't done. he will also do his level best to rip you off on gun/accessory prices. word has spread on him, and he is really struggling to stay in business - the front half of his store is now a pawn shop. stay away. there is nothing in there that can't be had in better shape for a better price somewhere, anywhere, else.
there y' go... i named names.