Favorite and least favortie gun shops

[LeonCarr]

Best: Another vote for Champion Firearms in College Station, Texas. Katie and Mike are great people and great to deal with.

Worst: Collectors Firearms in Houston, Texas. Fancy high-faluting sales staff that think they are all that and a bucket of chicken and look down on you when you walk into the store. Also, on top of all that, they do not allowed CHL holders to carry concealed weapons in the store (IT IS A GUN STORE!), and all of the sales staff were open carrying handguns. I went in there once, didn't buy squat, and I have never been there again.

Rant mode off.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[ddj8052]

In Ventura CA,

Best: The California Rifleman. Paul is great on customer service. Better than any other gun store I have ever been to. It is a small shop with a relatively small selection, but the friendly atmosphere more than makes up for it. They also have great prices. The other owner is not nearly as friendly, but OK.

Worst by far: is H&S sales. The owner Harry is an A@@h@@e. I walked into his store once with a $1000 bucks in my pocket ready to pick up my Kimber Tactical Pro. After looking and not seeing one in his case I asked him how much one would cost, He looked at me and said " I will not waste my time figuring it out unless you have money for it." I said well then I would hate to waste my money on your time, I guess I will spend it else where. Previously I had asked him to look at something in his case and he said unless I was buying somthing he was not going to waste his time showing me anything. Well over 10 guns later he can kiss my money good buy.

OK but way to expensive and terible service is Coast gun shop. They tend to like to give people the run around. Myself and a couple of my friends have spent 1000's of dollars there and latley it seems everything we try to get or order is "on the way". We are all fed up with the constant run around. They keep saying t will be here tommorrow, or the next day, and a week later you are still waiting for it. Friendly, lots of accesories, terrible service.

Long story short, if you are in the Ventura Co area you would be very well served to give Paul at the California Rifleman a visit.

 

[SiG Lady]

***...?

Where do people get off thinking they can treat customers with disdain, arrogance and rudeness and still make money and keep their doors open??!! Who the hell do they think they're kidding, anyway??!! I don't get it! Not ALL gun purchasers are chumps (or little old ladies who can't hear, or whatever)--many of them are just decent folks looking for reasonable deals. Is that so difficult...??!!

 

[uglymofo]

Where do people get off thinking they can treat customers with disdain, arrogance and rudeness and still make money and keep their doors open??!!

WORST in the lower 48 is Trader's in San Leandro. I'll second my own nomination with another horror story that Siglady's post made me flash on.

A couple of years ago I was at the rifle line (20 benches) with two benchrest shooting buddies and a personal friend. A Mexican came up to the bench next to me and brought out his SIG SSG 3000 and began shooting as fast as he could. I'd seen him at the range several times before, but he was never set up this close to me, and I didn't pay attention to his shooting habits, I'm sorry to say. He'd fired about 20 shots in a 12" group over bin Laden's face (that was the target he was using). After we couldn't take it anymore, we stopped him, and told him gently that he'd ruin his barrel that way. We tried to explain that the bore would be toast after that kind of prolonged treatment, but his English was almost non-existant. We sign-languaged him that he should be getting 1-2" groups at the most, and he misunderstood and patted one of the guys on the shoulder and indicated that Eddie was obviously a better shooter to get such smaller groups. Then we noticed his ammo. He was shooting Wolf. We told him not to use that in his rifle because it was junk. He didn't understand us and thought we wanted to know where he got his rig, so he went into his MTM-like rifle case and came out with a receipt from you guessed it, Traders. They sold this poor neophyte an SIG SSG 3000 w/an NC Star 3-12x scope (who the hell is NC Star?? I'm afraid to look them up even these years later) and a plastic carrying case for $3400, tacked on a case of 1000 rounds of Wolf for $190 and drop kicked him out the door.

What Trader's did to that guy was proof of the bottom-feeding morals in that store. It makes me sad to see that man when he comes to the range; I'm damn near driven to tears. Obviously (to us) he walked into Trader's without any knowledge, no interpreter, and either picked or was pointed to this rig, and they raped him with a smile on their faces. There oughta be some code of ethics against stores like Trader's. Even if God made them sheep to be sheared; they shouldn't be butchered.

How does Trader's survive?? They're outside the city limits in San Leandro, but I'm sure the bulk of their clientele comes from the border 5 blocks away-- they're the firearms-ignorant, safety-concerned residents of East Oakland, along with the vermin that prey on them.

 

[Highland Ranger]

New Jersey

Doesn't look like anyone has done NJ so here goes:

Ramsey Outdoor Ledgewood: smaller selection of handguns, nice older guys behind the counter but not particularly helpful. Not cheap. Not many used guns.

Ramsey Outdoor Ramsey: slightly larger selection, with a few more used guns. Have been mistreated there and seen others mistreated there. Will not go back again.

Meltzers (forget the town, Bergen county somewhere I believe) - Nice guys, large selection decent prices. Smaller store and not the best parking situation but worth going there.

Ray's - Down on 22 in central Jersey, forget the town - large selection both used and new, range in the store, decent prices for NJ. Counter help is patchy, I've had good and bad.

Gun Exchange/American Armaments on 23 in Butler - Crazy Dave! Very nice guy, completely disorganized store, mostly used guns, not the best prices but I try to give him a shot when I can - good guy.

 

[12GA]

New York

Best
American Shooters Supply Inc., 1702 Central Avenue, Albany
Great selection; knowledgeable staff; decent prices.

Shooter's Highland, 3067 Main Street, Valatie
Good selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff; decent prices

Taylor & Vadney Sporting Goods, 3071 Broadwaym Schenectady
Good selection, knowledgeable staff

Worst

Dick's Sporting Goods, any location
Lousy selection, unfriendly and uninterested staff

 

[MikeB]

Well since no one has listed any in PA yet. Here are some in the Bucks County area.

GOOD

Archery and Gun Outfitters, Montgomeryville, PA.
-Good staff, will get you anything, decent tranfer fees. approx $25 if I recall correctly however usually they have cheaper prices than I can find on the Internet. One negative they stock no reloading supplies.

Tanners, Warwick, PA.
-Good staff, fair prices. Good reloading selection. They also carry fishing and hunting equipment.

BAD

Don's Guns, Montgomeryville, PA.
- Terrible prices. I can travel about a 1/4 mile up the road and get the same item for significantly less. I haven't been able to figure out how they stay in buisness.

Target World, Chalfont, PA.
- Pricing is iffy. Terrible customer service for the most part. Extremely rude staff whenever I've been in.

 

[GUNSMOKE45441]

I would have to put in THE WHITE ELEPHANT in Spokane WA.

They have a lot of everything and what they don't have in stock they will find somewhere.
They usually don't have a lot of time to talk because they're so very busy,their reg. prices are lower than the other shops sale prices.
Both PAT & BILL are outstanding in their knowledge of all items in store.

Regards
Smokey

 

[Noban]

ddj8052 - I've purchased a few guns from Harry at H&S. You unfairly characterize him as rude and arrogant wtih no customer service skills.

To be fair, you should have also said he is a racist.

The place I like to shop is Dodge City in Santa Barbara. I've gotten to know all the guys over the years and I get a resounding "Norm!!!" type of welcome every time I go in. Prices are a little high, but the service is outstanding.

 

[Berg01]

2nd Bucks County, Pennsylvania / S.E. Pennsylvania Gunstore (and I'll include Gunsmiths) Rating;

AFAIK, the Best Gunstore around here is the Handgunner in Topton PA (c/o Randy Hollowbush); Great Prices on S&W & CZs, excellent gun & pistolsmith work, particularly revolvers & 1911s;

Classic Pistol is Southampton PA isn't bad;

Pistolsmiths are George Smith, Evolution Gunworks in Doylestown PA (my hometown), Leckie's in Pipersville, and Custom Arms Co. in Bensalem.

 

[ZekeLuvs1911]

As a followup to Highland Ranger's post

Meltzer's Sporting Goods- In Garfield, NJ. Very nice gentlemen behind the counter. Will talk guns and listen to your opinions on various models. Prices are ok and they have a selection of new guns and a small section on used. They have a lot across the street for parking just for their store. Bought several guns from them in the past. I recommend.

Ray's Sporting Goods- Off of Rt 22W in S. Plainfield. Has indoor pistol range. Huge selection of rifles and pistols. Decent selection of used guns. Prices are slightly high in my opinion. Sales help is ok. I've seen bad and very good. I'm a regular there so they mostly know me by name now. That is good. All gun purchases and transfers through them gets you one free pass for one hour at the range. Range is ok. Does need some work and is a little run down but good enough. Range officers are very good. Witnessed one officer screaming his head off at a guy who kept taking his pistol out of the stall and potentially sweeping the lanes. Bought from them many times. I would try them also.

Heritage Firearms of Rahway- Off St. Georges Ave in Rahway. Decent sales help but you need to be a regular before they really warm up to you. Yes, I'm a regular there also..... Good selection of rifles and pistols. Limited in supplies. A great place if you are looking for antiques. Picked up a WW2 1944 Colt 45 there. Prices are ok but with no real budge room. (Even for a regular) In the past, they have refused to hand a pistol to someone I knew because they did not have a purchase permit in hand. This was a long time ago and before a change in ownership. Haven't seen that happen again. I say ok to check out the place.

Walmart-------Crap!!!!!!!!! :banghead: They do not sell ammo there at all. Avoid at all costs......then again, I would avoid NJ at all costs also.

Contact me if anyone is ever in the area. I can show these places to you.

 

[3screw357]

Since I haven't seen anyone speak up for South Carolina, I may as well.
A couple here in Charleston:
Carolina Rod & Gun is a bit overpriced, but a good group of guys to deal with. Ed is always helpful and offers good advice. Plus you never know what kind of deals you'll find on the used gun racks.

Trader World is cheaper and offers a lot more in the way of bargain guns like ruger's and taurus. Their range can get a little crowded on weekends, but the guys that usually work the range are good. A couple of the sales guys in the store itself could use some help with customer service.

Low country pawn may not have the best selection, but I can't argue with the deal's I've picked up there. I got a unmodified ruger 3 screw in good condition for about $150 because they felt that it had been in their display case to long. Also a Glock 20 with 3 magazines for $360. They may not have been new, but I still feel like I got a good deal on them.

I've gotten one rifle from Wal Mart here and I can definitly say that it will never happen again. Overpriced and with a lousy selection of ammo. Terrible customer service.

 

[Baby Huey]

Best for Tucson:

Definitely Murphy's.

Worst for Tucson:

Centerfire? Right next to the stripbar on Speedway. Prices are outrageous!

Best for Phoenix might be Bear Arms, although I don't know all the others there. Great selection.

 

[Langenator]

Haven't been in SC that long, and only really dealt with a couple of gunshops, and nothing really bad.

Shooter's Choice in West Columbia-Great selection on hunting rifles/shotguns, good handgun selection. Not much in the way of EBRs. Limited selection of reloading stuff. Good amount of accessories and hunting stuff. Prices about average, at least on the handguns I was looking at. Great customer service-I was shopping for a pistol for my wife, had my wife along. They weren't condescending to her at all, and actually recomended a .45 to her-because the recoil is less snappy than .40 or 9mm. Let her test fire the Kimber Ultra Carry that we ended up buying. Nice pistol range-25m, plenty of points, but a bit pricey for me ($6/30 min). Also an indoor rifle range, although I haven't used it.

In Tacoma, WA-Good, although they have caused the RKBA a good bit of recent heartache-Bull's Eye Shooter Supply. Good selection, decent prices. Generally friendly customer service, especially their in-house smith (fixed a gunked-up firing pin on my Kimber at no charge) and the guy who runs the upstairs range most of the time. Range is a bit small (limited # of points) and only 15m. But it's cheap-one base charge for as long as you want to shoot, and free for military and police on the 1st and 15th.

 

[Highland Ranger]

ZekeLuvs1911,

In the past, they have refused to hand a pistol to someone I knew because they did not have a purchase permit in hand.

I think you need to show your Firearms ID card by law but not the purchase permit. Guy was probably sizing up the customer and thinking he was wasting his time.

Never heard of the guy in Rahway but I don't get out much when I am down that way.

Ray's is a real slice of history. My brother actually met Ray; I think he is 120.

 

[ddj8052]

Noban-
Just for the record, I did not ever say he was racist, nor did I say he only treats a certian ethnic group of people one way or the other. I will however stand by what I said he is an *****. Just for the record I personaly know of many WHITE (co workers, friends, guys at the range)people who have had the exact same problems with Harry. And for your knowledge I also know 2 personal freinds of Harry who say that yes infact Harry gets in moods and does not like to help people who are "just looking" and his own friends have told him he looses customers because of his attitude. I know for a fact that he has been told of this and refuses to learn how to treat customers. I am sorry but I will not frequent a place with so little customer service. If you choose to continue to buisiness with some one like that the choice is yours. Me, I would prefer to do buisiness with companies that treat EVERYONE with respect. And for the record most people that choose to play the racism card at the drop of the hat are usually them selves racist.

 

[BluesBear]

gp59,

Guntown is right up th street from me. They advertise themselves as the Friendliest Gunshop in Town. While I wouldn't go that far they are decent to deal with. OK prices, they will wheel a deal a little. Transfer prices are too high. But at least they'll never top the charts of dumbest gun rumors.
They just moved to a new building a few months ago and haven't quite grown into the larger one yet.

Try Cascade Pawn just a little further north on 99. Good selection and prices.

Acturally the Lynnwood/Everett area is blessed with more than a few good gunshops.

 

[gp59]

BluesBear, Iv'e heard that cascade pawn was a good place to shop, I will have to come down that way and give them a look see. anything would be better then being snareled at when I ask to see a gun or if they have a part for my gun. take care

 

[uglymofo]

double post

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Best gun store: The Baron's Den. Rent Tommy Guns. Walt has a lot of rare guns on sale and display. Like going to a museum. He has Lugers, Browning Hi-Powers. Alot of rare rifles and shotguns he won't sell. Great service.

Most improved. S-M Gunshop. I went in there for the first time since moving away from the "People's Republic of Eugene". Marv knocked out the wall and doubled the size of his store. Seems like Marv has aquired some social skills. Selection and prices are still pretty good. He also stocks a lot of gunsmithing stuff that other gunstores don't stock. I went in there needing some release agent, Marv told me how to make release agent. Saved me a few bucks.

Worst? I hate to indentify this guy by name. I'll just say the corner of Main ST and Pioneer Parkway in Springfield. The guy has a very small store with a huge amount of C&R and collectable guns. The problem is the price. My examples are $275 for a CZ-52. $5.00 for a box of Wolf 7.62x39. He is charging at least 200% what the average market price for a given gun. $199 for a PA-63?. He has guns sitting on his rack that were there three years ago when I discovered the place. I tried once to get him down on the PA-63. He wouldn't budge, even when faced with the J&G ad showing them at $99. I expect a store owner to make a profit, but this level of price gouging is ridiculous. I like his stuff. But I won't buy a thing from him.

ZM

 

[BarnsBeware]

All my Los Angeles brothers and sisters

Best: (Hands down)
Martin B Retting in Culver City.

• Great Selection
• Fair prices
• Informative and helpful
• CCW stuff
• Staff are courteous and really bend over backwards
• Don't bat an eye when you say "transfer" - charge state minimum only

Worst: (quote from another thread)

"Roll your eyes and sigh heavily because you have to stop telling your best bud the Navy SEEL stories about how you were unofficially attached to the Selous Scouts in Rodesia, and go help a paying customer".

Red Star Arms in Culver City, (oddly enough right across the street from Retting - too bad)
If you haven't been to jail or served in the military, or are under 40, you are not welcome.:banghead:
Too bad because the selection is pretty nice, (admittedly) and they mainly do C&R stuff. Prices are fair too, you just have to wait for them to stop running their mouths. How could so nice a shop go so wrong??

On probation:
The Stockade (mentioned in an earlier post by someone else)
Guy on the other end of the phone probably didn't even know what handloading was, and got all indignant that I wanted prices on a Dillon to compare with his other prices on "Special". Can buy cheaper from manufacturer too..

Taken with a grain of salt:
WalMart. The one in Compton doesn't sell ammo, but others do. Hey, when they do, they've got the cheapest Winnie White Box around. When I start reloading, they drop off the list too. The service just sucks, but I don't go there to flirt anyway.

Granted, I've never been "cheated" or "swindled" like some other posters have, so my bad reviews aren't that bad. But I'd pay up to $100 more to any shop with better service. Fortunately, I don't have to.

 

[Ky Larry]

In Lexington.....


Best is Bud's Gun Shop. Good prices and selection. Good staff. Very friendly. If they don't have it they can get it.

Worst is Antique and Modern Firearms. High prices and very aloof staff.

 

[uglymofo]

I'll second Cascade Pawn. I've dealt with them by mail order, and their service was stellar. Price was fair to good. I had some shipping requirements that put them through the paces, but their performance was excellent and without incident nor complaint.

 

[BarnsBeware]

Oh, and in my travels in New Mexico:

Roswell:

Covey's: Didn't have much of a selection on pistols, but seemed pretty happy to do consigments. Also, they are mainly a gunsmith with a store front, so he sells what he can, primarily for shotgun. For such a small place, the service was pretty damn good. Hell, his wife, who runs the counter, gave me his home phone number once so I could call him directly for a sight-fixing problem. Bend over backwards types. Real nice folks too. Go there first before you hit...

Larry's Discount Gun Shop: Pretty good selection, and they know it. Seem to me like they've been burned by younger folks before, because I just didn't get the warm welcome you should expect in any shop. Good prices too. Honestly, if you know what you want, you're fine. Seems like they'd open up once you became a "paying" customer though. Maybe I just got rubbed the wrong way twice...

Santa Fe:

The Outdoorsman of Santa Fe (in the mall): These guys are a whole bunch of all right. Since I'm a CA resident and was merely visiting, I couldn't have bought much and he was aware of that. Didn't stop him from answering all my questions or from us getting into quite a lively discussion on interstate FFL laws into CA. Really cool layout and selection and DURN GOOD PRICES too, at least I thought so. The guy there even directed me to another store on a non-gun item he just didn't carry. Hell, I can't wait to live there some day, except that I would have to leave my present gun store

 

[Rembrandt]

Business travel take me all over the country....I'll have to copy this thread and keep it for future reference.

My favorites have been some of the chain stores....especially "Cabela's" gun library's....quite a selection of upper end collectibles and hard to find pieces. Been to every Cabela's in the country....one of the finest chains anywhere. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...K0BWUMIWE?hierarchyId=10468&rid=5000115022802

"Scheels Sporting Goods" have about 20+ stores throughout the midwest....classy enviroment, lots of upper end collectibles and one of the largest selections anywhere. http://www.scheelssports.com/store/index.asp?NCP=1

"Collectors Firearms, Simpson's LTD" in Galesburg, Illinois....looks like an average gun shop till they took me back into the "Luger Room"... ...over 600 Lugers! http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.htm http://www.simpsonltd.com/LugerRoom/lugerrm.htm