Gander Mountain expanding gun space?

They remodeled the gun section in Richmond...for the worse about a year and a half before leaving town. They went from being able to pick up and handle all of their guns to the normal big box store model...of needed a clerk to hand it to you.

Green Top has brought back the self service....but they zip tie the actions....I would rather have the trigger locks like Gander had.

I am glad Green Top is no longer cramped like a Sardine Can, but I miss Gander Mountain. Their regular prices were laughably high, but I got some great deals through sales there.

 

Same thing in the Saint Augustine, FL store. Very large expansion of the gun area - with overinflated prices as well. Occasionaly a decent deal. However, there are other things there - I got a pair of really good thick comfy hunting socks there.

 

Whenever I have been to a Gander Mountain, I have enjoyed the store, especially for their outdoor cooking stock. What does impress me is that we are witnessing a strong increase in the demand for shooting products, and that is inspite of the strong anti-gun lobby. Cabelas is opening stores all over the country, Gander Mountain is expanding, and new LGS's are popping up all over the place. Do I dare to be optimistic???

 

Already did the expansion at the store here in central Florida; used gun prices are higher than new ones just down the aisle in their display cases.

One way to beat that is to get to know the gun manager and have him hold back something you are interested in when it comes in; you'll get a better deal that way. It's how I found a S&W 19-3 RB 2.5" a few months ago..........

Not here - they went from several hundred to several thousand in stock and on display - the gun section now occupies the entire length of the store's back wall displacing the archery section

 

I only go to one of the GM stores in Houston, there are three I can think of, and their prices and service are pretty competitive with the other shops in the area. So, expensive and terrible. It's almost impossible to talk to one of the three guys manning the six hundred foot gun counter on account of the other fifty other people who want to buy something. Anyway, every time I wait my turn I get stuck with the exact same loudmouth goober who wants to shout his opinion about everything except my actual question because he apparently needs to ask his manager about anything not Navy Seal related.

 

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how good service will be when this expansion is finished. Although when we bought a gun on Friday, I have to admit the service was pretty good. The clerk had about 4-5 guns out that my daughter could handle. And, he was actually pretty good in finding a match to what my daughter was looking for.

 

No Gander Mountains in this area, but the local Dick's recently expanded and more than doubled the gun racks and floor space devoted to shooting.

Not that I even would spend my money there anyway (unless they are running some great sale) since everything they have is overpriced.

 

The Gander in Auburn Alabama has more guns than any store anywhere around here and it's not even close. I don't know how many linear feet of long guns but it is probably close to 200 and the glass cabinets are the same. The selection is impressive and I have purchased 3 handguns from them. The prices are moderate to high. Plenty of clerks though several have learned most of what they know since they started working at the store.
Ammo prices are high. Shoes and clothing prices are very high. Firearms accessories seem to be about average to high.

 

When it comes to used anything, just like buying real-estate, there is the asking price and then there is the "what will you really take"? As for "matching" someone else's price---If they wont "beat" the other guy's price I am probably going to shop at the original place!

 

Did the Dick's expansion involve handguns in any way? I haven't yet been to a Dick's Sporting Goods that gives any space to handgun stuff.

Of course, I've only been to a handful of the stores, so I don't know if that is a corporate-wide thing or if the "Eww! Icky handguns!" thing is local.

 

The Dick's stores in the Metroplex stopped carrying handguns about 5 years ago. And then they stopped carrying any of the evil "black rifles". They didn't seem to have much huntlng related merchandise, so I quit going there. Havent missed them either.

 

I have asked in several GMs if they have a certain model in the back, SIB and the answer is always "no, everything we have is in the racks". Yes, the display models are covered with finger prints, scratched from the chains drug thru the trigger guards and the constant banging against each other. I'm always impressed by their sale tables where the firearms are all log chained together and they advertise a whooping 15% off MSRP. Used to be I went to the old GM close to me for reloading supplies and whatever else I needed. Now, I get $150-$200 every year in GM gift cards and have a hard time finding something in the stores or online that I feel like spending them on. Seems the only products they really push anymore is women's clothing.

 

Won't argue this point. I totally agree ... you don't like the price ... Walk. The last gun I bought from GM (before this past Friday) was a Ruger SR1911 for $799. That price, while less than the SMRP of $829, is still about $100 higher than what Bud's go for and about $50 higher than what some gun shops are asking got it (i.e. PSA for $749). Okay, so we close the gap, it then comes down to is it worth it to me at their price? In the case of that Ruger ... Absolutely! The M&P40 ... That was just $20 more than what I could get from Buds.

I guess too ... How many LGS's can afford to stock the quantity of arms that a store like GM can without having to have raise their prices to cover the cost of inventory? There's gotta be something said for stores that can stock a large inventory. Like you said ... you don't like the price ... Walk.

 

"How many LGS's can afford to stock the quantity of arms that a store like GM can"

More than you might think. Even with a Bass Pro a mile up the road, Green Top sold over 26,000 firearms according to the last yearly federal gun report.

I don't have figures for the new store in Mechanicsville - opened by the sons of one of the founders who opened Green Top in the late '40s. www.hopkinshuntfish.com

 

No handguns or modern sporting rifles. I recall the same Dick's having handguns back in the 1990s, and MSRs up until the end of 2012, when they folded to the post-Sandy Hook nonsense.

 

I shopping at GM does not make you a traitor to the cause. I give them a shot just like all other gun stores. The thing I don't like about GM is the huge parking lots and the time commitment that you make when you decide to go in there.

 

Stopped at the GM on a trip in Jacksonville Florida last October and they had an enormous renovation to the gun counter well under way. If only I could convince my local GM to do the same...

Also whats with all the GM hate? Sure it's not the greatest store in the world but at least it's not the gun counter at Dick's Sporting Goods right?

 

I have to agree with you on this. I think it's great when any store stocks and sells firearms. I may think twice about buying if the price isn't right, but at least I have a chance to look over the selection! Beside's you might find something you like!

 

They did the same at our GM in Central FL and added an awesome gun range. They always have plenty of ammo as well.

 

"Also whats with all the GM hate?"

I suppose you would have had to have been here to see them run themselves out of town with bad decisions. GM and Dick's were frequently compared locally - the two worst gun counters in town.

 

I suppose that's true. Thankfully the stores up Cleveland way aren't so bad however they still aren't half the stores our regular gun shops are.

 

+1
Gotta buy somethin every now and then to keep these places open. Im not saying they have the right to gouge (spelling?) but I try to find some things I can buy there. Cleaning products, etc.

Also they sure are a lot more friendly than my neighborhood LGS' folks are. Much more eager to let me fondle their guns too.
It's nice to be able to get something on a Sunday afternoon, or at night, times that the (my) LGS is closed.

 

I have a GM Gun World about 15 minutes away in Germantown, WI. It's right down the road from Cabela's.

I enjoy browsing the vast selection at GM, but haven't bought a gun there in over 10 years. Last good deal I got was a Winchester Super X2 for about $300. I'm fortunate to have a local FFL who can get me practically anything I need at exceptional prices.

I do like Gander Mountain brand wool socks....