Good gun shops in Maryland, New Jersey?

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Monkeyleg

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In my ongoing quest to add quality shops to my site, I'm now starting to call MD and NJ stores.

I've done some searches on prior posts, and came up with the following for NJ: Bob's Little Sport Shop (they're now on the site); Hague's (David, the owner, basically had his guy tell me to buzz off); Caso's Gun-A-Rama; Shoreshot; Brick Armory; and Gene Salomon.

In MD, searches of posts brought up Continental and Valley Gun.

So, any other recommendations for shops you think are good for selection, price, service?

Thanks much for any replies.
 
I would recommend Walters Gun Room, however, it looks as if they are going out of business. The Christian Soldier in Parkville is a good place.
 
I've had numerous bad experiences with Bob's and his prices are WAY high. He also caters mostly to the hunter crowd. Hague's has been good to me and if you're an EBR fan that's the place to be in South Jersey. Prices are good and I haven't had a problem with the service.
 
I would recommend moving from New Jersey to Delaware or Pennsylvania.

In Maryland, you can move to Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware or Pennsylvania.

FWIW - my brother lives in Jersey but makes all his purchases here in Virginia when he's visiting (accessories , etc.)
 
I like On Target in Severn, MD a lot. They have a pretty nice indoor range and the staff has always been friendly for the ~7 years I've been shooting there. They're also very cool about people window shopping. The last time I was there, one of the managers encouraged me to handle a Kimber Gold Match even though he knew that I wouldn't be buying a gun (especially in that price range) any time soon.
 
Ditto on all of the MD stores already mentioned, especially Christian Soldier. Also don't forget A and D Pawn in Glen Burnie......
 
Butch's Gun World in Vineland, NJ is without equal. The shop is small, but they will immediately get you whatever you like if they don't already have it. The gentlemen that work there are as nice and knowledgable as can be and will never steer you wrong.
I now exercise my freedom at Clayton's Hunting and Fishing in Horsham, PA and Classic Pistol in Southampton, PA.
 
Dbl0Kevin: "Hague's has been good to me and if you're an EBR fan that's the place to be in South Jersey. Prices are good and I haven't had a problem with the service."

Well, I had a problem, but it was just because I was calling David to offer him free advertising. ;)

Yeah, I know that telemarketers promise all sorts of things. It was my fault for not just asking permission to email him info about the site, and call him at a time that was more convenient to him. It's really a shame, since I've read some really great posts about his shop.

Dbl0Kevin, could you be more specific about your complaints about Bob's (other than price)? You may not like this, but if I see posts on forums--especially THR--where members are really complaining about a shop on my site, I call the shop to ask if they want to know what their customers' complaints are.

If they want to know---and, trust me, having run my own business(es) for 17 years, I want to know about complaints---then I give them the URL to the thread. What they do after that is their concern, but I at least want to give them the ability to change/fire/educate their staff.

Utah THR members may notice that there's a certain shop in the SLC area--a good-sized shop--that isn't on my site, even though the owner wanted to be on it. Why? Because enough SLC area members said it was a...well, let's just say it didn't meet the standards that THR members are looking for.

I'm really, really trying to give visitors to my site quality results.
 
Atlantic Guns, Gilberts (MD)

Atlantic Guns has two locations (Rockville and Silver Spring). They've been around since the '50's. Plus, I believe Atlantic helped sue Monkey County back in the '80's when it tried to implement a DC-style ammo sale registration scheme (in violation of MD law). Monkey County lost (boo hoo). Always friendly people in the Rockville location (and decent prices for MD). Haven't been to the Silver Spring branch.

The Gun Rack left me with a bad impression after the guy behind the counter wanted me to write my name, address, and drivers' license info in a logbook laying on the counter (can you say ID theft?). When asked, he claimed it was "county law" to register customer info for all ammo sales. But there is no such county law (see above paragraph). Don't know what to make of that one.

Gilberts in Rockville is an honorable mention. They fought hard to finally get the only indoor range in Monkey County up and running. Prices are kind of high (like Atlantic), but that's because it's MD, and not VA like I am used to.
 
I will add two thumbs up for Brick Armory in Brick NJ.

His specialty is black plastic rifles/handguns. Good prices and Phil can have it for you the next day if it isn't in stock.
 
Dbl0Kevin, could you be more specific about your complaints about Bob's (other than price)? You may not like this, but if I see posts on forums--especially THR--where members are really complaining about a shop on my site, I call the shop to ask if they want to know what their customers' complaints are.
Click to expand...

Well my first bad experience was one time when I went there to teach someone how to shoot in their indoor range. I had done this numerous times over the past 2 years and had always brought my own ammo with no problems. This time as I'm getting the lane the guy asks me if I need ammo and when I said no he replys "Oh well you can only use ammo bought here at the range." I said "Excuse me? I've been coming here for two years and have never bought ammo here." Then he told me "well that's the rule" and tried to sell me a box of .45 ACP for $22 freakin dollars. I said no way buddy and he "let me go" for this one time. That was the last time I shot there.

Second bad experience was when I was looking for an optic for my AR. I went in there and asked if they had an EOTech and the guy looked at me like I had 3 heads. Then I said "how about any red dots". He goes "oh yeah....." and hands me a POS $40 simmons red dot.

Third bad experience was when I was shopping for my Beretta Storm. I stopped in at Bob's and to my shock they actually DID have one in stock. He was asking $675 for it with only 1 magazine.....when I know damn right well they come with 2 from the factory. That's when I went right down to Hagues who had 5 in stock and sold them for $595 with BOTH magazines.

Never again will I go to Bob's......three strikes and you're out.

Now don't get me wrong I don't expect every shop to have everything I need, but the attitude in that shop is that if they don't have it you don't need it and stop wasting my time.
 
Jersey gunshops of note (in no particular order) :

Brick Armory (already mentioned)
Walt's Reloading - Delran
Ed Tarpy's - Blackwood
Butch's - Vineland
Winter's - Berlin (best gunsmith I've ever known)
 
Atlantic Guns, another thumbs up

Another thumbs up here for Atlantic Guns in MD. I shop mostly at the Silver Spring location, but reveived the same good service at the Rockville store. Prices could be a little better, but as has been said before - this is Maryland, not Virginia.
-dc2wheel
 
Another nod to Atlantic Guns. Both locations are pretty laid back groups... not overly chummy but still attentive and knowledgeable. Rockville's store has a big SASS vibe... Silver Spring's used to do alot of airgun traffic.

If I wanted to do a transfer, I went to Maryland Small Arms Range in Upper Marlboro. Fees were some of the better I found, and a (mostly) low hassle quotient. Lots of LEO epuipment (and Royal Robbins 5.11 stuff).


HTH,
S.
 
Isn't there a good shop in western Maryland? Hendershots? Not sure of the name and I haven't been there but have only heard good things about them.

Not a fan of "On Target" at all!

Mostly doing business with Accurate Pawn near Elkridge now.

I really need to get them to send me to a free state :banghead:
 
2nd the motion on Hague's & Bob's

Hague runs a clean, safe range, and announced his pro 2A orientation on day 1 by displaying a .50 bmg, a rack of ARs for sale, and bins (!) full of police trade ins at "steal me" prices.

Bob, despite being on the board of the NRA, does business in the spirit of politically correct fear.

Aside from the high prices, lack of EBRs, lack of holsters, ("Are you a cop? No civilian in New Jersey needs a holster") bad advice, gratuitous "no human image or silhouette" target rules, being muzzle swept numerous times by several store employees, what's to like?


Bottom line:

If you expect me to spend money in your gunshop, you'd better be enthusiastic about the right of armed self defense.
 
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