Gun shop reviews while I stay in Anchorage AK

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I'm going to be here in Anchorage for the next few days. I had some free time today, so I took my GF (a resident of Anchorage) to a few of the gun stores to look at a simple .22 long rifle to get her started into shooting.

I decided to share my experiences of the various shops here on THR.



First shop was the gun counter at the Fred Meyer's on Abbot Road. At the time I was there, the counter was being tended to by a skinny guy, with dark blonde, or light red hair. Looked about my age (early 20's).

He was friendly, and rather energetic. I asked to see a Mossberg Plinkster that was on the rack behind him. He took the trigger lock off, removed the magazine, and checked the chamber, and didn't even roll his eyes when I repeated the check after he handed it to me. (GREAT improvement over my last experience of this store from a last year, where the employee just took the gun off the rack and handed it to me, trigger lock and all)

I let my GF handle the weapon. Now first off, in her defense, her last experience with firearms was her parents trying to teach her to use a 12 gauge when she was 8 years old. I had explained the 4 rules in /words/, but she has had no previous instruction on handling a firearm, and I hadn't the means nor opportunity to instruct her prior to this trip.

She was inspecting the gun from just about every angle. Unfortunately the muzzle was also being pointed in one direction after the next, with my eyes frantically following the barrel of the rifle as it waved around, and I finally put my hand on the forend and pointed the weapon upwards, feeling a little embarrassed.

The guy at the counter just laughed it off and said, 'That rifle's great for teaching a new shooter.' That lead into a causal discussion about the prices of ammo nowadays, and he mentioned that he was planning on getting a Ruger Single Six for himself, because he liked revolvers and it would cheap to feed. He hadn't heard that the Taurus Raging Bulls in .500 S&Ws were discontinued, but he said he wasn't surprised, and that they didn't seem to sell very well.

I later on noticed that there was a Walther PPS in the back of the display case at the front of the counter, and asked to see it. He asked me for my ID, and I told him I wasn't an Alaska resident, wasn't planning to buy, and had just never seen a Walther PPS in person before. He said that wasn't a problem, he just needed to see that I was over 21 before letting me see a handgun.

Well, you can't really blame the guy for a department store's policy I guess. I showed him my Texas state ID, and again, he took off the trigger lock and cleared the weapon before handing it to me, where I cleared it again. I commented on how easy the PPS would be to conceal, and compared it to the Glock 27 that was also inside the display case, which lead to short conversation about Glocks in general. Overall a very good experience.


I'm going to post this here now, and I'll post my experiences on the next shop (Sportsman's Warehouse on Old Seward) as I finish writing it.
 
Sportsman's Warehouse on Old Seward

Much bigger gun selection, with multiple people working the counter (3, if I remember correctly). I only interacted with two of them. One, didn't impress me too much at first, as he didn't know which gun I was talking about when I asked about the USP Compact Tactical on the wall behind him (in his defense, it was on a hook that was just marked 'USP Tactical'), but he did hand it over without asking for ID, and was very glad to know when I told him that the display was mislabeled.

The other man I interacted with was an older gentleman with a mustache. He wasn't wearing a sportsman's warehouse uniform, but he was working behind the gun counter and was VERY helpful. I asked to see the .22 long rifle selection, and he walked me right over to that side of the counter, picked out a standard model 10/22 and suggested it right away, also making a joke about it being on Pelosi's hit list. My GF said she felt it was kind of heavy, and I suggested something even simpler to strip down and clean, like a bolt action.

He explained to my GF that the fit of the rifle was more important than the weight, as he picked out a Savage Mark II.

There was a bit of a comedic moment where neither myself, nor the older gentleman behind the counter could immediately figure out how to get the magazine out of the Savage, until he finally remembered that the magazine catch pushed up into the receiver, instead of forward towards the magazine.

After we finally managed to clear the weapon, he taught her a simple trick to see if the length of pull on any long gun was a good fit for her, and said that if he had any snap caps, he'd show us the accu-trigger.

Then he said 'Actually, hold on a minute' and went off into the store, and brought back a box of snap caps that he promptly cracked open, and loaded one into the chamber of the rifle.

This gentleman was VERY helpful, and went out of his way to help my GF pick out a first firearm that's right for her. She really seems to like that Savage Mark II, and it's most likely going to be the weapon she chooses. To top that all off, the price tag on it matched the price at Bud's Gun Shop as well!


There's one more place I went to today, and that'll be up here as soon as I write it as well. I might be able to manage visits to a few other gun shops tomorrow.
 
Northern Security Supply, on Old Seward

This was definitely more of a 'tactical' store than the other two, but not to a ridiculous degree. There were lots of 5.11s, and kydex drop-leg holsters, nylon web belts, and various tactical gear, but not as extreme to have gas masks, 'plate carrier vests', or any really 'ninja' stuff.

I was surprised at the selection of guns. It wasn't very extensive selection, but an entire half of the gun room was devoted to very well-used weapons of various types. All looked to be in serviceable condition, but definitely seem to have led eventful lives. There was a rack of SKS rifles of various different variants, and oh lord the shotguns. Dave McCracken would step into the shotgun corner of that room and think he wound up in his own personal heaven.

Old-school Remington 870s, Winchester 1300s, Ithaca 37s, and a few I don't know the names of. All of them with a good deal of character when it came to the condition of the wood furniture (if there was a synthetic-stocked one there, I didn't see it), but the actions all seemed to be perfectly smooth.

One of the guys there was an absolute pleasure just to talk to. Older man, Vietnam veteran, loves guns, loves talking about guns, and loves talking to people in general.

We just started talking about everything. First, the conversation started about .308 semi rifles, like my PTR-91. He said he preferred the FAL, to which I responded that if SA-58s were $500 cheaper, I'd probably own one instead myself. We spent a while in front of a DSA poster on the side of the wall trying to get a mental image put together right of the FAL he had ('Okay, it's got the barrel from this one here, the furniture from this one here...' etc.), and talked about groups and when I brought up long range shooting, he laughed and said 'Nah, at my age I don't bother trying to shoot past 300 yards anymore.' then he paused and added 'Not without breaking the .50 out.'

We talked about lots of other things, like Clint Smith's sense of humor, the rising costs of ammunition (of course), western movies, 1911s, Taurus' pathetic customer service. He even talked with my GF for a while about dogs and pet care, as there was tiny dog (not sure the breed) scampering around the shop, and occasionally pausing to solicit tummy rubs from both him and my GF.

At one point he had taken out a pair of S&W night guard revolvers, one in .44 spl, and the other in .45 ACP, and we got into a lengthy conversation about those cartridges, the .45 auto rim (which Midway still sells, something I was unaware of). One part that amused my GF was when me and the gentleman both coincidentally did a full present with the revolvers at the same time, pointing at empty spots on opposite walls to check the sights, and apparently looked like we were doing a hollywood-style back-to-back shootout pose. Upon which a conversation about hollywood gun mechanics naturally ensued!



UNFORTUNATELY, the other individual that I interacted with at this establishment was the exact opposite. I don't want to bad-mouth someone, but at the same time, I'm not going to mince words. Just as much as I'd love to just drop in and chat with the Vietnam vet, I would just as soon never deal with the other guy again.

This guy was tall, and heavyset, younger than the first guy, but not young, like around his 40's maybe.

He did greet us as we first entered the shop, asking if he could help us look for something. Well, I had seen the shop's sign, and I decided it'd be a good place to show my GF some of the holsters designed for concealed carry.

So I tell him that we're here to take a look at some holsters. Upon which he apparently decided he had something better to do than help customers, and did not even bother giving a reply as he went over to the other end of the shop. That didn't really bother me, as I wasn't planning on BUYING anything, just showing my GF how some of these holsters were designed, and what options there would be for carrying a firearm.

I then went to the other side of the shop, where I discovered that great gun room, complete with shotgun selection. There WAS a part of the wall where there was a SIG 556 SWAT (Magpul stock, flashlight fore grip and all), an FN PS90, and an MSAR STG-556. I saw a G3-style rifle there on the wall right next to them, so I figured it was a PTR-91 like mine, and asked the Veteran about it. (this is where the .308 semi conversation I mentioned earlier started)

This guy practically shouts over, from where he is on the other side of the room (not a big gun room, just a full one), 'That ain't a PTR-91! It's an HK!' as if I had insulted him somehow. If you're that attached to it, why is there a price tag hanging off the barrel? But you know, the thought of an original HK-91 there is kind of exciting, so I ask about some of the differences in the furniture.

He says, 'That's the navy configuration.'

'I didn't know they had a navy configuration.'

At that point he apparently decides I'm not worth talking to and ignores me.

Later on, I've left the Veteran to talk to some other customers, and I spot a Wilson Combat 1911, with a light rail frame, in 10mm auto... $2400 (around $2400 anyway, I didn't memorize the exact figure, I know that was close). My GF is right next to me, and I can't resist explaining my reaction to seeing that weapon there.

I explain about the Wilson Combat name, the entire mystique around the custom-grade 1911s, and especially the pricey 10mm caliber, mentioning how it gets people into handloading just to keep the costs lower, and then gets them hooked on customizing their handgun loads.

From across the room again, "No! It's not expensive, we got 10mm from <he mentioned the brand, but I can't remember it> for $20 a box."

My thought: (This guy doesn't think a buck a round (20rd boxes) is expensive for a handgun? What the hell are they paying him?)

"That ain't much more than .45"

My thought: (What the hell do they charge for .45 at this place? Just yesterday I could still find them online for around 3 rounds for $1)

And here's where he really gets to me. "You know you could take a bear with those 10mms"

At this point I've gotten really irritated. This guy has not said a single helpful word my entire time in this shop, and has only opened his mouth to very loudly 'correct' me, in one case when I'm not even ASKING about a weapon, so my immediate mental reaction to him saying 'You could take a bear' with a 10mm 1911 was something along the lines of (And you could stick your d*** in a light socket, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea)

But instead I just nod, say "It's a powerful round."

I went back over to where the Veteran was on the other side of the gun room, said it was great talking to him, and left.
 
I read these posts on my lunch break. Good reading. I'll likely never get to Alaska, but a great accounting nonetheless.

Farmer
 
Nice write up, sounds like some nice places and a day well spent.
 
More gun shops

Great northern Guns
Wild West Guns
The Ammo Can
Wasilla has a Sportsmans Warehouse as well
Wal-mart
The Exchange on Elmendorf
Airguns of Alaska
 
Also check out Turpin Guns, I THINK, it is off of Muldoon? Anyway it has been years since I have been there. Been in the lower 48 since 2002, so that tells you something (I really bloody miss living there).

Anyway I bought my first centre-fire rifle at Turpin Guns. A Sporterized Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I* for $100 (which I put it back to the way it would have looked in 1942 shortly after). I went up to Anchorage with my very first PFD Check, and came home with the Lee Enfield. I thought they were great at Turpin's.

I have been to Great Northern Guns as well. Bought some surplus .303" Mk.VII Cartridges there, as well as a North Cape Pub. book on the No.4 Mk.I Lee Enfield. They were good as well, most firearms shops I have been to when I lived in Alaska were mostly good. Sure beats Toledo, Ohio...LOL. Have fun in Anchorage.
Thanks
Mark
 
(Note to the mods: I will probably be using this thread to post reviews on gun stores outside of Anchorage as well eventually, so a change of the thread title could be appropriate)

I had visited Wild West Guns on my last visit to Anchorage, a year ago. I do plan on stopping by again if given the chance.

I only managed to stop by a single gun shop today, and it was Gun Runners on East Northern Lights.

Small shop, but the walls were covered LITERALLY floor to ceiling with guns of all shapes and sizes, all eras, all countries imaginable. The display cases for pistols were arranged to squeeze as many weapons inside as possible. There literally would not be room to put a quarter between any two weapons in there.

The guy at the counter was a rather hyperactive man, with graying black hair and a thick beard. He was very knowledgeable, and very eager to share his knowledge. He spoke very loudly, and was obviously suffering from permanent hearing damage.

I was a little wary about that, until the conversation revealed an instance when he had actually shot someone in self-defense, naturally without the benefit of hearing protection.

He went into very great detail on how political that instance became, as he was the first CCW holder in that town to shoot someone in self-defense.

To be really honest, the service wasn't the best, and that's mainly a combination of his hearing damage, and how eager and excited he is to talk about guns. I found it very enjoyable just chatting with him. And again, the selection of weapons is the best I have seen in Anchorage thus far.

There was a definite 'oops' moment between the both of us, when I asked about the Wilkinson carbine, and he brought it to the counter. As we were chatting about it, we (brilliantly) decided to field strip it to get a better look at how it worked. We unscrewed the barrel out of the receiver. He said it looked really simple, just a big heavy bolt, and I mentioned the bolt looked like it was only being held in place by the charging handle on the top of the weapon.

Well, he unscrewed that, while the receiver of the weapon was tilted down JUST enough. The moment that the charging handle came off, the bolt slid completely out the front of the receiver, and the recoil spring guide rods/pins launched across the room, along with a few other small parts.

We spent the next few minutes trying to put the thing back together, and whenever we tried to align the recoil springs and slide the bolt back into the receiver, one of the springs would push itself out of the ejection port. So we tried taking off the buttstock on the rear of the receiver to keep the springs from being compressed while we put the bolt in...

Long story short, before long we've got this pile of parts on the counter between us, and we finally look at each other and he says, "I think we f***ed up."

All I can do is nod agreement while my GF, God bless her, is VISIBLY straining to keep from laughing out loud at us.


I definitely have to visit this shop again on my next visit to find out of he ever manages to put that thing back together again. :D
 
By far the best gun shop in the Anchorage area

is located in Eagle River, Boondocks sporting goods & outfitters. Very knowledgeable folks there, not to mention this shop has been around since the mid 60's, 64 i think. You can actually find some good deals here, not to mention they actually have merchandise in stock. If they don't have it stocked ask Sean, he can probably find it for you and actually have it delivered within a week.

This is a local shop that treats its customers like family....

DS
 
Looks like my schedule isn't going to leave me with any time to look at more gun shops today.

Tomorrow I'm AIMING to stop by Great Guns Inc., Wild West Guns, the Ammo Can, and Airguns Alaska (all in the same area)

Day after, I'm planning to check out Great Northern Guns.
 
Bad news. There won't be any more gun store visits during this particular trip.

My GF was in a car accident today. She wasn't hurt, and the car was not seriously damaged. The car DID get sent to the shop though, after being towed out of the snow bank and off of the metal fence that it plowed through after being run off the road.

I WILL however start posting reviews of gunshops back home in El Paso, and other towns I might end up going to.
 
Alaska Shooters Supply/Ammo King.
Gun Runners.

Great Guns closed earlier this year. The owner retired.

I'm still kicking myself for not snapping up a great deal on a S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt during his going out of bidness sale.
 
I appreciate the concern. Everyone was fine, and the car only suffered cosmetic damage.

I just learned of some good news, however!

Because of the accident, my travel schedule was altered. Now it turns out I'll be staying in Portland, Oregon for a few days on layover for my flight to El Paso.

I'll be able to visit some gun shops in Portland, and review them like I have the ones in Anchorage.
 
My GF was in a car accident today. She wasn't hurt, and the car was not seriously damaged. The car DID get sent to the shop though, after being towed out of the snow bank and off of the metal fence that it plowed through after being run off the road.
Click to expand...

That sucks. Another +1 on hoping your girlfriend is okay and not too rattled. Snow/ice related accidents happen about hourly on the hour this time of year.

Nothing like taking a trip to visit gun shops...outside of the US!
Click to expand...

We're outside CONUS, but located in what WildAlaska refers to as "the real America."
 
Gun shop reviews in Portland Oregon

Shooter's Service Center on Lombard, Portland Oregon.

Didn't spend too much time in this one. My friend in the area was looking to learn how to handle a firearm so he could qualify for an armed security license.

Went in, talked briefly about the firearms on display. The man at the counter was very helpful, and immediately pointed out a gun rental in the city. We were short on time, so we went straight there.



The Place To Shoot on Hayden Meadows.

This place ended up being pretty darned spendy, all in all. Rental fees, cost of ammo, cost of targets. Still, didn't seem terribly unreasonable, and it fit our purposes for the visit perfectly.

The range officer was a smaller woman, with one hand. Very friendly, very helpful. She helped my friend pick out a good handgun to start with right off the bat, and since there was two of us, we each picked one.

He went with the suggested Beretta 92, and I picked out an XD-9. After a while of shooting the Beretta, we switched to the XD-9, but it failed to feed consistently. The range officer switched out the ammo for no extra charge (past the amount we had already shot), to see if that would fix it, then finally changed the XD-9 for a Glock (wasn't much selection in guns at that time of day).

By the end of that session, we'd gone through around 100 rounds, and my buddy is now quite thoroughly addicted to shooting. (As opposed to his earlier thoughts on the matter, of 'I'll qualify for an armed security license, and that'll be it'). He doesn't like the feel of Glocks any more than I do, but he did like the Beretta, and REALLY wants to try out a 1911, but none were available for rent.
 
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