CoRoMo
Member
This is a horrible idea. I'll let Zoogster explain...
Gun shop vs Big 5 Shotgun?
- Thread starter SFTitan
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The very fact that the gun shop guy lied to you should be enough too make you go elsewhere.
One of the other "unfair" advantages that big box stores have over Ma&Pa B&Ms is that they can persuade manufacturers to make special runs of specific models. I have an 870 that I got at Big5 that I've never seen anywhere else, online or B&M.
...And sometimes B&M gun stores go out of business because they are terrible.
One of the other "unfair" advantages that big box stores have over Ma&Pa B&Ms is that they can persuade manufacturers to make special runs of specific models. I have an 870 that I got at Big5 that I've never seen anywhere else, online or B&M.
...And sometimes B&M gun stores go out of business because they are terrible.
The problem is I wasn't 100% sure if they were in fact a bit different. Something was making my spidey senses go off, but for $60 I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. Unfortunately there really aren't very many other gun shops I can go to now in the area. Just the fact that they flat out lied to me ensures me that I won't ever buy another big ticket item from.
Thanks everyone for clearing it up for me.
Thanks everyone for clearing it up for me.
mljdeckard
Member
I haven't sold guns, but I have sold music gear. There is a LOT to buying power. And remember this. If I sell a microphone and a mic cable, there is more profit margin in the cable. How I mean to relate this is, if you want to help the little local guy out, it probably helps him more if you buy a few cases, slings, ammo, etc from him than the gun itself.
Gord
Member
That $60 is a 20% price increase - IOW, a lot of money.
SuperNaut said:
As in "special edition" with some wonky markings, or notably inferior in fit, finish and overall quality?
I mentioned in my original post that my girlfriend bought it and she liked the fact that it had a pistol grip, the fact that she could put half down and then the rest at pick up, and at the time of purchase we still weren't 100% sure if they weren't telling the truth.
I don't think it is an official "special edition" but it is/was actually superior to the usual raft of Expresses sitting next with it. It is 20" w/extended tube, aluminum TG. It isn't on their website and I haven't seen it in in any stores since. It's like a cross between the Police model and an Express.Tactical Ninja said:
I help the little guy a bit, but I don't owe him my money. The problem for me, is that about an hour away is a mom and pop shop that is potentially the biggest in the state. They have a few hundred new rifles/pistols/shotguns as well as 100+ used firearms. They have a big supply of ammo and accessories. Their prices are right at what Walmart or some of the better priced online guys run, especially when shipping and transfer fees are brought into the equation. My dilemma is that while I would like to help the guy at the end of the street, when his prices for ammo and accessories are twice the big B&M shop, it is hard to continuously support him. I don't think it is gouging, he seems like a great guy, but sometimes prices are very far from competitive.
The glory of a free market, is that places like Cabela's can work its way from a few fishing flys at a hardware store, into a place with great deals and a large selection, into a place closer to an amusement park than a hunting store along with turning those great deals into average to overpriced deals.
The little guy, if in the right market, with the right drive, and the right smarts, can become the giant, or at least become large enough to compete. If I can I'll help the little guy out, but if they are rude and offer nothing that the box stores or the internet couldn't also provide at a less expensive price, I have no use for the little guy. Too many small stores (not just firearms) seem to feel like the people that walk through the doors owe the store their money because they are a B&M store. That is BS and it turns me off from many of the small guys to the big box chains.
The glory of a free market, is that places like Cabela's can work its way from a few fishing flys at a hardware store, into a place with great deals and a large selection, into a place closer to an amusement park than a hunting store along with turning those great deals into average to overpriced deals.
The little guy, if in the right market, with the right drive, and the right smarts, can become the giant, or at least become large enough to compete. If I can I'll help the little guy out, but if they are rude and offer nothing that the box stores or the internet couldn't also provide at a less expensive price, I have no use for the little guy. Too many small stores (not just firearms) seem to feel like the people that walk through the doors owe the store their money because they are a B&M store. That is BS and it turns me off from many of the small guys to the big box chains.
Gord
Member
SFTitan said:
If you haven't already, please do some reading here about pistol grips (search "PGO" in the Shotgun subforum, titles only). Pay attention to Dave McCracken's stuff in particular - he is very much our shotgun guru here, and I believe he penned a thread specifically addressing the, uh, particulars of PGO shotguns.
You can form your own opinions through use and practice (I hope) but it's definitely worth thinking long and hard on why no serious-use entities (PDs, trainers, et al) use or recommend PGO shotguns.
Shadow 7D
Member
Yes, they are maverick 88's, and SOLD AS SUCH
But right next to those are the MOSSY 500 combo's, saw a 3 barrel set up, but I don't really feel the need for a BP barrel and rifled slug barrel for a 500, would be awesome for deer season, but I prefer rifles for that.
But right next to those are the MOSSY 500 combo's, saw a 3 barrel set up, but I don't really feel the need for a BP barrel and rifled slug barrel for a 500, would be awesome for deer season, but I prefer rifles for that.
If you want to know for sure, get both places to give you the detailed model number for each gun.
I would tend to doubt that any of the mainline manufacturers would have different lines or grading practices for the ma and pa vs. big box stores. I fail to understand what would be in it for them. (If anyone has any ideas on how that practice would help the gun manufacturers, let me know.)
I would tend to doubt that any of the mainline manufacturers would have different lines or grading practices for the ma and pa vs. big box stores. I fail to understand what would be in it for them. (If anyone has any ideas on how that practice would help the gun manufacturers, let me know.)
Ed Ames
Member
Big 5 has for years carried guns in their own configurations. In other words, guns with barrel, finish, and feature combinations that are not listed on the manufacturer's web page or available from standard dealers.
The classic example is a Mossberg two barrel field/security gun. Buy it from Big 5 and you'll have a synthetic stock with cylinder bore and unported fixed medium choke barrels. Buy it from a dealer and you'll have wood (maybe laminated, but wood) with cylinder bore and ported accu-choke barrels and a set of choke tubes. Look at the ads and it's the same gun but Big 5 sells it for a lot less. Compare them side by side and it's a different story.
Is that a difference in quality? Probably not. But it is a difference in what you get. It's really no different than the distributor guns like the Browning Camper Whisper (a buckmark configuration created by and sold only through Lipsey's).
The classic example is a Mossberg two barrel field/security gun. Buy it from Big 5 and you'll have a synthetic stock with cylinder bore and unported fixed medium choke barrels. Buy it from a dealer and you'll have wood (maybe laminated, but wood) with cylinder bore and ported accu-choke barrels and a set of choke tubes. Look at the ads and it's the same gun but Big 5 sells it for a lot less. Compare them side by side and it's a different story.
Is that a difference in quality? Probably not. But it is a difference in what you get. It's really no different than the distributor guns like the Browning Camper Whisper (a buckmark configuration created by and sold only through Lipsey's).
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