ive got to Go Easy on the Gander Bashing

[Apuuli]

I never go to GM because of the way they treat the Fleet Farm across the street. Their employees buy ammo there (with the limits due to them doing this), and mark it up and sell it at their store. The good thing about them is that they draw a huge market segment away from the LGS.

Then everybody wins! Fleet Farm sells at the price they want to sell at and so does Gander Mountain.

 

[LegalAlien]

Not so much about ammo, but I had a sour experience on trying to work a deal on a rifle (Savage MK II BSEV) with them (GANDER) and trading in a Rem 700.

Low-balled me on the trade offer and I know they don't budge on new gun prices, so I went to a local store and walked out with a net $100 better deal - $25 less on new gun price and $75 better on the trade.

In future I will go paw and feel any gun I might be interested in purchasing, just because they are conveniently close to my work and have a decent inventory - and then go through my local small dealer and work with them.

Local small dealer also had better ammo availability (especially .22lr) than GM.

 

[RFMan]

Not so much about ammo, but I had a sour experience on trying to work a deal on a rifle (Savage MK II BSEV) with them (GANDER) and trading in a Rem 700.

Low-balled me on the trade offer and I know they don't budge on new gun prices, so I went to a local store and walked out with a net $100 better deal - $25 less on new gun price and $75 better on the trade.

In future I will go paw and feel any gun I might be interested in purchasing, just because they are conveniently close to my work and have a decent inventory - and then go through my local small dealer and work with them.

Local small dealer also had better ammo availability (especially .22lr) than GM.

This is exactly my experience and my reaction at our local GM. Traded in 3 pistols; made out $250 better at the LGS on the trade side alone. The local GM was advertising heavily and buying widely to stock their store back in October of 2012. Everyone has different thresholds, and business is business, but eventually the line is crossed to some combination of absurdity and insult. Nevertheless, I politely declined, thanked them for the offer, and left. They seemed...surprised.

Ammo availability there is great for: shotgun shells, hunting ammunition (meaning, expensive rounds), and some .17 rimfire. There is a very small amount of defensive ammo, highly priced. The common things that everyone pursues - 22LR, 9mm, 45ACP, .223/5.56, and .308 - are not to be found (unless perhaps right after the truck unloads).

Scopes are there, and cleaning supplies, and other miscellaneous things - holsters, cases, safes, targets. Parts and magazines are scant. It is a great place to see firearms. They do get some business from me - but a much, much smaller amount than they could get. It is what it is.

 

[wally]

I'm hoping for the return of the days of $7-8 for a box of 9MM. That wasn't really that long ago, maybe 2007?

in 2004/2006 Academy had CCI aluminum cased Blazer for $3.86/50 "everyday low price", I couldn't reload FMJ bullets for that. Talk about the good old days! Somewhere in the 2006/2007 time frame it doubled in ~6 months to $7-8/50.