Just how far will you go to support your local gunshop?

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albanian

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I am in favor of supporting my local gunstore over Wal-Mart or online sales because I want to have local stores to be able to shop in and trade with. Wal-Mart will never buy or trade a gun with you. I like used guns mostly so gun shops are my main hang outs but I do buy from the net sometimes. I have a C&R so I shop with AIM and other companies that are out of state. The local shops don't offer me anything in the way of C&Rs that I can't get MUCH cheaper with my C&R. That is why I got it.

Regular firearms are another story. With shipping and FFL fees, it is not always a better deal to shop online for guns. I avoid used guns online for many reasons. So if I am looking for a used gun, I will probably shop and buy locally.

Here is my question though. How much are you willing to pay to be able to shop at your local gunstore? I am lucky enough to have several to choose from so I can often find a decent deal and not feel like I am being taken advantage of.

Here is a quick example of what I wouldn't put up with. I went into one of the local gunshops, and I saw a used Ruger 10/22. It was pretty beat up and used, nothing special at all. The price was $239! That is beyond what I would call "supporting" and well into the realm of being screwed. I can go to any of the local store like Dick's Sporting goods or Gander Mountain and get a new one for much less. I think they are waiting for a sucker. I try to keep my dollars local but I don't like getting slapped in the face when I do it.

Where is the line for most of you?
 
I will pay a little more at the local gunshop. I just bought a Kimber .45 acp for $739. I could have bough tit at a big hunting chain we have locally for $697. As a small business owner i want to support other small businesses.
 
i'll support most of my local guys, if they're within $50.00 to $75.00 of the best deal i can find. there's one i'll never use again. see customer service thread in this forum
 
I don't know if there is a clearly demarked line, but my general rule of thumb is that I'll pay up to $50 more to get it from my favorite gunshop, rather than somewhere else. But that is for a $500-plus gun. I can get a Ruger 10/22 from Big 5 sporting goods for $180 brand new, and unless the used one had a ton of expensive and desirable mods, $239 sounds like a bit much :scrutiny: .

BTW, I don't shop at Walmart anymore. I've heard they have very good ammo prices, but you have to be there the day they get the ammo shipped in, or else it's all gonna be gone. Walmart doesn't sell guns around here.

I try to develop a good relationship with my local gunshop, since they can and have helped me out. Good service is harder to quantify than good price, but it is still important. My grandfather had a rule: Always shop at the place that gives you the best service.
 
When I bought my Savage 10FP in .223, I was going to get it from Bass Pro and have them match WM's price of $495. I asked my local guy what he could get it for and he said $515. That sealed it for me. I don't mind spending a little more to support the local guy. If I were him, I would hope he would do the same for me. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUN SHOP! (Unless they are crappy businessmen, then screw 'em)
 
Usually I'll do a 10-15% premium for my local guy. On really big purchases I'll call it a bit closer. Say a 1K gun I'd pay 100 more. On a 2K gun I'd still only go about 100 more.

But for most stuff the extra 30 of 40 bucks is worth it to me to support the biz.

Lots of times my local guy has really good deals on specialty or high end guns, as the number of buyers for such guns here is pretty thin. Works to my advantage sometimes.
 
I'll buy a gun from the local shop now and then, even though in most cases I could get the same gun at a gun show cheaper.
 
I am always on a tight budget but I will go $25-30 dollars over the to-my-doorstep price and once in a while more if I really need it now.
It is nice having a local dealer but I have a very hard time in paying more when I just dont have it, but I do what I can when I can.


Jim
 
The support that I am willing to give my local gun stores depends on the level of service they are willing to give me. Let me say that the same also goes for online firearms dealers as well.

The owner of one of my favorite local gunshops is very friendly are helpfull so I give him all of my reloading business (powders and primers). As for Walmart, I have no problems shopping there since I have always received the highest level of service from their associates. As for some of the other gunshops in my area, I have received such terrible customer service from them that they are my absolute last resource. I will buy from them if they have something I want but only if they are my last resort.
 
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My local guy has had plenty of business from me.

Because? He is fair - does not rip me off - will order anything even tho his main inventory (on handguns) is modest.

He has done more transfers than I can shake a stick at for a mere $10 a pop - and even if his powders and primers cost more than I can get them for elsewhere - that ''elsewhere'' is a 40 mile drive - so time and gas, unless I go to buy a boatload of stuff.

I therefore to not begrudge paying a bit more many times - for convenience - and the knowledge that I get good attention and fair deals.

The whole thing is a two way trip - he does me good, I do him good - both of us finish with smiles!
 
"When I bought my Savage 10FP in .223, I was going to get it from Bass Pro and have them match WM's price of $495. I asked my local guy what he could get it for and he said $515. That sealed it for me. I don't mind spending a little more to support the local guy."

In cases like that I would most surely buy from my gun shop. When you think about it, the big stores like WM and Bass Pro Shops are going to be making a lot more profit selling for $495 than the small gun shop is making selling for $515 so the big stores are the ones that are actually taking advantage. They could sell for less and still make more than the little guy.

Everybody is free to make as much money as they can but if I get the idea that someone is out to take advantage of me, I have a really hard time doing any business with them.

There are a few gunshops near me that are nothing more than rip off joints. Bang Boom in New Haven is the worst of the bunch. Anyone from my area may know what I am talking about. I heard he went out of business and I was not the least surprised. He was a total jerk from head to toe. He was a racist and just the worst of the worst when it came to gunshop stereotypes. It is people like him that give the rest of gunstore owners a bad name. Those type of shops will only have a fair price on an item if they make a mistake and don't know what they are doing. In a case like that, I would still not buy from them because I can't be sure that the low price is a mistake or because the gun has a flaw. I just don't like to deal with scum and I find that you never really come out ahead when you deal with dirtbags.
 
Ever ask the clerk at Wally World about his experience with feed jams?

Does he have a spare firing pin for a '69 Romanian .22 trainer in his scrounge box?

It's not just about the money.
 
I feel like I've almost single handedly supported a couple of my local shops in the past year.

Oh, and I haven't shopped for anything at Walmart for almost 2 years. I do my discount shopping at Target, sometimes Meijers. Target seems to have less things made in China.
 
Hi All-

The local shop will always "get the nod" on all purchases within reason. Aside from losing a gunshop, it doesn't help real estate values around here to have shuttered storefronts with soaped windows. It might be a bit selfish, but I want every retail property within ten miles of my home to be busy and thriving.

I've known shortsighted people who have visited stores (not just gunshops...) and spent two hours speaking with competent salespeople about the goods available for purchase. They take items out of the case, compare, contrast...and then promptly go home to purchase on the Internet for a lousy 10% savings. That salesperson just earned your business and they deserve to make the sale.

We'll see how those kind of people are crying in their beer when they don't have anyplace to "play" with what they hope to purchase via other means. When a shop combines decent prices with top-notch service and honest salesmanship -- pull out your wallet!

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Support your local gunshop

I actually prefer to buy my guns new from the shop that has the gunsmith I find well qualified to work on hand guns. I recently (3 days ago) bought a S&W 3913 TSW (new) from said shop, and paid about $250 more than I was told I could buy the gun online (used). The shop might make $100 on the sale, which I figure is not much. I'll buy used from him, if I see something I am interested in at the time. I buy bullets, powder, primers from this shop also. I prefer to buy from "Mom & Pop" type businesses over discount stores on most complex and/or technical things. I figure I pay a little more, have fewer things to clutter my garage, and have a reliable place to go to get information, or have an item repaired. It seems to me a good gunsmith is every bit as important as a good mechanic, doctor, or dentist. I figure I need one of each that I can trust.

:)
 
About as far as my keyboard is...


heh, if I can do it online cheaper, that's the best deal.


If I had to pick one around here..well, there aren't many, if any, dealers around here that give a good deal. There's one about 35 miles away. I'm buying my 3rd pistol from them. They have the best price (for local non-internet) ...


They are always friendly and helpful. That makes the difference. The number 1 thing the gun industry is in short supply of is quality customer service. Most gunshops are filled with anti-social, mean, wierdos who act like your asking for their daughter when you want to handle a firearm.
 
Most gunshops are filled with anti-social, mean, wierdos who act like your asking for their daughter when you want to handle a firearm.
Click to expand...

A BIG +1 on this!!

Does your local gunshop do anything to deserve your support other than being there with a door open? I am a true consumer...and will hunt and peck for the best deal.

I also worked for many years in specialty retail sporting goods and understand that the internet, mail-order and tabletop dealers can really beat up a small business...if the sole factor the business competes on is price.

If you local stores do something to deserve your support...great...pay the extra $$ for service, inventory availability, education and assistance, etc. But if your local dealer runs a "push whatever he makes margins on, sneer at your choices, overly salesy, gruff and not helpful" kinda a joint...then I say :neener:
 
My shootin' buddies work at the gunstore I got to. So naturally I give them first opportuinity to sell me a big ticket item. I'm a firm believer in giving my money to the local little guys rather than the big corporations. Besides, if you buy a gun at Wal Mart, what kind of support do they have if something minor is or goes wrong with it? I'd rather be able to bring it back to a shop where I know there's a competent gunsmith available.
 
For most new firearms, local gun stores just can't compete on price. And that has nothing to do with volume buying. It's the taxes. If I want to buy a new SA58, for instance, the retail price is probably going to be somewhere in the $1,400 range. Even if my local shop can match the price of the online discounters (which they rarely can), a big problem with buying locally is that I would have to pay sales taxes. On a $1,400 purchase, that's $130 here thanks to our 9.25% tax rate.

I have never been impressed with the service or customer friendliness of any local gun store. They also don't carry any of the supplies I need. When you add in the higher prices on firearms, and the need to pay sales taxes, why bother? I buy all of my shooting supplies online, from black powder to optics to reloading components to targets and accessories. When it comes to firearms, my choices are driving to bad part of town to wait patiently for a rude employee to tell me that I don't really want the gun I asked about (and which they don't have) and should pay more for some POS they happen to have in stock, or I can find exactly what I want online, for less money, and have it shipped to my transfer agent (who charges me $20) in 48 hours.

Guess which one I choose....
 
I'm lucky.

I'm lucky in that I don't usually have to choose between good prices or supporting the local shops. One shop has the best accessories, holsters, spare mags, etc. Lots of them and decent prices. The other shop has by far the best prices, on average, for guns in the area. So low most other shops won't even try to match them, much less beat them. One shop is called Stockers and the other is Rattlesnake Hill. Good customer service at both, to boot.
 
the

Shops nearest to where I live are small, with less of a selection and over-priced in my opinion. I do purchase personal defense ammo and maybe a holster once in a while. I do check behind the glass as well since I am already there anyway, because you never know.
 
I try to, but the local gunshop I prefer going to never has anything I want in stock. One time I went in looking for a holster for a P3AT. They didn't really have anything that fit the bill, but the clerk was nice and I asked if I could buy some 1911 mags, just to buy something in exchange for taking up so much time. They didn't have any 1911 mags in stock. :eek:
 
Being poor, price plays a major roll in any purchase I make. I try to go through my friends at Palmetto anytime I can, but sometimes they just can't give me an acceptable price. For instance, I've been wanting a 5" 629 for months now, but they keep quoting me $670+tax=703.50. If I order online I can save right at $100 after shipping and transfer...that's a 14% difference and makes the purchase unattainable for someone on my budget. I do buy lots of accessories from them - belts, various pouches, holsters, etc. These things all carry a nice markup, I'm sure.

I do purchase firearms when they are within my price constraints. So far that's been Marlin 336, Pro Carry, Sig 226, P3-AT, Mossy 500, Springfield Loaded, and 4 others that my brother and father have purchased. With the amount of money I've given them in the past few years, I don't feel bad ordering over the internet when they don't have a competitive price.
 
I am pretty lucky.. I work in Harrisburg and within 1 hour there is a Cabela's, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shop, and local guys.. as well as Walmarts galore.

I get a pretty good range of prices, and will *generally* go with my local shops (Frackville, PA, Lavelle, PA).

That is UNTIL they get out of hand with prices.

Ed's Gun Shop in Tamaqua wanted $850 for a USED Bushmaster AR-15. Nothing special. Politely pointed out that is was used and he was asking over new price for a used gun. They told me that 'AR-15's are flying off the shelf'. Evidently that one didn't have wings as it is still sitting in the 'nest'. Oh.. and I rarely go there anymore.

Local shops also have a bit more ammo selection for popular calibures. Not as much as a Cabela's, but also not as far a drive.
 
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