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

[ScottS]

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.

No, and I don't ask them for help if my TV isn't working right. I don't go there for that "service," so I don't expect to pay for it or get it. I go there for cheap prices on ammo/supplies/guns.

The only true "local" gunshop we have is horrible. Man, I mean horrible. High priced, surly, pushy, opinionated...all those bad cliches. Every once in a while I get "restupid" and think "Well, maybe it didn't suck as bad as I remember it." and wander in. And then I leave disgusted...not with the Gunstore (I knew they were jerks), but with myself for being so stupid. Next nearest is probably 45min away.

I do, however, have the best transfer dealer I could hope for literally minutes from my work, so I shop online a lot. I envy those with great, friendly, knowledgable gunshops nearby. And before you Wal-mart bashers get on your horse with the tired "If you didn't shop at Wallyworld/on-line, they'd still exist," realize those great gunshops exist because they offer something of value people are willing to pay for. Those who try to offer nothing Wallyworld or the 'Net can't offer cheaper are doomed.

 

[losangeles]

I'll pay a little more for a local gunshop that I do business with. But up to a point. $239 for a 10/22 is too much. I'd rather just pick it up at Big 5 in that case.

 

[Rabid Rabbit]

I paid $100 extra for a bennelli M2 at a local shop because they spent an hour with my wife figuring out what would fit her. But another time I spent $1,000 on a Kimber at Galyans because I couldn't get a local shop (a different one)to give me the time of day. Three emails and two phone calls and still no response.

 

[civilian]

I maintain an idea of how much more i'm willing to give my local store - and that's usually up to maybe $50 over what I'd pay total online. Anything over that and I really have to look at the weapon, my familiarity with its reliability and my budget. I work for .gov, so money is tight and while I do feel an obligation of sorts to support my local store, I can't do it if they consistently charge too much for the weapons. Fortunately, my store of choice (Virginia Arms in NOVA) continues to be competitive with their prices, while giving me excellent customer service.

 

[Srigs]

I have not bought from an online or out of state gun dealer because I can generally get what I want locally at @ the same price after shipping and transfer fee. If more people looked at thiis total cost perspective more people would buy locally to support their gun dealer in the area. I do live in a major metro area but not that many small gun shops any more.

 

[ScottS]

I have not bought from an online or out of state gun dealer because I can generally get what I want locally at @ the same price after shipping and transfer fee. If more people looked at thiis total cost perspective more people would buy locally to support their gun dealer in the area. I do live in a major metro area but not that many small gun shops any more.

You've got a point, but I guess it depends on where you are. My FFL only charges $15 for transfers, and the last shotgun I bought shipped from WA state (that's cross country for me) for only $20. $35 total is a pretty low "tax" on an online purchase.

 

[gonzo_beyondo]

I like dealing with my FFL guy quite a bit, $20-$30 is all the profit he'd ever want, if that much, but theres one aspect neither of us can ignore...

On a few occasions we compared particular rifles, sights, and accessories. Prices I could find without much trying, either at walmart/similar, or sportsmansguide/CTD, or the EE at arfcom.

Selling prices, (IE: My cost) are often times cheaper than what my dealer can buy for through his distributors. Take DPMS for example, he has to buy multiples of the exact same rifles to get a price break, and even then, it ain't much of a discount.

I don't know how walmart can sell for less than dealer price... I don't know how I got an EOTech for $100 less than anyone else sells it for... and if I need 10 new AR magazines, I can get better mags for $3 less each, than my dealer could, assuming he takes no profits.

I'd like to give all of my business to my local buddy, but I just don't have the extra twenties to throw around! Now if I was Billy Gates...

The fact is that competition among dealers is fierce enough... but add to this, the fact that they don't have an even playing field, makes it pretty rough for a small guy to stay in business. The small guy can't afford to stock a dozen DPMS AR15s, especially when he sells maybe 3 a year if he's lucky. With all the different and suitable bolt actions out there, how can you really stock anything, hoping it would sell for you? What if your next 20 potential customers don't like laminate, and don't want 30-06? :banghead:

I suppose the same holds true for lawn equipment dealers, mom & pop appliance stores, and vaccum cleaner shops... nobody really wants to pay $100 or more for essentially the same item. When talking guns and accessories, it really IS the same item.

 

[ArmedBear]

Information is valuable to me. I'm willing to pay for it indirectly. On average, my local shop has good prices. Some great deals, some average, nothing actually overpriced -- guns, anyway. And most of their advice is good. I still read Gun Tests, though, and find out for myself. And I'll ask here. This place is great!

And I'll be goodandgoddamned if I pay $350 for a scope that Cabela's has for $220 every day. So I bought that from Cabela's. And it's not just the price: I got pretty crappy advice from the shop regarding scopes. And everyone here seems to have Leupold rings. I don't want Leupold rings, and I fail to see why I ever would, when there are some really good products out there like the Warne QD's I bought. Their scopes I'd buy, though I have to say it's pretty sad that their VX-I doesn't have click adjustments, when there are a lot of scopes that are absolute crap, but they have click adjustments.

I like to support my local shop, but I make my judgments on a case-by-case basis. And I'll buy bulk ammo from whoever has it cheapest. If I'm going to plink in the desert or practice at the trap range, I want bang for my buck. Hunting or target ammo I'll buy from whoever has it, without looking too closely at the price, since I don't buy cases of it generally.

 

[Ala Dan]

Well, this is fairly easy for me too answer~! I have been supporting
my only local gunshop since 1968. No joke, I have done thousands of $$$
worth of business with them since then; and in September of '04 I became
an employee of this gunshop. I will have to admit, that since that
time, I have ran across some darn good deal's~! You asked, would I
shop anywhere else? That answer is simply NO, cuz I can use the
business FFL to get whatever I want.

 

[adaman04]

"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.

Agreed. I rarely buy firearms from a big chain unless they are having killer deals, like my 870 I got OTD for 175. Just too good to pass up. But, more expensive stuff, it's worth it for me to support my local guy. Yet another way I stick it to the man.

 

[Missashot]

As long as there isn't a huge difference in price, I'll always try to do business with the local guys. I think in the long run, you end up with better service and the added benefit of usually dealing with someone who actually knows shat they are talking about.

 

[depicts]

I try to shop lcal....but!!!

There are maybe 5 gunshops within a 20 mile radius of my home.

Some days I hit them all, just looking. If I see something used that I like, I grab it. I'm an impulse buyer, and I often buy handguns I hadn't planned on, but at the time I can't live without.

Later I will find the ones I was "planning" to buy.

One local gunshop had a Henry Boys rifle in stock, priced at $280. When I told them the advertised suggested retail price was only about $160, they told me to go get it somewhere else. (this was when they first came out). I have never been back to that shop since, and last I knew, they had closed. I had bought at least half a dozen guns from them in the past 5 years, and lots of other "stuff".

One other shop I go to regularly is a little on the high priced side, but is extremely well stocked, and is owned by the president of my gun club. I window shop there a lot, and when I want a new gun, I'll buy it there, even if it costs me 40 or 50 more than somewhere else. I've bought a ton of new guns from him since he opened in 2001. I don't buy ammo from him. I do buy the occasional used gun.

The other local shops are hit or miss and usually overpriced, but I did buy a Super clean Cold Cup at one five years ago, because I couldn't leave the shop without it. I paid almost a grand for it, and now it's worth about that so I guess it's ok. I go there to look, but have never bought anything else there.

I do get ammo at Walmart, but just range stuff. Cheap and tons of it to blow off with my grandkids and nephews. I also like to keep a few hundred rounds of everything I might need on short notice, and that comes from Walmart too. If SHTF, I can get by with any ammo I'm pretty sure.

If I see specials at Dicks, I'll load up if the price is right. You can never have enough .22, .38, 9mm, or .357 ammo,

There is a Cabella's proposed for a nearby town, and a Bass Pro Shop as well, and they should both be here within 18 months. We'll see how that effects the local market. My reloading stuff might start coming from Cabella's.

 

[dmftoy1]

The only true "local" gunshop we have is horrible. Man, I mean horrible. High priced, surly, pushy, opinionated...all those bad cliches. Every once in a while I get "restupid" and think "Well, maybe it didn't suck as bad as I remember it." and wander in. And then I leave disgusted...not with the Gunstore (I knew they were jerks), but with myself for being so stupid. Next nearest is probably 45min away.

I had the same opinion of my local shop but decided to keep giving them my business. I've bought maybe 4 guns off them over the last year and a bunch of reloading supplies. All of a sudden they remember my name, and that Ruger Alaskan I've been looking for (for over a year) was sitting there "held" for me to come in. They do charge a bit more than what I can do online, but in terms of being able to trade, pick up used, buy primers, powder, etc, they're worth it (to me). Of course I live in the people's republic of Illinois, so anyone selling guns here is welcome!

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I don't support any of my local gun shops. Aside form high prices, they also have offered that stereotypically bad sort of customer service attitude and since I am not a GOB in there to chat every day, it seems that need me to work harder to make purchases from them.

We had a rocket scientist open up a new shop just off the square near the center of town. I went there once. The owner had properly posted Texas 30.06 signs saying that concealed carry was not permitted in his shop. What? Yep, no concealed carry in his store. He failed pretty quick.

No, the local gun stores where I buy are local only to the folks that live close by to those shops in two counties adjoining my own. In other words, I don't have a local store that I want to support as they don't seem to want to support me.

 

[AirForceShooter]

10% above Gunbroker or Bud's.

AFS

 

[NeoCon]

I'm all for supporting the little local guy, but ... The prices have to be decent; I'm flexible. The selection has to be worth my trip. And a disgruntled hermit shouldn't have written the customer service manual.

Unfortunately of the five places near me I've patronized non is great for everything.

 

[JohnBT]

I've bought exactly two guns someplace other than local to me or my parents' house - a Nylon 76 off gunbroker to give my uncle and a Cooper Custom Classic from Whittakers in KY to give my father. I asked the local Cooper dealer about ordering one, but Cooper said it would be 9 months and I didn't want to wait.

Okay, 3 guns in 35 years or so if you count the Wal-Mart Special synthetic 1100 on closeout for $328. But it was a local Wally World.

I like to see and hold the gun I'm buying. I know, picky, picky, picky.

John

 

[albanian]

I think it comes down to luck. Some people are lucky and have some good local shops that are worth visiting, other are not. I have a few that are decent but none are good for everything. Some are good for used guns, some are good for rifles, ect. I know where to go to get what I need. If I need something that local shops don't have or are too pricey on, I will shop online or with the big chains. Not Wal-Mart but Gander Mountain and such.

We have our share of bad shops around here too so I can see why some might not be as happy with their local choices. If I had to shop only at the three worst gunshops near me, I would probably never buy anything because they are so bad that they can actually ruin your day.

I remember one local shop that I had only been to a few times in a couple of years. The guy acted like I was some sort of an outsider because he didn't know me and said I had never been there before. He said things like "if you were one of my regular customers, I could make you a better deal" and "For people that spend $10,000 with me a year or more, I will give them better treatment". He made it clear that because I was not already a regular customer, that I was not worth his time and he wasn't going to put forth any effort to make me a deal. I got the point. I told him not too worry because I was never going to be a regular customer of his. I have spent probably $15,000 on guns and ammo since I told him that a few years ago and he didn't get one dime. I went though a period where I was buying guns like crazy but almost all of my money went to two or three other dealers who actually treated me like they wanted my business. Guess what, I am now a regular at two local shops and they know me by name. One dealer has become my friend and we talk even if we are not doing business. His wife works with mine and we get along great. Had he treated me like the A-hole did, that wouldn't have happened.

I can see why some gunstore owners become sour, I have been on the other side of the counter a little bit. I have helped my dealer why he was at gunshows and I saw how some customers act and now I see why some get a bad attitude. It is customer service so you have to deal with some idiots but if you let it get to you, you should find some other line of work.

 

[Blue Jays]

Hi Albanian-

If I was feeling petty I could suggest that you casually visit the "$10,000 shop" with a folder under your arm containing copies of your recent sales receipts!

OK, now that I've had my coffee I feel better. Ignore that suggestion above.

~ Blue Jays ~

 

[rbernie]

If i'm interested in something, I'll normally ask how much they need to get out of it. If they talk to me and tell me what they have into it, I'm a customer for life. If they blow me off, I never return.

This approach makes it easy - I never get screwed on a bad deal since I know where the line is that they need to hit, and in return I never ask them to take anything less than a honest profit on their investment.

 

[f4t9r]

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 feel the same way , within reason

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

How's this:


I bought a Colt LE6520 brand spankin new for $999 online. Shipping was $20, and transfer with nics $25.


The closest shop to my hom has this same model rifle, just 200 units off in serial number, for $1,899. nics + tax not included.


At a gunshows in Clearwater and Tampa, a large, popular dealer had this very same rifle for $2,499.


This is NOT an exaggeration. Maybe I should hang around that dealer all day untill someone takes a look at that AR, then offer mine for a massive discount of $1,600. lol

 

[kennyboy]

Although I feel it is important to support local businesses, I simply buy from the lowest bidder wheter it be Wal-Mart or the local gun shop. Often, I do buy from the local shop because the bigger stores like Wal-Mart do not have the model gun I was looking for. This happened when I bought my Benelli Nova.

 

[atblis]

I'd swear that you guys

all shop at the same stores I do (but never actually buy anything).

High prices, grumpy old men... We need some new blood in the gun business.

 

[albanian]

"I simply buy from the lowest bidder wheter it be Wal-Mart or the local gun shop. Often, I do buy from the local shop because the bigger stores like Wal-Mart do not have the model gun I was looking for. This happened when I bought my Benelli Nova."

I used to do this until I learned that the lowest bidder isn't always the best deal. There is more to it than just price sometimes. Price is a big factor but not the only factor.

If you but a gun from Wal-Mart and it has a small problem, your only choice is to return it. If it was a clearance gun, you may not be able to get another one. If you buy online, there are a blue million things that could go wrong. I think in time, most people see there is value beyond the price. This only works if you have a good dealer near you. If your only gunshops are run by a bunch of jerks, it may be better to shop at Wal-Mart or online. It all depends on the dealer. The ball is in their court. They can be competitive and still have slightly higher prices if they are better in customer service. If they are bad in customer service AND have high prices, see ya!