you know, there are a couple of good gunstores in my immediate area, but by far and away, my favorite is Jensen's Arms in Loveland, CO. First off, for a small shop, it has been my expereince that it is pretty damn hard to find a gun that Jensen's can't meet or beat the price on. Second, the guys there, while of varying personalities and levels of surliness, are very knowledgable and will give good advice with no particular bias towards the more expensive gun. If you know nothing, they will show you every gun in the store, if need be, to get you the right rig for you, price be damned. The guy I usually deal with, Dave, is particularly helpful (and not particularly surly), and he always has the time to let me paw the guns. Maybe that's because he knows I am good for a purchase every now and again, but even before I bought my first gun there he was pretty cool about dragging the stuff out from under the glass. Third, Jensen's is a LOCAL business. I bought a gun today from a large chain sporting goods store, and I am racked with guilt about it. This is one of the few times that this store was cheaper than Jensen's, so i went with them. Hey, it sucks, but I am a college student, and the 50.00 difference in price means gas and chow to me. Anyhoo, as much as is possible, I try and support Jensen's, and in fact I do buy most of my ammo and accessories that I need there. So, anyway, I don't know about Charlotte, but here in Northern Colorado, we are covered (Kudos also to Hamblens Gun Sales..)
Timbo