KBintheSLC
Member
I'm doing some consumer research on the matter. Please tell us how you feel about your gun shops/ranges... The pros and the cons.
Survey: What I like/dislike about my gunshop/range.
- Thread starter KBintheSLC
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Joe Meyer
Member
The local gunshop has their items so over price, I can go there with out laughing.
Buy your guns at auctions!
Buy your guns at auctions!
Bazooka Joe71
Member
Range, yes.
Shop's, not so much.
I'll go there for milsurps because I can actually see and touch what I'm buying. But their NIB guns are way overpriced and I go to Owensboro for those(Whittaker Guns: gun mecca of the midwest)
Shop's, not so much.
I'll go there for milsurps because I can actually see and touch what I'm buying. But their NIB guns are way overpriced and I go to Owensboro for those(Whittaker Guns: gun mecca of the midwest
)40SW
Member
For the most part, yes. Here are the things I noticed.
Two types of gunshops in my area.
1. Boutique.
Nice and clean, clean windexed cases with barcoded tags on every firearm. Everything super organized. Teenager mall ninja wannabees working there with tactical belts with a Glock and 4 magazines. Owners are usually very hard a$$ed and wound up types. OCD fetish. Price is non negotiable. Usually the people are clueless. Heavy on the tactical , mostly Glock, H&K, heavy on the semi auto. sock it to the customer, one time customer, usually a novice. Gunsmithing is a foreign concept. Special orders are more beaurocratic than the IRS. They dont greet you when you walk in.
2. Bubba.
My favorite kind of place. Usually a mom & pop or a hardworking sole proprietor. Hole in the wall, gunsmithing available, good variety of products, revolvers, semi autos, good selection of C&R. Special orders are a phone call away, no deposits, payment arrangements available, the owner is a friend, its a working long term relationship. Free coffee, you can hangout for hours. Its a REAL GUNSHOP. No boutique. Used and new. A REAL GUN SHOP. BUBBA, NOT BOUTIQUE.
You have a working relationship, like Cheers, when you walk in, everyone knows your name.
Two types of gunshops in my area.
1. Boutique.
Nice and clean, clean windexed cases with barcoded tags on every firearm. Everything super organized. Teenager mall ninja wannabees working there with tactical belts with a Glock and 4 magazines. Owners are usually very hard a$$ed and wound up types. OCD fetish. Price is non negotiable. Usually the people are clueless. Heavy on the tactical , mostly Glock, H&K, heavy on the semi auto. sock it to the customer, one time customer, usually a novice. Gunsmithing is a foreign concept. Special orders are more beaurocratic than the IRS. They dont greet you when you walk in.
2. Bubba.
My favorite kind of place. Usually a mom & pop or a hardworking sole proprietor. Hole in the wall, gunsmithing available, good variety of products, revolvers, semi autos, good selection of C&R. Special orders are a phone call away, no deposits, payment arrangements available, the owner is a friend, its a working long term relationship. Free coffee, you can hangout for hours. Its a REAL GUNSHOP. No boutique. Used and new. A REAL GUN SHOP. BUBBA, NOT BOUTIQUE.
You have a working relationship, like Cheers, when you walk in, everyone knows your name.
trueblue1776
Member
We have two excellent shops in Mobile.
One is good because of a combo of selection/service/ok prices, the other does not have a great selection or prices but fantastic service.
There are a couple more in town, but they are run by unfriendly people who charge too much and only stock what they personally like.
One is good because of a combo of selection/service/ok prices, the other does not have a great selection or prices but fantastic service.
There are a couple more in town, but they are run by unfriendly people who charge too much and only stock what they personally like.
Dr. Peter Venkman
Member
The only thing I do not like about my local gun range is the cost. $12 a visit, which is for pistols (5-25 yards) and rifles (50-100 yards). 200 yards is $15. There is no membership option either.
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KBintheSLC
Member
I like "40SW's" illustrious description.
MilsurpShooter
Member
Range: Don't care for the strict regulation. One round loaded at a time only, no exceptions, NRA 100 yard targets only, few cease fires in between target changes. $10 an hour and if I'm lucky I'll get one cease fire to go collect my target. But it's the only public range in a 60 mile radius unless I cross over to Connecticut, but I haven't read up on interstate travel laws with firearms so I wouldn't want to risk it.
Gun shop: Don't care for it all that much. Seems like all but one of the counter guys have a superiority complex when it comes to the firearms in the store, prices are a little on the high side as well. But they're the only store I know of in the area that stocks a decent arrangement of the milsurps
Gun shop: Don't care for it all that much. Seems like all but one of the counter guys have a superiority complex when it comes to the firearms in the store, prices are a little on the high side as well. But they're the only store I know of in the area that stocks a decent arrangement of the milsurps
1BLINDREF
Member
I like the Range that I belong to.
Employees are knowledgable and great to deal with.
The lanes (15) are always functional.
Its heated and air conditioned and has a good air filtration system.
The ammo prices are generally reasonable.
You can shoot your own ammo.
They have a good selection of guns and accessories.
They have about 20 - 25 rental guns, including fully automatics.
The hours of operation are good.
Yearly membership is $165 individual, $250 for a family.
Employees are knowledgable and great to deal with.
The lanes (15) are always functional.
Its heated and air conditioned and has a good air filtration system.
The ammo prices are generally reasonable.
You can shoot your own ammo.
They have a good selection of guns and accessories.
They have about 20 - 25 rental guns, including fully automatics.
The hours of operation are good.
Yearly membership is $165 individual, $250 for a family.
jbauch357
Member
The indoor range closest to me is notorious for accidental shootings and suicides - I shot there one time and couldn't wait to leave for fear of my own safety. Part of the problem is all they do is make you sign a waiver before shooting there, so any yahoo that wants to handle a gun can go shoot with absolutely no prior experience or knowledge. Their store staff is also rude and have been the opposite of helpful when I have come there shopping or with simple questions.
I now drive an hour and a half to a good indoor range that is safe, monitored, friendly and well run...
I now drive an hour and a half to a good indoor range that is safe, monitored, friendly and well run...
Bazooka Joe71
Member
Ouch!
My range is 10-15 minutes away, the handgun and rifle ranges are secluded from everything else and no one is ever there, so I can do whatever drills I wish and no one stares
. Also, there are 3 huge stripper pits w/ boats already out there that you can fish in. There are about 15 different skeet scenerio's to choose from. All if this for $60 a year.I'm not complaining
K3
Member
My range is cheap, it's in a canyon, and it's never very busy.
chris in va
Member
The county I live in does not allow any sort of ranges, so I have to drive 40 minutes to go shoot my guns. However, it is probably one of the best places possible to shoot...literally no rules.
As for the local gun stores, they vary. One here in town has a guard dog that stares at you intently whenever browsing the pistols, and even gets up on the counter to bark at you.
As for the local gun stores, they vary. One here in town has a guard dog that stares at you intently whenever browsing the pistols, and even gets up on the counter to bark at you.
yesit'sloaded
Member
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I love the $15 for year that I pay for my range, on the other hand the rifle range only goes out to 150 yards. There is a one shot per second rule unless you are being instructed on the pistol range. Safety is paramount and I like the way it is run. The membership is mainly made up of milsurp guys and hunters. I usually spend more time talking with the old timers than I do shooting. It seems more like a hangout where people bring guns and target shoot more than it does a range. They are very woman friendly and the Range Master is a retired military firearms instructor who can field strip and diagnose just about any gun with any problem.
kermit315
Member
my range wont install a decent air circulation system, so we are relegated to buying centerfire pistol ammo from them, or buy winclean for the clean fire primers. cant find winclean around here (9mm) for less than 15 dollars a box, so i buy theirs for 12.99. shotgun, rifle and rimfire are exempt from that clause, so i can shoot everything their except what i really want to which is my 9mm, and in the future my .40 and .45.
other than that, it is pretty decent.
other than that, it is pretty decent.
Hogfan1911
Member
Great place, isn't it igpoobah? Worked there for ~3 years. If I had to find a complaint (other than having to mow all that
grass), it would be not being able to practice drawing from a holster. Not much of a complaint, considering.mustanger98
Member
Range: There's things I like and dislike about it. I like that it has a covered line and benches. I like that it's open air. I like that it's 100yds and I can shoot anything I want at any distance I want inside that 100yds. I don't like stuffy rules that govern aesthetics and don't really effect safety (not opposed to being safe; there's a difference). I don't like that it's 45minutes from home. I don't like that it's not longer than 100yds.
Gun shops: Which one?
Shop 1: The one I gripe about... the snobby sales idiots might as well also be wearing plaid suits because they act like used car salesmen. The guns are all high end and allegedly collectible; they don't make a habit of carrying guns and ammo most folks can afford. They're more like that "boutique" description.
Shop 2: More like "Bubba"... like we're neighbors. Close to home. Country store feel to he interior. Plenty of hunting rifles and shotguns and kinda lean on tacticool. No milsurps. No "Saturday Night Specials" lately. They'll order anything I want, but they quit doing FFL transfers after that No.4 Enfield... the owner's wife said she thought I'd lost my mind before she saw how nice it cleaned up.
Shop 3: Also more like "Bubba", but in the next county over. Some hunting guns as well as some milsurps and a little "Saturday Night Special". But they're also a bow shop. And they still, last I knew, did FFL transfer as they did two or three for me after Shop 2 quit on that.
Shop 2 and Shop 3 get my business. I get what I pay for in those places. I won't spend a red cent in Shop 1.
Gun shops: Which one?
Shop 1: The one I gripe about... the snobby sales idiots might as well also be wearing plaid suits because they act like used car salesmen. The guns are all high end and allegedly collectible; they don't make a habit of carrying guns and ammo most folks can afford. They're more like that "boutique" description.
Shop 2: More like "Bubba"... like we're neighbors. Close to home. Country store feel to he interior. Plenty of hunting rifles and shotguns and kinda lean on tacticool. No milsurps. No "Saturday Night Specials" lately. They'll order anything I want, but they quit doing FFL transfers after that No.4 Enfield... the owner's wife said she thought I'd lost my mind before she saw how nice it cleaned up.
Shop 3: Also more like "Bubba", but in the next county over. Some hunting guns as well as some milsurps and a little "Saturday Night Special". But they're also a bow shop. And they still, last I knew, did FFL transfer as they did two or three for me after Shop 2 quit on that.
Shop 2 and Shop 3 get my business. I get what I pay for in those places. I won't spend a red cent in Shop 1.
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U.S.SFC_RET
Member
I don't have the priviledge of having a gunshop/range tied together. Gunshop yes but way overpriced. Range yes.
CountGlockula
Member
Even though some may feel differently, I appreciate the range officers stopping me from doing something wrong because they believe in SAFETY!!!
This made me get a job at my local indoor range. Even though people don't like me correcting them, I don't care because lives are at stake.
This made me get a job at my local indoor range. Even though people don't like me correcting them, I don't care because lives are at stake.
As for my take on gun stores, See 40SW's comments in post #4.
As for my range. 5 minutes from my house, NEVER have to wait for a place to shoot, $16/year, You can shoot pretty much anything you want as long as you clean up your mess... except for glass.
Whats not to like about it?
As for my range. 5 minutes from my house, NEVER have to wait for a place to shoot, $16/year, You can shoot pretty much anything you want as long as you clean up your mess... except for glass.
Whats not to like about it?
glassman
Member
Gun Shops
The range/gun shop I use isn't too bad although it's a forty minute drive. The used gun case is usually well stocked and the turn over is relatively quick. Once in a while, you can find a gem. The new gun cases are full of the better brand names but they seem to focus more on auto loaders than wheelies. The staff is knowledgeable and smithing is available. Prices are just a little high compared to the other shop I frequent.
The indoor range needs some updating but is definately servicable.
The other shop I buy from is in the basement of the owner's home. He's an ex fed and will talk your ear off in a nice way. He is very knowledgeable and helpful. I've never seen so many guns of all types and descriptions crammed into such a small space. His prices are better than the other place too.
The range/gun shop I use isn't too bad although it's a forty minute drive. The used gun case is usually well stocked and the turn over is relatively quick. Once in a while, you can find a gem. The new gun cases are full of the better brand names but they seem to focus more on auto loaders than wheelies. The staff is knowledgeable and smithing is available. Prices are just a little high compared to the other shop I frequent.
The indoor range needs some updating but is definately servicable.
The other shop I buy from is in the basement of the owner's home. He's an ex fed and will talk your ear off in a nice way. He is very knowledgeable and helpful. I've never seen so many guns of all types and descriptions crammed into such a small space. His prices are better than the other place too.
bluetopper
Member
I'm a member of a great outdoor range 7 mi. from home, with a $35 a year membership they give you the combination to the gate and you can go shoot when the mood strikes you. No employees. Shooting areas are covered so you're not in the hot sun and the ranges are nice. They just ASK you to come mow and weedeat a couple times a year.
Local Shops 2 Good 2 Bad.
Good one's guys are Good Old Boys or Collectors that do it for fun.
Bad ones Guys Know it all even when they don't they say they do. Treat you like you can't possibly know as much about a gun as they can and hold true that they are doing you a favor by letting you buy from their establishment.
Good one's guys are Good Old Boys or Collectors that do it for fun.
Bad ones Guys Know it all even when they don't they say they do. Treat you like you can't possibly know as much about a gun as they can and hold true that they are doing you a favor by letting you buy from their establishment.
gbran
Member
We have a handfull of gun stores in town. The largest has the best prices on guns, but most everything else is pricey.
We're getting a Bass Pro Shop in early '09, which will be great for me, but will probably hurt the locals.
We're getting a Bass Pro Shop in early '09, which will be great for me, but will probably hurt the locals.
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