Does a good gun shop let you fieldstrip?

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I've seen and owned new guns that had defects from the factory. A Ruger P-95 had a huge spiral shaped peice of steel attached to the slide where the barrel went through and I wish I had noticed that before I bought it. Groups from that gun were donut shaped. I would have caught the problem and probably rejected it if I had enoguh sense to strip the gun before buying.

A shop that won't at least strip it for you just smacks of someone trying to hide something. Like a car salesman refusing to allow you to hear the engine run or take it around the block before you buy...

And someone above mentioned "I wouldn't strip a Glock because Glock has a great warranty."
Good for you, but it's a pain to have to send the gun back half a dozen times to get something fixed. What if you have $400 in your pocket and your abusive ex is getting drunk and trying to kick in your front door on a weekly basis? Does the warranty do you any good then? I'd much rather have a functional gun from the beginning.
 
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Completely reasonable. The last gun I bought, the clerk actually insisted on it. HE did it. They had a table set up for that purpose at the end of the counter. He took the gun over there, tore it down, showed me all the parts, everything in working order, then reassembled it.

Not only did I get to see everything was there and appeared to be in working order, but I also got a quick primer in breaking that model down. Was extremely helpful and I would not buy another gun without having them do that.
 
Yeah I know what you mean. I realize gun shop owners/clerks can stay plenty busy and I generally don't ask anybody to do anything for me, But the manner in which I asked was more or less just letting the guy know I wanted to see the inside of the gun but if he didn't want to bother(which he really really didn't seem to want to) I could have just done it in two nano-seconds and been done with it. Like I said I don't like to put anybody out but if you're behind that counter,whether you want to be or not you have a responibility to me the customer to make sure that I'm happy, providing you want to sell guns. Its not that I hate the elderly I just don't like jerks of anykind, Especially jerks that have a gun I want to buy. I ended up drivng 90 miles north to get one from a guy who was more than happy to deal with my ignorant,petty,self-righteous,gun inspecting ways.
 
In general, I love hanging around the old guys in gun shops. They are the ones who tend to know all the stuff and have the best stories. Many are retired LEO, military, vietnam vets or older with lifetimes of experience and knowledge on things I've never heard of.
But that doesn't give them a right to act like buttholes.

I suppose it comes down to customer service. You want to sell anything to anyone, you had better act like it.
Otherwise, don't cry to me when gunbroker and kitchen-table FFL's put you out of business.
 
And by the way,I don't disagree that they have no way of knowing whether you are competent enough to do it yourself but...That's when the helpful salesman jumps in and says" hey, how bout I help you out with that and strip it for you". What some people seem to have ignored is his comment of oooooh nooooo,we don't strip em here, nope! As for the guy with the AK parts all over the floor, I'm not a complete jerk wad. Like I said I don't usually buy used guns and it was a glock I mean come on.
 
I definitely don't like the big corporate stores that carry guns. I have had some awful customer service there. I prefer smaller stores where the people working know every detail of all the equipment.
 
if you can't tell from a long slow rack of slide and peering down the ejection port if it is in decent shape, you deserve a Glock.
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Unethical salesmen love people with that attitude.

I've found politeness and respect will get you a long way, even if you feel like rolling your eyes. There are always going to be a few that are just jerks though.
 
About 40 years ago a buddy of mine got a small shipment of Colt Argentine's into his shop.... These were made (as I have the story) in Argentina on old Colt machinery, under license, and were essentially clones of the M1911 (or M1911A1) - somewhere around 1930, and not the later "updated" version.

I asked him if I could look at one, and then pulled it apart on the counter.

"Bye, Frank".... And headed for the door.

'STU! WAIT...."

Frank knew how to put it back together, but hadn't handled one for a while, and just didn't quite want to do it....

I put it back together for him.

My current #1 dealer's nearly as much fun (their live-in smith just passed away - retired LEO, and a lot of fun to swap stories with). I think I'd pull that there, but nowhere else, and depending on who was on the counter. But, yes, they will take one down for you - especially if you ask for it - and help a bit with your getting used to the disassembly quirks. (I should have asked 'em about that Kimber :D.)

Probably the funniest: They had a Kahr that nobody could figure out how to take apart, including me.... No idea.... But the best may be the Walther P22. You really have to know what that little piece of plastic in the box is for.... One of our regular range guys turned up with one, and then couldn't get it back together. Four of us played with it for a while before the light came on.... (It's a guide rod extension to help get the spring in.) The manual hints rather than says.... I guess his store didn't tell him.... I bought one a while later, and already knew.... Fortunately....

(I watched one of the counterguys at my favorite store show a guy how to pop the top off a Glock. "Put a little pressure on the slide while moving the switches" didn't quite take for a while.... Hard not to laugh.... :neener:)

Regards,
 
You just plain don't assume you can take apart anyone else's anything. Period. If you bought it first, then asked for the pad, I don't think he'd care. Always ask.

Try selling stuff for a while, you'll see what it's like. Better yet, buy a table at a gun show and put all your guns on it. See what it's like to have other people mess with your stuff.
 
35Rem:

(+1)

I think the consensus is that the store should take the gun apart for you.... If they trust you to do it yourself, fine, but that's their choice. Letting you see the innards shouldn't be an issue.

The warranty's not a heck of a lot of protection if you have to send a new gun back on your nickel before you get it to the range or something like that. Even if you are immediately reimbursed, it's like bringing a new car home and having a door fall off.... Bad mojo for the manufacturer at best.... Used guns need to be inspected, period. If you or a suitable friend (even the store's smith if you trust 'em) can't check it out, you don't want to buy it.

(If you're putting stuff out for sale - on a sales counter or a gun show table - you've already indicated a sort of lack of interest, unless the price drops below some set reserve. Not precisely the same thing, especially for a dealer. But your point is well taken - I think we've all seen some interesting people at the table/counter, and some guns - Kimber's with the Swartz safety, for example - where an unskilled/untutored handler can break important parts.)

Regards,
 
Ókay, I still have failed to read(trust me I checked a couple of times) the part of the story where I violently ripped the gun from the poor mans hand and proceeded to take it apart without asking. See what happens when two or three boneheads take one, albeit poorly stated sentance and adds their own drastically dramatized spin on the whole point of the thread. Man, people are brutally critical and confrontational. Don't know what that's about but hey, to tell the truth I really couldn't care less. I got the general consensus from those who understood what they were reading. As for loop and anyone else ignorant enough to try and deny glock as a quality firearm is truly mistaken. I defy anyone on this forum or in the world for that matter to try and convince me of that.other than cosmetic appearance and there clunky-ness- She aint pretty by any means but she always gets the job done. There's also something to be said for any gun that go 100,000 rds without one single malfunction of any kind. I don't know if I deserve a glock or not,but I know I got one and it works!!! Got lots of other guns to and come to think of it, they all work too.
 
35rem "you just don't plain assume you can take apart anyone else's anything" well...If they want to sell any of their anything, to me at least they would put fourth a little more effort and just a tad of politeness to try and accomoadate me and make me happy with a potential sale. He probably doesn't pay a lot of his bills with people of my age demograph's business so being polite and accomodating to me probably wasn't a major concern for him just assuming that I didn't have the cash or something, or maybe he's just getting to old for his job. Who knows, I don't presume to know everything like some people(not a reflection on you) Also, "If you bought the gun and then asked to se the pad he might not of cared".Well again if I had bought the gun I would have been very disappointed had I not pushed the issue and I'm glad I did because that's all it took was a quick peek inside for me to realize that I didn't want it. Not saying this as a fact but maybe he knew it was screwed up and just wanted me to buy it anyway or something. Personally I think he was just a jerk.
 
Absolutely. If they don't let you break it down, you are a great disadvantage and are taking a chance if you decide to go ahead with a purchase. If you want me to buy it -- and to keep my business -- you are going to have to let me take a look at the whole package.
 
Here is the rub.

I usually say "yes" when asked, but I hate it. Most don't know what they are even looking at and so all it is, is a test to see if they can get the gun back together.

It was only last Thursday that a good customer, looking at a Ruger Blackhawk, took the cylinder out and while putting it back in got it jambed in the frame in such a way that I had to use a rubber mallet to get it freed up.

I would have to say that most of the time, one can tell if a gun is worth buying without taking it apart.
 
I don't know about taking a gun apart in the store, or asking the counterman to do it for you. I have never done it, and I bought a gun once.
I do know, however, that slapping old men is a good way to get a big surprise. Sometimes young bucks don't get to be old men.
 
mnrivrat said:
Edit: And I would have to be convinced for the need to field strip a new gun .
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OK, here is one for you.

I bought a brand new Ruger SR-9. When I get it home, I am going to clean it before going to the range.

The barrel was cast severely undersized and parts of it hadn't even been machined.

It went back to Ruger before I ever fired a shot. Took them 5 weeks to get it back to me.

I will never again buy a new gun without looking it over thoroughly, including field-stripping. I don't care who does the stripping, but I want to see the internals.
 
Young people (I'm one, I think, does 30 count?) are generally less respectfull. It seems to be worse and worse every day. I was raised a certain way and these things stick out to me. The gun culture is one that doesn't take to disrespect very well, whether percieved or real.
There are a lot of people out there that "have seen a guy do it once", or "saw it on you tube" or some such and want to try it for themselves, with someone elses gun, and maybe try to impress someone (gun clerk, buddy, girlfirend, whatever) while they do it. 9 times out of 8 (I meant that) the gun winds up in pieces, maybe even damaged to some degree, and the gun shop has to put it back together, on their dime, and maybe even reduce the cost of their gun because it has been damaged.

Maybe you CAN do it in your sleep, blindfolded, and underwater, but the guy behind the counter doesn't know that. Somehow, though, he is wrong for being defensive for not allowing you to take his gun apart without his permission.

Now, in my opinion, the proper way to go about this is:
If you really plan to buy, make that known. In fact, laying some money on the table would be a good gesture. At a MINIMUM, before taking a gun apart, you should express that you WANT TO BUY THIS GUN (not "maybe", "interested", or "curious", etc), however, I would like to have a closer inspection before we finalize the transaction. Express what you would like to do, then ask if that is OK. If it's not, say "thank you, I'm not that interested, then." If yes, then ask if you can take it apart, or would THEY PREFER THEY DID IT? Don't insist you do it. Be very clear what you want to see and how far you want it taken apart.

I would not be happy with a bunch of folks coming in that want to see the insides of my guns, just because. If you are going to buy, that's fine. If nothing is wrong with the gun, you better be buying. It's just PLAIN RUDE to make someone go through the motions for nothing. It costs them money. It's that simple.
 
Looking under the hood and tearing the engine down are two completely different issues. You can lock the side back (open the hood) and examine the internals. You are not free to tear the engine down to check for ring wear at a car dealer. Why would you expect to be free to take a gun apart?

I'll give you two examples that have happened to me since I have been working at the local gun shop.

First.
Young know-it-all punk comes in and ask to see a high end 1911. Without so much as a word began to take it apart. Dropping the slide on the tempered glass top to the display case. The corner of the slide hit the glass first causing the glass to shatter. Young punk threw the rest of the pistol into the case on the broken glass and other guns in the case and walked out the door. Replacement counter top $250. $2500 1911 with a large number of scratches from the glass fragments. Criminal charges filed.

Second
Guy comes in on a busy day asking questions about and examining various items for 20-30 minutes while other patrons wait. Finally selects a new pistol from a name brand manufacturer and says he would like to buy it but would like to see the internals first. The pistol is disassembled for him. He picks up the parts to examine them. Puts them back on the counter and proclaims "If this is the kind of crap you sell I won't be buying anything here" and leaves. Several of the patrons waiting got a WTH look on their faces. Jerk was one of the nicer things he was called as he left.

It is a two way street.
 
jdh points out a real problem. I can't really judge, since almost all the shops I deal with know me and know I can dis- and re-assemble just about anything they are likely to have in the case. But for someone else, I can certainly understand a reluctance to hand an expensive pistol to someone they don't know, for several reasons.

What I do is ask politely if I can field strip the gun. If the answer is no, then that is the answer and no hard feelings. I have bought guns I was not allowed to field strip and never had any problems, but then I can usually tell problem guns from outer signs, like messed up screws, or just the general feel of the gun.

Jim
 
So I told the old man behind the counter to pass me a gun pad that he had there beside him
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I don't know if because I'm a young buck these crusty old grumps think I'm ignorant and got no business in the store
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From post #4
I've dropped more cash on better guns than many of these old farts have ever owned
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Wow. Such respect for elders these days. Those old farts have probably forgotten more than you will ever know. With attitudes like those, I wouldn't blame them for just telling you to leave. They're not making enough money behind the counter to put up with such disrespect.
If you would try some manners, maybe things would go better for you. It doesn't have anything to do with your age or your goatee. I'm 29 and have facial hair and I've NEVER had a problem like that. Probably because I show a little respect for my elders. Half of what I know I've learned from people older than me, especially about handloading. If I'd of walked in with a chip on my shoulder demanding things, they've told me to go piss up a rope, and rightfully so. They're probably just tired of being talked down to. Use the search and check out a thread I started called "Old men rule".

I'll get off my soap box now. As for your question, I would definately want to see the insides of a used auto before purchasing. That's not unreasonable. It's like my first boss told me. You can say just about anything you want to. It's all about how you say it.
 
Bob:

The dealer should have handled that Ruger for you - swap it - just like Big Box should a TV.... 'Tis also a good reason why a gun should be test-fired at the factory....

I've never had that problem, but a buddy of mine and I bought a 9mm carbine once (can't think of the brand - a no-name, but solid), and decided to clean it. Parts everywhere.... The dealer had to re-assemble it for us.... We got rid of it.... I don't think it was possible to disassemble it!

Unfortunately the "lookie lou" problem is something we're stuck with - the dealer is going to have to expect to be left holding a bag of parts every once in a while. Personally, if I'm that close to a purchase to want to see the innards, I'm only likely to walk if I see something like a bad barrel. (Besides, most of us couldn't spot a lot of popular problems unless we fired the thing. Para had a run of bad extractors in 2004, but they tended to pop between 50 and 200 rounds. How are you going to spot that? They also had some bad slide stops in that time frame, but the test for the particular problem that I had doesn't even require stripping. Press on the right end of the stop while the gun's in battery. If it moves out of the frame, it's broken.... But you have to know it....)

It's the dealer's call, IMHO, who actually does the disassembly, but I'd expect to see it done right before purchase. (As well as simple stripping instructions offered at that point or afterwards.) There's no reason (with a new gun) to do it before the VISA card comes out....

Used gear, well, you really need to look inside - maybe a little quicker than new. I've never been bitten, but once almost got hooked. It looked good enough that I missed some problems. However, the problem, in the end, was mummified grease and dust bunnies big enough to raise.

Regards,
 
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