Favorite and least favortie gun shops

[JamisJockey]

With the 'rant' threads and such, I thought it was time to name names.
List your favorite and/or least favorite gunshops. List name, city and state.

My favorite(s):
Gallenson's, downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Big selection, good used selection, helpful staff.
Get Some, I think its in Midvale, Utah. Small selection, but the owner is a heck of a nice guy and I've never been in there less than 1/2 an hour talking to him.
Impact Guns in Ogden, Utah. Only been once, but its a class III candy store!

Least favorite:
Doug's Shoot'n'sports, Taylorsville, Utah. Indoor range is always in dis-repair, dimly lit, and littered with trash. The staff is hit-or-miss, and prices are also hit-or-miss.

 

[Black Majik]

Favorite:
The Gunsight. Fullerton California. Not that big of a selection but the prices beat everything here. Its even lower priced than the Turners Outdoorsman when they're on sale! George helps me understand the guns I buy from him

Honorable mentions: Gold Coast Trading. Fountain Valley, CA. Expensive pricing but their service is pretty damn good. Nice people. Its hard to get here in Southern California

Least Favorite:
The Stockade. Westminster, CA. Those people have the customer service of the devil! Rude, arrogant, and I've been sweeped more than I prefer to. They have great selection too though.

Fowlers Gunroom: One of their sales people gives me the bad vibes. The tall white guy with blond hair and kinda buzzcut. I always wonder why the hell he's working there, he always seems like we're wasting his time. Everyone else in that store is alrite but I jus' dont like going in there to see his moody attitude.

 

[axeman_g]

I'll play

Here in Atlanta we have some very good and a few bad ....

Favorites:
Bull'sEye in Lawrenceville ...Class III, great prices, selection and "usually" very helpful and knowledegable staff. Also has an indoor handgun and rifle range.

American Classic Marksman in Norcross ... Great guys, indoor range and knowledgeable. Prices tend to be a little high, but owner always has some special piece for a fantastic price for sale.

David's Gun Room in Norcross ... GREAT STAFF, Rusty is one the best smiths in area. Good prices, not range... only problem is it is off beaten path for me.

Hit and Run Guns in Nocross/Lilburn ... Place is a wreck ... Class III, a real hands on place with some great deals if you know what you want.

Least Visited:
Hit and Run Guns... see above for why I like this place and did not want to list it here but... but the place can be sketchy to deal with, smoke filled, dirty and crowded. Know what you want and deal stiffly with them ....

The Gun Store in Chamblee ... horrendous prices, poor selections and basically no bargaining. Seems to be more interested in selling overpriced Lorcins to locals then anything else. I have had to stop going there because I find the female owner so obnoxious.

Chucks Firearms in Buckhead ... I list it here because I hate going there and realizing how poor I am. Place specializes in QUALITY (OVERPRICED???) double shotguns, drillings, high end CAS iron and 1911s. Always something good to look at, never anything I can afford. Seems to do well with the southern gentleman shooters.

 

[synoptic]

Good:
Champion Firearms in College Station, Tx. Good prices, friendly, knowledgable staff, very nice indoor range.


Bad:
Able Ammo in Huntsvile, Tx. They just don't seem to care about the customer, plus their prices are pretty high.

 

[gp59]

well no favorite but an ok and a never go there again.

Ok

Kessilrings,alger washington, One hell of a selection of guns and huge inventory, couple of bone heads behind the handgun counter who don't belong in the retail business. other wise good prices on guns and ammo. repair service sucks.

worst

yeagers in belingham washington. lousey customer service. don't care if they help you or not. prices avg. to high.

not sure

gun town in lynnwood washington. heard good things about them and there prices, good customer service on the phone,so far.

 

[jpthegeek]

Good:

Adventure Outdoors: Smyrna

Knowledgable people, nice selection, pretty decent prices. No range. Guys are usually very nice and it is run by a family. No range.

HotShots: Smyrna

Good group of guys and they always seem to be able to beat everybody's prices. Selection is limted, but when they have stuff they usually have it at the best price around...at least from my experience. Indoor range that is almost smoke free and very clean.

Davids Gun Room: Norcross

Nice place. Prices seem to be a bit high, although the selection is nice. Very friendly.

Guns & Gear: Alpharetta

Great place. Gret selection. Nice guys. Prices are high though.

Not so good:

Ed's Gun & Tackle: Marietta

Big range but really hazy. If there are more than 2 shooters in there you will be coughing for days. Decent selection of handguns and long guns. Prices are high.

Pannel's: Woodstock

Haziest range I have ever been in. Decent prices but they dont seem very interested in selling you anything.

 

[Declaration Day]

In southeast Michigan

Good: Westborn Gun Shop in Taylor. Probably the smallest gun shop I've seen, but its well laid out with a good selection of guns. Prices are decent, and the staff couldn't be more friendly and helpful.

Bad: Shooter's Service in Livonia. Way overpriced, very limited selection, rude staff. They often won't let you see a handgun unless you show them a purchase permit / CCW. Getting a friendly hello out of them is out of the question.

 

[hillbilly]

My top three favorites--

1)John's Guns in Fort Smith Arkansas---good selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service.

2) Tackle Box in Fort Smith Arkansas--better selection, higher prices, good customer service.

3) Ozark Sportsman in Tontitown, Arkansas---big selection, good prices, and very friendly, helpful staff, with an indoor range and reasonable rentals. Only it's an hour's drive away.


And here is my all time top gun shop to hate:

Dong's in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Back in the early 1990s, I went there with a good friend of mine who is a member of the Ottawa or Adawe tribe.

The guy behind the counter said something racist as my friend walked past him to check out a barrel full of Carcano rifles.

Will never, ever go back.

Maybe Dong's management or employees have changed, but I'm not going to go back and find out.

hillbilly

 

[cratz2]

In Indiana, Plainfield Shooting Supplies is tops in my book and I try to give them all of my 'new' business. I've had very good luck with Albros and Bradis as well.

Don's Guns is without a doubt the worst I've seen.

Keislers down in Jeffersonville has an outstanding selection, but I've been outright lied to on two occasions so while it's a neat place to spend an hour or two, I won't give them any of my money.

 

[SLCDave]

My favorite in SLC is also Gallensons. Great people, good selection, and they don't jump you for window shopping on your lunch break. If you don't mind chain stores, Sportsman's warehouse has a good selection, too.

If you think Doug's is bad, check out Totally Awesome Guns and Range. Just try to find a wooden stock or grip in the entire place. I dare you. The flouresant lighting in there reminds me of Joe's office in "Joe Versus the Volcano". I've never been brave enough to try the range, because I feel like I might get mugged by the staff. I had a sales guy try to tell me all Berettas were junk and crap, and tried to steer me to a product they sold there. Never a good experience for me when I've been there.

 

[SiG Lady]

A couple of good ones...

I think I'll pass on bashing any Eugene, Oregon gun shops (in part because we have no serious 'problem' gun shops in the area, and in part because I don't want the liability), but I do have a couple of decent places to mention:

MAZAMA SPORTING GOODS: Sole proprietorship biz with decent prices on guns--especially used ones--and his specialty is hunting and rifles. But I've bought nearly every one of my guns from him and he'll order just about anything from any catalogue anywhere. Been in biz a long time; has mucho connections. Jim has a good reputation locally, participates in gun shows, excellent customer service, warm personality... and he's extremely intuitive about what his customers like. As soon as you walk in he'll show you something he knows you'd like. How professional! ...and smart.

THE BARON'S DEN: Full retail gun and accessories outlet, Benchmade dealer and collector's HQ, but is also our local range/club, owned by independent local couple for 8 years. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, prices are not exactly low, but it costs money to run a range. Regular classes and league competitions, free coffee and munchies, open 7 days. They'll order just about anything for you, steer you in the right direction about purchases, and the ambience couldn't be any more supportive to the members and guest shooters.

So, yeh, I'm a happy camper, gun-shop wise.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Minneapolis:

Bill's (Robbinsdale) -
- Good selection of handguns
- Hit-or-miss gun knowledge
- High pressure sales
- high prices
- Lots of holsters and accessories
- Range in the basement

Frontiersman (St. Louis Park) -
- Good selection
- Good gun knowledge
- Low pressure sales
- Fair prices

Outdoorsman (Hopkins) -
- Smith on site
- Bigoted, CZ-fan, Glock-bashing owner
- Small selection of handguns
- Almost no CCW accessories

GunStop Reloading Supplies (Minnetonka) -
- Huge selection of long guns
- Moderate selection of handguns
- Good gun knowledge
- VERY customer-friendly
- Best prices I've seen in town

Streicher's (Golden Valley) -
- Small selection of handguns - they don't sell Glocks to non-cops
- HUGE selection of accessories - everything a police officer needs
- holsters
- ammo
- supplies
- OC spray
- Flashlights
- Royal Robbins!
- VERY friendly and helpful customer service

Gander Mountain (Minnetonka) -
- Great attitude! (sign on door: "All firearms must be unloaded and cased. This does not apply to CCW.")
- Fair selection of firearms
- Fair prices
- ALWAYS friendly and helpful staff

 

[manwithoutahome]

To add on to Eugene and Springfield, OR:

J&W Arms in Springfield: W is always there, have no idea who J is. If you are into old rifles and old/newer pistols, he has them. As well as ammo for those C&R's. High priced but I like Bill.

SM Gunshop, Eugene: Good selection on both firearms and holsters. Decent prices, good sale items. People are nice but sometimes I wonder about their "expertise" on ammo for older guns (9mm luger will fit and work in a 9mm largo, it's the same thing ).

Oregon West Shooters Supply: Great ammo prices in bulk. If you are a Glock or 1911 person, this is the place for you. They seem to have everything, for only the Glock and 1911 . People are sorta nice but they don't like "browers" or "touchers". They do have an on site minor gunsmithing room. High priced on guns though.

I concur with SigLady on the Barons Den: Great people and are alittle high priced but as SigLady said, it takes allot of money to run a range. After looking into the range fees that others in Portland and other places are charging, they are very competitive. They love browers and touchers. Oh, and the person who does the classes is very knowledgable. Oh, and if something isn't in the glass case, don't leave just yet, tell them what you want, they seem to be able to pull things out from under the display cases

I've only bought guns from J&W Arms, SM Gunshop and Baron's Den. Great service from each shop.

M

 

[Valkman]

There's places I haven't been to yet, but here we go:

Favorites

Masters Shooter's Supply, Las Vegas - Floyd the owner is a great guy and always helpful. Sometimes I go in just to ask a question or to BS - it's that kind of place. Prices aren't the best around but I like it anyway.

Discount Firearms, Henderson - Great prices on guns and powder. Real nice owner, although the wife doesn't seem too friendly. Moving the store into Vegas soon with a new indoor range.

Machine Gun Kelly's, Las Vegas - Lots of Class III stuff, friendly, and there's a kid there about 12 who's great at helping and will show you every gun in the store. Wife bought her first gun there.

Spurlock's Guns, Henderson - Friendly guys, and the most reloading stuff I've seen. Long way from home, but a good place if you need certain stuff.

Least Favorite

American Shooter's Supply, Las Vegas - Range, gun store and a big clothing section for security and po-po. Big attitudes, big prices. Don't want CCW in there, so I don't go in there.

Accuracy Guns, Henderson - Big prices. 19 cents each for .45 brass! Only if I'm really stuck will I go there.

Wal-Mart, Las Vegas - Idiots working the counter, no help at all. Now the store closest to me pulled all their guns because they decided not to sell them anymore. I've never bought a gun a Wal-Mart and hope I never do.

 

[SiG Lady]

OWSS must've moved and re-opened elsewhere, then (But I think he closed for good). They were in east Springfield for awhile, ran into financial stresses, then bailed. Randy was a nice guy, though; had wide range of products in-store and reasonable supply of firearms. But I only discovered him just in time to see him close.

SM GUN SHOP: has a mixed reputation around town. You either like 'em or you don't. Low overhead for the owner--he owns free 'n clear the little building he's in so has fewer expenses than Mazama (paying rent in a big, popular mall location) and The Baron's Den (constructed the bldg from scratch 8 yrs ago and likely still paying for it), so it matters less if he's making a profit or not. I go to SM now and then for emergency .22 ammo (they carry the Federal Match stuff at tolerable prices while I'm waiting for a bulk order from Bi-Mart) and for entertainment, to test the political climate... just to see how they deign to treat a lady customer. Usually it's OK.

 

[manwithoutahome]

Thanks for the update on OWSS. I haven't been there for over a year so I didn't know.

M

 

[Red_SC]

Best:

Rook's, in Bishopville- Small shop,but packed with decent stuff. The owner is the only worker, friendly, decent prices.


Worst: everything else around here.

Carolina Sportsman in Hartsville- Friendly, but high on most things.

Southland in Darlington- I'm told the guy that runs it can be a jerk, I've never had any real problems with him. High prices.

Darlington Gun Works- Owner is a real jerk, completely unreasonable prices. Only stays in business because he is a pretty good 'smith.

Doc's Firearms in Florence- Workers OK, high prices.


See a pattern here? I think everybody around here charges high prices. A box of .22's that you can get from Walmart for $4.00 will be $7.00 to $9.00 at most of them. FGMM in .308 for $27 a box.

 

[ducktapehero]

I like the Gun shop here in Ozark Mo. The guy specializes in military rifles. He has them out so you are free to handle them without asking for everything. He does have his handguns locked up though. I also like Gunslinger Gun shop in Springfield Mo.
Honorable mention- The gun shop in Claycomo Mo. The ONLY gun shop I have ever been to that I didn't like was one in Nixa Mo. I walked in to look at some things and was treated like I was bothering them.

 

[LynnMassGuy]

The best around here IMHO is Four Seasons in Worburn. Good guys(and gal) and very reasonable prices. The only problem is it gets REALLY crowded in there on Sat.

Galyans in Danver's has great prices and selection but there have a few really bad salesmen and one good one. They got a kid behind the counter that just doesn't want to help you.

 

[manwithoutahome]

Just for some other places that I've been:

New Mexico, Alamogordo: If it's still in business (heard rumors) = The Knife Shop.

Valdosta Georgia: *My brain just did one of those far* things*. It's a store on one of the oneway streets downtown (in the old section of town). It's right on a corner. If my brain starts working, I'll come back and edit with the name. (It's half firearms, half fishing/boots/pawn stuff).

D'oh , Valdosta Pawn (how in the world did my brain go blank on this one?)

M.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Don't really do gun shops anymore. I'll go to shows and one shop here just to look and see what I would like. I then simply find one elsewhere and buy it doing the transfer through my brother (has FFL) The olny good shop here closed up a few years back. I will NOT buy from Howell's gun & archery ($50 transfer fee!)in Gray, ME or Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, ME, both have screwed me at least once and KTP has/tried screwed a few other people I know.

 

[jamz]

The Bestest: Four Seasons in Woburn. Carl is a really great guy. www.fsguns.com

Their website is a little...disorganized, but they have mail order prices on stuff. I can get ammo cheaper there than a lot of mail order places, which is good, because mail order places won't deliver to MA anyway.

The Worstest: WallyMart. The one closest to me lost their ammunition dealing license recently. Good thing, say I.

-James

 

[uglymofo]

Reed's in San Jose has a pretty good selection, and the people are friendly enough I guess. None of that makes up for their prices, though.

WORST in the lower 48 is Trader's in San Leandro. I know, I know, how can I say that.... I saw them sell a nickled snub-nosed S&W .357 to a woman in her 50's for her mother who was there, but hard of hearing. When I interjected that that was too much gun for an 85-pound LOL (I didn't say it that way, I was more tactful) they looked at me like I didn't know the sun brought light and we'd call that daytime, so I just kept on walking to the door.

It was my only time in the store; I was just passing through town and stumbled upon this store, which had a terrible reputation for selling anything to anyone. They had a rep for selling to druggies, pimps, skinning newbies, mismatching grammas to cannons, etc., and in my only experience, I didn't see anything to contradict that rep. While I was browsing the gun cases, another clerk had a Gold Cup, an S&W 29 8", and an S&W 459 out in response to some newbie's request to see a "reliable and popular" target pistol.

Ah, well, if God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep.

 

[DorGunR]

I my neck of the woods the best gun store would have to be Scott's located in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Not a large selection but Scott and Bill are both super guys and know their guns.........also Scott is an expert school trained gunsmith. I don't even bother to shop any where else for guns, ammo, scopes, etc.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Best; Toss up between West of Pecos and Murphy's

Worst; Without a doubt, Jerry's gun exchange.