In my formative years we bought our minnows at a tiny shop in an alley behind the owner's house. I remember very well the old outboards hanging on boards bolted to the trees, and the smell of the minnow tanks and Hoppe's #9. There were a few guns for sale along with shells and tackle, and a tiny room in the back where I suspect the ancient proprietor took his afternoon siesta. Sweet memories of a bygone era.
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WestTexShooter
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- Mar 23, 2017
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Ya really gotta be specific what you type in the browser.I was shopping for a pair of snake boots and typed in Redhead, figured that was enough and pressed enter. You wouldn't believe the number of porn ads that flooded my monitor for weeks!
Regards,
hps
They got Redheaded snakes?
loneviking
Member
I was at a local gun store today, adding to the gun buying panic statistics, and I hear a guy ask the gal behind the counter if .38 Special could be fired in the gun.
The gal was a clerk from the hardware guns, and said she really didn’t know. I’m finished filling out a 4473, so I turn and ask ‘what do you have’.
He handed over a gorgeous, mint condition, pre lock S&W 586 with gold lettering. I’ve never seen one with gold lettering! I asked where he got it, and he inherited it when his dad recently died. The guy was not a shooter, totally unfamiliar with guns.
I’m told him that yes, he could shoot .38 spcl and .357, and that the gun was very collectible. Unfortunately, there was no ammo to be had, but wow! What a beautiful gun!
The gal was a clerk from the hardware guns, and said she really didn’t know. I’m finished filling out a 4473, so I turn and ask ‘what do you have’.
He handed over a gorgeous, mint condition, pre lock S&W 586 with gold lettering. I’ve never seen one with gold lettering! I asked where he got it, and he inherited it when his dad recently died. The guy was not a shooter, totally unfamiliar with guns.
I’m told him that yes, he could shoot .38 spcl and .357, and that the gun was very collectible. Unfortunately, there was no ammo to be had, but wow! What a beautiful gun!
herrwalther
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Pretty sure I mentioned this story once before but oh well, it popped in my head again so here we go. One of my preferred gun stores is about an hour drive away from me, used to be closer where I lived before so I don't duck in there much anymore. But, I still get their flyers so I know when to show up. They were having stripped AR-15 Anderson lowers on sale for $40, well worth the drive. I drove my way out there to grab one. Asked the owner to grab it off the wall behind the counter, he plopped it on the counter, charged my card and said "Have a nice day." Without even touching the box I reminded him that I needed to fill out a 4473 for a lower. Not a forceful or loud comment, if I said it any quieter it would have been to myself. Shops forget, they get a few things wrong but my inner nice guy would not want a local gun store get in trouble with the ATF.
Personally, my most memorable "gun shop stories" generally center on the 23 people who died as a result of me selling a weapon (have to include a crossbow) to a person who used it to commit murder, suicide or both. Still have lots of nightmares about many of them and flashbacks while awake to the conversations I had with some of these people beforehand. But then... I try to console myself by asking, how many did I prevent?
CharliesHammer
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- Aug 26, 2019
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Walked into a small urban gun store in LA area 30 years ago. Was looking around and noticed a flag over a rifle display. The owner had a strong cajun accent. I asked him at what age he moved to Texas.
He stopped as if struck by lightening. " What you saying." I saw your "coon ass" flag and heard your accent. He said "boy your the first person in 20 years that knows what a proper coon ass is". Not a racial term, a coon as is a Cajun that moved to East Texas.
I bought more than a few gun from this shop including my first handgun. I used to go to the central valley and sell a few things at the local gun shows. On a handshake he would put a pallet of Soviet area ammo in the bed of my truck to sell at the shows.
Like many California residents he headed to Arizona to open a shop in friendlier lands. I enjoyed his honest prices and friendship.
He stopped as if struck by lightening. " What you saying." I saw your "coon ass" flag and heard your accent. He said "boy your the first person in 20 years that knows what a proper coon ass is". Not a racial term, a coon as is a Cajun that moved to East Texas.
I bought more than a few gun from this shop including my first handgun. I used to go to the central valley and sell a few things at the local gun shows. On a handshake he would put a pallet of Soviet area ammo in the bed of my truck to sell at the shows.
Like many California residents he headed to Arizona to open a shop in friendlier lands. I enjoyed his honest prices and friendship.
FFGColorado
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- Mar 2, 2020
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Not a gun 'shop' story but a 'range, hooked to a gun shop', story. I'm in lane number 2..gent walks up to lane number 1...I notice he is fiddling with something for a long time, so I step back and look..He literally has taken the gun out of it's case and has NO idea how to load magazine, shoot the thing..Eventually the range guy walks up and asks if he can help and spends the next 15 minutes showing him how to load and shoot the thing..RO puts the target out at about 10 feet..the guy blasts away..one box, packs up and leaves..Good on the RO for graciously and politely helping the guy..about 6 months ago....not during these weird times.
vito
Member
Obviously it was someone new to guns. But by the end of the range visit he knew how to load his gun, how to fire it, and after one box of rounds has some idea of what accurately he can shoot, at least at the 10 foot distance. For many people this is enough to make them feel safe so that if and when their home is broken into, they can be secure in their bedroom, with their gun, and likely to hit their target if the thug tries to enter through the doorway 6 feet away. Obviously that guy would benefit from more training and/or more experience in shooting, but he is far ahead of the person who buys a gun and box of ammo and never gets to a range even one time.
Gunshop commandos and mall ninjas are not just a thing of the post millennium. Back in the 70s I traded my well worn Ruger MK 1 in on a Ithaca Model 37 riot shotgun at the Walnut Hill gunshop in Dallas, TX.
A week later my buddy told me that one of the salesman, Ira, was wearing it in the shop in a shoulder holster. He was telling everyone that he carried it In Vietnam and that is why it was so worn.
A week later my buddy told me that one of the salesman, Ira, was wearing it in the shop in a shoulder holster. He was telling everyone that he carried it In Vietnam and that is why it was so worn.
FlSwampRat
Member
I am a vet, but not a Vietnam vet. I missed Vietnam with a high draft lottery number. Got all patriotic during the Bicentennial and enlisted.
One of the things that truly will piss me off and have me get in someone's face is stolen valor. People buy medals and things like that online and make up glorious service records that are more fiction than Grimm's Tales.
I made it to Spec 4 and the only medal I earned was my DD214 with an Honorable. Seals, Rangers, etc. all deserve respect and not have that respect misdirected to someone who didn't earn it.
I agree totally about stolen valor!
Swamprat, I sent you a PM, I’m not sure if it went through though.
Howland937
Member
There used to be a small gun shop not far from me. Guy was mostly into milsurp stuff and not into hunting at all. Got to know him well enough after a while that he'd call me when someone was selling something he wasn't interested in. Before that, one time I walked in and he turns to a guy and says "that's the guy you need to talk to" and pointed at me. Shop owner says " this guy is trying to sell an 870 express with both barrels and some choke tubes. I'm not interested since it's the middle of summer" I told him it would have to be cheap and looked it over...asked what the bottom dollar was. $100...so I bought it. Guy leaves and the shop owner says "If I knew it was that cheap I woulda bought it. He told me $150"
George Dickel
Member
I can understand your feelings on this however you followed the law. No one has a crystal ball or ESP to determine if a person is deranged and a danger to society. If this existed there would be a lot of people in jail and fewer victims. What if you were a car salesman and the buyer was an alcoholic who got drunk that night and hit a church buss killing 23 people. There is no difference, you had no idea what the person would do. He is the one who chose to do evil, not you.
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Many years ago, my wife decided she wanted her own handgun, so we went to Kittery Trading Post, as they always had a big selection of new and used firearms. We looked around for a while, and she saw a used 4" Model 65-2 she liked. She stepped up to the counter, and I was behind her. The "clerk" ignored her, and waited on two other Male customers, (one of whom he told had these nice grips for his M36 but were K-Frame size) Anyway, he eventually looked beyond her to me and said "Can I help you"? I said "This lady was here first" and he acted like that was a pain in his ass.
She said "I'd like to see that gun, please" Well, he took it out of the case, and said, without asking why she wanted that particular gun, "You'd be better off with this" and tried to show her a New 6' Nickel Python.
The price on the 65 was good enough that she bought it, anyway, but before we left, the Gun Room Manager got an earful from her about that jackass at the counter!!
She said "I'd like to see that gun, please" Well, he took it out of the case, and said, without asking why she wanted that particular gun, "You'd be better off with this" and tried to show her a New 6' Nickel Python.
The price on the 65 was good enough that she bought it, anyway, but before we left, the Gun Room Manager got an earful from her about that jackass at the counter!!
Insignificant bill
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Customer service from some people really sucks. Why anyone would ignore a customer is perplexing.
jonnyc
Member
I actually like waiting on the women, they are willing to listen and learn, and, more often than not, make pretty good decisions on firearms.
When a couple comes into the shop, I try to verbally and physically ignore the husband and get the wife to answer for herself. Most guys get the hint and the conversation goes very smoothly and easier for the woman. Some don't, the woman clams up, and the sale doesn't happen.
Oh well.
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