Gun Store not knowing what they sell?

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El Barto

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My friend went to visit a local gunstore to look at possible replacements for his deer rifle the other day. Now, he is not too knowledgeable about surplus military firearms but something caught his eye. Not knowing what it was, he asked the friendly merchant about it. The merchant told him that it was a “rare Russian made SKS” and that the ammo was very difficult to find. The price is $125.

My friend said that the gun looks in great shape, no dings or dents in the stock, still has the bayonet and the metal work is unblemished.

I had to share my limited education with my friend about the SKS, saying that it was probably a Yugo, not Russian and ammo is a lot easier to get then what the guy was telling him. I also told my friend that if the gun is in as good of condition as he described, that it was worth $125 for a Yugo and especially if it is really a Russian made. I added that it was a great gun to shoot and that he should add one to his collection.

Any opinions?
 
Why that's the ultra rare Russian CKC, made from the compound unobtainium!

It's the most accurate rifle I've ever had in this shoppe. Why it could shot the eye out of a sparrow from a 1,000 yards.

You'll never find another one like it and 42 other people have been looking to buy that gun. Better buy it now.:D

Gun Dealer puffery. Longer you hang around guns, more you will tune out the dealers.
 
Well, since they're not being imported any more, and the supply has dried up somewhat, true Russian SKS's are "rare", at least as compared to Yugo's.

If it realy is a Russain for $125 jump on it, it's a deal.

It's still fair for a decent condition Yugo, actualy. Figure you're going to spend at least $100 for a Yugo mail-order if it's on sale that month, plus shipping and FFL transfer fees, so even a Yugo could cost you more than $125.

So um...

Yeah. What you told him.
 
About 5 to 6 months ago I was in my local gun shop looking at a Sig P239. I noticed that it had a barcode on it. The guy behind the counter told me that that was something new that Sig was doing. All their future guns would have barcodes. I quickly bought the Sig from him and then let him know exactly what the barcode really means. Sig contracted with homeland defence to produce firearms for them. These sevice pistols had barcodes for internal inventory control. The model I was looking at was a SA/DA model. DHS ultimately only went with DAO models. So it my undertanding that this Sig must have come from the Testing and Evaluation program. The gun store owner's draw dropped on hearing that he sold a very rare pistol for the average price of a Sig certified reconditioned handgun.
 
you can hear some BS about guns at some shops. Anything to make the sell
 
I once worked with a salesman like that. He would tell the customer whatever he thought would make the sale.

A .25 Davis for elephant hunting? Yessir, greatest elephant gun ever made.

A 12 gauge double for long range varmint hunting? Yessir, those little critters won't escape that shot spread.

A Colt Single Action, 12 inch for a pocket gun? Yessir, greatest gun there ever was for a jacket pocket, I guarantee you.

And so on. He later went on to sell home appliances, and last I knew he was in the cell phone business. He was not a gun person; he never knew very much about any of the things he sold. He was a professional salesman, and made a good living at it.

Jim
 
Why that's the ultra rare Russian CKC, made from the compound unobtainium!
Click to expand...

Is unobtainium hard to get? :neener:

I was at Vance's a few weeks ago with a friend of mine. She wanted to buy a 9mm P226 for her duty weapon. We were talking to the guy about different duty weapons, and he kept saying they didn't have a P226 and he suggested a S&W because it's the most well known manufacturer of police service weapons. Well she was talking to the guy, and my number was called (I was looking to buy ammunition) so I asked the guy who was helping me where the NIB P226's were. He disappeared and came out with a bright new Sig box with the seal still intact and said, "This is for out law enforcement sales, it's specially priced." So I walked over to the other guy, who was talking about the .45acp to my friend, and i said, "It's okay, this other guy found the gun we're looking for," to which the first salesman says, "Oh, you want one of those things, alright." and walked away mumbling.

I honestly believe that he didn't want to sell a Sig to her, or perhaps a 9mm to her, because of personal opinion or politics. But he was very openly vocal on his love of the S&W auto and .45acp. We went in the store knowing exactly what she wanted, because it was the same weapon she qualified with at the academy.
 
I picked up one of my P7s for cheap at a pawn shop where it was labeled H&K VP70 or something like that. I guess they looked up the wrong price in the blue book.

My parents used to refer to these transactions as "IQ Discounts."
 
I love it when the sellers try to BS about what they have or try to overload you with information. I wonder how many folks walk out of a store with an overpriced cannon when all they want is a reliable home defense weapon.
 
the guys (and gal) at my local gun shop seem to be pretty honest.

i was in there the other day and a guy wanted to buy a revolver for home defense. he didn't know much about guns, but his buddy told him he should buy one in stainless steel and in the biggest caliber he could find.

the guy was about to buy a .500 s&w magnum, and the guy behind the counter talked him into a 4" GP100 instead, a gun that cost considerably less but would fit his needs better.
 
Forget the ubobtainium. I want a rifle made from upsidasium.

Imagine how much more ammo you could carry with the negative weight of such a rifle!
 
The gun store owner's draw dropped on hearing that he sold a very rare pistol for the average price of a Sig certified reconditioned handgun.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't have clued him in - nothing to be gained except a little temporary satisfaction, and maybe he'd make another mistake in the future that I could take advantage of. :evil:
 
I like to hear stories about gunstores lying, cheating, puffing, guessing, or just being dumb.

That's why I opened a gunstore and am trying to do a better job. :) More customers for me.
 
Minor sidenote: is there any chance that said store actually has a VZ 52 rifle in stock?

CZVZ52Right-01.jpg


Looks vaguely like an SKS, but takes the 7.5x45mm Czech round, which is definitely hard to find.

Might want to check and make sure it actually is an SKS before your friend buys it. They could have a MAS, SVT, goodness knows what.

Not that the price is bad for any functioning military autoloader, but it would be good to know what it is before buying.

-MV
 
He later went on to sell home appliances, and last I knew he was in the cell phone business. He was not a gun person; he never knew very much about any of the things he sold. He was a professional salesman, and made a good living at it.
Click to expand...

I'd say he was a thoroughly un-professional salesman.
 
Hey MatthewVanitas,

Good point. I feel confident that my friend at least heard the seller correctly, because for him to remember "SKS" is like me remembering "unobtainium"!

I will have my friend double check, just so he gets what he is thinking he is getting.
 
I honestly believe that he didn't want to sell a Sig to her, or perhaps a 9mm to her, because of personal opinion or politics. But he was very openly vocal on his love of the S&W auto and .45acp.
Click to expand...

Ever hear of SPIFFS? They're bonuses the manufacturer, distributor or retailer pays to the salesperson for each item they sell. Could be that S&W is offering a $5 or $10 spiff on each gun sold. That would give sales people incentive to push S&Ws over Sigs. These spiffs are temporary things, usually used to help clear inventory. This month it may be on Smiths, next month on a particular model of Sig, the following month on Kel-Tecs, whatever they have too much of sitting in the warehouse.
 
*sniff sniff* spiffs... someone's worked at Radioslack :)

I've run into the situation where I was unaware *what* we had, but then I work 3 hours a night at the shop for a side/entertainment job anyways and stock turns over so fast my head spins if I try to keep up.

But general misinformation about a particular arm, no. If I don't know I ask someone who does, and keep moving up the chain until I get a good answer.
 
When I worked at a gunshop, I had to correct a few co workers on complete BS, simply because they didn't like the brabd names in question, and would not look up the right answer.
After a while, I was known as the "Eurotrash guy"....
 
I had a man that worked in a gun shop try to tell me that an improved skeet choke was tighter than a full choke. I corrected him and he became rude and started actually arguing with me. The owner of the store walked over and corrected him. After this, the man started waiting on another customer and I heard him tell the man that a Browning Hi-Power was one of the worst guns ever made. I saw the owner a couple of weeks later when I went in the next time, the man no longer worked there. Evidently he made a practice of showing his ignorance. :rolleyes:
 
Quote:
The gun store owner's draw dropped on hearing that he sold a very rare pistol for the average price of a Sig certified reconditioned handgun.


I wouldn't have clued him in - nothing to be gained except a little temporary satisfaction, and maybe he'd make another mistake in the future that I could take advantage of.
Click to expand...


BTDT. Bought a 1916 Sestroryetsk Mosin M91 at a shop for $140, then told the guy it was worth up to $300. He bought a bunch of Century M91/30's and priced them $200....





As for this situation

the guys (and gal) at my local gun shop seem to be pretty honest.

i was in there the other day and a guy wanted to buy a revolver for home defense. he didn't know much about guns, but his buddy told him he should buy one in stainless steel and in the biggest caliber he could find.

the guy was about to buy a .500 s&w magnum, and the guy behind the counter talked him into a 4" GP100 instead, a gun that cost considerably less but would fit his needs better.
Click to expand...

BDTD, too.

Had a guy come in all hot n' heavy for a Weatherby in 7mmWby. Mag. Have a real fancy one that had been sitting in the back for years, but after listening to this guy's story, (his buddy shot one, got all his deer with one shot, etc. ) I ask him what he'd been hunting with, and he answered a borrowed Model 94 in .30-30. I asked how it had worked on deer for him thusfar. He hadn't got a shot yet, but he knew that since his buddy always got his with one shot from that 7mm Wby. , and the buddy recommended it, knowing this guy went to the range once a year, shot one box, and headed for the woods.:rolleyes:

I then asked what kind of terrain he hunted in, which turned out to be medium heavy woods, 100 yards being a long shot. I asked if he planned on going elk hunting in the next five years, he replied no, but his buddy with the 7mm Wby. did, and muley and antelope, too.

This guy had squirreled away $1000 to get his Weatherby and a scope, the gun was $800, leaving him not very much for a scope, mounts, and ammo. So I offered a suggestion, after asking one more question; Had he ever shot his buddy's 7mm Wby. Mag.? He had not. I suggested that for where he was hunting, and the fact that he was familiar and comfortable with the Winchester 94, ( I did go over the safety issues with him, as had the guy who'd been lending him one for five years [not the 7 mag guy] ) why not buy a Winchester 94 AE, a good Leupold scope, nice gun case, cleaning supplies, and plenty of ammo, and still have plenty of money left over for range time with that new rifle, to learn how it shot at any distance he'd take a shot at. After tallying it all up, 94AE, mounts, Leupold 4x, 6 boxes of 150 Federal Premium 150 FP Partition and a Boyt case, mounting and boresighting thrown in and done by me on the spot, he walked out the door with $250 still in his pocket, a rifle that wouldn't give him a flich to last a lifetime, and a lifetime customer. Came back that winter, and thanked me. Yes, his buddy razzed him, until he dropped his first deer at about 100 yards.
My boss was pissed because he wanted to move that Weatherby, and lit into me good, but I stood my ground and asked what, if in that guy's place, he would've thought about me after touching off that first 7mm round.....;)
(This was at a former employer. My current boss would be behind me 100% on that one....)
 
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