"you can shoot 357s out of that 38 special"

[Byrd666]

As a few others have said, I think a mention to the manager would have been in order.
Misinformation can be a very dangerous or deadly thing. I think I would make a return visit to said store and inform the powers that be of the errors of said individual. As you yourself said. there's no telling how many others he gave incorrect information to.

 

[sig228]

Personally, I'd post it on the internet.

Lol

 

[41wheelgun]

Last year during deer season, my supervisor was upset after a weekend hunt and told me he when to a big box store, (starts with a A) and told the guy that he had a 308 winchester lever gun and wanted ammo for it, the clerk said here this is the hottest ammo on the market for the 308. The weekend hunt came and he had a deer come by him and the gun would not shot, so he chamber another round and still the gun would not fire. So I asked if he had the ammo he purchased and as I looked at the box,it I told him his problem was this ammo. The clerk sold him Hornady Leverevolution 308 marllin instead of 308 win.

 

[MrDig]

I have this problem all the time. I must look like a dunce or something. Once I was told it was Illegal to hunt deer with a 7.62x39 round. When I corrected the guy he said "I am in my first semester to be a conservation officer so I should know better." Clearly our state hunting manual sitting on the counter next to him was not enough evidence the he was wrong, because after I showed him the case length and diameter of a 7.62x39 and read the manual that stated it was legal he reiterated that it was not.
Just recently I was told by another Fresh young face that if I wanted to shoot anything other than 22 short I had to buy a Henry Golden Boy not the standard Henry Lever Action .22 caliber. When I pointed to the markings on the side of the one I was looking at and it said 22lr 22l or 22s he claimed the gun needed to be removed from stock because it came from the factory mismarked.
I got a metric butt ton of these stories, after I tell them they are full of mierda del toro, all I do is shake my head and go spend my money elsewhere.
Big Box gun bunnies need to learn the facts or someone could get seriously injured these are firearms not tinker toys.

 

[shiftyer1]

A few years ago I had a van that needed a transmision so I called the parts house for a rebuild kit. I was inforned my vehicle wasn't made with one. Sometimes clerks just don't have a clue. In your case I think he probably just misspoke.

I try to do some research before I buy something.

 

[Owen Sparks]

I have dealt with this same problem for years with home improvement stores where the only qualification for employment is the willingness to work cheap. I have given up asking employees technical questions about building materials.
These are the same type of people who work in sporting goods at big department stores.
In fact they might have been working at the home improvement store last month and they might be selling shoes somewhere else next month. You are on your own.

 

[leeroy71]

If you want to have some fun, ask if .275 rigbys are ok to use in a 7x57. Or should you stick with 7mm mausers for now.

 

[David E]

What, exactly, would you tell the manager?

"your boy out there is giving out bad info."

"oh?"

"he says a .38 snubby will also shoot .357."

"was he showing the 442, the 360 or the LCR?"

"um, I'm not sure...."

"I appreciate your concern. Have a nice day."

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Personally, I think you should mind your own business. It's not your store and it wasn't dangerous so stay out of it!

 

[Davek1977]

n/m

 

[beatledog7]

The clerk sold him Hornady Leverevolution 308 marllin instead of 308 win.

So, the clerk is at fault?

If Person X owns a gun and doesn't know how to buy proper ammunition for that gun, would Person X please turn that gun in. I don't know where the repository for such guns is located, but Person X clearly needs to find it.

When I first read the title of this thread I suddenly wondered whether I really knew why that title points to a falsehood.

I always heard it was the OAL, but I needed to know, for my own satisfaction, what actually keeps a .357Mag round from chambering in a .38SPL chamber. I wondered whether a .357 wadcutter round, with its short OAL, would chamber in a .38SPL. I experimented with empty cases in a .38SPL cylinder, and learned the truth. One must intentionally shorten a .357 case to .38SPL length to allow it to chamber in a .38SPL. Once one does that, it will chamber in a .38 but is effectively no longer a .357 case.

Should I have just applied what I always read and "knew," that a .357 case is longer than a .38 so an idiot can't chamber a .357 round in a .38 chamber? Perhaps. But having proved it to myself hands-on, my understanding of it has been fortified.

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

I have dealt with this same problem for years with home improvement stores where the only qualification for employment is the willingness to work cheap. I have given up asking employees technical questions about building materials.
These are the same type of people who work in sporting goods at big department stores.
In fact they might have been working at the home improvement store last month and they might be selling shoes somewhere else next month. You are on your own.

absolutely true. i had dealt with a guy at a local Lowes store here and 2 days later i dealt with him at the local Gander Mtn. down the street. he was not very knowledgable at either location, but he was trying his best to help me out. sometimes you need to give people a break. this guy appeared to be in his late 40s or so and just working 2 jobs to make a living. you never know people's situation in life. who knows, he could have been working at one of the major union plants here making $25-$30/hr. when they decided to close shop and move all operations to Mexico.now he has to work 2 jobs to make half of what he used to make.

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

I was at Acadamy in Amarillo tx a couple days ago and decided to check out the guns. While I was waiting at the gun counter, the guy in front of me asked to see a 38 special snubby and as the clerk handed it to him he said "you can shoot 357s in that you know." After I caught my breath me and about 5 other customers quickly corrected him.

My question is what do you do in this situation? Is correcting him enough or should I have asked to speak to a manager?

I got to thinking about it later and wandered what kind of bad info he has given to other people, wrong ammo for their gun, or who knows what.

do you even know what model snub he was showing? maybee the customer asked to see a s&w 340 which is a .357 or a ruger lcr in .357. both look very similar to .38 special variations. the clerk may have been the CORRECT one in this situation. the customer may have been the one who had no idea along with the other customers who decided to be nosy. unless you have all the correct information, it is best to stay out of it, and prevent un wanted embarrassment to yourself and to the store employee who actually MAY know more than many of the people he sells guns to.

 

[beatledog7]

People are doing whatever they have to do for grocery/rent money, and sometimes that means taking a job selling something they know little about. That just solidifies the need for buyers to be informed.

But it brings up another thought: with so may people unemployed, the labor market is filled with motivated and proven workers. Employers in retail businesses ought to able to hire reliable workers almost at will, but (typically) both the company and the potential employee know that there will be little training on the specific items to be sold.

So wouldn't it make sense that they hire a person who knows at least a little about what's what?

 

[oldfool]

if I know the shop owner, I might mention it in friendly mode
so I probably would
(because the few LGS places here, I know the owners well enough, and they know me well enough)

But anyplace else the jerk-clerk-of-the day says anything that dumb, I just put 'em on ignore; if they don't shut up, I just walk out, and don't come back. Have been known to leave a few car salesmen on the lot talking only to themselves, same way. Quality sales people are a lot like quality guns; most people would rather buy cheap vs. good, be it hardware or employees, especially so in hard times.

 

[Walkalong]

Correct him politely, explain the differences in ammo, and hope he retains the knowledge.

If you tell the manager it may or may not help. Only you can decide if it is warranted, as only you were there.

 

[KodiakBeer]

do you even know what model snub he was showing? maybee the customer asked to see a s&w 340 which is a .357 or a ruger lcr in .357. both look very similar to .38 special variations. the clerk may have been the CORRECT one in this situation.

I've been wondering the same thing and we still haven't been told what model of revolver was being shown.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would probably mention the 38spl versus 357 mag thing out of ear shot of the customer and let the store person take it from there. But I think the customer has a responsibilty to know the basics too before buying a firearm.

 

[sw282]

l give advice on 2 occasions. 1- When asked for. 2-ln life or death

 

[JoeMal]

When I hear stuff like this, I just keep my mouth shut.

I was in Academy looking at some XM855 and a guy stopped and told me not to buy that stuff because "That green stuff will destroy your barrel"

This is what you get in a box store instead of a mom and pop type of shop.

HA!

I've heard similar garbage from mom and pop shops too!

This is like trying to explain the difference in .223/5.56 to people who don't know any better....they just don't understand it

 

[Superdave70_02]

I'm not sure of the model. The customer was in front of me and just pointed to the case and said "can I see that 38" the employee reached in the case and pulled it out and said that as he was handing to the customer. When everyone corrected him, the customer put his hands down and the Clerk still had the gun. I think it was a Taurus. When he screwed up the second time after being corrected by no less than five people two times, the other clerk reached over and took the gun from him and put it away. I didn't stick around after that because if he couldn't get it right the second time around there was nothing he could do for me.

I do agree that the final burden of making sure your ammo is right for your gun. But around here alot of the ammo is behind a counter and the clerks should at least know basic calibers so when you ask for 45 colt they don't hand you 45acp or ask for 9mm makarov and receive 9mm luger.

 

[Bovice]

I have never cared what the clerk knows. Whenever I go to buy something important, I've already done the research on it well ahead of time. For me, they're only there to facilitate the sale. For people who don't do things that way... Life is going to be difficult.

I get a kick out of playing dumb sometimes, and asking questions to which I know the right answer. I just want to see what they say.

 

[Hunter125]

, The clerk sold him Hornady Leverevolution 308 marllin instead of 308 win.

No offense to your supervisor, but the guy who owns the gun has to take some responsibility. If I buy the wrong ammo for my gun, it's my own dang fault.

 

[coolluke01]

45 colt they don't hand you 45acp or ask for 9mm makarov and receive 9mm luger.

I don't have a real problem with this. Not everyone knows what the less common ammo types are. I would have a problem if I asked for 45 acp and he gave me 45LC or asked for 9mm and I got 9mm makarov. That would mean he doesn't know anything.

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

Superdave, since we still dont know what make and model the gun was, we have no idea who was right or wrong. this could be a case of an uneducated customer not knowing what he was asking to handle. maybee he just assumes all snubs are .38s. who knows. the other clerk probablly put the gun away because there were 5 other customers chiming in on a matter that did not concern them, causing confusion and unrest in a busy firearms department, which is not good for buisness. this situation may have prevented someone with no firearms handling experience from buying a gun that he had no idea how to operate safely. sometimes it is just better to stand back and let situations like this fizzle out and resolve themselves.