Gun store ettiquite

[sullivmt2015]

I think most of these issues arise from people being new to guns but are too embarrassed to ask for help. Some gun shops I have been in noticeably make you feel uncomfortable when you walk in to them if you are a noob. This is something I took notice of about 6 years ago when I first started getting into firearms and do not go back to these places now.

 

[indiucky]

Some gun shops I have been in noticeably make you feel uncomfortable when you walk in to them if you are a noob. This is something I took notice of about 6 years ago when I first started getting into firearms and do not go back to these places now.

How can a gun shop employee know you are a noob and make you feel uncomfortable when you walk in?

Maybe you already feel uncomfortable walking in, and (believe me) when someone walks in "feeling uncomfortable" the guy behind the counter notices that "you are fidgeting" and then begins to wonder what exactly you are "uncomfortable" about and the whole experience can go downhill from there.

No matter how much a noob you are walk in with confidence, speak with confidence, and act in confidence.

The only person that can make you FEEL uncomfortable is YOU. Do not let others dictate how you feel.

I have been fooling with guns for the past 35 years or so and I still learn something from noobs. For one thing you all are researching and studying the latest and greatest guns coming out from the manufacturers. We do not because us old farts think everything great has already been invented. For example, there is this engineer (not a gun designer) in Austria that has invented a pistol that is dirt cheap to produce that is staring to catch on among the younger generation. A Block or Glock or something like that. It's plastic and you have to epoxy stag, ivory, or wood grips on it if you want to change the look.

I can't imagine anyone buying them but you never know. They may end up being popular one day.

 

[BRILEY]

Well I had my second bad experience in a gun store today. I called a few gun stores this morning to see what they had in stock, I was looking for a AR15 style .22, something that will be fun to plink with. On my way home I decided to stop in at Beech Grove Firearms, I've been there before but only purchased ammo, I had the guy at the counter show me about 5 different models, after looking and getting a feel for each, I narrowed it down to two guns, they were both new, one was a bit more expensive but they looked almost identical, so I wanted to know why the $70 difference? He didn't seem to know so he asked the lady in the back, she said because it comes with 2 clips and the other only has 1, the more expensive one also has a threaded barrel. With each question I asked the guy seemed to get more and more impatient, I finally came to a decision, but I noticed that the one I wanted had some scratches on the side in several places, I asked the clerk (after trying to wipe them away myself); "will those scratches come out?", he grabbed the gun, looked at it and said, "what? I don't see anything", I pointed them out and he said, in a VERY frustrated tone; "I don't know if it will come out or not, those are marks from machining, not scratches".... Now I can assure you, that after having looked at SEVERAL of these types of, and specifically this model gun that these were NOT "machining" marks, these were scratches, and I didn't want scratches on a brand NEW gun (not ones that I didn't cause)! After all was said and done I simply turned around and walked out, leaving the guns on the counter in front of him, I'm sorry but I work too damn hard for my money to be treated with that amount of disrespect as I'm getting ready to pay cash for a gun! Needless to say, I will never step foot in Beech Grove Firearms again, I typically like to do business in my local community but I will make an exception when it comes to firearms from this point forward. I know where I'll be going later this week, where I should have gone in the first place, where I've always been treated with respect, where I've always been taken care of and where I always feel comfortable; BRADIS GUNS!!!

 

[inccwchris]

I've never had a problem with Greg and the guys over at Beech Grove. They have been great to me and I've been going there since they opened

 

[Blackout]

This is a great post. I wish people would actually use this info at the gun stores. Been muzzled a ton at gun stores with newbies. You said it best....ask if your a newbie. Wont hurt and people dont mind, many of us were there at one point. Again, amazing post.

 

[Mackey]

Be

YES.
This is what I'm talking about.

Now what were you saying?


But really, excellent and informative post.

 

[CitiusFortius]

I'm sorry but I work too damn hard for my money to be treated with that amount of disrespect as I'm getting ready to pay cash for a gun! Needless to say, I will never step foot in Beech Grove Firearms again, I typically like to do business in my local community but I will make an exception when it comes to firearms from this point forward.

I wasn't there, never been there, don't know the clerk but before making a lifelong decision to stay away I'd suggest putting yourself in his shoes.

You realize this is an entire thread about people acting badly in gun stores right? Maybe he had 1 too many people point an "unloaded" gun at him right before you walked in. I think we've established that it can be frustrating working a gun counter.

Maybe he was having a bad day, it happens.

 

[Liberty Sanders]

My only experience in this category was at Gander in Castleton.

There was a young couple with a clerk (the young man proved to be a LEO) and they were shopping for her defense gun. They were looking at those ultralight J frames, INCLUDING the .357 models.

It's been my experience in recent years that there aren't nearly as many "gun culture" LEOs as there used to be, and I could see where this was going. If they bought one of those things and that sweet girl fired one shot from it she'd scream, wet her pants, drop it and be terrified of guns ever after.

Naturally I hated the idea of robbing the young clerk of a possible sale, but it was killing me. I gritted my teeth as long as I could, then stepped over and asked the clerk VERY politely if I might offer a few observations? He encouraged me to do so.

I then explained my misgivings, pointing out that yes, the models were very light but that their cost was punishing recoil that the young lady might find uncomfortable. I pointed out the wide selection of handguns available, heaping particular praise on the Walther P22 which my own wife had selected (older than me by eight years with slightly arthritic hands AND we bought it there). I also recommended they look at some of the .380 and 9mm striker-fired models, again smiling at the clerk and pointing out the vast selection.

There was no I-know-about-guns posturing from the young LEO, he seemed to be grateful for the information, and if the clerk took any offense I saw no outward signs of it.

Not the most comfortable thing I ever did, but I like to think I handled it as diplomatically as possible.

 

[flatoutt]

Taking a shower before you goto the store is also a big positive in my book

 

[tom1025]

I wasn't there, never been there, don't know the clerk but before making a lifelong decision to stay away I'd suggest putting yourself in his shoes.

You realize this is an entire thread about people acting badly in gun stores right? Maybe he had 1 too many people point an "unloaded" gun at him right before you walked in. I think we've established that it can be frustrating working a gun counter.

Maybe he was having a bad day, it happens.

Bad day or not is no reason to treat there customers poorly. I have had bad experiences in every gun store in Indianapolis. Because of this I do 90% of my purchases through private sales. BGF is the only store in town I will do buisness with but only if Michelle is there.

 

[GONZO!!!]

Even if the person behind the ccounter clears the weapon, I ALWAYS clear the weapon again...I used to feel odd pointing at the back wall because I had another employee behind the counter who was helping someone else walk in front of my muzzzle. So I usually point at the floor. I will always dry-fire...HOWEVER...I use a tripled up business card between the hammer and pin to absorb the blow. My thing is that I am not there to feel the hammer hit the firing pin, I am just want to feel the release. I do it maybe three times and i am done.

I have a friend who just bought a SA .45...one of those parkerized officer model style 1911s...nice CC piece..but the trigger is absolute crapola...he never checked it out when he bought it...now sure, a trigger job isnt that difficult to do or not too expensive for someone to fix...but when we set up a range out at my farm he was hitting so low at 8:00 it was ridiculous. The hammer has so much drag you can feel every nano-inch that it drags.

I once handled one in a gun shop that must have had a 2lb trigger...I mean you just breathed on it and it dropped the hammer. I could tell there was an AD/ND somewhere in the immediate futire with that one...

so i alwyas dry-fire but I take pains to at least use the old busioness card trick AND keep it to a minimum number of tries.

GONZO!!!

 

[JetGirl]

Last night, a guy made a really huge deal out of finding a designated spot on the wall that he could sight on while stating the entire time how you should never point at things you don't intend to destroy...yada yada, whole spiel, whole nine yards...
However...DURING his "speech" he swept me at least three times (twice with the laser) and my coworker at least twice that many more.
At that time, we were the only three people in the entire place, so it's not like there wasn't a clear opportunity "target" on some wall in the opposite direction or something.

"You should never cover anything you don't intend toblahblahblah *SWEEP*SWEEP*SWEEP*..."

 

[gungirl65]

My only experience in this category was at Gander in Castleton.

There was a young couple with a clerk (the young man proved to be a LEO) and they were shopping for her defense gun. They were looking at those ultralight J frames, INCLUDING the .357 models.

It's been my experience in recent years that there aren't nearly as many "gun culture" LEOs as there used to be, and I could see where this was going. If they bought one of those things and that sweet girl fired one shot from it she'd scream, wet her pants, drop it and be terrified of guns ever after.

Naturally I hated the idea of robbing the young clerk of a possible sale, but it was killing me. I gritted my teeth as long as I could, then stepped over and asked the clerk VERY politely if I might offer a few observations? He encouraged me to do so.

I then explained my misgivings, pointing out that yes, the models were very light but that their cost was punishing recoil that the young lady might find uncomfortable. I pointed out the wide selection of handguns available, heaping particular praise on the Walther P22 which my own wife had selected (older than me by eight years with slightly arthritic hands AND we bought it there). I also recommended they look at some of the .380 and 9mm striker-fired models, again smiling at the clerk and pointing out the vast selection.

There was no I-know-about-guns posturing from the young LEO, he seemed to be grateful for the information, and if the clerk took any offense I saw no outward signs of it.

Not the most comfortable thing I ever did, but I like to think I handled it as diplomatically as possible.

GM at Castleton is where I got my first gun. I too was being pushed towards an ultra light weight J frame with a laser that the clerk said I shouldn't use because it would give my location away. The laser was awkward and the gun didn't feel right. It made me uneasy.

Then I asked to see the full sized, stainless steel Taurus model 669 357. Everything about it felt good. I bought it and have never regretted it.

I have since shot a Taurus ultra light weight 38 special and absolutely hated it. It stings to shoot. It wasn't fun at all. I was glad I went with my gut feeling and got the 357.

 

[Birds Away]

Last night, a guy made a really huge deal out of finding a designated spot on the wall that he could sight on while stating the entire time how you should never point at things you don't intend to destroy...yada yada, whole spiel, whole nine yards...
However...DURING his "speech" he swept me at least three times (twice with the laser) and my coworker at least twice that many more.
At that time, we were the only three people in the entire place, so it's not like there wasn't a clear opportunity "target" on some wall in the opposite direction or something.

"You should never cover anything you don't intend toblahblahblah *SWEEP*SWEEP*SWEEP*..."

...and, and...no sniffing either.