Bad Info From the Gun Shop Guy?

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BigMikey76

New member
I went to my LGS recently to check out two guns that I was considering buying. I wanted to hold both of them before making my decision. The two guns were the S&W SD9VE and the CZ P-07 (I chose the P-07, if you're wondering). As I was handling the two guns, the guy who had gotten them out for me started to talk to me about the features. The big point he focused on was safety, and this is where I began to think that he really didn't belong behind a gun counter. He tried to convince me that I should avoid the CZ because it is a hammer fired gun. When I asked for clarification, he went on to tell me about how hammer fired guns are more dangerous because they "go off by accident all the time when people drop them." He then proceeded to get out a Glock 19 and try to convince me to buy it instead of either of the other two options because "Glocks are the safest guns on the market.":rolleyes: I asked him what flavor the Kool-Aid was, but I think he was too young for the reference, because he had a very confused look on his face as I walked away to take my business elsewhere.

Have you ever had a similar experience?
 
Yeah, I hate dealing with "kids" behind the counter. Chances are they know little beyond what they have heard or read with little practical experience. If a "kid" ask me if I need assistance, I tend to say I'm just browsing.
 
I’ve run into folks who sometimes seem a little unclear on the features or operation of various guns. While I usually don’t have too much of an issue with that what does bother me is when a salesperson seems to be outright lying to me.

For instance a few years ago I wanted a SIG P220 and stopped in a LGS that had a SIG banner out front. When I asked to look at a P220 he told me he no longer carried SIGs because they were, “crap”. Then he tried very hard to sell me a CZ which they appeared to have large inventory of. I left and bought a SIG at another store, but was sort of intrigued by the CZs and went back a few months later. This time when I asked about the CZs he told me he no longer carried them because they were, “crap” and told me I should get, wait for it, a SIG. Needless to say I’ve never been back to that shop.
 
I watched a idiot behind the counter open then swing the cylinder shut on a very nice colt 1917, I stepped up and mentioned that it's not good for the crane on a D/A revolver to do that especially since it was a consignment gun, He basically told me I didn't know what I was talking about and he, does this all the time. I've seen him and the other boy wonders do this type of stuff in other visits, so I stopped going there. It didn't hurt my feelings when they soon closed. Unfortunately, there are too many of these people working in gun shops.
 
lots of times...

the latest that I remember, I was in Cabelas, & a service person was helping some guys ( new reloaders ) look for bullets to loads for their 223 for preditor hunting... the employee kept telling the guys they needed 22 caliber bullets not the .223 or .224 bullets they had shelves full of... as I was overhearing the misinformation being spewed, I finally had to jump in, at which point the sales person excused himself... I asked them what they were shooting them in, & if they knew their twist rate, & made recommendations based of their answers for what they had on the shelves...

I'm at the point now, that I'll just walk away if the sales person starts telling me about other guns they have, to consider, instead of what I want to look at... I've heard more misinformation from gun counters than I have on the internet :eek:
 
You can get a lot of bad info from both sides of the counter. I work at a shop and I hear customers passing on silly things to other customers all of the time. On the other hand, I work with a guy that makes some "interesting" statements to customers. Personally, if I don't know something I'll tell you that I don't know and I don't try to push any gun on anyone. Heck, I'll even sell you a Hi Point if that's what you want.
 
I had a scary experience at one Pawn shop. I bought a Glock 17 and the guy was going through the safety test (California stuff) and when showing how to clear an auto he cycled the slide then dropped the magazine. When he handed it to me i cycled the slide a second time clearing the second snapcap still in the chamber.

Not good

Gary
 
Betcha' a lot of gun store owners are nagged into hiring an otherwise unemployable nephew.
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I can see that... I am still a couple of months away from opening my new BBQ truck, but the younger cousins are already starting to line up to try to get an "easy paycheck."
 
When the young folks pretend to know it all, I agree it is frustrating.

But when the old farts pretend to know everything and do not, I find that even more unacceptable.

Telling me what I need to buy because an old timer has always done just that without additional information is not any help.

And I agree, you hear a lot of worthless info from both sides of the counter.
 
Had one at Dicks.....unattended gun counter....25 minutes, they sent a guy over from spandex section. I was trying to get a couple of boxes of 45ACP that was behind the unattended counter. Guy was intent on giving me 45LC. After about 10 minutes, I walked.
Dan
:confused:
 
Yes, the big stores are the worst.
If a genuine employee can be actually found, they usually are just about clueless about our kind of stuff.
At least with a small gun shop, there's normally a knowledgeable person within shouting distance.
 
I was at a real gun store. I asked the middle-aged man behind the counter if I could hold the Glock 42. I asked him, "These have a locked breech, right?"

He stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language - obviously had no clue what I was asking.
 
I went to a local shop that happens to be the major distributor for many other big box stores in the area, looking for the newly released S&W Sport.

We all know now the rifle is very good and highly reliable and accurate, but at the time the older gentleman at the sales counter kept railing on and on how AR's in general are 'fragile and tend to wear out their receivers' from prior experience. He further tried to give me the third degree how this 'budget' AR was poo, and steered me to...a SIG 556R.:rolleyes:

I didn't buy into the sales pitch and got the Sport.
 
I have two medium sized (probably very small to city folks)shops that I use. Being deep in the Appalachian Mountains, a shop with unknowledgeable employees would not be in business long. They know the answers or someone else in the shop knows the answer almost every time. Their inventory tends to be mid-priced along with cheap stuff. They don't bash any brand but simply report what issues they have encountered with them.

The large stores chain stores are good only for buying something when you already know what you want.
 
BigMikey, what you got was a sales-kid trying to sell you something he liked, not something that you wanted. You should have let management know..... this guy mis-understands his job description and it could hurt the business...... it doesn't take long for wounds like that to bring the business down.
 
Yeah, it definitely felt like a Glock fanboy trying to bring over new converts.
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Actually it’s quite possible the shop had too many GLOCKs and the owner told all the salespeople to, “Push the GLOCKs”.
 
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