Do the employees at your LGS know anything about reloading?

A

AL45

New member
We have three local gunshops. One carries no reloading equipement or components and the other two carry very little. None of the employees seem to know or care to know about reloading. I was in three gunshops about 90 miles away and while two of them was pretty well stocked on powder, bullets and primers, they were hit or miss on equipment and other accessories. I noticed when I was looking at guns, the employees were eager to make a sale, but when looking at reloading equipment, no one approached me. In one shop, I asked an older gentleman if they had an item and he was totally lost. I did find a guy in another shop who seemed to know what I was asking for but said he was sold out. It just seems if you want to talk about Ar's and Glocks, they're all ears, but when it comes to reloading their eyes glaze over. How is it in your neck of the woods?
 
Since starting reloading I don't go to gun stores anymore. Just going to the reloading shop now or shopping online. We have a nice store in Phoenix called Bruno Shooters Supply. Very knowledgeable and helpful folks.
 
Lol. Lester is a pretty good shot. I bring him targets just so he can mock me. It's pretty funny.

And Dillon is local, too. They're OK.
 
AL45 wrote:
One carries no reloading equipement or components and the other two carry very little. None of the employees seem to know or care to know about reloading.
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There are probably five gun shops within driving distance, but because of Dallas traffic, it is impractical to drive to most of them in a reasonable amount of time. The one LGS that is within a reasonable drive is into selling guns and NFA items. They don't deal in reloading supplies or equipment at all and so the employees know nothing about it.
 
I went to an automotive parts store to purchase parts, they had the parts so I asked them if they rented tools for instillation. They informed me there was no such tool and insisted there never was a tool that was used to install the part.

It was about that time I had to start over; I asked him if he sold me the parts and we all know he said yes, I then had to ask him if he had ever seen the box the parts were sold in. I gave him the part number and a picture of the tool that was printed on the box. It was Saturday, Monday I went to the regular store and asked if they would price the tool; $200.00::eek: I told them I would make the tool. The wife purchased two miscellaneous items for a total of $6.00 at Harbor Freight, I purchased two just in case I messed up on the first one. I can not believe the tool worked flawlessly.

I have made shop calls, to be honest, there are reloaders/builders that would not call me if there was some way they could get it done without me. When they call me they are eat up with it.

F. Guffey
 
Do the employees at your LGS know anything about reloading?
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I went to an automotive parts store to purchase parts, they had the parts so I asked them if they rented tools for instillation. They informed me there was no such tool and insisted there never was a tool that was used to install the part.

It was about that time I had to start over; I asked him if he sold me the parts and we all know he said yes, I then had to ask him if he had ever seen the box the parts were sold in. I gave him the part number and a picture of the tool that was printed on the box. It was Saturday, Monday I went to the regular store and asked if they would price the tool; $200.00: I told them I would make the tool. The wife purchased two miscellaneous items for a total of $6.00 at Harbor Freight, I purchased two just in case I messed up on the first one. I can not believe the tool worked flawlessly.

I have made shop calls, to be honest, there are reloaders/builders that would not call me if there was some way they could get it done without me. When they call me they are eat up with it.

F. Guffey
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I'll take that as a "no".
 
In virtually all stores of any kind there are any number of these well-meaning, can-I-help-you, type people, that will utterly waste your time if you let them. If I go down to any of the places that have reloading components to get something, I never ask the hired help for their opinions. I already know what I want and know a lot more about it than they do. They are not totally useless, as they can do a price check and a few other helpful things. But even if they know a little bit about the subject it tends to backfire as they often think they really know a lot, all the while they are full of so much confusion and downright misinformation as to render their advice to be potentially dangerous. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally, that's what I have seen or overheard at the gun-counters. In the used-gun racks, I have seen an older Winchester '94 that had a tag on it indicating that it was a 32-WCF caliber. When I pointed out to the owner that it simply could not be, he was a bit embarrassed that his hired help didn't know the difference between the 32 Winchester Center Fire and the 32 Winchester Special. And you know, it's funny how a little bit of knowledge mixed with a lotta-bit of ignorance leads to some strong opinions with no foundation under them.:rolleyes:
 
My primary LGS (Tanners) is somewhat knowledgeable about reloading. They gave me some good insight into reloading 223 when I picked up my first one. If I need some really good info Kings Shooting Supply is right down the street from me. Look up Tanners Sports Center on Facebook (some of their gun prices are better than online) ... and Kings produce some nice coated bullets.
 
I met a fellow stocking shelves at the local Cabella's and I had a long talk with him while he worked and I'd say at least this one guy knew what he was talking about. That said, I find good info on reloading at gun shop hard to find outside of the books they sell...
 
The LGS is run by a guy who graduated high school with my older Son. About all he knows is what some customer told him and I don't trust that very far.
 
Naw, not much around here, either.
A few stores have some reloading components, but it's obvious they really don't know much about reloading or care to.
Good thing there's plenty of online sources.

Judging from all the abandoned brass at the local ranges, the number of folks who reload isn't all that high.
Probably about the same small number of gun owners who attend shooting matches.
 
3 gun shops within 25 miles of me and they all carry reloading supplies to some degree. 1 small shop has a few powders and primers and a couple other things but I don't shop there because it's a "good ol boy club" and if you're not one of their long time customers you're basically invisible to the owner and couple of employees they have.

The other 2 shops both have ranges and run multiple competitions from uspsa to bullseye, to cowboy shoots and 3 gun. Most competitive shooters reload and as a result both of those shops are very well stocked on reloading supplies and while maybe not all the employees would be helpful, you can find extremely knowledgeable people in there that could give you decades worth of reloading knowledge.

Guess I'm lucky!!

And if i can't find what I need in town there's a Scheels an hour away and they have anything and everything I've ever needed or wanted!


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The local Sportsman's guys can give you info on reloading, even some of the younger ones and if they don't know they tell ya. The local Cabelas not so much. This is Idaho so there is a lot of knowledge around. Hardly any local clerk types can help with any cast questions and casting equipment isn't carried. My experience with the locally owned stores in Boise is all good. Buckhorn gun store (or something like that) folks have been very helpful, and there is another store nearby, the name escapes me, was all good. I asked once if they had a .314 sizing die for a 32/20 bullet I was casting. He rummaged around in a back room for 10 or 15 minutes and voila. I was wowed.
 
'll take that as a "no".
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There have been times they asked for help; before agreeing I had to make sure it could be done. One of them informed me we were going to be using Imperial or Dillon in a bottle or can; so? "So leave your no-name lube at home and bring the 'other?' #4 shell holder". You have no ideal how difficult it is to make Imperial or Dillon case lube look good when the going gets difficult. Problem, he has spent too much time bragging about the merits Imperial and Dillon with no considerations there could be something else out here.

F. Guffey
 
LGS individuals will know nothing unless they reload as a hobby also.

If you really want to know an item on your piece of equipment, you should contact the customer service department of the manufacturer of the component or equipment in question.

For example:

https://www.nosler.com/contact-us
Our team of customer service representatives is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm pacific time. We're more than happy to answer any questions you have about our products or services, shooting, reloading, or anything else that might be on your mind, so don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

The Nosler Showroom is open to the public Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:30 pm pacific time.
115 SW Columbia St | Bend, Oregon, USA 97702 | Toll Free: 1-800-285-3701 | catalog@nosler.com

Who better to answer your issues than the people that have developed, tested and produce the data you use.
 
Generally, no.
They all have some very basic knowledge, but few of the employees (even most of the owners) know much more than "case + primer + powder + bullet = 'bullet'."

There's one shop in town that actually has an annex for reloading gear and supplies; but the owner is a jerk, the employees are idiots, and there are some very shady dealings there. Knowledgeable, reputable gun owners stay away.
(They have been reported to the ATF multiple times.)

Other than that, the best bet for someone needing reloading gear, or needing advice to get started reloading, is actually Sportsman's Warehouse. The SW here has some really good employees at the gun counter that know enough about reloading to offer sound advice to neophytes, or know what you want and whether or not they can get it, if you ask for something specific.
 
The armorer and the older guy that orders all the powder/primers/bullets know reloading but the remaining workers only know the reloading stuff is in the back corner.
 
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