Rant: Idiots in Gun Shops! (long)

I have had experiences just like the one frontlander posted.
The only diff is my wife could give a damn about guns.

The only thing worse than a pushy, overbearing self, important, blow hard, self appointed gun expert is one who does his damndest to tell you what he thinks you want to hear just to line his pocket. The funny part is when you get to price it is all him. I will not do any real busy with any of the gun stores around here. They have demonstrated that they only care about my money and that is it. Over head or not, they do not need to profit $200 - $300 on every gun I would buy. this especially true when that same gun is practically worthless on a trade soon after. From what I have seem it ain't the overhead they are supporting. It at least appears to be their extravagent lifestyle. That is why I buy all of my firearms from a small shop who appreciates my business. hell if it were not for the small shops and ,God help us,Wal-Mart I could't afford to own firearms let alone shoot them !

Good Day !!

firemad.gif
 
Sorry not meaning to turning this in to a political thread
but as a senior citizen I feel what you are talking about
is the dumbing down of america, thanks to liberal schools,
media.
No morals, no standards, no manners=idiots,on the road,
in gun shops,etc. We can change it, through our children,
and one person at a time.
Sorry, continue on.
 
Y'all've hit the nail right on the head.

( climbing on the soap box )

And the biggest danger here is, of course, to those (like me) who are the least knowledgeable. I'm just getting started.

TurkeySlayer said:
Learn about the guns you're interested in, get advice from people who own several, and don't take everything you hear at a gunshop (from in front of the counter or behind it)as the gospel.
Click to expand...

Great advice. So, this is what I did. First, I had a very brief introduction by a well trained friend to shooting and handgun safety.

Then, I took a two-day tactical handgun course from Randy Cain, with a borrowed handgun. I wanted to judge for myself if I would be really interested in learning and practicing enough, and physically able, etc... I also wanted to see if this particular model handgun would work for me, "fit" me, etc.

Then, later, I spent some time on the range with the rangemaster trying a variety of handguns for comparison.

So, when I made up my mind what is the right first handgun for me, what did i hear from my friendly local gun shop?

Nukem said:
"DO you have a [Glock 19]?"

"A [Glock 19], what the hell do you want one of those for, what you really want is this [tiny little palm sized revolver] thing right here"
Click to expand...

This wasn't just a total stranger gunshop clerk either. This was a guy I knew from other (non-gun) social settings in town - we had actually briefly discussed my going to the class once months before it occurred.

Why would a clerk (or owner) say such a thing to a customer (any customer) who indicates interest in something... why not just show them what you have that's relevant to their needs? They actually did have some Glock 19s (very overpriced), but he wasn't interested in talking to me about them.

I may be a female (not that it's relevant) and I may be new to guns (not that it's relevant)... but I ain't stupid (very relevant to the gun shop that won't ever get my future business now).

( stepping off the soap box )
 
I think that gun shop employees and people that hang around gunshops are just as opinionated as we are. I just ignore them when I sense "editorial mode" coming on. It keeps me out of "rant mode"! :)

People who come into a store and mishandle guns should not be tolerated. I don't work in a gun store, but IF I were an owner and ANYONE pointed a firearm at ANYONE in the store, they would be shown to the door immediately. That type of behavior or flippant attitude when handling potentially lethal weapons NEEDS to be addressed no matter whose feelings get hurt. People who don't respect firearms don't have my respect. They are part of the problem, and need to get training or professional help, period.
 
I've seen it a hundred times, Amelia. I hate it too, because a lot of women are interested in handguns (and guns in general)and they are always getting bad advice. My wife is getting a handgun soon, and every shop around (except one GREAT one) tries to push stuff she doesn't need (or want.

Forums like this are great for beginners because they can get honest, unbiased opinions. The person on this forum who tells you how his gun shoots isn't trying to make money. He's telling you his own experiences.

Buy from people who show you respect, and take your business seriously.
 
yeah i've seem some stupid things done at the range. like doing rapid fire even so it's clearly marked NO RAPID FIRE!!! also i've seem people point guns at each other. but generaly everyone is pleasant and willing to share experiance with others
 
opinons are like ashholes sp? everyone has one.

The people with the least knowledge are the ones most eager to share theirs too. That's because the more you know the more you realize how little you know.

he he he. I've even said some things about someones choice of guns before, now I just admire it and keep my mouth shut that's what everyone wants anyway..unless I know them then they can get the real stuff.

If you think you know the absolute truth about anything... you don't know jack.

Men are the really bad in this way. Men hate to admit to anyone they don't know anything. We expect to be judged on our competence at everything and we don't want to come up short so for the most part if we don't know it we lie and say we do. He he he.. except me of course I'm a sensative new age kind of guy. ;)

I don't even talk to people in the gun shops except to shoot the breeze or get them to let me fondle a new to me gun. I certainly don't take their advice. If I did I'd have bought far to many 1911's from people who don't realize gun development has continued to occur since 1920.

shiro in AK
 
I make it a rule to stay away from these "experts" on both sides of the counter. Normally I step high to stay out of the male bovine excrement.
The only time I actually felt a need to step in was in the reloading section of the gun shop. A young man, obviously new to reloading from his questions was being filled in by the "expert". The young man was looking to reload some 45 ACP using 200 gr. bullets. As there were none on the shelf the blow hard handed him a box of .44 caliber 200 gr. hollow points and said "Here use these they'll work just fine." At this time I excused myself, grabbed the store copy of Lyman's Handbook and showed the young man the difference and explained the consequence of following the other gentleman's advice. The young man thanked me and turned to say something to the "expert" who had already vacated the area looking for another place to spread his sunshine.
Just goes to prove idiots are like numbers, there is an endless supply of both.
 
I've had several experiences of such type (as per my post on Franklin's of Athens), but since I've been at Ft. Benning and supporting Shooters with my business, I've noticed something; if I ask a question and the guy behind the counter doesn't know, he will at least get someone else with some firsthand experience with the firearm in question to talk to me, and offer his experience for what it is worth without swearing by or against a particular brand or caliber. I didn't notice how rare that was until reading some other posts.
 
Shake, you're gonna love the Elite 2. i have a 92FS and a 92G Elite with a trigger job by Ernest Langdon. he put in a 92D trigger spring so when i compared the trigger to an Elite 2 it felt pretty similar but mines still a bit smoother. :)
 
Hey Russell. I think I will enjoy it. Can't wait to get it.

I've always liked the looks and feel of the 92FS. Fired them quite a bit (friends), but one just never made it to the top of my "got to have it" list. That is until I saw the Elite II. After reading a write up in a gun rag (featured pics of Ernest Langdon shooting the 96G Elite II) I went looking for one and when I found it, it jumped to the top of my list in a hurry.

Hopefully it will be as accurate as I'm hoping it will be.

Shake
 
Amelia;

That's exactly one of the reasons I enjoyed carrying my Charter Arms Bulldog Pug or Glock 29 in the gun shop where I worked; so when some dink of a customer would give me the old "Whatcha got there, little lady? Thirty-Eight?" (or "...9mm?"), I could respond "Nope, forty-four." or "Nope, 10mm Auto.". ;)
 
Today, a pawn shop lost a sale

They had a green-framed P32 for $300 and tried to convince me that it wweighs 4ox, 6oz loaded, that it was a new model only out for two months and built of stronger materials than old Kel-tecs. They fed me a similar line about a 1934 .32 Mauser...at that time I left and decided to stay out for good. They lost about $450 in sales.
 
Yeah, don't ya just hate all of the self proclaimed experts? You find them at every gun store, ranges all over the place, and even on the Internet.
 
Amelia,

If you're still interested in a Glock 19, J&M Trading Post in Vernon, AL, had one a couple of weeks ago. I think it was $519 with Trijicons, but he will usually come off his prices somewhat. It might be worth the hour drive from T-town.
 
The only time I really got upset was right after I moved to Fort Wayne. Walked into a shop (didn't know any of them at the time) and picked out some reloading supplies I needed. Took it up to the cash register, waited for the gal behind the counter to get off the phone (non-business from the sound of her side of the conversation) and had her tell me that I didn't want the bullets I had chosen (Hornady XTP) because so-and-so in the latest rag published had said Gold Dots were better. Asked her to ring up the sale as that was what I wanted. She started in again how the bullets I wanted were no good, and the wrong weight anyway. At that point I asked her if she was going to check me out or not. She continued her spiel and I interupted her and informed her (rather loudly) that I had been loading ammo when she was loading diapers. I set the components on the counter and left. Didn't return for a couple of years (found another shop that didn't argue with me about what I wanted to buy). Found out later that the same clerk, when working in the indoor range rented a customer a 9mm Glock and then gave him 9mm Mak ammo to use in the thing. I understand things got interesting.
 
Had last monday off so I decided to check out some shops on the north side of Atlanta. Went into TOP GUNS on Lawrenceville Hwy for the first time, and while admiring the store that caters to the yuppie hunting/skeet crowd, I got in a conversation with a clerk and customer where I mentioned that my primary interest where "those evil black guns (AR15s). The owner steps in saying to the affect that those (AR15s) are for only killing people, and that is all that you see at the gunshows.

It was hard for me to keep my mouth shut as I left.

I wanted to tell him that some people need a killing, and how the Founding Fathers were'nt thinking of fancy doubles when they drafted the 2nd.

Instead, I called all my gun buying friends warning them not to do any business there.

Ten minutes later I was in Bernies Sports center amongst "the Good Stuff".
 
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