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Al's Gun and Reel in Derry NH?

al's gun and reel shop

i dont like the guy but if you want something he usually has what you need.i wanted a leather belt holster and could not find one anywhere he had it
 
While I am right down the street from Al's, and my preference generally is to support my local shop, Al is such a rude, unpredictable and unprofessional character, if I need to go to a real gun shop, I now go to Manchester Firing Line for everything, the owner at MFL, Jim, is a true professional and a very nice fellow. Even if I just need some gun oil, I would rather drive the 20 minutes to Manchester Firing Line. Al should go there and see how a real professional shop operates.
 
If you guys don't like him that much, why don't you just not go there instead of constantly bashing him?

Look, he is what he is. If you don't like it, then don't go. Personally, I find him fine. I've disliked the service at MFL more than I've disliked Al. It all ends up a personal preference. Pick the shop you like and go there.
 
stosh said:
While I am right down the street from Al's, and my preference generally is to support my local shop, Al is such a rude, unpredictable and unprofessional character, if I need to go to a real gun shop, I now go to Manchester Firing Line for everything, the owner at MFL, Jim, is a true professional and a very nice fellow. Even if I just need some gun oil, I would rather drive the 20 minutes to Manchester Firing Line. Al should go there and see how a real professional shop operates.
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Thats funny because I've always found MFL to be pretty amateur when it comes to any kind of service.
 
Guess my experiences have been different, to each his own as the saying goes. Have over 15 years as LE and civilian Firearms Instructor and Factory Certified Armorer, so feel I have acquired a little expereince with firearms on which to base an opinion. Information and advice I have personally witnessed MFL staff give out far surpasses anything I have seen from Al, maybe I have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and you experiences are right, more representative. Further, with regard to Al, a firearm shop proprietor drinking on duty is just unacceptable and the epitome of unprofessionalism, as well as a potential danger to the community. But again, maybe I have just seen him at rare occurrences not representative of what he is like most of the time, maybe most of the time he is smart and sober.
 
I was there today,and I never realized that Counter Sniper Military Optical Gunsight Corporation manufactured the finest rifle sights in use by US forces in conflicts around the world.

I mean who would have thought a rebranded Chinese scope with sloppy turrets was the choice of Uncle Sam,Schmidt and Bender aint got shit on these guys.

All this for under $800,but be aware,Al had to sign a form stating that he would not sell this scope overseas.

When a shop treats me like an idiot,I tend to not shop there anymore.
 
romoman said:
If you guys don't like him that much, why don't you just not go there instead of constantly bashing him?

Look, he is what he is. If you don't like it, then don't go. Personally, I find him fine. I've disliked the service at MFL more than I've disliked Al. It all ends up a personal preference. Pick the shop you like and go there.
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This is the "Gun Shops and Reviews" section of NES.
 
How did this turn into -

A thread about Al's Gun & Reel and people bashing both AL & Service at MFL?

1st let me say : "Al & I are friends" and if you don't like him - just stay away. If you don't like me personally / MFL / Riley's etc. - just stay away!

2nd - We all have our plus & minus points,we're all trying to make a living at this - we all want people too be happy - and the majority of my customers enjoy the services we do provide.

3rd - It's a small world - Most of us dealers talk to each other,I send many people to Al's / Riley's and a few others if I don't have what they need. I get the same back from them. A few others are warned about a couple of bad places that I won't name.

4th - One thing is for sure - If you don't support us,We're sure to go away! What will be left over to deal with may be much worse [sad2]
Jim/MFLR
 
It is a review forum, and sometimes threads go way off topic, or get hijacked, or in this case take an occasional tangent before getting back on the main topic.

Al's... I don't have a problem with the place, it is what it is and he is who he is. I can understand why people have the opinions they do about the place though.

MFL.... sorry after the wild west show my wife and I encountered the last time we were there it's not a place I am heading for anytime soon, for range time or purchases. I'll join a local club where range safety is a priority.

Riley's... I LIKE Riley's, always helpful, no BS, best selection.

There is a Shop over in Derry on 28 by the Ducati dealership... I've had mixed results there but I'd still buy from them.
 
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MFLR said:
A thread about Al's Gun & Reel and people bashing both AL & Service at MFL?

1st let me say : "Al & I are friends" and if you don't like him - just stay away. If you don't like me personally / MFL / Riley's etc. - just stay away!

2nd - We all have our plus & minus points,we're all trying to make a living at this - we all want people too be happy - and the majority of my customers enjoy the services we do provide.

3rd - It's a small world - Most of us dealers talk to each other,I send many people to Al's / Riley's and a few others if I don't have what they need. I get the same back from them. A few others are warned about a couple of bad places that I won't name.

4th - One thing is for sure - If you don't support us,We're sure to go away! What will be left over to deal with may be much worse [sad2]
Jim/MFLR
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Jim - Thanks for a reasonable response. I did not mean to bash you or your employees. As you stated, it's a personal preference of where people choose to shop. I've bought items from everyone around because of a variety of reasons. Overall, I appreciate the selection of shops that we have and what they all offer.
 
MFLR said:
A thread about Al's Gun & Reel and people bashing both AL & Service at MFL?

1st let me say : "Al & I are friends" and if you don't like him - just stay away. If you don't like me personally / MFL / Riley's etc. - just stay away!

2nd - We all have our plus & minus points,we're all trying to make a living at this - we all want people too be happy - and the majority of my customers enjoy the services we do provide.

3rd - It's a small world - Most of us dealers talk to each other,I send many people to Al's / Riley's and a few others if I don't have what they need. I get the same back from them. A few others are warned about a couple of bad places that I won't name.

4th - One thing is for sure - If you don't support us,We're sure to go away! What will be left over to deal with may be much worse [sad2]
Jim/MFLR
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It is, after all, a forum called "Gun Shops and Reviews." Not all reviews are glowing. Should people not post their bad experiences? If you got lousy service at a tire place, wouldn't you tell your friends about it?

Don't Number 1 and 4 above kind of cancel each other out? #1 says, "If you don't like a place, don't go there." an #2 says, "If you don't support us, we'll fold." as kind of a guilt-trip into going there. Seems contradictory.
 
Wellll

I think you miss the entire point Scott

*Chose one /chose them all, or whatever - but support them. Or Wal-Mart is the only one that will be left standing.

Like I said : I consider Al a friend,and a hard working man. Not everyone likes Him -or Me - or Riley's etc. etc. but we all have customers that are very loyal. The post started as AL's Gun & Reel and morfed into mud slinging in every direction.

No need to stir shit - or slam someone too much. Reviews are fine good & bad -but pig piling on the man just isn't right.
 
WalMart could give a rats azz about the shooting sports, they have pretty much bailed on selling long arms, their customer service at the ammo counter sucks, and I don't know about you but I have not been able to buy ammo at WalMart since NOVEMBER.

I have gotten ammo recently from Al , and he will tell you flat out if you don't grab it now, it probably won't be there when you come back.

WalMart will follow K Mart out of the shooting sports soon IMHO
 
closing thought

I believe Jim has valid points and he is certainly being a true professional, gentleman and good friend in defending Al.

However, I think that as a customer, I may have seen a different side of Al, a different face he wears so to speak, such as when Al gets upset when someone is not reaching for their wallet when he wants to make a sale. One year I believe I may have spent well over a grand at Al's shop and when I chose not to buy a pistol he wanted to sell, instead of understanding it was not what I wanted, his unprofessionalism and rudensss (alcohol impairment ?) came out quickly.

While not my intent to pile on him, and will acknowledge he does have good points, and will certainly acknowledge it is important to support our local businesses, the facts of the matter are that:

1. He can become inappropriately rude; and

2. A proprietor of a firearms business walking around the shop in front of patrons with an alcoholic beverage in his hand, and appearing to be under the influence, is just inappropriate and inexcusable.
 
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Al's and MFL

I have to give my 2 cents on a good, actually GREAT experience with both places....I am new to the sport having just purchased my first gun at age 33 about 3 months ago and am still "feeling my way around" so to speak....stopped in to Al's about a month ago looking for some .40 target rounds. I live in the general area so I stopped in on a monday afternoon. As it so happens, he is closed on Mondays. Al was outside working on some kind of lumber project in the driveway and asked what I needed. I stated I didn't realize he wasn't open, and no problem I'd come back another time as I live fairly close. He asked what I was looking for and I told him, at which time he said, "ah what the hell, come on in..." as it happened, he had just bashed the *^%$ out of his forehead and was bleeding pretty good...I grabbed the last 3 boxes he had and cashed out. in the meantime 3 people came in looking for clips, and another a holster. He took care of all of them. I had a pleasant conversation with him about ammo proces etc..and thanked him repeatedly for helping me out, and he couldn't thank me enough for patronizing his store. Is he a bit rough around the edges so to speak? maybe..but hell so am I. I would go back there until proven otherwise myself... I also witnessed one of the best customer service experiences I have seen in any industry at MFL 2 weekends ago. My father and I arrived around 2pm on a saturday to get a lane. Naturally, the wait was about an hour. While waiting I noted a younger guy maybe 20ish, came in and asked about seeing a glock to purchase. The guy behind the counter, (I apologize don't know his name but he's a pretty big framed guy with glasses and a goatee). spent the next 40 minutes (literally) showing him different models, Asking him questions about his intended use, etc. I bet he showed this kid every gun in the case and explained pros and cons of each starting with simple operation etc, as the kid obviously had little to no experience with a handgun. The salesman at no time talked down to him and infact tought me a few things just by listening from a distance. It became apparent he wasn't going to buy a gun that afternoon, but the salesman told him to sleep on it, do some research, shop around and come back before he bought anything and he would do his best to accomodate him. I said to my father I wanted to buy something from the guy just out of principle. We got on the range and I'm not sure how it ended but that instance alone pushed me over the edge to join MFL and I will in very short time purchase my next gun from them. just my 2 cents!!!! glad to be a member of the forum!!
 
Is Al's still open I have called for a few days and the machine picks up, does anyone know the hours over there?
 
Well, he was open as of last Friday, cuz I bought a gun from him. (Sig 522LR) Not sure of his hours though, so you'll just have to keep trying.
 
Visited Al's (Derry) this past weekend. Packed little store. Felt like being in a toy-filled attic. Lots of hobbyist items, some match ammo, etc. Prices on some things were insanely great, including some of the ammo - and it was not old stock that hadn't been repriced. Some prices were just adequate, and nothing seemed wildly out of spec. Staff (Al and a woman I guess may have been the Mrs.?) seemed a little extra-casual compared to many stores, but they were friendly and helpful, and not even a little pushy to three tired gawkers. Didn't look at any guns, so can't say how helpful they are there, just went to get accessories and ammo - and did.
 
Ok, my experiences with Al's. I can't complain with any of them but it doesn't mean I would never go anywhere else. Years ago I bought a used .44 SA revolver from him. It didn't fire on about every 3rd round. I took it back. He worked on it (at least he said) and I tried it again. Same problem I went back again, said I would never feel comfortable with it, and he gave me credit towards something else. I couldn't complain. Second time in I traded one Kimber for another. The price on the new one was less than I had seen elsewhere. So I couldn't complain about that either. I could definitely tell his moods change from time to time; no doubt about that. Maybe it has to do with how crowded the store is, I don't know. It seems that when the place is packed things get a little tense and hurried. But I'm not making excuses. I haven't been to the MFL since they moved. I recently sold an M1 there on consignment (bought at Al's) and coudn't complain about the price. I plan to stop by in a few weeks when I'm back for Thanksgiving to take a look at what they have. I would love to be able to see if the handguns they have used work without jamming before plunking down the money, but I'm sure that's not going to happen. Which I sort of understand (but don't since there's a range 10 feet away). Take it for what's it worth.

By they way.... I'm still waiting for the guy at Sportsman's to call me when some surplus 1911 mags come in. I have to trade an aftermarket one in that I bought from him (about 2 hours earlier) because it wouldn't fit past my magwell). That was about 3 years ago. Sorry if this doesn't fit the thread.... His dog is real nice though.
 
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I went to Al's I was driving in the area and like any gun nut had to stop. The place is packed, he has a nice assortment and was very accomodating. I told him i was just looking and he was ok with that. I thought his prices were higher than MFL, Milford firearms or Chester arms. it's 40 minutes away forme and I would not drive back for anything. Only place I have seen with a lot of Kimbers though
 
Stopped by Al's today on my way to Riley's after work (Not planned, just happened to see the sign). Like everyone has already mentioned it's very crowded and hard to move around in. I understand what some people say is his "ranting" when we was talking to another customer when I came in about how there was absolutely no way he could lower his prices because he buys it for such and such a price. It seemed to me like it was just his bargaining style though but I was only there briefly.

Either way, I came in and started looking around. Didn't have much time to check all the prices or anything but the few things that I did see were marked fair to high. Excellent service though, shortly after entering I was asked by an employee if I needed help, then by a woman at the counter and then on my way out Al showed me around his shop himself. He was really friendly and showed me his large assortment of powders and talked with me about if I were to buy in bulk how great the prices would be. Very nice guy and great experience overall.
 
I love Al's Place he has helped me out a lot. He fixed my first rifle for me(the place that put it on did a piss poor job and it wasnt right, and he took care of it for me extremely quickly). ive bought ammo, a pistol, and parts for my m4 from him and i would highly recommend going to his place. some people may find him overly forward but as a vet i prefer bluntness and honesty to prevarication.
 
I just moved to Derry from Mass. I purchased an M&P Shield from Al the other day. He had it in stock at a very good price and even gave me a fair allowance on my trade in. Al was very pleasant and very helpful. He also seemed very happy to have me as a new customer and worked hard to make me want to be a return customer. This is my new gun store....now I just need a 2nd job to buy everything I want!!
 

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