Anyone been to Four Seasons lately?

[PappyM3]

Wow.. what did you say to him in the email?

Exactly.

 

[Dennis in MA]

I'm surprised The Mill hasn't put 4$easons out of business.

There is still time though !

Shields and 40's.

 

[Palladin]

I don’t get the hate for Four Seasons.

There’re not for everyone, but I can’t remember anyone ever claiming they’re dishonest or deceptive or sell defective products or anything like that.

If you don’t like their style, don’t go there.

For me, it was the DelTon lower buy a dozen years ago. if 4S did the transfer they required you to FA10 the lower. I argued about it and was told, 'that's what our attorney said to do!'
last time I was in there

 

[Mesatchornug]

For me, it was the DelTon lower buy a dozen years ago. if 4S did the transfer they required you to FA10 the lower. I argued about it and was told, 'that's what our attorney said to do!'
last time I was in there

This is my concern with him. He (and his employees) has similarly told people it's illegal to buy new glocks because it's easier than explaining the actual law, then sells them 30-yr old ones for $800.

Set whatever policy you want. But don't mislead your customers. I've done transfers there, I won't turn anyone against him, but I am happy to throw my money at someone else.

 

[milktree]

“Your used Glock 22 prices are pure Cosby level. I didn’t get my puddin’ pops with the gun. I only got one neutered mag”

Wait... so you bought a used Glock 22 from him, and then complained about it? Or was this a way of trying to haggle down the price?

Sure, their prices on used Glocks are ... more than I'd pay. But I'm also less risk averse than some people. If you buy a Glock from Four Seasons, you can be damn sure they've crossed all the "t"s and dotted all the "i"s.

They're a risk averse company. That's their right. They don't have to sell anything to anyone at any price if they don't want to.

I almost never buy from Four Seasons any more, but not because I dislike them; it's because the things I'm interested in are weird enough that they don't find their way into a risk averse shop.

 

[milktree]

For me, it was the DelTon lower buy a dozen years ago. if 4S did the transfer they required you to FA10 the lower. I argued about it and was told, 'that's what our attorney said to do!'
last time I was in there

OK, that's a little annoying. But it's not like you weren't going to FA10 it anyway, right? If anything, you get the advantage of fouling up the state's database with bogus information (like caliber and barrel length)

This is my concern with him. He (and his employees) has similarly told people it's illegal to buy new glocks because it's easier than explaining the actual law, then sells them 30-yr old ones for $800.

Set whatever policy you want. But don't mislead your customers. I've done transfers there, I won't turn anyone against him, but I am happy to throw my money at someone else.

To be fair, most people conflate "illegal to buy" and "illegal for a dealer to sell".

Hell, a lot of people conflate "illegal for a dealer to sell" and "illegal to own."

Would you be content if they said, "it's illegal for us to sell you a new Glock"?

Realistically, you can't expect them to say, "if you want a new Glock, go talk to XXX at the mill in Littleton."

 

[bondsman333]

I can’t blame Carl for being overly cautious. He’s probably the largest volume dealer in the state and has a HUGE target on his back. His business, his rules.

When I was a gun noob I did all my shopping there. Always did right by me. Now a days I’m only looking for obscure stuff so 4S doesn’t have what I’m looking for.

 

[Dadstoys]

I was being a dick no doubt but his response was like going nuclear after someone hit you with a sling shot.

He could have just responded with like "I disagree and didn't appreciate your tone so whatever" but instead he literally matched my email to store records, got my phone #, called me and just started yelling at me. I was like dude you're f***ing unhinged f*** off don't call me again. Then he's like you're banned for life from my store and I laughed hysterically.

Wait, did you just say you were being a dick and are mad because he was a dick back ?
I got no dog in the fight but dude.
Kind of hard to say without the context.

 

[greencobra]

PIG PILE!!

 

[CrackPot]

I've been there IIRC 3 times now and most(from my experiences) can't seem to be open for the hours listed on their doors.

Some dealers say they don't care because they don't need my money, which is fine because they've got plenty of loopers that'll happily swallow the gravy for them(like they did for FS). Once more dealers, like some already on the south shore/coast and cape, stop shitting their pants and start framing out items buyers will go to them due to convenience.

I applaud them for what they did for the community(I really do) and I realize it's mainly a side gig for those there but, if you can't be bothered to be open for the hours listed expect to lose sales from those that would make the drive. Especially since the "Mill" idea has caught on with a few mini mills opening up. Christ, look at the folks that drove to FS from the SS/Cape/SC just to save $20 on something for years and thought it was the best thing ever.

Will I ever go again? Possibly. There are a few dealers there that I like and it would be worth the trip to support them if I couldn't get an item locally. Would I drive there to save $200 instead of buying local? Nope, the drive isn't worth the hassle.

The gravy swallowers will say "you're only buying a POS $500 gun anyway so f*** you poor" to defend those that don't want my money. To them, my answer is nope. The last pistol I bough was just shy of $1800 out the door. My current wish list includes plenty of items within the $1500-$2000 range and if they don't want my money, I'm okay with that because my local FFLs will happily take it from me.

I think there are two rooms with posted and regular hours. My room (Dean Safety, MAGA Arms, Newtech R&D) is Sat 9-2, Sun 2-6 and Wed 2-8. Hours are on google maps if you google Dean Safety.

Custom Defense Solutions is Sat 10-5 and Sun 12-5. He does appointments M-Th 6pm-8pm.

I am not aware of anyone else with posted or regular hours, but I will let them all speak for themselves

Everyone at the Mill has a regular/real job and does gun sales on the side as much for fun as any reason. Regular job means 9-5 M-F are not readily available hours to be at the Mill. My day job I can do from anywhere so I tend to be at the Mill more than most.

Regular hours are a relatively new thing at the Mill. For most of the time there have been dealers at the Mill it has been by appointment only. CDS was the first to be a "regular" gun shop with posted hours. During Covid our room started having regular hours to handle the volume with out all the extra touch time of making appointments. I suspect hours will decrease as sales slow.

 

[SKumar]

I can’t blame Carl for being overly cautious. He’s probably the largest volume dealer in the state and has a HUGE target on his back. His business, his rules.

When I was a gun noob I did all my shopping there. Always did right by me. Now a days I’m only looking for obscure stuff so 4S doesn’t have what I’m looking for.

Agreed. When I was a newbie, they were always there for me. Nowadays, I either build my own stuff, or special order it. I still support them even though I rarely shop there anymore.

 

[jhblaze1]

Wait, did you just say you were being a dick and are mad because he was a dick back ?
I got no dog in the fight but dude.
Kind of hard to say without the context.

idk....I was being a dick but it was warranted...but on a scale of 1-10, my dickishness was like a 2.5 he replied at like 11.

Just the fact that he called me rather than either ignore my email or respond in kind makes him a f***ing lunatic.

Not going into context, but he's s f***ing psycho. like should be on meds probably. or maybe he is and forgot to take them that day. Grownups can handle a bit of criticism...kids and whackjobs can't.

 

[drgrant]

OK, that's a little annoying. But it's not like you weren't going to FA10 it anyway, right? If anything, you get the advantage of fouling up the state's database with bogus information

There is no Advantage if you have another gun you have to speak for when the cops raid you....

Garbage excuse, what if you wanted to have a bunch of lowers on ice? No reason the state needed to know about that. FS ruined your ability to do that.

In my case I don't really give a s*** because when cops run my LTC i have scrollbars full of shit, and there's no way I'm ever going to be able to tell them where it all went. But I can see how somebody else would care those trying to keep their s*** clean. FA10ed lowers are lies.

 

[greencobra]

idk....I was being a dick but it was warranted...but on a scale of 1-10, my dickishness was like a 2.5 he replied at like 11.

i'd love to hear carls take on this... there's always 2 sides.

 

[Garys]

I bought a bunch of used guns from Four Seasons. They have a great selection of used guns particularly Smith & Wesson 3rd generation semi-autos. I probably shouldn't say selection but they do get a lot of trade ins.

In normal times, whatever they are, they have really good sales on range for ammunition.

I've done business with a couple of shops in the mill particularly Dean safety. Great guy to deal with especially for inbound out-of-state transfers. Plus I bought a Mossberg mc1sc from him at a very competitive price. By competitive I mean much cheaper than four seasons. It's good to deal with more than one NFL since you never know when somebody's going to have problems or you going to need something special.

I don’t get the hate for Four Seasons.

There’re not for everyone, but I can’t remember anyone ever claiming they’re dishonest or deceptive or sell defective products or anything like that.

If you don’t like their style, don’t go there.

 

[Mesatchornug]

To be fair, most people conflate "illegal to buy" and "illegal for a dealer to sell".

Hell, a lot of people conflate "illegal for a dealer to sell" and "illegal to own."

This is true. No need to make it worse.

Would you be content if they said, "it's illegal for us to sell you a new Glock"?

In fact, I would.

Realistically, you can't expect them to say, "if you want a new Glock, go talk to XXX at the mill in Littleton."

I wouldn't ask that, I agree it would be unreasonable.

 

[maltc]

idk....I was being a dick but it was warranted...but on a scale of 1-10, my dickishness was like a 2.5 he replied at like 11.

Cmon w/ this cliffhanger. Search your email history and share what you said lol.

 

[DarkJoker33]

Each and everytime ive been to the mill, every dealer that ive visited whether it be a wednesday thursday or saturday, has said thursday is the day to show up and that is when everyone is there.

Ive been there on wednesdays when theres more shops open than a saturday.

Ive been there on thursdays where word of mouth said everyone will be there and 1 shop is open and that was by happenstance due to other appointments that dealer had already setup.

Ive walked by dean safety/maga/new tech with the back door open and the front door closed and never to open. Even with a sign on the desk out front that says come in were open. And there are a few people just chilling in the back room. Turn the front door handle, locked.

There is no consistancy to the mill besides by appointment.

Damn near everyone knows the mill is a secondary/fun job for the people there.
Some others, well we all know why, because of the toys.

The only other issue is unknown inventory.
For the advertised 50 dealers or what not theres maybe 6 off the top of my head that post any sort of inventory.

While i and many others understand you cant post "all" off your inventory, there should be a base inventory availible somewhere to draw people in to buy.
Some are on here.
Some on are on armslist
Some are on instagram and facebook
Then there are the smart ones that fo a combo of them.

The mill being advertised as 2A heaven in honesty is a stretch.
Its good , with a select few dealers that make it so, but its potential is so much more.
Even if its a side hustle .

Will i continue to make over the hour trek to shop there?
For select things from very specific dealers ive dealt with in my small sample time in the 2A realm, yes.

For everyday things, probably not.
The mini mills popping up that ive randomly come across and the locals will get the business

 

[Broc]

Was there around 1:30 today walked right in said Hi to those I knew, walked around with just my chubby cheeks and a smile on my face . No lines, maybe 20 people inside, was a quiet Thursday afternoon.

20 people in there and you call it quiet?

Damn.

 

[Broc]

The mill being advertised as 2A heaven in honesty is a stretch.
Its good , with a select few dealers that make it so, but its potential is so much more.
Even if its a side hustle .

I think your definition of a 2A heaven is a shopping mall of gun dealers that are always open with set hours.

The mill, in MA, is definitely a 2A heaven. How many other buildings make it as easy for 50+ FFL to be there and run their buisness however they want to run them?

 

[murf4321]

This thread further proves that no matter what you do people are going to bitch.

here’s an idea.. do what you want with your money, go where you want with your money. Who the f*** cares?

i like the mill and four seasons.. GASP!!!! This is not a mutually exclusive situation.

 

[PL-52]

6 or 7 were employees behind counters

 

[DarkJoker33]

I think your definition of a 2A heaven is a shopping mall of gun dealers that are always open with set hours.

The mill, in MA, is definitely a 2A heaven. How many other buildings make it as easy for 50+ FFL to be there and run their buisness however they want to run them?

I mean isnt that everyones?

And no, i didnt go in with that expectation.
Thats reserved for places like cabelas and similar.

Even my local gun shops have good setups similar to that of the mill. Which are fine and acceptable.
I like the mill more so, because its an old school building.( i kinda like architecture of days past)

The mini mills ive been to with the same setup, even smaller have more dealers jam packed into them.
Think small offices with 3 or 4 dealers in them.
And they are satisfactory and open more than the mill is.
Im pretty sure its a side gig for them as well.

There maybe 50 ffls there, but 6-10 have a actual store front?
I havent seen much more than that.
Ive explored all floors except for the one where the spiral staircase leads down.

Im not telling anyone anything, but if people want to claim 2A heaven and advertise it as so, maybe do basic business practices.

If you want to be by appointment only, advertise as such. Then you wont have people making any statements about it.

And if you have a business maybe practice the basics of business.
Hours of operation or appointment only
Basic inventory listings
Have inventory(current situation excluded covid)

The mill would be much more busy this way.
Busy=money
Money=inventory
Some people money =happieness

And so on

 

[one-eyed Jack]

If you go down the spiral staircase you end up in the boiler room. Go out the door and across from there, in the garage, (door not locked) you will find all the free paint you want or need. (I'll get rid of it sooner or later). LOL. Jack.

 

[drgrant]

Each and everytime ive been to the mill, every dealer that ive visited whether it be a wednesday thursday or saturday, has said thursday is the day to show up and that is when everyone is there.

Ive been there on wednesdays when theres more shops open than a saturday.

Ive been there on thursdays where word of mouth said everyone will be there and 1 shop is open and that was by happenstance due to other appointments that dealer had already setup.

Ive walked by dean safety/maga/new tech with the back door open and the front door closed and never to open. Even with a sign on the desk out front that says come in were open. And there are a few people just chilling in the back room. Turn the front door handle, locked.

There is no consistancy to the mill besides by appointment.

Damn near everyone knows the mill is a secondary/fun job for the people there.
Some others, well we all know why, because of the toys.

The only other issue is unknown inventory.
For the advertised 50 dealers or what not theres maybe 6 off the top of my head that post any sort of inventory.

While i and many others understand you cant post "all" off your inventory, there should be a base inventory availible somewhere to draw people in to buy.
Some are on here.
Some on are on armslist
Some are on instagram and facebook
Then there are the smart ones that fo a combo of them.

The mill being advertised as 2A heaven in honesty is a stretch.
Its good , with a select few dealers that make it so, but its potential is so much more.
Even if its a side hustle .

Will i continue to make over the hour trek to shop there?
For select things from very specific dealers ive dealt with in my small sample time in the 2A realm, yes.

For everyday things, probably not.
The mini mills popping up that ive randomly come across and the locals will get the business

There's plenty of consistency if you actually link up with / bother to talk turkey with people that have businesses there... then a simple text message will let you know whether or not somebody's going to be there LOL. Most business there is by appointment or at least a loose window. It's more of an environment for people that actually more or less know what they want, and with a few exceptions is not a tire kicker affair. There are plenty of large, marginal gun retailers in new England to do that stuff at.

There are also like 60 plus dealers in the mill you can't really make a claim that they're all the same or do business the same way.

Also WRT "more busy." .. not sure if serious. Covid blockade is over. Every broad wants their husband or BF to set cash on fire going on vacation. Ammo still sucks all of that is resulting in much slower sales, not just at the mill but -everywhere- that guns are sold. If you interviewed an average large dealer in New England I would bet you anything most of them have reported their revenue has fallen like 50% since May..... that's just how things work that's absolutely nothing particular to the mill. Gun industry is cyclical like that. Even if the ammo came back I doubt the sales would spike for more than a month or so anyways tops most people have all the guns they could ever want.... only thing that could make people go full retard as if Biden pushes for some kind of ban or whatever. Otherwise people are tapped out. I think some sales could be made on things that are rare in the channel but those aren't going to be statistically significant in the grand scheme of things. ( for example some weird guns are still hard to get but those aren't exactly things that fly off the shelves like for example of 3 inch 44 magnum good luck trying to find one of those... )

 

[ISOTOX]

Carl called me to yell and swear at me once because he didn't like an email I sent him. He's a pathetic little bitch. It could have been handled professionally but he handled it like a 4 year old having a tantrum.

I was being a dick no doubt but his response was like going nuclear after someone hit you with a sling shot.

He could have just responded with like "I disagree and didn't appreciate your tone so whatever" but instead he literally matched my email to store records, got my phone #, called me and just started yelling at me. I was like dude you're f***ing unhinged f*** off don't call me again. Then he's like you're banned for life from my store and I laughed hysterically.

 

[DarkJoker33]

There's plenty of consistency if you actually link up with / bother to talk turkey with people that have businesses there... then a simple text message will let you know whether or not somebody's going to be there LOL. Most business there is by appointment or at least a loose window. It's more of an environment for people that actually more or less know what they want, and with a few exceptions is not a tire kicker affair. There are plenty of large, marginal gun retailers in new England to do that stuff at.

There are also like 60 plus dealers in the mill you can't really make a claim that they're all the same or do business the same way.

I can only say this for myself,
But if im going to the mill, im planning on buying something, not just an accessory or a single box of ammo.
Im either buying a gun, trading in a gun towards another or doing a "mill transfer" plus some ammo.

Its not just a hop,skip and jump away from me

 

[EJFudd]

20 people in there and you call it quiet?

Damn.

I've been in there when there were 50 or more people in there plus a line outside... so yes, 20 is quiet.

 

[Waher]

For whatever reason whenever I go there on a Saturday there's maybe a half dozen people in the store if not empty. Yet whenever I check NES the place is described as packed with the deli-ticket emporium thing going on.

 

[murf4321]

There's plenty of consistency if you actually link up with / bother to talk turkey with people that have businesses there... then a simple text message will let you know whether or not somebody's going to be there LOL. Most business there is by appointment or at least a loose window. It's more of an environment for people that actually more or less know what they want, and with a few exceptions is not a tire kicker affair. There are plenty of large, marginal gun retailers in new England to do that stuff at.

There are also like 60 plus dealers in the mill you can't really make a claim that they're all the same or do business the same way.

Also WRT "more busy." .. not sure if serious. Covid blockade is over. Every broad wants their husband or BF to set cash on fire going on vacation. Ammo still sucks all of that is resulting in much slower sales, not just at the mill but -everywhere- that guns are sold. If you interviewed an average large dealer in New England I would bet you anything most of them have reported their revenue has fallen like 50% since May..... that's just how things work that's absolutely nothing particular to the mill. Gun industry is cyclical like that. Even if the ammo came back I doubt the sales would spike for more than a month or so anyways tops most people have all the guns they could ever want.... only thing that could make people go full retard as if Biden pushes for some kind of ban or whatever. Otherwise people are tapped out. I think some sales could be made on things that are rare in the channel but those aren't going to be statistically significant in the grand scheme of things. ( for example some weird guns are still hard to get but those aren't exactly things that fly off the shelves like for example of 3 inch 44 magnum good luck trying to find one of those... )

mother f***, I was literally just contemplating buying my first 44 magnum.