Gun Store Ratings

[Broc]

Try going to a bicycle vendor and saying "I've got a great deal on a new bike for much cheaper than you sell, but the vendor only deals with storefront shops. Can I pay you $40 to receive it for me so I don't pay your markup?"

Name one retail sector other than guns where "bypass the middleman who is handling your transfer" is the normal and expected ode of operation.

1. You can have a bike shipped to your home without requiring a special license.

2. Most bike shops offer a set up fee if you dont feel like setting it up yourself. Ship it to them and then set it up.

3. The bike shop will go online and order what you want for the price that it is online. As long as they are a dealer for that brand. I dont know how they deal with brands they dont sell.

I just bought a Rocky Mountain MTB at JRA Cycles. They didnt have it in stock. They called RM, confirmed stock, ordered and a week later it was here. They set it up and I paid exactly what the cost is online not a penny more.

If gun distributors put their stock online, where we could see it, and then showed us their approved resellers, we could easily go to a gun store, tell them the gun we want for the price that it shows online and get it that way. The online price already has a markup in it. But guns dont work that way. Apples and oranges.

 

[sschevy]

1. You can have a bike shipped to your home without requiring a special license.

2. Most bike shops offer a set up fee if you dont feel like setting it up yourself. Ship it to them and then set it up.

3. The bike shop will go online and order what you want for the price that it is online. As long as they are a dealer for that brand. I dont know how they deal with brands they dont sell.

I just bought a Rocky Mountain MTB at JRA Cycles. They didnt have it in stock. They called RM, confirmed stock, ordered and a week later it was here. They set it up and I paid exactly what the cost is online not a penny more.

If gun distributors put their stock online, where we could see it, and then showed us their approved resellers, we could easily go to a gun store, tell them the gun we want for the price that it shows online and get it that way. The online price already has a markup in it. But guns dont work that way. Apples and oranges.

And they made a 40% margin doing so

the markup on bicycles is absurd , my stepson owns a bike shop and I’m in the wrong business!!

 

[btnh6668]

Shooting Supply is a solid 10 based on selection, price, reloading supplies and personality. I truly wish we had a shop like this in NH.

I would have agreed if not for my last transaction. I thought it was odd that every handgun in the case had a magazine inserted except for the particular colt 1911 I was buying. It was a brand new gun after all. After getting home with my new hand gun and inserting the mag i then realized that there was a factory defect of the mag release not allowing the mag to insert with out pushing in the mag release. I sent it out to Colt and its been 2 months and still waiting for the gun to come back. Needless to say i was pretty pissed. It was very obvious to me that it was known prior to selling which is why the mag was not with the display handgun. In hindsight i should have gone back to store but was pretty pissed. I do fault myself for buying a colt before realizing how poor their warranty turn around is. Lessons learned.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

You can have a bike shipped to your home without requiring a special license.

There are many wholesale vendors who will only shipped to recognized retailers, even though shipping to consumers is legal. In fact, you probably can't even get a copy of the wholesale price list for current model bicycles without proving you are in the business "for real". Ditto for many other consumer products - ever notice how no-one sells name brand jeans at "wholesale" prices, but all discount to virtually the same level? Many businesses have very effective margin protection programs in place (doubt that, try to buy Oakley or Surefire at a discount).

The concept is the same - buy a product on your own that the vendor sells at a markup and pay that vendor a portion of his/her normal margin to use his/her business as a conduit to get it to you.

 

[Igotid]

When I go to a store,I know what I am looking for,I don't need to be sold ON ANYTHING since I do my research way beforehand (not posting on here asking the forum what I should buy LOL )..Some guys just love to shop like women and are waiting to be sold on something..anything.

You are most impressive. Read the yelp review that I posted. There were mags all over the place, the salesperson couldn’t be bothered paying attention. I went for a Glock 23, I left with a Glock 23 with the wrong mags. Since you’re super informed, impressive, intelligent gun researchers and already know everything why are you reading a thread about gun store ratings? You already know where you’re going and what you’re getting and what you’re paying.

 

[FalArAk]

You are most impressive. Read the yelp review that I posted. There were mags all over the place, the salesperson couldn’t be bothered paying attention. I went for a Glock 23, I left with a Glock 23 with the wrong mags. Since you’re super informed, impressive, intelligent gun researchers and already know everything why are you reading a thread about gun store ratings? You already know where you’re going and what you’re getting and what you’re paying.

Touched a nerve eh ?

So you went to buy a gun,and you left with the wrong mags.

You could have used my super genius help.

Might I suggest 4Seasons next time,they will hold your hand through the whole purchasing process.

 

[Igotid]

Read my original post Mr. researcher, I already said four seasons was my jam. Not much of a researcher, jeez...

 

[JRT]

going as well as i thought

Does it really matter though? Do you really trust what anybody says, 98% of people make their own choices. There are so many cheap ass skinflints on this site, that alone is the driver behind most bad reviews.

 

[bgoum]

 

[JRT]

If gun distributors put their stock online, where we could see it, and then showed us their approved resellers, we could easily go to a gun store, tell them the gun we want for the price that it shows online and get it that way. The online price already has a markup in it. But guns dont work that way. Apples and oranges.

You can do this at every gun store in PA. I imagine it’s available in your state too.

 

[greencobra]

personally, i don't pay attention to yelp reviews, a lot of butt hurt goin' on there too. i saw someone trash my local mom and pop go to pizza joint on yelp cause the pizza and italian dishes didn't taste anything like the pizza and food in italy. if you want authentic italian cuisine, why would go to a pizza shop in woburn looking for it? yelp reviews...99% worthless.

 

[EJFudd]

Man, this thread went downhill fast.

 

[cjmass]

I would have agreed if not for my last transaction. I thought it was odd that every handgun in the case had a magazine inserted except for the particular colt 1911 I was buying. It was a brand new gun after all. After getting home with my new hand gun and inserting the mag i then realized that there was a factory defect of the mag release not allowing the mag to insert with out pushing in the mag release. I sent it out to Colt and its been 2 months and still waiting for the gun to come back. Needless to say i was pretty pissed. It was very obvious to me that it was known prior to selling which is why the mag was not with the display handgun. In hindsight i should have gone back to store but was pretty pissed. I do fault myself for buying a colt before realizing how poor their warranty turn around is. Lessons learned.

You should have gone back to Shooting Supply and told them about the problem...I am sure they would have taken care of it for you since I know from my personal experience and that of others that they stand behind what they sell and they do not knowingly sell defective guns. They are good people.

 

[Broc]

And they made a 40% margin doing so

Ask me how I know

Of course they made a margin. But I was willing to pay the price advertised online. I dont worry about their margin. The RM online pricing is what you pay, no matter where you ship.

If I didnt want to pay dealers margin I would have ordered from a direct brand, but they didnt have what I wanted.

 

[Broc]

You can do this at every gun store in PA. I imagine it’s available in your state too.

I tried twice. I got the usual "well, we would need to check and then check pricing, and then we would need to do this and that, and ugh work ..." the entire time with a "GTFO of my store face".

 

[JRT]

I tried twice. I got the usual "well, we would need to check and then check pricing, and then we would need to do this and that, and ugh work ..." the entire time with a "GTFO of my store face".

Weird, here in PA every store links to their distributor. It’s a couple percent higher than buying in the store but you get exactly what you want.

 

[sschevy]

Weird, here in PA every store links to their distributor. It’s a couple percent higher than buying in the store but you get exactly what you want.

Interesting , my website links to my distributors also but my web pricing is lower than my store pricing because I don’t actually have to dish out the money up front

 

[jpm]

I just looked ... new ownership same as the old ownership?

These guys bought it from the son but I think the son still owns the NH store. These guys have a totally new/different FFL that's not even listed as NorthShore Firearms. I did a transfer so I've seen it, totally different entity.

Did I say that?

A simple account as a dealer (or as a regular member) letting everyone know they have new ownership would have been enough. It would get them more than enough business to offset the cost of the account.

Like most gun shop owners, they just aren't internet guys. It was posted on their website for a month or two when they took over but a lot of the website is just leftover from the old one and should be redone IMO. I don't know if they are even aware of NES and the whole debacle with the prior owners or if they even care because not everyone who owns a gun belongs to NES. A lot of the people here seem to think the forum is the end-all-be-all when it comes to guns in MA but I think there's probably more gun owners in MA who don't know the forum exists than do. So they seem to just be using the standard formula of web page & facebook for their internet presence. Even email is only checked every couple of days. I think they even had a cookout this summer IIRC.

 

[Broc]

These guys bought it from the son but I think the son still owns the NH store. These guys have a totally new/different FFL that's not even listed as NorthShore Firearms. I did a transfer so I've seen it, totally different entity.



Like most gun shop owners, they just aren't internet guys. It was posted on their website for a month or two when they took over but a lot of the website is just leftover from the old one and should be redone IMO. I don't know if they are even aware of NES and the whole debacle with the prior owners or if they even care because not everyone who owns a gun belongs to NES. A lot of the people here seem to think the forum is the end-all-be-all when it comes to guns in MA but I think there's probably more gun owners in MA who don't know the forum exists than do. So they seem to just be using the standard formula of web page & facebook for their internet presence. Even email is only checked every couple of days. I think they even had a cookout this summer IIRC.

If you own a store in 2019, you should be able to do as basic marketing as posting on a forum.

If you dont, dont be surprised when people that dont like the old ownership dont go.

We have several store owners well into their 60's that post here.

Anyway, I wont be going there based on their wording with transfers.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

If you own a store in 2019, you should be able to do as basic marketing as posting on a forum.

If you dont, dont be surprised when people that dont like the old ownership dont go.

We have several store owners well into their 60's that post here.

Anyway, I wont be going there based on their wording with transfers.

I'm willing to bet that the $99 p/1-year dealer membership on NES might be cheaper than the cost of running ads and a regular website. Especially for FFLs in Mass.

 

[RapidTransit]

Back on topic,
Precision Point - Excellent
AJ's Firearms - Did a transfer here, Very friendly, nice store
Four Seasons - I'll go to Stoneham Zoo instead

 

[Coda]

personally, i don't pay attention to yelp reviews, a lot of butt hurt goin' on there too. i saw someone trash my local mom and pop go to pizza joint on yelp cause the pizza and italian dishes didn't taste anything like the pizza and food in italy. if you want authentic italian cuisine, why would go to a pizza shop in woburn looking for it? yelp reviews...99% worthless.

I don’t pay a lot attention to yelp either, or any internet reviews for that matter. I will use then as a general guide sometimes, like if something on Amazon has a lot of positive reviews I may lean towards that item.

The problem with yelp or any online reviews is people are anxious to post negative reviews after a bad experience, because they are pissed and need to vent. But when people have a good experience most just move on because they feel they got what they expected and no need to acknowledge it. I know that is the way I am.

 

[Hetzer]

From 1-10, 10 being the best, rate any gun stores, with a brief justification, if you like. Hopefully, as always, this thread hasn't been done recently.

In my view:

Four Seasons: 9 it would be a 10, due to great service and prices, very friendly and enthusiastic staff, and Carl, the owner, who is a great guy, but for the mobs and waiting times
I have bought many guns here and it's pretty much always a good experience. Great selection with lots of used guns too. Dog lover.

CCGGuns: 8 great loft where you can check out lots of long guns, very good selection, good prices, courteous

North Shore Firearms: 5 great selection of holsters, some guns, prices not bad, one guy's very friendly, another one thinks he's brilliant and shouldn't be wasting his time mixing in with the unwashed peasant for customers

Hunter Trading Post: 4 okay selection, okay prices, old man and son can be pretty condescending

B&K Sales: 8 nice selection, always has some vintage (WW2) guns), a bit pricier, very friendly and knowledgeable, retired vet

Pullman Arms: 7 small innovative machine shop, some guns, okay prices, very friendly

Gun Parlor: 5 lots of guns to rent and buy, not cheap, some employees are basically used car salesmen

MA Firearms: 6 mostly new stuff, very businesslike but courteous

Kittery Trading Post (ME): 7 non-stop erection for the amount of guns, and non-MA compliant guns specifically, handling 100's of long guns is fine, higher prices, next door to Bob's Seafood stand (+1)

Skips (NH): 8 awesome service, higher prices, nice selection

Gartman's: 8 lots of really cool stuff and very friendly/helpful owner, tad pricier

Cabela's 6: lots of guns, interesting gun "library", most guns are retail, very businesslike atmosphere

What and where is CCCGGuns?

The google machine tells me nothing.

 

[Hetzer]

Outer Limits Pro Shop in Holbrook is a good little store. Four Seasons is always good if you miss the crowds. Northeast Arms is great for AR parts and gunsmithing, Steve has done great work. Shooting Supply can have great prices and a good selection. I just got a Mark IV Target there Thursday for a great price . Gartman Arms has a great selection and Collectors Gallery is always fun to look around upstairs.

Not in the mood to bash the places that have sucked once or twice at the moment.

 

[slap shot]

I would have agreed if not for my last transaction. I thought it was odd that every handgun in the case had a magazine inserted except for the particular colt 1911 I was buying. It was a brand new gun after all. After getting home with my new hand gun and inserting the mag i then realized that there was a factory defect of the mag release not allowing the mag to insert with out pushing in the mag release. I sent it out to Colt and its been 2 months and still waiting for the gun to come back. Needless to say i was pretty pissed. It was very obvious to me that it was known prior to selling which is why the mag was not with the display handgun. In hindsight i should have gone back to store but was pretty pissed. I do fault myself for buying a colt before realizing how poor their warranty turn around is. Lessons learned.

that sucks, i had a somewhat similar issue with used gun i bought there but it went much different. old llama xv 22 i bought there came with 2 mags. One wouldn't seat properly but i didn't notice until it was full and i was at the range. Talked to Mark, he said to bring it back. He sent it to a smith with the 2 mags, got it back and he wasn't satisfied it was perfect so he sent it again all on his dime. It runs perfect now with both mags, which are not easy to find.

 

[Glockster30]

What and where is CCCGGuns?

The google machine tells me nothing.

Collector's Gallery in Stoneham, MA.

Collectors Gallery » The Premier Eastern Massachusetts Gun Showroom

 

[Rob Boudrie]

The bike shop will go online and order what you want for the price that it is online. As long as they are a dealer for that brand. I dont know how they deal with brands they dont sell.

This is a totally irrelevant fact, since the on-line price you are allowed to see is a retail one and the dealer get a standard, non-trivial, markup on it. In fact, these places have procedures in place to protect the dealer, not "cheat" him out of margin by letting you see dealer cost and paying a $40 transfer fee. It's no different than the "Davidson's Gallery of Guns" that lets even the smallest dealer have a fully stocked web store.

 

[wjsmall97]

• Kittery trading post is now giving gift cards instead of driving your gun over the N.H. border. I got a $50 card on a $425. gun

 

[mrmike7189]

It's fun to browse inside the Collectors Gallery (the upstairs has some hidden gems. ) Patriot Arms in Ipswich has a good selection ( mostly used guns.)
Northeast in Peabody is great. I like that they have gunsmithing . Most stores do not.
It's a short list, but the rest are awful. (Fours Seasons is ok...but I hate the lines &crowds)

 

[jason19711971]

Armour Sports Taunton 10