Long-Gone Gun Shops of New England

[goodlife30]

Roaches on Cambridge. My dad took me there and I was like Cambridge? Not the biggest store but the guy ran it was pretty knowledgable. My dad bought me a ruger mark 2 with the bull barrel. I still have it.

Hyde park gun or firearms or whatever it was called on Hyde park Ave

Jacks gun shop Quincy

 

[rocket500]

Aubrey was my great grandfather. I spent a lot of time in that shop as a young kid. My great grandmother shot at someone trying to break into it once, when he was out (she missed). The shop was shut down for taxes. He was pardoned by the President (Jimmy Carter). Not kidding! Had lots of friends.

Aubrey Wornham in Townsend
Rany Gogeon (not sure how name is spelled)in Ashby
Another shop in Littleton was owned by Dave Leach

A lot of the mom and pop shops in Ma.were closed out due to the Ma. 1998 GCA

 

[hankster]

Perry White's in Rindge, NH.

 

[Duece]

Private Arms in Dracut, thought I saw that one mentioned

Bought my first 2 handguns there many years ago

 

[Peicemaker]

Roaches on Cambridge. My dad took me there and I was like Cambridge? Not the biggest store but the guy ran it was pretty knowledgable. My dad bought me a ruger mark 2 with the bull barrel. I still have it.

Roaches lasted for as long as it was going to and im surprised they lasted that long. I remember hearing about their closing sale last year. Too many bed wetting moonbats in Cambridge for a gun store to survive.

There was one in Arlington that got closed down a few years back iirc after someone straw purchased a gun there and used it to murder someone in Boston. It makes no sense because thats not the gun shop's fault, but this is MA and any excuse to shut down a purveyor of legal guns is a good one...

 

[drgrant]

There was one in Arlington that got closed down a few years back iirc after someone straw purchased a gun there and used it to murder someone in Boston. It makes no sense because thats not the gun shop's fault, but this is MA and any excuse to shut down a purveyor of legal guns is a good one...

No, the guy in Arlington got shut down because he had an impromptu range in the basement of the place and more than one "student" there had committed suicide in said range during a "safety" course. Maybe the straw purchase thing happened too but the 2nd suicide pushed that bus over the cliff.

-Mike

 

[Peicemaker]

No, the guy in Arlington got shut down because he had an impromptu range in the basement of the place and more than one "student" there had committed suicide in said range during a "safety" course. Maybe the straw purchase thing happened too but the 2nd suicide pushed that bus over the cliff.

-Mike

Oh Damn. Well, I stand corrected. FWIW The guy always seemed like a shifty character... I suppose suiciding people in the basement is just cause to have your ffl yanked and shop closed....

 

[Gidge]

Yup, there was a Service Merchandise on the Stoughton/Brockton line a while back. Now it's a Panera Bread, DSG Shoes, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Sounds like a nice little Saturday.

Used to be a Service Merchandise in Auburn, MA (closed in the 1990s, IIRC), and yes, they had firearms.

Does anyone remember "The Fair" in Worcester, MA -- they too carried guns in their sporting goods dept. ?

 

[BTSDOG]

Jims Gun Shop...Rt. 105 in Middleboro.....Little white house with barn. Got my s&w 19-2 there back in "74"

 

[RadiCS]

Wow have times changed...

 

[silversquirrel]

Roaches lasted for as long as it was going to and im surprised they lasted that long. I remember hearing about their closing sale last year. Too many bed wetting moonbats in Cambridge for a gun store to survive.

.

Sad to hear. I got a kick out of the two old guys, I think they were brothers, or at least acted that way. They always treated me well. They let put my colt AR on layaway when the 94 Clinton AWB was heating up.

 

[jaypap]

We lost Steves Hunting & Fishing and Jimmy Squids in Chicopee, Atwood Security in West Springfield.

Local Kmart and Walmart used to sell guns but no more.

 

[usp45ct]

Stewart's hunting and fishing n Indian orchard and Agawam.

 

[KenK]

Well if we are remembering "gun" shops of yesteryears...
In Berkshire County, almost every hardware store had a gun wall.
The guns were right there on a wall. I bought a Savage .22 bolt rifle at age 16 at Sears & Roebuck, while my mother waited in the car! 1958...
No one was offended by them and no one was scared of them!!!
Over the line into Ct. Same thing.. Fuller's Hardware had a wall of guns as late as 1967.
They would say... "Ask if you need help" then for $35 you could get an ITHACA 49!!!
Gee what happened???? Just sayin'

 

[fjr05]

Bought a S&W 38 Spec,Ruger MK1 and a Ruger 1022 at Coleman's Sporting Goods in Danvers in the early 70's.

 

[white feather]

Attleboro had Lester at Foxes gun shop on Park St and the Gob Shop had guns too. The Blue Knight was in North Attleboro up near the Plainville line. Russ Taylor had a shop out behind RoJacks that moved to route one. Northeast was Airport with Ed A. There were at least two previous shops in that area one run by Howard D. Joe Giraldo and his wife ran a shop mentioned earlier. We can't forget Eric Herzog who did gunsmithing in a shop across from the Chieftan. Still see some of his custom mausers for sale. Gartman's was just up the road. Brings back fond memories. Lester G had an awesome kentucky rifle and cork decoys that I covrted. He would always say you know, you know, you know. Gartman had some amazing things on the wall that were not for sale (they are now but $$$). Joe was a great b.s. er but we could ride our bikes over for .22shells. Herzog was the most interesting. I would go there to listen and learn. I had Taylor's kid Eric in class. With Colmans and Lew Hortons, we were in heaven.
White Feather

 

[Dadstoys]

When I was a kid , my father would take me to a place in Byfield.
The guy put an addition on the house for the shop.
It was on a little back road in the middle of nowhere.
It's still one on my best memeories from when I was a kid.
The racks of guns, the old wood stove with a couple of beat up leather chairs.
It always smelled of Hoppes and gun oil.
I tell my son that to this day the smell of Hoppes makes me think of his Grandpa and that shop

 

[white feather]

Thinking about these old shops reminded me how much prices have changed. It used to be that if you had $100 to $150, you could find a gun to buy. That went to $300 and then you had to mortgage the house... I am amazed at the price of a Smith 41 these days. I bought a High Standard Victor for $180. Could've had the Smith for the same money but the Victor was the better gun. I liked Colemans because they would price things when they arrived. I was buying some Sierra bullets for the 41 mag. How much are they? What about that other one in the back? (It was 25% less.) I'll take that one.
White Feather

 

[badshot101]

What was the name of the gun shop in newton in the mid 90's ?

 

[Upland]

Contra Costa?

 

[taz-2005]

How long ago did Sevice Merchandise carry guns? I remember when I was younger and living in Illinois the local Kmart had guns but don't remember Service Merchadise carrying them. though I seem to remember my oldest brother getting some type of little firing canon there. This would have been in the mid 80's.

 

[Billsail]

I'm sure it was mentioned earlier in this thread, but I bought my first hand gun at Ivanhoes in Watertown, in the early 70s.

The are an importer/distributor now, in Billerica. No retail sales, but I did go in there about 20 years ago, and the vibe I got was, I may be able to make a purchase. I didn't.

 

[Zielstrebig]

There were two shops in Douglas when I moved here 20 years ago. Both are long gone and I don't remember the names.

 

[Gibbs]

Dick Moon Sporting Goods...Fenn St - Pittsfield, MA. I used to take the bus from Dalton to Pittsfield as a kid and after Sub-n-Beef for lunch, I'd always wander down to Dick Moon's and then to Marianos Magic Shop...The good ole days long gone...

Heh.

...And less than a half-hour north in Adams was "Decker's Dry Cleaning and Gun Shop" directly across from Adams Memorial School. Been looking for a photo on the Internet just because it was a great

I used to go in with the children and Pete would give them each a dog biscuit to feed to his German Shepherds...He helped me get my license which was "good for the lifetime of the bearer."

(Even the building is completely gone now.)

 

[Hamtramck]

In the 70's, Kmart in rockland had a good size gun counter and ammo case

Bought my first gun a moss burg 500 at jacks guns and ammo in Quincy.
his wife owned the tea room upstairs and would read your palm . Bought aa sks there as well and plenty of dirt cheap Chinese 7.62 in spam cans

still have a bunch of cleaning supplies and a set of ear muffs from Coleman's in hanover.

 

[white feather]

How long ago did Sevice Merchandise carry guns? I remember when I was younger and living in Illinois the local Kmart had guns but don't remember Service Merchadise carrying them. though I seem to remember my oldest brother getting some type of little firing canon there. This would have been in the mid 80's.

At least until the mid 80's. I got a Ruger 77 there for $225.
White Feather

 

[white feather]

When we went to Gartmans, Benko threw us an oiled rag to wipe down the guns we were picking up. My friend was not happy. I had no problem with it. I would have wiped down everything if I could have handled the good stuff up on the wall.
White Feather

 

[white feather]

Post Road Gun's in Warwick was a good shop when Frank, Bob, and Charlie were there. The good news is that Frank is back in the old shop. It is now Heritage. Got a nice Ruger Bearcat there last week (through FourSeasons). Then there was Thompson Sport Shop on Route 6 in Seekonk. Apex used to have a great gun department in their Pawtucket store up until I got my for life FID card in 1968... Fern's in Pawtucket was a nice shop until he drowned. (I know drownded is locally grammatically correct.) Damn, back in the day, we had a bleep load of shops. Each one was great until: (insert calamity here).
White Feather

 

[white feather]

There were two shops in Douglas when I moved here 20 years ago. Both are long gone and I don't remember the names.

I remember that they were both in the center about a block apart on opposite sides of the street. I used to shoot silhouette out there at a nice little range with the firing line inside a building with a wood stove. UNTIL: they got shut down.
White Feather

 

[Billsail]

At least until the mid 80's. I got a Ruger 77 there for $225.
White Feather

Yup, I got a Remington 870 "Wingmaster" at Service Merchandise in the 80s, for about the same price. The fancy one with the fancy wood and finish with the real cut checkering and fancy white line spacers. My bird gun for years.