Proper handling etiquette when at a firearms store...

Another lil bit of advice. When you do buy your first gun, before completing the sale, make sure they show you how to field strip and put back the gun you choose. Can save you some embaressment when you bring a box of pieces back the next day to have them assemble.

Don't ask me how I learned this lesson.
 
SMagee said:
Another lil bit of advice. When you do buy your first gun, before completing the sale, make sure they show you how to field strip and put back the gun you choose. Can save you some embaressment when you bring a box of pieces back the next day to have them assemble.

Don't ask me how I learned this lesson.
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good point! and if you forget anything Youtube is your friend! I think every gun out there has been reassembled by someone on You tube
 
Big_Red said:
Acme Armament is actually in Plympton MA. I guess it is close enough to Plymouth. [wink] Adam, the owner, is a great guy.
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I must have been drunk everytime I look at their avatar/info. That or I saw Location: Ply******* and just assumed plymouth. Thanks for the correction.

Was gonna have my soon to be ordered Zombie Lower to their shop....woulda been bummed to drive to plymouth and start scratchin my head![laugh] ESPECIALLY since I live in Stoneham!

And yes...Adam sent me back a PM when I inquired about getting said Lower shipped their. He seemed top notch.
 
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thanks for all the responses guys. It's too bad about Northeast, I usually buy my bait there, but apparently they're not exactly the most savory individuals. Too bad, it's within(reasonable) walking distance of my house. Had anyone heard of gartman arms company? The sign said "deep hole drilling" and under it "firearms bought and sold"...It was on route 1 in wrentham, maybe foxboro, heading away from the stadium towards North Attleboro, right before the truck stop...looked kinda shady but who knows.

As far as what I'm looking for, no idea really. I don't really want a revolver, but some of the S&W ones seem pretty sweet. I really like the S&W M&P 9C, but haven't been able to do much besides look at pictures and read the manual and reviews. I've also looked at several other used S&W in the classifieds here. My price range is 300-400 tops for now, and I'm looking for something in 9mm so I can actually afford to go and shoot occasionally.
 
rep308 said:
When you hand it back, lock the slide back if it is a semi, leave the bolt open on a rifle and leave the cylinder swung open if it is a revolver
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If you don't know how to make a particular handgun "safe" (action open, chamber clear) ask the clerk. I'd say that goes for all questions you might have. Always better to just ask, rather than try to fake it and make people nervous/in danger.
 
MrJingles said:
thanks for all the responses guys. It's too bad about Northeast, I usually buy my bait there, but apparently they're not exactly the most savory individuals. Too bad, it's within(reasonable) walking distance of my house. Had anyone heard of gartman arms company? The sign said "deep hole drilling" and under it "firearms bought and sold"...It was on route 1 in wrentham, maybe foxboro, heading away from the stadium towards North Attleboro, right before the truck stop...looked kinda shady but who knows.

As far as what I'm looking for, no idea really. I don't really want a revolver, but some of the S&W ones seem pretty sweet. I really like the S&W M&P 9C, but haven't been able to do much besides look at pictures and read the manual and reviews. I've also looked at several other used S&W in the classifieds here. My price range is 300-400 tops for now, and I'm looking for something in 9mm so I can actually afford to go and shoot occasionally.
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If you're down in the Foxboro area anyways, keep going south to North Attleboro to American Firearms School. They have a wide range of pistols available for rental, including a 9c. If you keep within the same caliber, you'll just need to pay one rental fee for a 9mm. I was in the same boat and they let me swap between a couple of 9's to get an idea of what I liked. The only drawback I found was that they're not exactly diligent about cleaning the guns, so any problems might be from you, the firearm/ammo, or the maintanence. It does help if you have an idea of exactly what you want to try, so you could call AFS to see if they have them available, such as M&P 9c, Glock 26, and Sig 229.

I have a 9c and it's a very nice gun. Buying new, you will need to save some money for either a trigger job or getting th Apex drop-in kit. It's almost unshootable without fixing the trigger (mine was about 15lbs out of the box and getting through 20 rounds hurt). I did a lot of research before buying and by far the lowest price for a 9c was at Four Seasons, which LenS mentions above. It's still above the price range you mention, but it's worth saving the extra cash if you can't find one used. I'm not sure if S&W is still offering the $50 rebate or 2 free mags deal, which could make it more affordable if it's still around.
 
MrTwigg said:
Same goes for field stripping If I'm really interested I'll field strip it in the shop. I ask first. Some shops will allow it, some won't. If you don't know how, don't. It's OK to ask the salesman to show you how, again, some shops will and some won't.
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Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but are you saying there's a shop that won't let you see the insides of a gun before you buy it?

And OP, check out this thread.

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/69124-Massachusetts-gun-shop-map
 
BigMike said:
Due to Obama's presidency, it's kinda hard finding a shop that isn't packed! Best thing to do is find a local shop of good repute, and get there early.

SE MA would be Acme Armament in Plymouth, Zero Hour Arms in Easton, and "Something" Tactical in one of the Attleboros (like THAT helps!)
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Seriously? Surely you jest.
 
Welcome and just do what everyone else said. All good advice! :) BTW If you are interested, I own the M&P 9c and, if you have any questions about it, shoot me a PM.
 
At most gun shops I've been to, when I've asked to see a gun, they clear the gun, close the action, and hand it to me. The first thing I do is to clear the action again -- once I'm holding the gun, it is my responsibility and I darn well better be sure that the gun is unloaded before "dry" firing the gun. When I return the gun to the clerk, I always hand it back with the action open.
 
TWBARRETT said:
This sounds like a no brainer but I see it all the time. Dont point the gun at customers or the guys behind the counter
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+1 you might spring a leak[wink] I have bought 3 guns from Northeast traders It's a good shop on the south shore. Fourseasons is the best shop in Ma. Hands downs,[bow] I bought 2 guns form them. It's worth the ride.[smile]
 
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thank you all again for the warm welcomes, and most importantly the good advice. I'm definitely going to check out some of the stores that have been mentioned, especially Four Seasons for the simple fact that it directed me to this community. I've involved with many different types of forums(paintball, fly fishing, fraternity) and this one seems to be a lot more welcoming to the newbie, which I greatly appreciate.

Here's another general question, are gun shows generally good places to get deals? I know I've had pretty good luck at fly fishing shows as far as buying pretty much anything below market value, can I expect to see some of these deals at gun shows? I was looking at the marlboro/springfield ones as potentially places I could check out a large variety of firearms over the course of a day.

Also, I'm fairly certain at this point I'll be buying used, as I've had good luck doing so on the paintball side of things...I've been fixing all sorts of paintball markers for 10+ years, both mechanical and electronic components, so I figure I can pick up simple stripping and cleaning fairly rapidly, as well as simple parts replacements.
 
M1911 said:
Skip gun shows, unless you are looking for beef jerky, Nazi memorabilia, and overpriced guns.
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homerun.jpg
.
 
Try Northeast Trading at 580 Kelley Blvd (Rte 152) in North Attleboro, MA. Ted Oven is the owner and he and his employees are extremely helpful and knowledgable. I've bought one rifle and two pistols from them and highly recommend them. Their prices are usually the best around. Good luck with your purchase.
 
Mike02048 said:
Try Northeast Trading at 580 Kelley Blvd (Rte 152) in North Attleboro, MA. Ted Oven is the owner and he and his employees are extremely helpful and knowledgable. I've bought one rifle and two pistols from them and highly recommend them. Their prices are usually the best around. Good luck with your purchase.
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See post #24.
 
Mike02048 said:
Try Northeast Trading at 580 Kelley Blvd (Rte 152) in North Attleboro, MA. Ted Oven is the owner and he and his employees are extremely helpful and knowledgable. I've bought one rifle and two pistols from them and highly recommend them. Their prices are usually the best around. Good luck with your purchase.
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The owner is the problem. The Jim's (both father and son) are the only one's at NET that know their ass from their elbow about guns. Unless one of the Jim's is in the store that day I would avoid it.

First Defense was good to me, I suggest them.
 
I also recently got my LTC. After doing extensive online research and decided what I wanted (Ruger sr9c), I went to couple of shops. I ended up buying from Four Seasons in Woburn this past weekend. The guy who helped was great, even though the place was packed, he really took the time to explain everything and answer my questions.
 
MrJingles said:
thanks for all the responses guys. It's too bad about Northeast, I usually buy my bait there, but apparently they're not exactly the most savory individuals. Too bad, it's within(reasonable) walking distance of my house. Had anyone heard of gartman arms company? The sign said "deep hole drilling" and under it "firearms bought and sold"...It was on route 1 in wrentham, maybe foxboro, heading away from the stadium towards North Attleboro, right before the truck stop...looked kinda shady but who knows.

As far as what I'm looking for, no idea really. I don't really want a revolver, but some of the S&W ones seem pretty sweet. I really like the S&W M&P 9C, but haven't been able to do much besides look at pictures and read the manual and reviews. I've also looked at several other used S&W in the classifieds here. My price range is 300-400 tops for now, and I'm looking for something in 9mm so I can actually afford to go and shoot occasionally.
Click to expand...

Ill make you a deal. If you are interested in shooting the M&P9C go green and I will GIVE you a pass to the S&W shooting sports center for a free range rental so you can try out that gun or any others you would like from S&W. (minus the rifles and .500 revolvers)
**FYI**

Their range rental is $20 so you are getting a good chunk of change knocked off.
 

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