Roach's Sporting Goods, Cambridge, MA

This place constitutes my "local" shop as far as I am aware. (I live in Somerville by the Police Dept. now.) I've been there a handful of times, 4 and half of them were unpleasant/ uncomfortable. When I first landed in the PRC from CA (I used to think SF was crazy...) I went by because I heard they were the shop to be in. I came in, introduced myself, asked about local regs and was told very sternly that I was not welcome to look at guns or ammo in the store because I didn't have an LTC.

I was taken back, because well... frankly... wtf is an LTC, right? The guy's response was to tell me to get a lawyer and give up the idea of getting one in Cambridge. Therein launched a 15 minute diatribe about the evils of Pelosi and how anyone that wasn't an NRA lifetimer was screwing the normal people that needed their 2nd Amendment. MY BS meter pretty much was off the chart at this point so I left.

About 4 months later I wanted to pick up a superlight spinning rod and reel for a quick trip to the Whites the next day. I went back, had a pretty pleasant experience. Didn't have much in the way of freshwater fishing gear, but I picked up a pretty nice light spinner.

Mid '09 I went back, just had been laid off and part of my walking papers was a pretty nice payoff, so I had money and time to do a little hunting again, so I wanted to take a look at a bow and pick up some camping stuff. Fed me a line of BS about how it was illegal for me to look at, buy, or possess a compound bow in the state of Mass unless I had a Class B LTC, when I called the guy on it and told him that wasn't in the MGL which I had just read through a week previous, he asked when I graduated from Harvard law. I left the camping kit on the counter and told him I'd just go to REI.

Fast forward to early October of '10. Stopped in looking for a blaze dog vest, saw a guy I had never seen before at the counter, little older, gray hair, medium build, 6' or so. Either way, he was pretty nice to talk to, enthusiastic, and curious about my dog. I walked out with a great little vest that BP and REI didn't have.

Place is totally hot and cold. I'm a fan of consistent service, and not telling someone "how it is" if you don't really know what you're talking about - so I've pretty much given up on Roach's. To be fair though, I'm a west coast softy, I like pleasant people, and spend well with people that aren't stand offish, so maybe it's a regional/biz thing. I've only been to big stores since - Kittery, Bass Pro, LL Bean in Freeport, haven't checked out other locals.
 
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vellnueve said:
I'm not a fan of their rule that you need an LTC/FID just to go into the gun section. Turned me off enough that once I get my LTC (hopefully within the next week or two) I will be visiting Four Seasons.//
Click to expand...
If you knew the AG's office was trying to "sting" dealers with unlicensed purchasers, would that change your conclusion?
 
garandman said:
If you knew the AG's office was trying to "sting" dealers with unlicensed purchasers, would that change your conclusion?
Click to expand...

They also probably get more foot traffic than many other FFLs in MA. By that I mean people just walking by who stop in and are not licensed, but just passing by. I know I used to when I was a kid, of course the laws were a lot different back then.
 
i love roaches i havent bought and guns in a year or so i havent really been there.

its a great place i have gotten the majority of my guns for them and charlie was redicuously nice to me and my mother when i was 13-14 and we used to go in there to pick out guns.

they have good used prices occasionaly i have gotten some really nice stuff from them ammo can be pricy but thats the way it allways is the bag o reloads that they sell are great stuff too i have shot 1000's of rounds in .38 and .45

last time i was there they had a lcr and let my dry fire it the thing was sweet they also seem to be stocking more marlin lever rifles i got my 1895 from them went back a week later and they had a couple more in stainless.

sometimes one of the guys can be a little crabby but hes not rude like other gunshops i have been in
 
Roach's is a cool old-school store. Ammo prices are high, but there are a good collection of odds and ends and used guns. I have never been asked for my LTC when I go into the gun section.

It's close enough that I can ride my bike, plus it makes me happy that I am buying gun stuff in the Peoples republic of Cambridge.
 
I don't live close to them any more and parking can been a hassle there IMHO. I've been going there for 30+ yrs. Lots of good people use to work there that have since passed. :( Any of your guys know, Russell? I called them not too long ago looking for something and chatted w/ a guy - his voice sounded familiar and I got talking to him about the store and stuff. I have to pop in and say hi to them.

Last time there I picked up a bunch of Hornady bullets. It is fun to poke around and see what is there. They cater to the commuter crowd looking for boots, umbrellas and things like that. Lots of people pop in there asking for that stuff so they phased out the hunting clothes and stocked up on that in the front of the shop. Small family run business for the most part - I'm going to go in see what is tucked away in there. They have some real cool old .22 rifles up on the back wall which weren't for sale: I use to look at them and drool as a kid.

Cambridge is so anti-gun it is sad. [sad] Gotta love Roach's for standing their ground all this time! [smile] If you are into finding no longer made items - you have to go in and have a look around: I've gotten some super buys on things and always find something cool to leave the store with. [grin]
 
Joe and everyone at Roach's are cool guys. Very accomodating and enthusiastic persons. I highly recommend there shop, two thumbs up!:)
 
I haven't been there in years but used to work right next door in the building across the side street. That was back in 72-78 at that time Charlie and Bill ran the place. I used to shoot with skeet Charlie and they treated me real well. They let me take a new Remington 3200 skeet gun and pay them $10.00 a week till it was paid off. It was like family. I need to try to get down there and see what its like now. I am guessing lots of changes. I have many good memories of the place but even back then they were cautious of new people and how anti gun things were even back then. At that time we voted against a law that would have banned the private ownership of all handguns. I still remember hearing on the news that is passed but when they counted the votes in western mass it failed.
 
I couldn't believe my eyes a gun shop in Cambridge. I stopped in. Nice store. Prices were a wee bit high. However the selection was nice. The shopkeepers were friendly and bothered to show me anything I wanted to see.
 
Hey so yea i might have a problem here..........so parking is an issue....by the looks of google street view there is street parking next to the store..but if there all taken then i have to drive down a block and walk down with my shotgun in its case of course..i wonder how Cambridge PD will react haha
 
I bought a shotgun there and walked out with it with just one of those silicone socks on it. Walked 1/4 mile to my car right on Mass Ave. No problems.
 
Get one of those discreet guitar cases. I found their prices to be quite high. There were definitely some interesting finds there.
 
It was cool to see a gun shop in the PRC but I knew they would never last. Pricing was generally terrible except for the old stuff they had in the store.

-Mike
 
>>It was cool to see a gun shop in the PRC but I knew they would never last.<<

I'm surprised it got in at all! :)
 
Anyone been in there to see what they have in stock and how their going out of business prices are?
 
richc said:
Anyone been in there to see what they have in stock and how their going out of business prices are?
Click to expand...

Rich,

I was in there about a week and a half ago and heard them talking about how they were closing up shop. They don't really have any guns left in the shop, except some nice looking shotguns and lever action rifles that aren't for sale. The only things that would interest people are used or older reloading dies, powder, and some bullets. Other than that the cupboards were bare (except a little ammo that was about 2-3 times the price as other places).
 
I bought my NRA targets there. They were the only place around who carried anything other than those Shoot-n-See targets that all shops sell at a huge margin.
 
It really was. Those creaky wooden floors, the antique cash register. It was definitely a time warp experience. Even if their gun and ammo prices wee a bit crazy, it's a shame to see a business that's been in operation for over a century close their doors.
 
I bought my first handgun there, A Sig 220, 22 years ago. Sorry to see it go. Sucks to loose one of the old school almost museum kinda shops.
 
Sad to hear they are going out. Worked next door to them from 1972-1978 and shot skeet with Charlie every week and we had lunch together a few times a week. From my desk in my office it was about a 75 foot walk to his shop. I was 21 and my appartment was broken into guns got stolen week after car totaled with no insurance in our first 6 months of marrage. Charlie let me buy a new Remington 3200 shotgun and pay him $10.00 a week on a handshake. He was that kind of guy. I still have that gun even though haven't shot it in years just can't seem to part with it.
 
Roach's

It is very sad to see Roach's go, they have been in business longer than any other gun shop in MA. I go in there a lot, and the guys, Joe, Mike , etc., couldn't be any more helpful! I have gotten plenty of great guns, ammo over the past few years. You just got to look around and you'll find a bargain. I remember going in there when I was a kid and just stopping and staring at tons of everything, mostly guns. Sadly since the guns laws changed I think it has been though to stock stuff like Colt's and all the other guns we wish we could buy. It really does suck to see them go and its just another one of the "great" old time businesses that are going by the wayside. Its seldom to see a business stay in business for over a century, I think they are the second oldest continually run business in Cambridge, next to Massey Hardware. And I am sure it will probably be the last gun shop in Cambridge, sad to you go Roach's!
 

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