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I paid $100 more for a gun than I had to in order support a local shop. At one time I didn't really see a need for the local guys until I started thinking of the way this country is going. This isn't about gloom and doom but a reality I am beginning to face. That is, that local guy may be the only one with any supplies if the stuff hits the fan. I ask myself if the owners or managers of the "big stores" would be willing to barter in order for us to get something we might need to keep our guns running. No, not at anywhere near a fair trade anyway. If the dollar is worthless, as speculators are pushing, all we will have is trade. So, did I throw $100 in the toilet or did I solidify a relationship with man my families life may depend on one day? If it is the latter I think I got a bargain. If nothing ever happens I consider it a gift to a good guy and his family for Christmas.

I hope if you have a good shop near you that you will consider getting your firearm or related products from them for Christmas this year. Yes, you will pay more but I can see that might not be so bad as an investment in friendship and maybe a bridge to a better life down the road. I don't own a gun shop or work in one so don't think I will get anything more out of this than maybe helping someone.

I do the same with mine here. Actually I get pretty good prices but the service is worth a lot more and the help I get when I need it the most. Without them, who will help me. Thanks for the write up.

Gary

yea my local shop "the arms room" charged 600 dollars more then every other gun shop i got a price quote from.

alvins wrote:yea my local shop "the arms room" charged 600 dollars more then every other gun shop i got a price quote from.

except my difference was a $300 difference, must need that extra mark up to pay for that fancy new building and indoor range.

Thats why I no longer shop at that local shop. I'll give a A+ Rating to T's Guns & Ammo also a A+ For Elite Sound & Security. Both of those are great local shops(Texas City) that I go to before resorting to the internet.

Sadly it seems that there is no middle ground left... you get a local shop that's either great and reasonably priced or crazy high and usually a little snobby to boot. I like a deal but if I even had a local shop that was close to the "normal" cost, I would support them.

I don't mind supporting the local shops. But to pay 600 more for a gun. I mean really that's high. In the local shops you can go in anytime and get answers to your questions. The local shop is going to sell you want you want not treat you to corporate tells them to push. I always go to the locals first but I do compare. I'm not going to spend 200 more than I have too.

Hmm.... Arms Room has either matched or was not more than 5% more than my best internet searches. Especially after I add differences for tax, shipping FFL transfers etc. Course different guns have different mark ups for different dealers depending on the individual deals each shop makes with distributors. I have seen it go both ways on prices between the same two shops. hard to make apples to apples comparison then.

Gary

I do my business with the places mentioned by LongHairedRedneck and find them both to be very competitive in prices. And the service is great. If you save $20 at a gun show where you paid $10 to enter and $10 to park… I really don’t know because I’ve never been to one. But if you have an issue with your purchase, where are you now? I know that if you have an issue with the fore mentioned places they will “make it right”. That is worth something to me.

When I buy new guns, I have to use a local FFL for the transfer. That's federal law.

I'm a fan of Black Gold Guns and Ammo in Houston. Great bunch of guys and prices that are actually less than the other shops I used to go to (go figure).

out here in the boonies, the local shops may appear to be a bit higher priced than the big box stores, or on-line sources, but there's no hidden costs attached. Prices are OTD! And, in the event that you do have a problem they are on top of it. I've had my local ffl's ship guns (pistols, rifles and shotguns) back to the mother ship through USPS either on their dime, or mine if it wasn't a warranty service. A couple of my local guys will even call me when something comes in they think I may be interested in, and I can normally pick them up at cost +10%..... often they will give me a phone number of someone with a gun that they just can't work a profitable trade for and let my work with the owner. Yep, their "sticker price" is normally quite a bit above "big box", but once you've become a friend and frequent customer you get not only the normally great after sale service, but the preferred customer prices. I'll pay the little extra, if need be, just to have the home away from home at the local shop. There are more "cityfied" shops in the area, full of the typical gun snob mentality know-it-alls, and their prices are generally 5-10% (or more) lower than the small shops, and their in store inventory is obviously larger, but in my opinion nothing beats the one on one personal service of the small shops. I'll pay $2-3 a box more on ammunition if my small loacl gun shop has what I want, just to stay out of the stinking china mart store.

that's just my take on it. Support your local, small shop guy!


surv

Great Guns in Burleson has been pretty good to me. Stuart is a stand up guy

While I agree with supporting your locals, there is a place for us online shoppers. Out in the hinterlands where the nearest gun store is 70 miles away. The internet and satellite T.V. have been a blessing for us.

My "local" shop is 100 miles away. But it is still the shop I trade with. The address their customers by name, know your likes and what you might want. Good guys, and Tripp Research is just a few blocks from the shop. Bonus for trading with the locals.

The prices in the local shops can vary. Luckily we have 2 or 3 that I shop at and one of them will order what you want and has good prices. Another one has a good variety, but pistols are marked up $100 to $200. The worse thing is, I am getting tired of paying sales tax on a firearm. $75 on a $900 rife, that starts to add up.