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A customer testimonial: Blackwater Tactical
In or around March I decided I would increase my rifle count, but to do so would require spending more money than I had on a rifle before. As I tend to do when it comes to spending money, I researched as thoroughly as I could the item I wanted, and then set about finding the absolute best price on the firearm I wanted. In or around October I settled on one of the larger national retailers of the brand at a very acceptable price.
As I was settling in to make the purchase, I decided to spin through this forum a little bit more and see if there were any vendors I thought I might want to check out. That's when I paid a little more attention to the Blackwater Tactical sub-forum. At the time their website was accessible, and I thought that I'd drop them a note to see what they could do (if anything.) Note that most retailers locally were asking a significant premium on the item I wanted.
I dropped a PM to the SULLY account not really expecting a response with the answer I was looking for. Traditionally in the past when I've bought firearms, car parts, etc. from specialty shops without multiple locations or chain affiliated, the experience has been painful. Normally people that run those take a hobby and turn it into a business.
It's right about here, gentle reader, that my expectations got blasted into oblivion like an insurgent walking in front of a Marine with a fully loaded AA-12.
I received an exceptionally quick response from Jason, the man behind the account. Not only did he confirm that he could get item, but asked what particular model I was looking for (kit or stand-alone.) I told him which, but asked if he could price out both. He confirmed he could and got back to me with prices that were exceptional.
Mind you, in my mind I committed to the off chance they could come within a couple hundred I'd support local business. I did not know if he'd be able to, and was a little shocked when he was under the best price I'd found. Bullseye!
We exchanged a few more PMs and I set expectations that I'd be contacting him in December to purchase. He made sure to give me his phone number(s) to reach him at my convenience. Who does that anymore? People who care about their customers, apparently.
Decmeber comes and moves further into the month than I'd planned (busy time) but finally was able to call Jason and pull the trigger. Without going into the specifics, my interaction with Jason was stellar. Not only was he persistent in pursuing acquisition of the rifle I wanted, but was extremely flexible and working to accomodate me in the process, making it as painless as possible.
Finally the day arrives and the rifle is in. Jason lets me know it's been oiled up, prepped, and is ready for me whenever I want it. I find a Saturday (today) that I can get away and depart first thing in the morning. I get down there a little early, but only because I lacked the foresight to ask when the shop was actually open (lesson learned.) I gave Jason a call on his cell and he told me he was on his way. I asked for a location to eat breakfast (hadn't eaten) and he pointed me to a local joint that was every bit as good as he said (another positive....when you send me to food and it's not crap, you're even further on the good list with me. Food = life.)
I finished a quick breakfast and arrived at the shop. Jason was behind the counter working on things and greeted me like a welcome customer. We spent about an hour talking about the rifle, ammo, and a lot of other things that made me extremely comfortable. I also had the opportunity to meet Nathan and some customers - all of which were nothing like what I'm used to at shops in the Seattle area. This wasn't walking into a shop where the workers seem a little dim yet are prominently armed (known generally as "d-bags.") No, Jason and Nathan were guys who you could tell immediately were sharp, knew their stuff, and had "been there, done that." It gave me confidence immediately that my decision to go this route was correct.
After finishing paperwork, Jason took the time to go through the breakdown procedure for me. Given that it's a rather large rifle and new to me, while I could have gone through the normal figure-it-out process, I probably would've lost a bunch of skin from metal pinches and probably even lost the tip of a finger. And I would've had to RTM, and I *HATE* doing that. So Jason's time saved me a lot of embarrassment and reading.
When I left the store I knew I found the guys that will fuel my hobby into the future. I was so thoroughly impressed with how I was treated (like a human) and the superior customer service and technical knowledge from the guys that I can honestly say this was the best firearm purchase I've made to date of the....17?....years I've been buying guns (legally) on my own. I told my wife tonight if she wants anything new we're going to Salem to get it for her.
Kudos to Jason and Nathan. Support site vendors and local business. Give these guys a shot if you haven't yet. I would be surprised if you regretted the decision.
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(Nothing negative with Nathan, I just haven't talked with him.) 
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