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Review Summary

4
 
17%
5
 
21%
6
 
25%
7
 
29%
2
 
8%
Overall Rating
3.08 star(s) 24 ratings
Service
4.00 star(s)
Selection
4.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Cowboy Ron has been Kind and Helpful
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Service
4.00 star(s)
Selection
4.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
I have never purchased anything from Guncrafters so I can't speak to their pricing or selection (even though I had to rate that as well here), but I have been in a couple times/called a couple times lately as the Communist Party of Oregon tries to slam through Measure 114. Once to ask about handgun selection, they expectedly were all out as is everyone right now, but were kind in my interactions. Second interaction was they are very close to my house so I chose them as my FFL for a rifle I have coming in. I called and visited to let them know I have one coming in and Ron was once again very kind and helpful to me. He didn't seem annoyed or rushed or overwhelmed in our conversations, which so many local dealers have sounded like as I ask questions in these crazy times. He gave me the info I needed and was excited for me to be getting my first rifle. I look forward to doing future business with him.
guncrafters, an ok place if you already did your research
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
Service
3.00 star(s)
Selection
3.00 star(s)
Value
3.00 star(s)
Pros
  • usually freindly
Cons
  • a lot of times you get ignored
  • family has had extreme issues with the lack of proper gunsmithing
Ok place if you know what you want and have educated yourself. Gunsmithing is sub par to say the least, If you get a rifle professionally sighted you should darn sure be able to at least hit paper. after a few clicks of the dials my family member was hitting perfectly.. they mounted the scope just fine but did not actually zero it at any distance...
Best Gun shop in Oregon!
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Service
5.00 star(s)
Selection
5.00 star(s)
Value
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Great owner and staff. Easy to deal with.
Cons
  • None
Hello Guys and Gals,
This place is amazing. I've been met with nothing but courtesy and professionalism. I recently brought two of my antique Winchester rifles to Ron for cleaning and adjustment. He was fair in pricing and finished them way ahead of promised date (only had them 4 days). I had taken them to a local competitor who had them for 4 weeks….did nothing and got upset when I called for update. I collected them and took them to Ron and Doug. I will never go anywhere else.

In addition I went to them today with my 15 year old son. Ron treated us like family. My son ended up selecting a nice hand made knife that Ron recommended and gave a great price. He even posed for a picture with my son. I approved of the knife and could not be happier!!!!!

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One member found this helpful.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Friendly, negotiable, great selection of oddball reloading stuff, excellent pricing on some.
Cons
  • They're in Salem and I live in Portland.
Spent almost a hour in Guncrafters today, bought a bunch of small items.
I went in to see if they had some oddball dies and specific 7mm pills. Wound up finding much more valuable (to me) stuff.
I dealt with Ron and Doug - and it was the best kind of exchange I would ever hope for at any gun store. Plus, Ron haggled with me and it was a great deal in the end. Very satisfied.
3 members found this helpful.
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
If I am remembering correctly, the first time I went to GC was back in the 90's when they were up on River Rd. It reminded me of some welding shops I'd spent time in - dirty & greasy. So I left.
When he opened up a small shop on 13th by Hoyt, I wandered in. Bought my first pistol there. It was still dank.
My experience with Doug is that he can be hot and cold. Some days he's happy and chatty, other days cantankerous. People have written about what a jerk he is, and I agree, he can be, but I regularly deal with people who are 100x farther out on that scale.

I felt I got a good deal on my pistol. I went to sell it a year later, and had him do it on consignment. After not hearing from him for ~4 months, I stopped in to see if it had sold, and if not, to collect it. (I was hoping it was still there). Nope, it had sold within a month of me dropping it off, and he had "forgotten" to call me. Fail.

The place is a lot better (and bigger) since Ron joined with him. I knew Ron from his construction business, and have always considered him a stand-up guy. I still stop in now and then. Once in a while you'll find a great deal on a used rifle or pistol. Otherwise, most of what I see is at or above going rate. For as small as they are, they do have an interesting mix of stock. I don't talk much when I go in, and they leave me alone. I like that. I don't mind nosing in when I do have a question. My experience is the service has become a lot better too. What is evident every time I go in, I am in the company of people who love guns.

If you happen to go in when they are not busy, and don't mind wading into conversation at the counter, it can be an educational experience. IMO, that is an essential element in a gun shop. I caught Doug on a happy day once, he was preaching the gospel of John Moses Browning, and I confessed that I knew absolutely nothing about the 1911. So he pulled one out, and gave me a full tour, stripping it and talking about all the parts. Not long after that, I saw a Kimber full size in there for $675 and wanted it bad. I was divorcing at the time, money was tight, and so I asked if he would hold it for me for a week when I was paid. Nope. I went back the next Friday to buy it, but it was gone. Turned out for the best - a batch of P7 imports came in shortly after that, and I bought one.

Shop Wares : B+
Folk : YMMV D - A+
Price : $$$
Overall : since I cannot give them a 2.5/5, I round it up to 3/5
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • I had a great experience at this place. From the Staff, owner and inventory. They are very nice people and very knowledgeable and ready to share information and help. I didn't get treated like a number at a DMV and felt very safe.
Cons
  • No cons in my opinion. I was very pleased with my experience and highly recommend going.
Compared to other places in Salem I have been you don't get treated like a person that has to know the staff personally to get any help or information. I have been to all outfits in Salem and have to say this place hands down is a must go.
Never had a good experience. Nuff said. Haven't met Ron though, He could be decent.
Overall Rating
1.00 star(s)
Pros
  • None
Cons
  • Everything
Seen a lot better
Never had a good experience. Nuff said. Haven't met Ron though, He could be decent.
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
I have been here MANY times and have NEVER had a good experience. besides the normal "i wanted to ask questions but was ignored" guncrafters experience everyone has, I've actually gotten to talk to Doug and had a new level of "help". one time i asked if they sold 3.5lb trigger connectors for Glocks. Doug told me that i was an idiot for wanting one because Glocks were perfect right out of the box. I also have a Ruger single action that with heavy loads, the cylinder pin walks out. Doug told me i must be doing something wrong. Well Belt Mountain makes new pins that lock in better to correct this problem for a reason so I must not be doing something wrong. But the final straw for me was when i went in and was greated by Doug, not with a "how are you", or "how can i help you", but with "What can I sell you today?". A little presumptive aren't we Doug? The thing is, there are way too many other places in town to buy a gun that don't treat you like crap to need to go to this place. I wont be going back again.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
You know, I'm really not sure all the comments here are on the level... almost like some folks from another business want to give Guncrafters the shaft to improve their customer support. I have known Doug for over 20 years, and found him to be a great help and a good listener. I've bought many guns and had several built there. Not one bad experience. He is honest and works with you, and is interested in all your little projects. It's getting harder to find good people that run a good shop, I hope it stays that way for another 20 years. I've been an NRA instructor for over 25 years and have steered a lot of folks to Doug's place...never received any bad feedback from them either. So if you want to talk to some gun folks that have been around long enough to know some things about the guns they sell, and the guns you may want work on, just give them an honest try, you won't be disappointed.
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
I was in the market for a CCW and went in to the store several times, I was almost completely ignored every time. The one time I asked about a specific model the guy was like "nope don't have one" then went back to some other pressing business (reading).

Glad I found the other shop, made a nice purchase today.
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
I've been in Guncrafters a couple 4-5 times. I go there to see what they have in inventory. I would not buy a new gun from them nor would I ever allow them to work on a gun of mine. I just don't need the frustration. I have been willing to put up with the Laurel and Hardy act a couple of times in order to buy reloading supplies they had on hand. Even when it took a good 15 min to ring a simple sale of two boxes of bullets.

Olies on the other hand I have known for nearly 30 years. I think we were all young when I met Olie and his wife. I have always been treated as a customer should even though I rarely buy much. They are good people and while the shop is nearly crowded to the point of being a Horders house that is just the kind of place I love to look around in. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND!
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
I went into gun crafters today to have my rifle checked I believed I had a bullet jacket stuck in the barrel but was not sure. I had a bit of trouble with some ammunition or the rifle but was not sure of the culprit. I had informed the manufacture of the ammunition and was told to take the gun in and have it checked. Upon entering the store it was well organized, stocked and clean. several people were chatting so I proceeded up to the counter with my rifle that is when the fun began the individual behind the counter ask what I needed and I proceeded to tell him that I thought I may have a bullet jacket in the barrel, he shined the light down the barrel and ask me if it was blocked I informed him that I had remove the lead and Teflon tip from the barrel but thought the jacket might still be in there. While describing what had occurred at the time that the jam had occurred I did not follow the exact procedure that the person behind the counter though I should have and I understood that his procedure would have been a better way to handle what I had done. as I tried to get back on course and get the barrel checked the person behind the counter proceeded to belittle me in front of my wife while not even attempting to check the rifle out after about 3 to 4 minutes of this I took my rifle and left the shop. I went to another gun dealer who did not have a gunsmith on the premises’ and ask if they knew of any other gun smiths in the area and Ole's was recommended. I was told a lot of customers come to them looking for a gunsmith or gun dealer because they have no intention of ever going back to Guncrafters of Salem. this was my first visit to Guncrafters of Salem so in a couple of weeks I may go back and see if their attitude towards the customers is the same but at this point I will only be going back one more time if they show the same type of arrogance that they displayed on my last visit. By the way I would highly recommend Ole's to anyone who is looking for a good gunsmith and an friendly environment to do business they looked at my rifle gave it a clean bill of health and while I was talking to the gunsmith the other person behind the counter was nice enough to show my wife several handguns and we are thinking about a purchase from them in the near future.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
I gave Doug and Guncrafters an excellent. I also give Blackwater Tactical, 12th Street Gun Shop, MLC Exotics, and Ole's excellent ratings. I have great relationships with all of them and buy from all of them. Each of them have different customer bases that they cater to and each shop has a different personality.

I have been going to Guncrafters for over eight years. They are very busy and have a very loyal following. They tend to be abrupt and to the point. They don't tolerate BS and attitudes. If you come in with an attitude, you will not like Guncrafters and probably leave mad and empty handed.

Sixteen guns in my current collection have come from dealing with Doug. Doug has been overly fair on allowances for guns that I have traded in there. I bought a new gun there last week and traded another gun in on it. I got more that I paid for the trade-in without haggling and the price on the new gun was almost the same price as Wholesale Sports. Treat all of them with respect and they will treat you with respect.
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
I have dealt with doug for about 5 years. Every year or so he is a dick and makes me swear to never go back, but I really think he is an okay guy. He is one HECK of GUNSMITH, and if you need work done on a gun I totally 100% say go there, and he does stuff pretty competitively priced. Everything he has done has been above and beyond. But be prepared to be ticked off occasionally. He eventually gets better. Not a good salesman, but definitely a gunsmith beyond compare. Its probably more important that he be a skilled smith than a good salesman. He should be relegated to the back room, where he and the customers would be happier.
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
I stood at the counter for 15 min one day while they tried to figure out how to give me the 20% off discount on some bullets. there must have been 4-5 large yellow signs around the reloading supplies advertising the discount. But when the clerk rang me up he didn't bother. So it took him and Doug a good 15 min to play with the cash register trying to get it to record the sale correctly. As to me I was ignored during this no sorry about the wait nothing. All the while I had exact change and could have cared less about a receipt. No one offers returns on Bullets anyway. But instead of taking my money (which I suggested a couple times) and letting me on my way. I got to stand there and watch them try to figure out the bookkeeping problem they had created.

I'll go in there again. A sale is a sale and I shop prices. But its been a long time since I expected anything from the crew there.
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
So I'll post my story of dealing with GunCrafters over the last 3 weeks. I have had both good and bad experiences. I went in to buy a handgun with my wife, on a Saturday, early afternoon. We stood at the counter for at least 15 minutes looking in the cases, looking at the stuff in the store. Despite not being busy at all nobody looked at us, or spoke to us. Finally I got someone's attention and explained what I wanted- an XDM 3.8 compact in .40 S&W, bi-tone. Doug told me they didn't have one but would be happy to order me one. So for this trip- it took forever to get someone's attention, and they didn't even offer to let me hold any or talk about any other options, which I found odd but not terribly off-putting. Once I got Doug's attention he was reasonably pleasant to work with.
The following Monday, after pre-paying for my pistol to be ordered, and looking at my receipt which had no model number or anything on it, I called in to make sure they were ordering the correct pistol- I was assured they were and proceeded to anxiously await the arrival of my pistol. The following Saturday I got a phone call that it was in. Being in Portland to sell a car at the time I told him it would be fairly close to 5 by the time I got there and he said it was no problem- they'd just stay open a little later to take care of me- which I appreciated. When my friend and I got there, we had another 15 minute ignor-a-thon, before anyone spoke to us, and the pistol they ordered was in fact wrong (3.8 bitone-not the compact) Doug assured me he could sell the one they ordered no problem, and he would just re-order, but the compact might be difficult to get. After contemplating a bit about whether or not I still wanted the .40 or if I wanted to get the 9mm in stock- I was told because of a gun show that was on- it was too late in the day to run the check and get me on my way if the 9mm was what I wanted. Of course if we hadn't been ignored for 15 minutes there would have been plenty of time. I also kinda got the vibe that if they reordered the pistol, no matter what showed up would be mine.
The following Monday, I was able to stop in, the shop was empty except Doug and 1 old timer shooting the breeze- after Doug finished his story, he asked what he could help me with, and I bought the 9mm he had in stock rather than reordering. Monday's visit was quite pleasant and I would have a very positive outlook if that had been my only contact.
I work in customer service at an auto repair shop. Providing excellent customer service really isn't very difficult- you mostly have to care. You have to treat every customer as if they are the only person in the world that is important, because at that point in time- they are. That's what being a salesperson/customer service rep is. As for the claims that they are overpriced- all of the pistols I looked at were exactly in line with all of the other shops I shopped with, and my pistol was actually priced $50 less than freaking Cabela's...All in all I'd say it was a average experience, pushed towards fair because I have routinely received excellent customer service from Ole's, and The Gun Broker in Woodburn. That's my $0.02 anyway
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
There is a reason so many people call this place GunCrappers - Doug is a complete bubblegum.

The excellent selection of firearms draws me in time and time again, but if the high prices aren't enough to scare me off, Doug usually does. I usually go in, honestly hoping that he is busy "educating" other customer publicly, just so I don't have to speak with him.

At one point I heard a young man asking him about consignment on a SPAS-12, to which Doug replied that he was in possession of an NFA, full-auto shotgun, and how illegal it was. It took the guy about 15 minutes to convince Doug that it was a semi-auto, legally-owned weapon. During this time, Doug was walking around, in and out of the backroom doing random things while arguing the whole time. After the whole ordeal, Doug basically just said "well I wouldn't be interested in selling something like that anyway".

Another, more personal experience, was when I went in looking for a AR-15 lower parts kit, and a bolt carrier group. Doug's employee tried to sell me on a DPMS parts kit that was twice what Midway (or any other in-store retailer) would sell it for. Then he went to get Doug to talk to me about the bolt carrier group. Doug did his whole "you can't build AR-15's from parts because they blow up" bullbubblegum, as others have mentioned on here. I know what head space is, I know you need to check it, and I know on the AR-15 you rarely have issues. When people generally treat me like this, I let them finish talking, and politely leave... the other problem with Doug is, he won't stop talking about how "wrong" you are for 15 minutes!

I may stop in here when I'm in Salem and bored, but as long as Doug is working here, I will never make a purchase. Higher prices are often worth better customer service but you will not find that here.
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
I come here on my way to the range sometimes. They have a pretty good selection of guns, new and used, especially for a small shop. They also have a pretty good selection of ammo, especially some of the harder to find Russian stuff. The ammo is priced about right, the guns are overpriced IMO.

It is pretty annoying they don't ever answer their phone. Although it doesn't really surprise me since I feel invisible half the time I go in there. Sometimes they will ignore your questions outright. I don't think the guy is malicious I just think he's rough around the edges. He should hire some salespeople who actually like selling and just stick to gunsmithing.

My .02
Overall Rating
1.00 star(s)
Even a blind pig will find a acorn once in a while....... That is all that I have to say to all of you that speak of the "great gunsmithing" that comes from Doug. We refer to them as "Gunscappers" I have seen first hand a 2k firearms that were not $500 after they have Gunsmithed in this shop. Here is a another. When Benelli first came out with the Nova I bought the first one to come in. I took it hunting that weekend and lost the Fiber-optic sight. I called around and no one had one. As a last resort I called Doug and he said that he could fix me up. Upon arrival Doug told me the gun would be ready in the morning. When I questioned why he couldnt just screw a new one into the threaded hole he replied " You can buy them in that thread" I called bullbubblegum on him and told him that he was not going to drill and re-tap my brand new shotgun. I called Benelli and told them what happened and they overnighted me three new front beads free of charge. The guy is a HACK and a disgrace to the firearm community
Overall Rating
3.00 star(s)
Im a youger guy, about 22, and have bought several guns from them. I always felt like the prices were fair. and maybe hes a jerk and ignores you. But I just make sure I have the time to go.. He did not even mind to stay open after closing hours when we called in. I think he just gets a lot of retards who come in and dont know anything, but pretend to be some gun master.
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