Dumbest things you've heard at the gun store

[CLT65]

And it's a machine gun as well, because if you hold the trigger down it empties the gun.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

"Cut an X in a .22LR round nose and its one of the deadliest rounds in the world"
A client told me that.

 

[Member 3687]

The old gun manager I worked for when asked how accurate a rifle was, he would always say, "it will shoot one round, one hole every time" and almost every customer would with out thought say "really it's that accurate." and he would always say "Yep!"

He never said where that hole was going to be on the target or that multiple rounds would hit the same hole so he did not lie. He just said one round, one hole every time.

If they were a dick he would never tell them any different but if they were a new shooter or a good guy he would tell them the truth but they always heard what they wanted.

 

[Nutty4Guns]

The old gun manager I worked for when asked how accurate a rifle was, he would always say, "it will shoot one round, one hole every time" and almost every customer would with out thought say "really it's that accurate." and he would always say "Yep!"

He never said where that hole was going to be on the target or that multiple rounds would hit the same hole so he did not lie. He just said one round, one hole every time.

If they were a dick he would never tell them any different but if they were a new shooter or a good guy he would tell them the truth but they always heard what they wanted.

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!

 

[Mike_M57]

I was living in California in 1994 and visiting one of the local gun stores. They had a very nice looking Weatherby rifle on display on top of the glass counter. I asked what caliber...

Gun store dude: 'That's chambered in .460 Weatherby Magnum.'
Me: "Cool."
GSD: 'So, it's a sixty-caliber.'
Me:

I waited for the punchline, but there was none. He was serious. I wanted to ask him if he'd been stillborn, but instead just walked out shaking my head.

 

[Mike_M57]

Around the same time as the above story, I was in the process of building a surf-casting rod and was at a different gun/fishing/sporting goods store looking for some foam grip material in different sizes/lengths. I'd stopped at this particular store because I'd remembered they sold what I was looking for and might have the sizes I needed. They didn't.

As I turned to leave, a gentleman asked if I needed help. I explained the situation and asked if he knew of any other stores that sold that item.

He immediately said, "You might try 4-Seasons Outfitters."

There was an awkward pause, then he did the classic 180-degree head turn and said...

"Oh. This is 4-Seasons Outfitters."

He worked there.


If there is such a thing as a Black Hole Of Stupidity, I think that guy was the actual event horizon and I'm lucky to have escaped.

 

[pharmseller]

While clothes shopping I once asked where the fitting rooms were.

While standing under the fitting rooms sign.

 

[Xaevian]

While clothes shopping I once asked where the fitting rooms were.

While standing under the fitting rooms sign.

Thank goodness you didn't ask where the rattlesnakes were!

 

[sobo]

If there is such a thing as a Black Hole Of Stupidity, I think that guy was the actual event horizon and I'm lucky to have escaped.

Galactically brilliant!

I'm stealing it...

 

[WillametteWill]

The girl behind the counter acted like I was belittling my mom and argued with me that a glock 43 would be perfect for her. She eventually convinced my mom to get the 43 and we took it to the range for her to try. With her arthritis, she wasn't able to pull the slide back, work the slide release, or the magazine release and it was all too confusing to her. I know with training and instruction she would understand it all, but just with the physical limitations it would be impractical for her.

This is why we tell new shooters (or about to be gun owners) that if you are looking at semiautos, don't leave the store until you can a) pull the slide back, b) lock the slide back without flagging everyone in the gun store. And new gun owner benefit if first shown the best way for them to lock a slide back. It would behoove gun store workers to to understand this and be able to help new shooters with this.

We had to go back the next day and exchange it for the j frame that I wanted her to get in the first place. Waste of time and it angered me that they thought they knew everything about guns and what would be best for my mom just because of what side of the counter they were on.

And this may be the best gun for her, but folks with low grip strength and/or arthritis can have issues with the heavy trigger pull, which can prevent them from hitting the large barn they are standing next to. This is why we see more and more of the S&W EZ series guns in hands of these folks who try them first. Glad she had you with her to help with everything. I feel bad with new shooters fall prey to the whim and sometimes poor bias from a single encounter at the gun store.

 

[ditchtiger]

Over heard some teens talking about armor piercing 45acp ammo.

 

[negative1]

.22 LR is completely worthless for self-defense. It will just make the bad-guys angry.

Was at a shop and the owner was trying to talk an older gal out of buying a ruger mk whatever for home defense. " You need something with more stopping power", he says. She looked like she couldn't weigh more than 80 lbs and told the owner that's what she wanted because she knew how to use one.
I kind of chuckle and shake my head which seemed to upset him. He tried to convince me it wouldn't have enough stopping power to do anything. "Well hell then, let me shoot you, just once, and we'll see if you want to stop with that BS" I tell him and laugh. He turned red as a tomato and stormed off to the back.

 

[OldBroad44]

I brought my mom into a local gun store to get her first handgun.

She's almost 70 and has arthritis in her hands. Knowing her limitations and lack of technical know-how, I really pushed her to get a j-frame as it would be a no brainer for her to use, just point and click.

The girl behind the counter acted like I was belittling my mom and argued with me that a glock 43 would be perfect for her. She eventually convinced my mom to get the 43 and we took it to the range for her to try. With her arthritis, she wasn't able to pull the slide back, work the slide release, or the magazine release and it was all too confusing to her. I know with training and instruction she would understand it all, but just with the physical limitations it would be impractical for her.

We had to go back the next day and exchange it for the j frame that I wanted her to get in the first place. Waste of time and it angered me that they thought they knew everything about guns and what would be best for my mom just because of what side of the counter they were on.

The J frame revolver is difficult for even experienced revolver shooters to shoot well. And because of its light weight, it is seriously unpleasant to shoot, even with standard 38 no plus p or .357 mags. A K frame snubby would have been a much better choice in revolvers. The j frame has a very heavy DA trigger pull compared with the medium frame K and L frame because the working surfaces are smaller. It is no gun for beginners IMO.

You had your mom in the store, so could have made sure she could rack the slide and work other controls before buying any semiauto. I think that with some training, anyone mentally competent enough to own or shoot a gun can learn the mechanics of any modern semiauto. But that doesn't mean they will remember it if the gun largely sits unused after initial training. And that's the normal pattern for elderly people introduced to guns just for protection after already elderly. I agree that the DA revolvers function is a lot more intuitive, esp. in double action. Point gun. Pull trigger. Easiest to learn, easiest to remember. However I think getting good with a revolver in DA is probably harder than getting good with most semiautos. But you don't have to be very good to hit a bad guy at a few feet away.

 

[OldBroad44]

Was at a shop and the owner was trying to talk an older gal out of buying a ruger mk whatever for home defense. " You need something with more stopping power", he says. She looked like she couldn't weigh more than 80 lbs and told the owner that's what she wanted because she knew how to use one.
I kind of chuckle and shake my head which seemed to upset him. He tried to convince me it wouldn't have enough stopping power to do anything. "Well hell then, let me shoot you, just once, and we'll see if you want to stop with that BS" I tell him and laugh. He turned red as a tomato and stormed off to the back.

My mother carried a Colt Woodsman .22. Even after she had a 1911 she was very good with, its the .22 she carried for SD in the woods or kept loaded in the nightstand. It had to do with total familiarity with the gun through using it for decades.

 

[oremike]

It is my personal opinion the the lowly .22 has harvisted it's share table fair over the years. So it's plenty deadly.

 

[fstdraw]

Worst thing I ever overheard was at a Salem LGS, no longer in business. Obama was just elected President and the gun store owner told a customer " Somebody needs to assassinate that B---- B------ before he takes office." I was shocked and appalled. I'm no liberal nor was I an Obama supporter, but that was too much and I never went back to that store.

 

[CLT65]

A friend once told me of meeting some buddies out at the local rock quarry where they were shooting .22 lr rifles. One guy in particular was swinging his gun around and being very unsafe. He called him on it, and the guy retorts "It's just a twenty-two, can't hurt anyone."

He picked up one of the soup cans that they had shredded with .22 bullets, and asked, "So, is your flesh harder or softer than this steel can?" He said the guy got white as a sheet and shut up.

The problem with .22s isn't that they can't do the job; it's that they can't do it as reliably. Shoot an attacker with a .22 lr and he might: 1. Drop in his tracks, DRT. 2. Run off, because nobody wants to get shot (and either be fine or drop over dead the next day), or possibly 3. Just get angry and shove that gun up...

I think the last is the least likely, but it's statistically more likely with a "mouse gun" than with something bigger.

 

[Flopsweat]

The J frame revolver is difficult for even experienced revolver shooters to shoot well. And because of its light weight, it is seriously unpleasant to shoot, even with standard 38 no plus p or .357 mags. A K frame snubby would have been a much better choice in revolvers. The j frame has a very heavy DA trigger pull compared with the medium frame K and L frame because the working surfaces are smaller. It is no gun for beginners IMO.

You had your mom in the store, so could have made sure she could rack the slide and work other controls before buying any semiauto. I think that with some training, anyone mentally competent enough to own or shoot a gun can learn the mechanics of any modern semiauto. But that doesn't mean they will remember it if the gun largely sits unused after initial training. And that's the normal pattern for elderly people introduced to guns just for protection after already elderly. I agree that the DA revolvers function is a lot more intuitive, esp. in double action. Point gun. Pull trigger. Easiest to learn, easiest to remember. However I think getting good with a revolver in DA is probably harder than getting good with most semiautos. But you don't have to be very good to hit a bad guy at a few feet away.

A lot of revolvers have lighter main springs available and are easy to change. I did this on a lowly Taurus 65 and turned it into a very good shooter with a little over 6 lb. double action. The tiniest bit of polishing made it very smooth. And the factory grips were so nice I just let them be. Most of my guns have aftermarket grips on them. I agree that a mid weight revolver is a much better option than a light or feather weight.

 

[RVTECH]

The J frame revolver is difficult for even experienced revolver shooters to shoot well. And because of its light weight, it is seriously unpleasant to shoot, even with standard 38 no plus p

They can be depending on the design and the grips.

An alloy frame model - (like those 'Airweight' models) will no doubt be unpleasant but something like an all steel Mod 60 with good grips AND with .38 Special only is not too bad.

I shoot my 2" Mod 60 (with Pachmayr Diamond Pro Grips) often and it is very controllable, accurate and pleasant to shoot.

Many have shot mine and have been surprised at how a 2" 'snub' can be made nice to shoot.

 

[OldBroad44]

It is my personal opinion the the lowly .22 has harvisted it's share table fair over the years. So it's plenty deadly.

True. My dad helped feed his family of five siblings and four adults during the depression by harvesting deer by shooting them in the head with a .22 rifle. My mother helped feed the family by shooting giant snowshoe rabbits in the head in Alaska right after WWII. Many/most deer poachers even today probably often use .22s because the sound doesn't travel far compared with major calibers. I ran into one guy who was living almost totally on poached deer. He shot them in the head with a 22 rifle. Any other shot and the deer runs too far before dying to find in the dark.

SD with a .22 is different issue from effective hunting, as if you are under attack from a human mere feet away, for example, you need instant incapacitation. And a chest shot or several with a .22 won't usually incapacitate fast enough unless its a brain shot. Even .357s and 9mms frequently don't incapacitate fast enough for SD purposes with chest shots. For SD using a .22 I figure all brain shots. For SD with a .38sp or equivalent or better I practice first two shots to brain, the rest to the chest. This is also useful if bad guy is wearing a vest.