Guns shops tired of noobs?

[Xaevian]

^^^

Hello Lady,

A few of the small LOCAL stores closed up here in Western Montana BUT one man on here has a small business out of his home/garage/shop.

FFL man. He sells firearms AND he makes ammunition too.

LINK:

Howdy from Montana

Howdy all. I am a new member here, from the Bitterroot Valley, Victor, MT. I am a Type 1 and Type 6 FFL. I have been a gun nut since childhood, and worked in the firearms industry since 1993. I was directed here by a member in good standing of this forum. Thanks, Kate!

www.northwestfirearms.com

He does not have a store in this college town any longer but he still has a GOOD BUSINESS and has treated my husband and I very well over the years. He still does some gun shows on and off too.

His name is BRUCE. I have his telephone number if someone would need it in Montana.

I was going to suggest some other places in MT but several smaller ones have closed as I said and some of the OLDER good GUN men have died too.

We bought our last 4 firearms from Bruce too.

We consider Bruce and his brother good and honest friends not only our FFL men.

They and one other store (Closed now - retirement!) up in Ronan by Flathead Lake sold most of my former handguns and SEVERAL of my MT husband's classic and some other EXPENSIVE custom made firearms too. This was before my husband retired.

I should ADD that Bruce is the FFL man now and his brother has another job now. Sorry about that.

ADDED more.

Cate

If I am in the market for something new and can finally get my driver's license converted to a MT one (thanks, Covid), I will hit you up for more info. We're practically neighbors now!

 

[po18guy]

Every gunshow should have a 4' by 8' sheet of plywood with a 1/4" hole drilled in the center, marked "Gun Show Loophole"

 

[turbo_vanner]

When a customer walks through a gun shop's doors they are preparing to spend money, whether it is that day or not. The fact that they have walked through that gun shop's doors means that they are hundreds of times more likely to return when they need something than that they will go somewhere else, UNLESS, they are treated poorly, embarrassed, belittled, or otherwise made to feel unwelcome or unimportant. Smart business owners know these things, and their small businesses generally do not remain small. And then there are the others...

I read the first half of this and was going to say... unless you go to The Gun Room in se Portland, but the bottom half of that paragraph covered that.

 

[Red98422]

In my experience with small business, the "small" doesn't necessary refer to just the gross income. It quite often refers to what's between the owner's ears.

For instance, the ice cream shop within a couple miles of a large recreational lake with a sign on the door saying "No swimsuits allowed". Or the coffee shop near the high school that plays classical music to drive away high school students.

The sign in the fast food place on a major highway saying "Restrooms for paying customers ONLY". Yes, it might cost a dollar or two extra to maintain that restroom because of people who never would have stopped there before and don't intend to buy anything. And yet, if that same business wants to spend money on radio or print advertising they will spend about $25 per new customer who comes through the doors. And once a person comes through those front doors they are very likely to do so when they want to buy something. It's called "customer familiarity".

I once sat in a meeting of 60 or so local small businesses for 45 minutes discussing whether the business association should buy a $25 ad in someone's travel brochure. I had other things to do so I finally stood up and said that my business would be happy to pay the $25 if we could just move on down the agenda.

When a customer walks through a gun shop's doors they are preparing to spend money, whether it is that day or not. The fact that they have walked through that gun shop's doors means that they are hundreds of times more likely to return when they need something than that they will go somewhere else, UNLESS, they are treated poorly, embarrassed, belittled, or otherwise made to feel unwelcome or unimportant. Smart business owners know these things, and their small businesses generally do not remain small. And then there are the others...

Soooo...basically don't act exactly like The Gun Room

 

[nehalemguy]

Soooo...basically don't act exactly like The Gun Room

Except for the fact that the Gun Room has lasted how many decades now and outlasted how many other shops?

-E-

 

[Xrperry]

As far as lgs and noobs, there's a shop here in Spokane that probably loves them. They would sell a 44 mag to a 80 year old lady just to make a buck

 

[edzz]

As far as lgs and noobs, there's a shop here in Spokane that probably loves them. They would sell a 44 mag to a 80 year old lady just to make a buck

Is that the one that employs the know it all mall ninjas?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

In my experience with small business, the "small" doesn't necessary refer to just the gross income. It quite often refers to what's between the owner's ears.

For instance, the ice cream shop within a couple miles of a large recreational lake with a sign on the door saying "No swimsuits allowed". Or the coffee shop near the high school that plays classical music to drive away high school students.

The sign in the fast food place on a major highway saying "Restrooms for paying customers ONLY". Yes, it might cost a dollar or two extra to maintain that restroom because of people who never would have stopped there before and don't intend to buy anything. And yet, if that same business wants to spend money on radio or print advertising they will spend about $25 per new customer who comes through the doors. And once a person comes through those front doors they are very likely to do so when they want to buy something. It's called "customer familiarity".

I once sat in a meeting of 60 or so local small businesses for 45 minutes discussing whether the business association should buy a $25 ad in someone's travel brochure. I had other things to do so I finally stood up and said that my business would be happy to pay the $25 if we could just move on down the agenda.

When a customer walks through a gun shop's doors they are preparing to spend money, whether it is that day or not. The fact that they have walked through that gun shop's doors means that they are hundreds of times more likely to return when they need something than that they will go somewhere else, UNLESS, they are treated poorly, embarrassed, belittled, or otherwise made to feel unwelcome or unimportant. Smart business owners know these things, and their small businesses generally do not remain small. And then there are the others...

Good post in general but....not sure what it has to do with my post that was quoted....
Andy

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Good post in general but....not sure what it has to do with my post that was quoted....
Andy

I was just using your post as a jumping off place...reinforcing it a bit. You were demonstrating that you knew what business you were in...selling guns, not proving your superior knowledge. The former results in profit, the latter, not so much.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I was just using your post as a jumping off place...reinforcing it a bit. You were demonstrating that you knew what business you were in...selling guns, not proving your superior knowledge. The former results in profit, the latter, not so much.

Ah..thank you .
Its been a long day and my reading comprehension ain't the best at the moment...
Andy

 

[40Garand]

The one thing I despise the most (fingernails down a chalk board) is when noobs drop a slide stop or press a bolt release on a semi and let the biatch slam shut 2, 4, or more times on an empty chamber. All the while employees stand there and let it happen. Noobs just stylin and profilin at the gun counter.

 

[RVTECH]

.

 

[Lesliet]

The one thing I despise the most (fingernails down a chalk board) is when noobs drop a slide stop or press a bolt release on a semi and let the biatch slam shut 2, 4, or more times on an empty chamber. All the while employees stand there and let it happen. Noobs just stylin and profilin at the gun counter.

Is there some damage that this does? I will normally ask before I dry fire anything, but I was unaware anyone cared about dropping the slide.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

On some models of firearms excess dropping of the slide and bolt can cause damage or accelerate wear of the same.

To me the repeated dropping of a slide or bolt , at a gun sales counter , for the sake of being cool or whatever damaging or not to the firearm is vastly annoying , if nothing else.
Andy

 

[Lesliet]

Not particularly worried about looking cool, but I do like to feel how much effort is required to operate the controls. How the slide feels when it moves under its own spring tension, how the trigger feels. That being said, I'll add dropping the slide to my "ask permission, first" list, and refrain from doing it repeatedly.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Not particularly worried about looking cool, but I do like to feel how much effort is required to operate the controls. How the slide feels when it moves under its own spring tension, how the trigger feels. That being said, I'll add dropping the slide to my "ask permission, first" list, and refrain from doing it repeatedly.

That last part about asking first and not doing so repeatedly , makes all the difference in the world....
Andy

 

[RVTECH]

How about people 'Gangster Flipping' revolvers?

 

[Mikej]

remember your first range trip?

Why yes, I do as a matter of fact!

Hadn't shot anything but a 10/ .22 rifle and Dad's Colt Woodsman, something like 20+ years previous. Early spring 2009, I think. Dad had given me his old guns. Among them was his step dad's pre-model 15 .38 sp that grandpa had used in law enforcement in Los Angeles in the late '40s-early '50s. I didn't think I needed hearing protection, neve even though about it. The Colt .22 seemed louder than I remembered? The S&W, one ear plugged up after the first shot, the next shot left a "screaming" in the ear. If it weren't for some real nice guys at the Beaver Dam Pit that day with foam earplugs to offer us, we'd have been wearing Cig Butts plugging our ears.

In my experience with small business, the "small" doesn't necessary refer to just the gross income. It quite often refers to what's between the owner's ears.

For instance, the ice cream shop within a couple miles of a large recreational lake with a sign on the door saying "No swimsuits allowed". Or the coffee shop near the high school that plays classical music to drive away high school students.

The sign in the fast food place on a major highway saying "Restrooms for paying customers ONLY". Yes, it might cost a dollar or two extra to maintain that restroom because of people who never would have stopped there before and don't intend to buy anything. And yet, if that same business wants to spend money on radio or print advertising they will spend about $25 per new customer who comes through the doors. And once a person comes through those front doors they are very likely to do so when they want to buy something. It's called "customer familiarity".

I once sat in a meeting of 60 or so local small businesses for 45 minutes discussing whether the business association should buy a $25 ad in someone's travel brochure. I had other things to do so I finally stood up and said that my business would be happy to pay the $25 if we could just move on down the agenda.

When a customer walks through a gun shop's doors they are preparing to spend money, whether it is that day or not. The fact that they have walked through that gun shop's doors means that they are hundreds of times more likely to return when they need something than that they will go somewhere else, UNLESS, they are treated poorly, embarrassed, belittled, or otherwise made to feel unwelcome or unimportant. Smart business owners know these things, and their small businesses generally do not remain small. And then there are the others...

I like the way you think Zeke.

I'm kind of embarrassed when I think of our behavior when Wifey and I first started looking at guns. We weren't complete dolts, but we were obvious noobs considering some of the things we did. I realize that now. Being as THAT time was just 11 years ago I wouldn't be likely to scoff at noobs today. More like thrilled to get a chance to help them eeaaase into savvy gun owners.

Quick noob story of out FIRST gun purchase. Gun Broker down on SE 82nd. They used to have those two really pretty young gals that worked there. One of them was helping us decide on which gun we were going to buy. What did we know? Notta! This gun was for Wifey, seeing as I had that fine S&W .38. Wifey being of the fairer sex, should have a demure gun to match, right. So we decide, after handling all the little pocket guns, that 9mm was preferred due to more difficult to find .380 at that time. And that the KelTec PF-9 seemed a better fit than the Jimenez 9mm! Much more to the story from, "The delay" and the fact the gun shot 4', or so, low at 30' and NO ONE, especially a fair lady, should get a pocket/mouse gun for a first firearm. I can still see the real pretty gal behind the counter at The Gun Broker. Fancy coffee in one hand, handing wifey pocket guns to fondle with the other hand. Any gun shop owner with smarts should steer first time gun owners away from pocket guns as a first. That was spendy lesson. we never though of taking the gun back to GB and have them ship it to KelTec. That cost $70.00. KT made the gun shoot proper, and we sold it shortly there after.

As far as dropping slides on empty chambers? CRINGE!!!! Even as a noob, that just seemed wrong.

 

[edzz]

On some models of firearms excess dropping of the slide and bolt can cause damage or accelerate wear of the same.

To me the repeated dropping of a slide or bolt , at a gun sales counter , for the sake of being cool or whatever damaging or not to the firearm is vastly annoying , if nothing else.
Andy

On a Browning pattern 1911droping the slide on an empty chamber it is "possible" for the hammer to fall to the half cock "safety" notch. When this happens it is possible for the safety notch striking the sear to damage the engagement surface of the sear thereby adversely affecting the trigger pull.

The likelihood of the hammer falling to half cock maybe exasperated by holding the frame gently when releasing the slide stop.

Drooping the slide in this manner can also be used as an indicator that the sear engagement is not correct (angle of cut and / or lack of engagement) and / or the sear spring tension isn't adequate. A 1911 that drops the hammer to half cock when the slide is dropped has a much higher risk of firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger(this is a bad thing).

The damage caused to the sear is also why carrying a gun with the hammer on the half cock notch is a bad thing along with other safety reasons.

If you want to drop the slide on an empty chamber apply slight pressure to the side of the slide to retard its forward momentum.

I'm not sure how many other action styles my comments may apply to but...

Hope some of that made sense.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

On a Browning pattern 1911droping the slide on an empty chamber it is "possible" for the hammer to fall to the half cock "safety" notch. When this happens it is possible for the safety notch striking the sear to damage the engagement surface of the sear thereby adversely affecting the trigger pull.

The likelihood of the hammer falling to half cock maybe exasperated by holding the frame gently when releasing the slide stop.

Drooping the slide in this manner can also be used as an indicator that the sear engagement is not correct (angle of cut and / or lack of engagement) and / or the sear spring tension isn't adequate. A 1911 that drops the hammer to half cock when the slide is dropped has a much higher risk of firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger(this is a bad thing).

The damage caused to the sear is also why carrying a gun with the hammer on the half cock notch is a bad thing along with other safety reasons.

If you want to drop the slide on an empty chamber apply slight pressure to the side of the slide to retard its forward momentum.

I'm not sure how many other action styles my comments may apply to but...

Hope some of that made sense.

I do own firearms besides muzzle loaders and as a long time 1911 pistol owner...I knew that....
Nevertheless...your post has excellent advice / information....good to have it posted.
Andy