Gunshop Reviews

Rovi

If I may just hi-jack this thread for a moment, the title fits my proposed subject.
I'm sure a kind Mod will move it if necessary


Anyhow..........
Does anyone else (and particularly the Mods, I suppose) think it might be a good idea to create a general 'gun shop' thread, so that we can give our thoughts and experiences of particular shops?
I'm thinking of stuff like quantity and variety of stock, pricing, attitude of staff/owner, etc..
For example, I like browsing in gun rooms, but not all shops will/can allow this. Guns shop stock tends to reflect the main interest of the owner, so there are places that are better for shotguns and places that are better for rifles, etc..
Some places have good variety and pricing on ammunition, others don't.

I appreciate that gun shops get perhaps more than their fair share of 'tyre kickers' and they have to be careful about how much freedom of the premises they give strangers, so I'm not expecting to just walk in off the street and go straight into the gun room without establishing my bona-fides with the owner.
I always carry my licences though, and I'll always buy a box or two of ammo in any new shop, just to show that I'm somewhat serious about this stuff.
Using this method, I've compiled a little list of 'Good' places and 'Not so Good' places.
The Good places are those where I can have a rummage through the gun room and the staff/owner are friendly and willing to have a chat without making me feel under any obligation to buy stuff.
The Not so Good places are those who treat the contents of their gun room like the Third Secret of Fatima and/or where the staff/owner make you feel like you're an intruder and the sooner you're gone, the better they'll like it.
Needless to say, the Not so Good places won't be getting any of my custom unless I'm truly desperate. Hasn't happened yet.

What do you guys 'n gals think? It might be a useful list to have. I'm not adverse to leaving extra time/mileage on a trip if I think there's an interesting shop to go to, but I've made big detours to find 'Not so Good' places over the years too.


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Meclor

I'd like to see something like this.

Smirky

Yep Rovi, nice thought, would be helpful. S

Umiq88

i second that

civdef

Well since there's such a demand, why not just post it here?If the response is sufficient, it can be stickied if necessary.

It would be helpful if posters justify their reviews of shops - no use just saying "XX is crap", if they're crap say why.

Sparks

Well, it's not a gunshop, but if we're putting up reviews, I'll put up Tom Watkins in the Trophy Gallery on North Frederick Street for prizes. He does the prizes for WTSC, DURC, CDPC and a fair few others and a nicer gentleman you won't meet; anyone who will tell you that a particular job is something he can't do well and then recommend one of his competitors to you who'll do a good job - that's someone worth keeping in the phone book. He's always had very, very good prices as well. We've been sourcing our prizes from him for the past decade or more in DURC, and he's just done a marvellous job with the WTSC medals. Well worth a chat to if you're looking for prizes for a shooting competition.

benhurt1

great idea....but is there a chance of being sued for defamation if you slag off a shop or owner?

Anyway....Agree totally with being allowed to browse, and Stakelums in Kilkenny or Paul O'Hallorans in Tipp are two off the top of my head that will encourage it.

But a shop in Tallaght has the most unhelpful, surly staff I have ever met!:D

fathersymes

yes those people in Tallaght are dreadfull, Scully in Athlone is well stocked and informative and very good at fairy stories! Trapper John in Roscommon is very friendly and keenly priced. Those people in Leixlip (Outdoor Hobby) are also good.

Umiq88

if they can sue you for stating the state of their shop you should be allowed to sue them for the bad service. Im pretty sure they cant freedom of speech and all that

Guy in kilkenny is an ejit thats the one in town guns are kept in a tiny closet and not treated well at all. I go to a lad that runs it out of his house (dont worry he's licenced) got good bit of room for guns prices are good but be warned he will try to sell you everything in the shop but hes grand good amount of guns

thelurcher

Jeffers in Bandon is the best around Cork IMO.
Fairly well stocked - allows you to view the gun room no problem.
No pressure sales - at all.

Good prices for Ireland - but saying that I've got a few things that have been savagely over-priced - I'd say check prices on the net first.

Will order in what you want - you may have to follow things up though with a call or two.
Fairly sexy new blond sales assistant - women handling and selling guns and ammo is always a turn on

Rovi

Seeing as how I started this thread, I'd better add something to it!

(O.T.- In my defence, I've spent the last week giving my baby brother away to his lovely new wife, so I've been somewhat distracted. Normal service will now resume.)

Anyhow, Portlaoise Rod & Gun is one of the places that will let you into the gun room, accompanied if you're a stranger. Not the cheapest place in the world, but they have a pretty decent range of ammunition and 'stuff'.
The owner is a clay pigeon/shotgun man so there are mostly shotguns in the gun room, but there are a decent number of rifles and airguns too.
Pretty much all hunting rifles, nothing in target stuff.
They also carry a lot of fishing kit.
Only open in the evening, 7-10pm, Monday-Saturday.

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Rovi

Best prices I've yet found for ammunition, and carries a very good range of calibres/loads.
Sean likes his rifles and target shooting, so there's a great range of rifles (new and used), and lots of scopes and other goodies.
Plenty of shotguns too, with a good range of competition/trap guns.
Good selection of clothing and accessories.
Free access to the gun room once you've established you're not a nutcase, and all the friendly chat you might want.

My favourite!

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civdef

Portlaoise Rod & Gun

Top quality chips too, when yer there!

Vegeta

Scully in Athlone has a pretty good selection

Rovi

I've only been there once, and have no intention of going back.:(
The young lady at the counter was pleasant enough, but didn't appear to know much about the items for sale, so there was a lot of calling to the bloke in the back room for instructions.
The bloke in the back room eventually put in an appearance, and we played 'guess the contents of the gun room' for a while.

I suppose they get much more than their fair share of 'lads' who'd like to get a gun but who have no hope of persuading the local Super to issue them a licence (indeed, there were a couple of them there when I went in), so I can understand if they are a bit 'jaded' from dealing with this stuff constantly.
I had, however, established my credentials as a legitimate shooter by buying a few flavours of ammunition and waving a handful of licences about, so I'd like to have been treated a bit more seriously.

Unless (for some reason I can't foresee at the moment) I'm nearby and need to buy ammunition, I won't be going back there again.

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seamusgi4szw

I have been dealing with Cecil and the long fella for the past three years and have to say service is superb. Friendly, knowledgeable and Gavin tells the odd lie or two.Having broken the odd gun or two and brought them back, had one complaint, had all fixed free of charge on the spot. Where do you get service like that. Wonder why they keep saying, here's that ejit comming in.??
Full stock of firearms, no problem having a nosy in the stockroom, but have the bloody manners to ask first.
Nothing is too much trouble for these guys although Gavin does go a little pink around the gills when I take liberties with his good nature on his pricing.
Nuff said, excellant shop, wide range of sporting goods but do we have to pay for thon sick coffee outa the machine. yuk!

Clare gunner

As there are now no gunshops in Limerick,I have to travel to either.
Open Season in Nenagh,average selection,with a guess the contents of the gun room or order it from the catalouge attitude.Along with a I feel smartass attitude in the staff.
Landers Tralee
Since they moved to the new shop,parking is easier,getting around in the shop is easier.The gunroom are now a joy to inspect,except it is a one man entry with staff only.Deal with Tim directly,as some of them are clueless there.Trouble is since the move,the prices have skyrocketed.Will usually have somthing "wild" in the gun selection.

opr

These are good

http://www.ardeesports.com/

Vegeta

Clare gunner wrote:

As there are now no gunshops in Limerick,I have to travel to either.
Open Season in Nenagh,average selection,with a guess the contents of the gun room or order it from the catalouge attitude.Along with a I feel smartass attitude in the staff.
Landers Tralee
Since they moved to the new shop,parking is easier,getting around in the shop is easier.The gunroom are now a joy to inspect,except it is a one man entry with staff only.Deal with Tim directly,as some of them are clueless there.Trouble is since the move,the prices have skyrocketed.Will usually have somthing "wild" in the gun selection.

Isn't Steve's fishing and shooting store still open in Limerick on Denmark st.???

Riggser

There's a gun store near Eniskellan , just over the border, I heard was the best for everything pistol. Anyone been?

froggie1

i see

Riggser

Good man. Can you hear,taste,touch and smell as well.

Clare gunner

Vegeta wrote:

Isn't Steve's fishing and shooting store still open in Limerick on Denmark st.???

Yeah but he does ammo only.Usually 12ga and 22.Dont bother ordering from anything off him, he is hopelss,and more into fishing than shooting.

E@gle.

This is a very good gun shop with a wide range of new and second hand guns.
Its is only opened for a few hours in the evenings but has always got customers. i would highly reccomend it.

Ri_Nollaig

Pat Hayes Pet shop Mallow
nice selection has no problem in browsing around and gaves good advice regaring laws and license application etc
prices are dearer to rrp online but this is to b accepted really in ireland...

Traumadoc

Outdoor hobby in Leixlip, were very helpful while shipping my rifle back from Australia.

chrisdolan11

very good selection of gear perhaps a bit pricee but you cant have everything!!

Chipboard

Was in Trapper Johns shop last Saturday. He built a new bigger shop recently - the new shop is by far the biggest I've been in. All guns are on racks behind the counter so theres no prob having a goo at everything. Seems to have loads of ammo and accessories too. Even has some pistol accessories even though pistols are practically non existent in that part of the country.

Paid a visit to Tallaght Rod and Gun a couple of years ago and was seriously disappointed.

The Gun Gallery in Drogheda is fine but they have no interest in pistols.

scorphonic

Great service in this store, Have purchased everything I have with no problems. Nice selection of shotguns and large calabre rifles. My only problem is the lack of decent .22 rifles...Also cater for fishing, archery, horse riding and the like!

Great place:D

marku-allen

tallaght rod and gun, went in to purchase a new shotgun, but the owner is so grumpy and has no patience to deal with clients(the last owner btw was a gentleman) that i wont even go to get ammunition anymore . the guy has an attitude problem......he should leave it at home !!:D

Vinniew

Anyone looking for kit in Limerick could do worse than visit Ray Sampson at Lazy Dog Shooting Supplies in Ballylanders.
Both Ray and his wife are extremely helpful and carry a good stock of everything.Lots of hunting gear, stuff for clays.Excellent layout and if he says he'll get something in for you he will.
Kinda fella you can deal with too.....willing to haggle a bit.

Seriously reccommend him!!!!

Vinniew

Clare gunner

Vinnie,
Is he opening now normal busisness hours.Or is he still working at it after hours in the evening?

Vinniew

AFAIK he's still doing evenings.......give him a call first.
If he's not there Mary often takes care of things for him.
Have to say I'm very impressed with the way he treated me and friends and he's a sound bloke to boot.......won't shaft ya on stuff either.
Very nice set up he has there now.....with the clays and the indoor for winter air rifle league. Good selection of rifles and s-guns, outdoor kit, ammo traps etc.

scout

was in there yesterday to see what they had and there was a fella looking at what looked like a bruno having the usual feel aroud checked the breech closed the bolt opened it ckecked again closed it and squesed the trigger to see what it was like

at which point the shopkeeper started giving out to him saying you will break the pin grabed the gun off him and locked it away the man asked why he had reacted in such a fashion and the shop keepers responce was that you should never dry fire a gun

my question is now
1 would it realy doo that much damage ,,,the fathers rifle a semi has had it done every time it was unloaded for the last 30 or so years and it is only on its third pin

2 how do you see what the trigger feels like without fireing a round in the shop


after his treatment of the other customer i just walked out along with 21 others...:mad:

jaycee

I guess the potential for damage depends on the firearm and how it's made.
Having said that I prefer never to dry fire on an empty chamber.

Best thing to do really is to ask the owner if he has any snap-caps since you don't want to cause any damage . It will show the gunshop owner that you are serious and know what your doing and also , if you intend buying the gun you don't want to damage it before it even leaves the store.

One other point ...
In a crowded gunshop , it is likely to "Spook" the owner if people start cocking firearms and pulling the trigger .. who knows if some idiot has left a round in one of them. :eek:

Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.

civdef

First off, dry-firing is bad for a rimfire rifle. The pin tends to come into contact with the edge of the chamber which can break the pin and damage the chamber.

Gun-dealers get edgy sometimes. You wouldn't believe the poor gunhandling that some prospective customers display, muzzle control is an alien concept for an awful lot of them, and it's regular to end up looking down the barrel of a gun held by a customer if you get distracted or look away for a second. When I was doing it, I would specifically ask people not to dry fire on an empty chamber. I had a box of various snap caps handy if people wanted to try the trigger though.

With the guns coming off the shelf, I always cleared the gun before handing it to a customer, but there was always the nagging worry about some idiot bring in a live round and chambering it, it's one of the hazards of the job, only really answer is extreme vigilance. Definitely on a number of occasions when I cleared guns brought in for sale or repair, live rounds popped out.

Gundealers get a lot of tyre-kickers and other general nuisance "customers" who really have no intention of purchasing. When confronted with someone who you suspect is in this category, it's sometimes a struggle to keep civil when they do something that really annoys you.

At the end of the day though, gun dealers are there to sell guns. For most of them it's a job not a hobby, and a certain amount of tolerating idiots is needed. It should be nearly always possible to get the safety message across with an element of tact and discretion.

There's no denying that some dealers are on the grumpy side, however they tend to be in areas with little competition. Not too many customers, if given a choice, will go to a shop that treats them like crap.

All that said, I only did it for a couple of years. If I did it for 20 years or more, my attitudes might be different!

macnas

Now Scout, don't do it again:D

Sputnik

That wasn't murrays by any chance was it Scout? Got the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Yer man got very pissy. Me and my mate basically told him to ram it and that he'd lost a sale.

As for safe handling i'm in the reserves and my mates in the PDF. We've had it hammered into us to ALWAYS clear a weapon after it's been handled, no exceptions. If he didn't want us to try the action he should have said so.

thelurcher

The fella in the tackle shop is alright usually - I find him grand to deal with but he hasn't much anymore in the way of firearms/ammo.
I actually like the idea that he doesn't let people mess around with the guns too much - when I buy a new gun I want it fresh from the box - especially when we're paying a premium here.
I bought a new shotgun a year or two back from Jeffers in Bandon and when I got it home after waiting 2 months for the license I realised that the chokes were the wrong size :mad: turned out that it was in the wrong case and someone else got my stuff - was sorted out eventually but I'm still missing some minor accessories.
If they're going to use the guns for display they should be discounted accordingly.

Murray's seem to want to get you out of there as fast as possible :rolleyes: That's where I bought my first gun though - must be around 18 years ago :eek:

thelurcher

There's a new shop opened up just off the Kinsale road roundabout heading for the Tramore road - just before where the old Woodies was.
It's not fully stocked yet and it's mainly a fishing shop but they have some shooting/hunting gear alright.

It's run by some genuinely sound lads and the prices are very good.
There's no **** talk out of them.

Would like to see them stocking guns because they's get my business and alot of the lads I know that have gone in already

civdef

As for safe handling i'm in the reserves and my mates in the PDF.

No offence, but "I'm in the reserves" just doesn't cut it as far as declaring someone safe goes. The reserves (and regulars) have ND's too. People need to demonstrate that they're safe on an individual basis.

This is the same reason that in most shops, as the staff get to know you, they'll treat you differently - with a new person, you have to start off very cautions.

If he didn't want us to try the action he should have said so.

Watching someone's trigger finger is always a quick way to assess someone's level of gunhaldling- the amount of people who have the finger on the trigger as soon as they pick up a gun is scary.


Generally when you are handling a firearm indoors you keep your finger off the trigger. Most people would consider it polite to ask first before dry firing a gun in a shop.

Sparks

civdef wrote:

No offence, but "I'm in the reserves" just doesn't cut it as far as declaring someone safe goes. The reserves (and regulars) have ND's too. People need to demonstrate that they're safe on an individual basis.

Have to say I agree with civ here - the number of college kids who were in the FCA and who were just not safe to leave handle a firearm on the first day they walked into the club is not zero. By and large, they're safer than those who've never picked up a firearm, but not in every case.

Sputnik

The reserves (and regulars) have ND's too. People need to demonstrate that they're safe on an individual basis.

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Indeed they do, my point was that they're likey to be far better then the average joe walking in off the street.

No offence, but "I'm in the reserves" just doesn't cut it as far as declaring someone safe goes. The reserves (and regulars) have ND's too. People need to demonstrate that they're safe on an individual basis.

Does that happen regularly? Can't speak for every unit of course, but in mine if your don't demonstrate safe handling on a regular basis your not allowed anywhere near a weapon. Of course that doesn't stop someone joining a club.

civdef

Does that happen regularly?

Look closely at the walls and ceilings of any guard-room!

Sputnik

Whoops! Quoted the wrong person for that second bit there Civ, actually ment to quote sparks -

the number of college kids who were in the FCA and who were just not safe to leave handle a firearm on the first day they walked into the club is not zero.

And ask if that happens regularly.

Also you say dry firing bad for rimfire, is there any effect on a centrefire rifle?

civdef

Also you say dry firing bad for rimfire, is there any effect on a centrefire rifle?

Generally no, but there are exceptions.

Whatever about the damage or lack thereof, it still used to annoy the hell out of me when people started dry firing unannounced.

Sputnik

Whatever about the damage or lack thereof, it still used to annoy the hell out of me when people started dry firing unannounced.

Fair enough, for me at least it's simply force of habit, I don't even think about it any more, guess I'll have to be a bit more polite in the future!

Sparks

Sputnik wrote:

Whoops! Quoted the wrong person for that second bit there Civ, actually ment to quote sparks -
And ask if that happens regularly.

No, not regularly. But it does happen. What we see a *lot* of from the army-trained lads is that they're wholly unprepared for a match trigger, and tend to treat match rifles somewhat less delicately than most, which leads to a fair bit of wear and tear. And when they get into position, they're as fast as anyone to put finger on trigger (ie. they don't all do it, but the percentage that do isn't much bettern than for non-army newbies) - leading to unintentional shots when the rifle's pointed at the target. Which is sort of nudging the grey area with regard to safety.

We keep an eye on it, and our ROs are briefed on it during training (and a host of other things to watch that we've learnt over the years), so it's never been something we lose sleep over. But "I'm in the FCA, I'm grand" doesn't get you a free pass on the range, basicly. (Especially since anyone saying that, probably isn't in the RDF )

Also you say dry firing bad for rimfire

Depends on the rifle for that, by the way. My anschutz wouldn't like it and would probably crack the pin after a while, but a Walther KK300 won't notice it, and there are other actions designed to let you dry-fire without needing a snapcap.
If in doubt, don't do it though.

Trojan911

scout wrote:

was in there yesterday to see what they had and there was a fella looking at what looked like a bruno having the usual feel aroud checked the breech closed the bolt opened it ckecked again closed it and squesed the trigger to see what it was like

at which point the shopkeeper started giving out to him saying you will break the pin grabed the gun off him and locked it away the man asked why he had reacted in such a fashion and the shop keepers responce was that you should never dry fire a gun
_________________________________________________________________

I found that fella in the tackle shop unhelpful as well when I went in to enquire about .223's & ammo etc. He talked me out of buying anything from him in the end, my impression was, he does not care to much for firearms and it was a struggle to glean information from him.

Where on the other hand the lads in Murrays have always been accommodating & helpful and have always sorted me out.

As for the FCA/Regulars, I did a bit of time in the FCA when younger and saw some guys in the FCA that I would'nt have trusted with a catapault let alone a firearm.

Cheers.

TJ911...

Clare gunner

Civdef brought up an intresting point;
Apart from himself doing it.I have actually never been handed or seen any gun dealer here in Ireland breaking or proving a weapon before handing it to a customer.In the US and Germany it is second nature with gun dealers to do this,and also to rub the gun down with a cloth before putting it on the rack again.I make it an automatic point to check the gun myself when I am handed it.You never know.
Also I can understand Civs point about nusiance customers,but buying a gun is a very personal thing,and I admit I must be considerd by some dealers around the world as a pest of the highest order.:D
However there is nothing worse INMHO of an aggressive sell on a gun.The type of ,"yeah,It's a gun are you buying it now???"[direct quote from a dealer here in Ireland who shall rename nameless].Best dealer and seller was in Ireland was Joe Nestor,I botherd that man somthing fierce as a kid.But he never gave me the brush off,always did his best to help and answer my questions and didnt mind me looking ,touching ,trying and not being able to buy all that I liked,and gave me an exellent line of credit,and a wealth of gunsmithing tips and knowledge. I bought when I could and when he could get them always from him.He was the ideal gun dealer.
It is proably an impossible thing to do these days,but it does give your customer a feel of him/her being important.

Vinniew

TomBeckett wrote:

hi Vinnie
Yep were setting up a club at the minute trying to get members at the moment what were doing is mostly .40/.45 but im sure .22 should not be a problem as long as you have your own.. its all up in the air a bit at the moment but it should not be long b4 were up and running if you contact Gene Murphy at 051-878007 he will explain all to you:D

Was in his shop Shooting and Fishing??? a few weeks back, he was there with some of his buddies and there was some mention of them setting up a range but he was extremely evasive when i asked about it so I didn't push the issue.