Gunshop Reviews

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.

.

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.

Rew

Vinniew wrote:

but he was extremely evasive when i asked about it so I didn't push the issue.

He's like that with most people, but he's alright if you get to know him, not that I do really.

TomBeckett

Yeah Like Rew said he can be a little that way if he does not know you.He is sound dough ive known him for years an bought all my guns from him:)

Vinniew

Thanks for the tips Tom.Well hopefully he is. Asked him to price an Olympic X Ring 10/22 for me, so lets wait and see what he comes back with.
Will be back home this wkend so I'll call to his shop for a chat.


Vinniew

Rew

Once your handing over cash he will talk to you, till then he will probably think your a tire kicker.

TomBeckett

To Rew
ha ha oh you know him alright:D

Vinniew

Which makes him pretty much like all the other dealers out there.....all about u once their getting their greasies on ur cash then as soon as ur out the door...."Fßßß U!". Which goes some way to explain whay more and more people are buying in from the likes of Frankonia,Surrey Guns etc.

Recently had one dealer in southern Ireland with the cheek to moan about how much business the web has cost him with people buying on-line. Incidentally.....it had nothing to do with the fact that he's one of the most over-priced, mean little men I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

Dealers here seem to forget one HUGELY important fact: They will cease to trade without our custom!
Their business IS SERVING customers and POETNTIAL CUSTOMERS. MAybe even a little product knowledge would go a little way to help.

Vinnie

civdef

The retail industry tends to self regulate itself as far as customer service goes, if you annoy the customers they go away and you go out of business. In the past this was skewed by the fact that in many areas there wasn't any choice of where to do business available.

As already stated, this has changed, with increased numbers of dealers around now, in addition to overseas sellers. For the customer who knows exactly what they want, there's very little reason not to buy abroad these days, the cost savings can be dramatic.

There will still always be a place though for the dealer with a goood selection and a willingness to take the time with a customer to ensure they get the gun they're looking for.

Rovi

While it's no excuse for rudeness and bad service, we should bear in mind too that we're only now emerging from a 30 year 'Dark Ages' when being a gun dealer was neither profitable nor politically correct.
Those that managed to hang on and survive during that time probably did so by being stubborn and 'independently minded,' and something of a siege mentality is somewhat understandable. Not exactly ideal character traits for the sort of 'touchy feely' experience the retail customer feels is their God given right these days though. :rolleyes:

In the last few years we've seen more and more gun shops move out into the mainstream, not hidden away in heavily disguised back rooms or tucked away out in the countryside somewhere. With a bit of luck this trend will continue, and we might get to even see gun shops in the big shopping centres someday.


Edited to add-
NOTE TO MODS
This is all off topic, might it be an idea to move these last few posts over to the Gunshop Reviews thread?
Just telling you how to do your job, no need to thank me

.

scout

Rovi wrote:

Edited to add-
NOTE TO MODS
This is all off topic, might it be an idea to move these last few posts over to the Gunshop Reviews thread?
Just telling you how to do your job, no need to thank me

.

this bis the gunshop review thread

civdef

It wasn't always, fierce efficient moderators here, ye see