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Small gun shop survival.

Belt Fed said:
I could probably go to the bigger gun shops and find stuff, the three close to me never have anything much. i think one of them just don't care. the owner i never there. but i don't want to drive a ways to get something. so i find it online. now i am like you guys on guns. i ain't buying it unless i can fondle it.
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I have an LGS that I support 100%. prices are a little higher than others. They have two indoor ranges, 15 yard pistols only, and 25 yard pistol or rifle. I have an annual membership to the pistol side. We have to drive an hour for outdoor range fun. Sure, there are fancier more Gucci places here in town I could join, but they are full of people that consider themselves a notch above us common folk, as if we are lazy and never have worked an hour in our lives. You know the type, like that one guy here who has to be out of breath by now from tooting his own horn. I for one will take the friendly guy over the A-hole every time.
 
Old_Me said:
frankly, i have sold off quite a few of my guns...i am hoping to buy another 1911 or 2, and maybe a couple of 9mm's.

there might be another Glock in my future, maybe a G19

but i don't care about buying online anymore..i did that during the scandemic, when some guns were not available locally.

i am in no rush to buy anything now anyways. but i'd rather pay a higher price and support the LGS than an online retailer.

sometimes shipping is free, but there are still sales taxes and a transfer fee.

in the end, i don't "see" way much savings buying online, then too.......will it be stolen in transit..???
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I have to disagree. I probably buy 85% of my guns online and I save massively over the LGS. More often than not shipping is free and some places don’t charge sales tax. Combine that with the zero transfer fee with one of the ranges I’m a member of and I am always at least $200 to the better. I can’t ignore that kind of difference. Btw, none of the LGS near me are Mom and Pop stores
 
In my area the retail market has been slow for most of the last years due to the economy.

I have two shops locally that are small, and they say the "average Joe folks" are tapped out that that don't have the coin.

Basically, those making less than 100K are tapped out, those from 100K to 150K are very selective, and those above that have not changed their buying habits much, based on what legit economists say.

One shop is staying operational doing gunsmithing work since he's the only skilled gunsmith in a large area. His retail is way down, and getting a lot of consignment stuff & on the rack. I've given him as much of the upgrade work I can't do on my own, but I don't have anything left.

The other shop is doing OK with their own online sales but down.

Both make some $$ on transfers.

The big box stores in town are down also.

Folks have either stocked up already, maxed out budget wise, or not high-rollers to keep buying.

With DJT elected the risks to national restrictions are down to nothing, any restrictions will be locally/state-wise but we ll know where that will be. In my state nothing will happen.

My buying is limited to tweaks & upgrades since I'm pretty much set after reimaging/upgrading the herd for the last 6 yrs. I'm still tempted but rein myself in since I have my bases covered, and there's other priorities.

My .02
 
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I always shop local unless it's something that I just can't get without ordering it. I prefer to be able to get my hands on what I want to buy and make sure I like it before I put down hard earned cash. I can usually find my ammo pretty cheap locally too. My only issue now is that the economy sucks and money is tight. So, I'm a little more picky on what I buy right now.
 
Have bought on line and in store. Depends on the dollar amount involved. When buying Staccato XL I went to my favorite LGS. They had 4 in stock, I handled all 4 and picked what I felt was the best according to appearance, trigger etc... Never buy the counter display that has been molested by every jack-leg that wants to touch it.
 
For a city the size of Memphis, there really aren't many good gun shops here. There are a few small places that survive off of ARs and plastic pistols. Very little of interest to me in inventory.
The biggest gun shop in town doesn't sell used guns at all and rarely trades for any. Most of their stuff is at MSRP. But they're always busy and have a good selection.
They're another fairly large shop that has a pretty good selection of used guns, but damn! They are proud of them. :oops: I've never been willing to pay their asking prices.
One fairly small shop has a completely separate store a couple of doors down that only does transfers. No inventory at all. One guy, a desk and a couple of safes to store shipments in. They have a decent fee and are quick. I use them when I buy off the internet.
 
Ultimately the fate of the good guy with the gun is in the hands of the presiding admins policy. In a self defense scenario under the current admin you are more than likely doomed. Hoping for better odds come Monday regardless of gun sales. time to "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" let's take the trash out of our neighborhoods!
 
SL66 said:
Ultimately the fate of the good guy with the gun is in the hands of the presiding admins policy. In a self defense scenario under the current admin you are more than likely doomed. Hoping for better odds come Monday regardless of gun sales. time to "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" let's take the trash out of our neighborhoods!
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That depends on if you're in a free state or not.
 
Belt Fed said:
The small shops here are hurting for sales, i talked to one yesterday and he said the internet is killing them. they can't compete with PSA and others. sure they get a small transfer fee but it's nothing to compare what they would make if they had sold that gun. as a result the shops around me have little inventory, don't look like they will survive if things don't change. he said some places charge double for PSA transfers. i didn't ask why.

Bad as it is for them and good for us. Trump winning has hurt a little too. people are not panic buying or scared cause the other two clowns were threatening our gun ownership. so folks are putting off buying cause they pretty sure the guns they want will be around.

Now i'm guilty as anyone, i buy most accessories and about all ammo online, but not a gun. have bought a couple muzzleloaders online. hows the small shops in your area. i sure hope things pick up for em. hate to see any gun shop close down.
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Owner of local gs told me last week his sales for 24 were $250,000 under ‘23. He blames the economy and high prices of food and fuel
 
Belt Fed said:
The small shops here are hurting for sales, i talked to one yesterday and he said the internet is killing them. they can't compete with PSA and others. sure they get a small transfer fee but it's nothing to compare what they would make if they had sold that gun. as a result the shops around me have little inventory, don't look like they will survive if things don't change. he said some places charge double for PSA transfers. i didn't ask why.

Bad as it is for them and good for us. Trump winning has hurt a little too. people are not panic buying or scared cause the other two clowns were threatening our gun ownership. so folks are putting off buying cause they pretty sure the guns they want will be around.

Now i'm guilty as anyone, i buy most accessories and about all ammo online, but not a gun. have bought a couple muzzleloaders online. hows the small shops in your area. i sure hope things pick up for em. hate to see any gun shop close down.
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Living in Illinois, most of the smaller gun dealers are already gone, and it makes me sad and mad. :mad: The requirement for a state dealer's license on top of the federal one plus all the electronic requirements put a lot of good dealers out of business.

That said, no retail store is going to be able to compete against the internet giants because of inventory alone. That isn't true only for guns but everything else as well. No local store seems willing to carry the selection of jeans I want, so they come from the internet. No local store carries Medium Tall in shirts or sweaters so my business goes to the online retailers who do. Guns, saddles and other equestrian gear, scuba gear, the list goes on and on.

The local retailers cry and moan which I understand, but I also cry about sending my money to who knows where just to get what I want. I once wasted an entire Saturday trying to chase down Kroil locally only to order that night on Amazon for Monday delivery.
 
I have 5 private gun shops near me and all are doing well. They each offer a nice inventory along with a type of "specialty" service. Lower FFL fees at some, indoor ranges at 2, excellent smithing at 3, and exceptional custom work at 2. All but one fairly prices their products and offer great customer service. I will purchase online but prefer to purchase at the shop when availability allows. They will all order/waiting list for you with no deposit and will verify before purchasing a waiting list item. The bonus is, they are knowledgeable and willing to talk sheet about your skill set with a smile on their face. The afore mentioned "one" covers the knowledge but a personable human being can't be found in the store.
 
Hi,

I do what I can to support the local brick-and-mortar shops but sometimes you just can't pass up the online deals. My last two rifles and three cases of ammo were local purchases. At least 60% of my 2A budget is spent online, but I always shop local first. If the deal is "close enough" then they get my business. I have to be a bit frugal. My gig money only goes so far. ;)

They say, "Money talks." I know it's true. All mine ever says is, "Good bye!"


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
My first online gun purchase was maybe 2 years ago. I did this because it wasn't available locally and it had a great price. I've since done this a few more times for the same reasons. I've also bought a few locally at higher than online prices because they had them. A friend who horse trades often says sales are down and it takes longer to move things often at lower prices. Most of the local shops carry common stuff and if you're in the market for other things, you likely won't find them. I reload most of the ammo we shoot, so I want components and at a reasonable price. I'm about ready to order more bullets, but I bought 3K at a match yesterday, so I need to rethink that. I saw an online ad for free hazmat and decent primer prices that has me thinking.
 
While I try to buy guns locally, when I’m looking for a gun it needs to be in stock. If I’m going to have to order it and wait for it anyway, I’m certainly going to order it for a competitive price. Nothing irritates me more than a LGS having inventory at full MSRP when everywhere else it’s at least $50 less, usually more. I get that the brick and mortar have more operating costs, but I also know there is a lot of leeway in MSRPs for new firearms.

If I can find what I want locally, I’ll buy it, but not if there is more than a $50 difference, not including shipping and transfer. And it has to be in stock. As an example, that Emissary in my profile pic will likely never show up locally as a new gun.
 
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