Small gun shop survival.

[OldGrunt]

Near me is a success story of a mom & pop gun store. And it's in a Texas town of just 13,000 people. Just 30 miles from me, and I went there for the first time the other day. Walked out with a Ruger .45 LC Carbine. They have thousands of firearms and pallets full of ammo. I wish I had gone there years ago. Here is a little copy and paste of their history.


From Americana Arms

"We started in 2011 in a small shop next to the owners home, now Americana Arms has a 17,000sf store and the largest firearm showroom is South Texas. We have awesome prices and also offer 90 day law-a-way. We have large manufacturer events every year for Sig Sauer-Smith & Wesson-Ruger and others so follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram so you don't miss out. We also have large islands at all of the SAXET gunshows and most of the Premiere gunshows all over the State of Texas. We do $20 transfers BUT before you order that gun online, give us a call, we are usually cheaper and can save you money. Hope to see you soon, stop by anytime 10-7 weekdays and 9-5 on Saturdays at our Beeville TX shop."

 

[Bassbob]

Living in Illinois, most of the smaller gun dealers are already gone, and it makes me sad and 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.

Mike at Prairie State Armory has ordered a lot of hard to find stuff for me. I bought my 1301 Tactical from him. I don’t know if he has a store front though. He does sell on GB but prefers you order directly from his website.

 

[javbike]

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.

This is the kind of place I would support . Can’t find one in Calif

 

[Talyn]

I'm lucky that in "town" has three big box firearms places, one medium, and four small places.

Down the valley is about 6 more, of which one is a medium.

 

[Belt Fed]

Grandson ask me to go to a gun show today and i couldn't
He sent me this pic just now and said look how stupid this is. I laughed pretty hard. A 17hmr with a huge brake. Lol

 

[Belt Fed]

I ask him if he bought it.

 

[Lo-Profile]

I always check with my LGS to see if they can get a gun I want before ordering it online.
Most of the time, between shipping, taxes and credit card fees it's pretty close, then there's GunBroker "compliance" fees if bought there.

 

[jschmidt]

LGS convince buyers that they are friends to build loyalty. But that only works up to a certain price differential. And by certain price differential I mean now.

 

[benstt]

The LGS is a dying breed. As much as we want to support them, the current economy forces us to get the most for our dollars and we have little choice but to shop the internet for the best prices.

I'm fortunate to have five within 15 miles: Arnzen, Gunstop, Bills, Southwest, and Modern Sportsman. One is stupidly overpriced and just plain janky, (the only place I've been hit with a stray, fired by moron mag-dumping his AR next to a metal post, plus range officers who can't be bothered to correct people treating pistols like toys) that I don't like to go to, but the other four are pretty damn good. One even has an excellent reloading department in the same space.

 

[Mike Williamson]

Being stuck in Comifornia for now I shop a LGS who treats me well and makes sure its legal. Buying online I would have to send to him anyway. I have only bought four last year due to Roster, and 11% Newsom Tax. Have money down on one over a year waiting for Roster clearance. Going to try and claim 11% taxes on my tax return this year.

 

[Mike Williamson]

Follow up on my post from Jan 22. I itemized my taxes and claimed the 11% excise tax. It has cleared both state and federal and has hit the bank. We have to fight back wherever we can.

 

[BarryinIN]

Anything new production I buy from a LGS.
Older and offbeat stuff, I usually track down online. There, I can find several to choose from within minutes what might take a decade to see at the LGS once. I’m running out of decades to wait.

Ammo and accessories, it’s mixed. I’ll try to buy local, and don’t mind paying a few dollars more for a single box of bullets to try out.

But sometimes they make it hard.

One local gun shop still acts like they are doing you a favor by selling you primers. They are marked at drought prices with a very limited selection. They are even locked away like something truly precious like Sudafed. And primers are cash only for some reason.
You don’t have to stand in a certain place and speak in a certain manner like buying soup from the Soup Nazi, but that’s about how it would feel. .

I’ll pass and buy primers online for almost half and get my choice of type. Hazmat doesn’t come close to eating up the difference.

 

[Wirenut]

I have never bought any firearms for the reasons Anni and Papa have said.
I have three lgs near me, one has an incredible supply of firearm, but only go there to handle new offerings, because he is quite the d---head and his prices are ridiculous.
The second is Range USA and I only buy ammo on sale and use the range.
The third one is in the owners home.
He started it as a side hustle doing transfers, but he can still get anything that rest can get only cheaper, just takes a few days after placing order.

 

[Lo-Profile]

My LGS is doing really well. They're getting ready to move into a bigger building.
It's definitely the best one of the 7-8 within my local area. Prices usually beat online once all the add-on costs are figured in.
Just had them order me a rifle I wanted today, lower than most places I've seen online before shipping and taxation.
During the ammo shortages, they always had ammo. Even have a import license for ammo.
Only time I ever order online is if they can't get something I want.