I've had my share of personal experiences and know of several people that have had "issues".
A friend of mine went in one day to look for a new pistol. A gentleman was trying to trade in a Glock 30 for a Ruger MKII in .243 with a composite stock. They didn't offer him a good trade so my friend said that he had the same gun and would trade him even. He was "run" out of the store. I wasn't there and don't know exactly what was said, but I trust this friend and he has never lied to me or given me a reason to doubt his story. That being said, I give everyone the benefit of the doubt until I see it with my own eyes.
My worst and LAST experience was, when I was looking for my G19 I went in to check their prices and see what thy had in stock. I told them that I had a need for a compact 9mm pistol , preferably a Glock 19, and was wondering if they had a used one in stock. (Note: I'm a certified gunsmith and specialize in handguns, so I can fix a used gun for the cost of parts and save lots of cash
) They didn't have one in stock at the time, so I wanted to look at the other "Glock Clones" to see what was available used. Every time I asked to see a 9mm they would pull it out of the case along with a 10mm. When I asked why, he said that both calibers were nearly identical!
I try to play "stupid" when I go into shops so I can see how good the service is and how knowledgeable the staff are (I like to buy parts locally for repairs if I can.) I understand that 10mm rounds are expensive and hard to find, and that most people get one thinking that it isn't "that bad" to shoot in terms of recoil. So, in turn most of these guns find their way back to the dealer or sold to someone who is looking for one specifically.
I just said no thanks, and asked about a new G19. They told me $575 with metal sights. Seemed a little high for me, so I decided to browse around the long gun selection for a bit. During this time a 5' petite brunette walked in and went to the counter to ask about a carry gun that she could handle. She told them she was planning on getting her CHL because her sister was recently attacked and she was staying with her on the "bad" side of town. She said she had never shot a pistol larger than a 22 before and wondered about a 9mm. He pulled a subcompact 9 and then out popped a 10mm again in subcompact also. Now she wanted to know the difference between the two and got the same speech I got except it had more knockdown power (don't know if he meant her or the BG). If it was just one guy there saying this I would have just pulled him aside and nicely pointed out his error. There were 3 guys behind the counter nodding their heads in agreement. She said she would take the 10mm and I stepped in at that point.. I mentioned the FBI tests involving the 10mm and how it's not a small caliber at all. I asked them to pull out a box of 9mm and a box of 10mm and compare them both to a .45 . They didn't like this and proceeded to get irate with me. The girl didn't know what to think and thanked them saying she would come back. I followed her out the door and gave her the address to Hunter Supply. I went there and Larry got me the same G19 for $490 out the door. It turns out that this girl got a job working with my wife a few weeks after the incident. I asked her if she ever got her gun and told me that Larry was helpful and got her into a 9mm that worked great.
That is just one of many horror stories I've seen and heard about them.
They lost a good customer that day, and I send no business their way anymore.
I won't say that this wasn't an isolated incident, or a general lack of knowledge. Just that in my opinion I will take my money elsewhere.
Sorry for Hijacking the thread with the long post.
Now back to the regularly scheduled programing
