I have to express my concern.

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nick93

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Hello, I am a former employee of a lgs in the pittsburgh area late 80's early 90's (Spending money for college). Obviously the firearms landscape has changed drastically for better or worse. The other day I was in a large shop in our area when a couple came in asking the salesman for help picking out a handgun for the house as they never fired a gun before. He immediately showed them a glock and then an M&P 9mm. Explaining to them that these pistols are easy to use as there are no manual safeties and triggers that are easy to pull. Now there were at least TWENTY 38 or 357 revolvers in the store but he didn't even mention them as viable options. I was pretty shocked. I wanted to say something but didn't feel it was my place. Is this going on all over the country or just a solitary incident. I love my m&p 9 but I wouldn't t tell a complete novice that was the gun for them.
 
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nick93

I have noticed the same thing in the situation you describe especially with the younger salespeople. Most of the younger salespeople seem to think the newest hi-tech plastic bottom feeders are the only viable choice for anyone. I've even heard them refer to revolvers as old school antiques not suited for self defense. Don't get me wrong I own a few hi-tech pistols but I feel my J-frames are more than adequate for their purpose!
 
Salesman....probably on commission. So, he's going to sell what HE will make the most on.....or what HE likes. Revolvers get short-shrift all over these days. Out of fashion......everybody wants plastic brass-tossers (plastic autos....that's what I call them).

Fine with me.....they can all have the plastic brass-tossers (heck, they can eat them, for all I care). Same for the alloy guns, of any stripe. More good ole steel revolvers for those of us who appreciate them.
 
I'd NEVER recommend a Glock for a new to the firearm community person /s.

A revolver is probably one of the best handguns for those who would shoot very occasionally and would likely not spend much time on cleaning. Since you can choose the power of the cartridge without compromising reliability, the customer can pick a round that they can handle.

Many salesmen sell what they are told to push, not what would be best for the customer. I don't think that will ever change.

I'd still recommend a 4" .357 or .38 spl by a reputable manufacturer that can handle +p over anything else for a new shooter.
 
It is a disturbing trend to say the least.

And mind you, I am not against bottom feeders in anyway.

In trained...repeat trained hands they are very effective and safe weapons. In the hands of untrained, ill-informed and novice shooter, they give them a false sense of security due to the number of rounds available.

Lacking basic shooting skills and the proper training is something no amount of ammunition can cure.

Salespeople need a lesson or two in guiding new purchasers.

Someone has obviously not explained that good advise creates happy and returning customers.

But, then again it's all about the money.
 
Yes, I see it all the time. The saying "Caveat emptor" applies in the gun store just like everywhere else.

p.s. This should be posted in the "Lounge" section...
 
I've seen some of these new shooters take their plastic wonders to the range and the sight is scary. Recoil, even a 9mm, sends the muzzle flying due to poor shooting mechanics. Lots of thumbs are busted and the targets are pretty safe. I too would like to intervene but don't unless I see an opening.
 
I'm actually a bit surprised when I visit local gun shows and gun shops at how many people are specifically asking for & looking at compact revolvers. Mostly S&W or Taurus.

At the range, semi-autos still dominate in numbers. But it's not uncommon to see individuals and couples who have brought both semi-auto and revolver firearms to the firing line.

So at least locally, there appears a strong interest in both and many shooters with a mixed collection.
 
You don't describe the salesman, but chances are he was young. Probably didn't know how to change the magazine on one of those revolver thingys.:eek:
Jim
 
I'm retired, but work at a local gun shop part time. When I get a new / new to shooting customer, I first ask a few questions.
What do you want the firearm for? Target shooting , formal / informal ? Home protection ? Concealed carry ? ,, etc.
How much experience / knowledge do you have with firearms?
Plus I try to size up the customer, ie: a little old lady with weak hand strength ,,, I take her straight to the Desert Eagle 44 Mag.
(just kidding).
But a lot of folks don't have the strength or the knowledge to operate the slide on a auto. Especially some of those smaller autos. I recommend revolvers a lot.
But, then you get the folks that come in with their buddy, the local Self Proclaimed Expert.
That knows what he knows and doesn't want to be confused with the facts. And wants the latest Hi-Cap super gun in 50 AE with lights and lasers and bells and whistles that he just read about in the latest issue of Tactical Mall Ninja magazine.
Then you just say OK, and sell them what they think they want. :( ?
 
I have seen the scenario you describe acted out countless times in local gun stores over the last several years and it worries me each time I see it.

I read in the local paper a couple years ago that there had been more accidental discharges reported by our police department since they began using Glocks than in the entire history of the department prior to that.

Why anyone would recommend a Glock, or any semi-auto for that matter, to a first time shooter is beyond me.
 
I'd like to add my 2cents worth. Anyone interested in purchasing a gun should spend some time on the internet and other places including LGS asking questions. I know there are some individuals that will not do any research and resort to asking a 'knowledgable' sales person. However, go to almost any big box hardware store and ask a sales person what type water closet is better - a siphon jet or a vortex.
Point being, people need to do their own research, ask the right questions and chances are they will not just settle for any recomendation from a sales person.
I own several modern pistols, but the ones that get fondled the most are my Smiths.
 
I do not think a Glock recommendation is poor, at all.

They're extremely reliable, so clearing malfunctions isn't a big concern. Hi capacity is always a good thing, and of course are less likely to need reloading from a newb. As said, they have no safety and have a consistent easy to use trigger.

All of that make them great for self defense and for newbs.

None of this even considers the horrible (by comparison) double action trigger of revolvers. I shoot IDPA and have seen plenty of shooters yank the first shot on DA/SA autos because of the DA. And that's under the minor stress of a timer beep. These aren't even new shooters and some of them go to the range and practice.

Good luck to the newb, who never shoots, is in a high stress situation, and has a 14 pound, long trigger pull.

While they're not my favorite, plastic guns and autos bring a lot of advantages to the table that wheel guns can't.

I fail to see how the sales person made a bad recommendation.
 
The exact opposite happened a while back at a big sporting goods and surplus store I visit.

A woman had just received her LTCF and wanted a purse/coat pocket gun. She had shot her husbands BG 380 and a couple other guns a 'little bit'. The salesman handed her a S&W 642 and explained all the benefits to the small concealed hammer revolver as a purse and pocket gun. She became hung-up on the fact the gun has no manual safety catch!

She was convinced any gun without a manual safety could easily A/D. Salesman said the only revolvers with manual safety catches are cheap imports that have to have such safeties to meet import requirements and that the S&W, Ruger and Taurus he stocked guns were as safe as any gun with a manual safety.

She then started looking at autos with manual safeties. Finally left to go looking for a revolver with a safety at another store.
 
More of a profit margin in the M&P semi-autos and the Glocks, especially if sold at full boat retail to a newbie....That's the answer, pure and simple....
 
I've been saying it for years. Glocks are reliable, dependable weapons, BUT they are horrible choices for those who are not going to seriously train with them. New shooters (if you can even call them that in most cases) walk in and want the "gun the FBI uses", no different than when Dirty harry came out, everybody wanted a model 29, and Lethal Weapon and Die Hard made the Beretta 92FS so popular.

I hear the "Glocksd are like a revolver'; comparison and I know the person who really believes that doesn't know much about guns. They ship with a 5.5 pound trigger. If you wanna compare a Glock to a cocked revolver, the analogy is more accurate. They require a pull of the trigger to disassemble. They have no manual safety (please don't point to the trigger within a trigger and tell me that's a safety. it's not). Sure, the M&P and other striker fired guns have no manual safety either. They're not a good choice for a new shooter, either.

The NYPD allows the Glock 19, S&W 5946, and SIG 226. At the time I retired, EVERY ND that occured was with a Glock. Holstering the gun after a foot chase or while rolling around with some guy is not the same as holstering at the range. Unless you've actually had to unholster and reholster under stress, you really can't make an educated comment about it. And waiting for the beep at IDPA isn't stress.

Most states don't even require someone to take an 8 hour class to become knowledgable about the weapon they're about to purchase. Putting a Glock in some yahoo's hand who doesn't know jack about guns is an accident waiting to happen.

Glocks are far less forgiving of human error, and we are all human. And yes, I've owned 2 Glocks.
 
nick93,

Having owned several small businesses, I can tell you two things from experience, 1) service and value will help build your customer base, that is, repeat customers; 2) most businesses will try to sell more of the items that have high profit margin vs those with low profit margin. Repeat business and cash flow with good profit margins are what keep most small businesses going.
 
I love my m&p 9 but I wouldn't t tell a complete novice that was the gun for them.
Click to expand...

I would take that one further; I wouldn't tell a novice that a gun was good for them...at all, I'd recommend some training and at least some research about a weapon first. However, sales are sales, one of the reasons I won't buy a shop, though I have thought about it (you don't sell, you don't stay in business). I don't really believe in gun control, but don't believe one should just go buy a weapon with no knowledge of firearms safety and training. Seems like common sense, but some just don't consider that part. Counting on parents, friends or individual responsibility just has not worked out too well. I went to a Cabela's recently, and was shocked at the both sales pitches and buyers and their sales conversations, and the startling part is there were shelves of ammuniton of all kinds that the buyers can have complete, unsupervised access to. Perhaps it's all okay and I'm just an alarmist and have been living in the wrong place too long, dunno.

I understand what you are saying though, nothing beats the simplicity and tradition (my favorite part) of a revolver. I love them. I spent 24 years in the Infantry where revolvers are something virtually unknown (at least past the 1980s when the M9 was adopted), which is too bad. I have been using autos of all sizes and shapes, but recently have regained my admiration and respect for revolvers. I think that a revolver has some great advantages over autos. One that is often overlooked is the advantage of limited round capacity; you are forced to focus on marksmanship and shooting technique. Autos weren't really designed for the use that has become of them, that is the idea of "spraying and praying". Since revolvers don't really lend themselves to that concept, they must be used with more focus on shooting skill, whereas autos need both, technical and shooting skill. Sadly, auto shooters have a tendency to focus on one and not the other, which is a shame.
 
I have always recommended a revolver as a first hand gun. Most of the time the recommendation is blown off. It's ashame.
I've carried semi auto's for most of my life but I still shoot more accurately with my revolvers.
Dave
 
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