San Francisco Gun Exchange

I was lurking around in the "Accessories For Sale" section where I saw a holster for sale marked San Fransisco Gun Exchange. I was stationed there in Uncle Sam's Navy in 1967. A fellow sailor and I went to this store and I was quite impressed with the merchandise there. My pal bought a broomhandle Mauser for $30.00. It was the first time I had ever seen one. There was a lot of stuff there I would liked to have but being as I was making less than $100.00 a month there wasn't anything I could afford. I do remember a lot of old S&W and military surplus stuff that I lusted after but just couldn't afford. I have since made up for my shortcomings back then. I remember the guy waiting on us telling us that the pending gun control act would probably put him out of business.

My questions are this: Do any of you remember this store? Why did they go out of business? (I think I know the answer) Did any of you buy anything here and if so what was it and do you still have it? Was this place as nice as I remember it? If you bought something there do you still have it? The only thing I ever bought in San Fransisco that I remember was some delicious crab claws at Fisherman's Wharf, lot's of beer at the Presidio Army base, and a tatoo from Lyle Tuttle.

I sure do remember the San Francisco Gun Exchange. The small elephant tusk door handles, the assortment of Randall knives, antique guns, modern guns, collector cartridges, the collection of dewat macineguns on the walls, and a polished brass Gatling gun.

I guess they closed in the early 1990s. San Francisco passed some very restrictive firearms laws, and rather than moving out of San Francisco they just closed.

I bought a Colt Combat Commander in 9mm there. The sights and the barrel were pointed in two different directions. I can't blame the store, but I sold the gun and I feel sorry for the guy who bought it.

There is not much left in San Francisco that I like. My favorite restaurant, A. Sabella's, on Fisherman's Wharf is gone.

jag312 said:

I sure do remember the San Francisco Gun Exchange. The small elephant tusk door handles, the assortment of Randall knives, antique guns, modern guns, collector cartridges, the collection of dewat macineguns on the walls, and a polished brass Gatling gun.

I guess they closed in the early 1990s. San Francisco passed some very restrictive firearms laws, and rather than moving out of San Francisco they just closed.

I bought a Colt Combat Commander in 9mm there. The sights and the barrel were pointed in two different directions. I can't blame the store, but I sold the gun and I feel sorry for the guy who bought it.

There is not much left in San Francisco that I like. My favorite restaurant, A. Sabella's, on Fisherman's Wharf is gone.

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I haven't been to San Francisco since 1988 and can't say I miss it. Just about everything that made the city great is gone and the politics of the place make me physically ill. If I'm buying something online and find out it's coming from the Bay area, I cancel the order.

Pete

They still have the blue grass festival, but I can't think of anything else that is there that I like. I hate the politics. I hate the parking. I hate the bums on Market Street relieving themselves on the sidewalks or taking baths in the fountains.

I would not be sad if the next earthquake causes the entire city to sink into the ocean.

Kamala Harris, formerly the San Francisco District Attorney, is the current California Attorney General. It is said the the entire DA staff voted for her.

The store, owned by a gun loving Jewish woman gave up when the city levied a 26% tax on guns and any accessories. They sold rebranded pancake holsters. I sold one here about 2 months ago.

I first went there in 1963. The founder, Nate Posner, started with a pawnshop but improved it into a great gun shop. He was a great guy, honest, forthright and knew guns. Nate had one of those Dodge Lancer stationwagons, an early compact. To advertise the shop, he mounted a Boys anti-tank rifle, or could have been a Lahti, on the roof of the wagon! (before Kali banned them) It soon was removed, but not sure why, CHP, wind resistance, sold it, I dunno. His daughter Elizabeth was running it when the city drove them out of business. I still have some old ammo from the rare ammo case there, and a ball cap with their logo.

Also liked that place, I purchased a Weatherby .300 Mag left-hand action there in 1967 while going to NPS in Mare Island. Took it with me when we went to Idaho for prototype training. Used to go rock chuck hunting with a friend who had a custom .300 H&H, his 4-12 was a little better than my 3-9, plus he had a Stellite-lined machine gun barrel, so he could reach out a little farther. Fun days.

My dad was from San Francisco and around 1971 we drove across the bay to the S.F. Gun Exchange where he bought me a pair of Jay Scott Pealite grips for my Single Six. This was the location that you had to have gone to. I remember the store was packed with stuff. Later in High School my freinds and I would cut school and take a bus to S.F. for a quarter. We would drink beer under Coit tower and then go walking around all over. I always dragged them into the Gun Exchange where the clerks would let me handle the brand new Colt single actions. This was the new location. The store has since closed, no doubt harrassed out of business from the gun hating local government. Another store in Oakland was "sin taxed" out of business, too.
Last year I found this break front lefty holster for $5 in a local gun shop here in Sacramento. It was very nalstagic to find it marked "The S.F. Gun Exchange". It was made by the A.E. Nelson holster Co. in Oregon, still in business. I called them and they said the holster had to have been made in the '50s for them. The Exchange was a wonderland for a wide eyed kid like me back then.




The pearlite gripped Ruger and holster my dad rebuilt to fit me.

Charlie. Was that my holster you saw in the classifieds that I pulled, or thought I pulled a long time ago? Here's something about that great store's demise in 1999...

Citing New Laws, Last Big S.F. Gun Store Will Close - Los Angeles Times

I remember the place well.It was my fav place in SF.I lived in the NorthBay for many years and used to drive down to the Gun Exchange 2-3 times a year.Bought a Colt commander there also,as well as a Rem. Rand .45. My last purchase was an absolutely pristine 1903A3 Rem.I bought several books there as well.It was a well stocked store.At the time they had an antique display area with several old Smiths as well as some early semi autos.Prices werent bad either.I think I gave $200 for the Rem Rand and about $300 for the A3 and this was around the early '90s. Still got em.

I was born in Vallejo in 1965. My Dad used to take me in there all the time -- still have fond childhood memories of that fine store. I still have some of my Dad's Lyman bullet-casting dies with SF Gun Exchange price tags on the boxes that he purchased back then.

In the early 1970s, they hosted Bob Munden doing a fast-draw demo with wax bullets. Had him up on a parked flatbed semi trailer in front of the store doing his thing. Seems like an Old West tale when you think of that happening in today's crazy lib-kook version of San Francisco.

I was in the bay area from '76 to '89. Used to work a street or two away. Went to the store regularly but never did buy much. Got 1 Navy Arms replical 1862 police that I still have. Great store.
It just happened that my neighbor was a gunsmith down at Traders in San Leadro. Got alot of 'extra' stuff and serious discounts that way. Most of the guns I bought in CA either came from there or Hogans out in Contra Costa county.

jag312 said:

They still have the blue grass festival, but I can't think of anything else that is there that I like. I hate the politics. I hate the parking. I hate the bums on Market Street relieving themselves on the sidewalks or taking baths in the fountains.

I would not be sad if the next earthquake causes the entire city to sink into the ocean.

Kamala Harris, formerly the San Francisco District Attorney, is the current California Attorney General. It is said the the entire DA staff voted for her.

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Don't know what your music tastes are, but KPIG is playing good stuff. Alot of the KFAT DJs and tunes are there. 107.5 if you're in the area. i get it streaming on the net.

PDL said:

I was in the bay area from '76 to '89. Used to work a street or two away. Went to the store regularly but never did buy much. Got 1 Navy Arms replical 1862 police that I still have. Great store.
It just happened that my neighbor was a gunsmith down at Traders in San Leadro. Got alot of 'extra' stuff and serious discounts that way. Most of the guns I bought in CA either came from there or Hogans out in Contra Costa county.

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Hogan's is gone, too, about 3 years ago, it's now a used furniture consignment store. I bought my S&W Model 58 there in 1974 for $169.00

PDL said:

I was in the bay area from '76 to '89. Used to work a street or two away. Went to the store regularly but never did buy much. Got 1 Navy Arms replical 1862 police that I still have. Great store.
It just happened that my neighbor was a gunsmith down at Traders in San Leadro. Got alot of 'extra' stuff and serious discounts that way. Most of the guns I bought in CA either came from there or Hogans out in Contra Costa county.

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My aunt and uncle lived in Danville and wherever Hogan's was, me and my cousin went in there a few times. I was around twelve and again the clerk let me handle the brand new Colt single actions there. They were an astronomical $200 or so. Might as well have been two million bucks to me. I also went to the Traders all the time with my dad. I would drool all over those guns, too. But he bought my Ruger single six across the street at Kodiak Guns, a very small shop.

PDL said:

Don't know what your music tastes are, but KPIG is playing good stuff. Alot of the KFAT DJs and tunes are there. 107.5 if you're in the area. i get it streaming on the net.

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You know of KFAT? I listened to that station religiously and still have two cassettes of very strange stuff I listen to all the time still. Small world when you are in N.J.

I was born in Albany, just across the Bay from S,F.Spent most of my early life there. I had a favorite gun store in Lafayette. Frontier Gun Shop. Owned by Kurt Hasse. Bought a lot of guns from him. Dean Stevens was his gun smith. This was in the '50's.S.F Gun Exchange I visited a couple of times, same with Hogans. Bought a nice fishing reel there. Moved out of the Bay Area in 1967 & went to the foothills of the Sierras.Never looked back. Went to my class reunion last year in Martinez. Christ, I couldn't find the High School let alone the meeting place, so much had changed in 62 years.Guess I'm just an old dog looking for a bone from the past. Been a Hell of a ride.

Wyatt Burp said:

You know of KFAT? I listened to that station religiously and still have two cassettes of very strange stuff I listen to all the time still. Small world when you are in N.J.

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I've got about 40 90min. tapes of KFAT on air time. KPIG does a reasonable job, but not quite as good. Check out youtube for KFAT stuff.

Went there a couple of times around '67 when I was in the service. I remember them having one of the then new Gyrojet rocket pistols on display. Picked up a set of ivory stocks for my Ruger Blackhawk for $25 there. Still have them.

Bob Chow San Francisco Gun Exchange

I was wondering if someone could please help me with some history on Bob Chow. I was wondering if anyone one has any information on weather Bob was working at the Gun Exchange in late 1954. Thanks for the help.