Pardon my mini-rant

It's been frustrating in my area that it seems none of the shops keep anything in stock for revolvers-grips, holsters, speedloaders, etc. Even as recently as just a couple of years ago that wasn't the case.

The exceptions are items for the J frame, then you can find plenty of items as well as .38spl ammo-both plinking and self defense-aplenty. I know stores need to stock what sells-I understand that but with how well the used wheelies sell (not bargain priced either) it would be nice.

I feel your pain brother. I am sitting down the basement braiding
a new buggy whip.

This is why God invented mail-order...

More and more people are making the mistake of ordering online instead of supporting their LGS. Assuming of course your LGS deserves your support.

It doesn't pay for them to stock items that people run to the internet for.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I have never seen anything more than the basic speed loaders and a few holsters. Maybe some sort of a grip. There has got to be dozens if not more grip styles and looks. Can't stock them all.

Not making any mistake. Have good LGSs here but they can't and won't stock all the types of grips for every style gun. There are 1911s, CZ, revolvers, 3rd gen S&W, Sig, Beretta and probably more. They can't stock all that and what's the point of having just one grip. Just like they can't stock every type of holster for left handed people. Why not also stock parts? It's just not practical

Actually I kinda like it. Have gotten some pretty good deals from a pawn shop where the owner says people ain't interested in them dang wheel guns anymore.

Yeah, and I heard they quit making VHS tapes a few years back too . . . I can't find blank tapes anywhere.

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- Change it back -

What about your eight track?

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Nahhhhh TOO advanced.. I'll stick with what works!! ( Yeah.. I remember them !!)

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I buy from the internet because most of the local stores have nothing I want or need.

Even the gun shows aren't what they used to be, although there's always one vendor here who always has a good selection of speed loaders.

And back in the day before the Internet:

Not everything was in stock
There were no polymer guns to speak of
There were (thankfully) fewer shooters
And we didn't have as many choices of ammo, holsters (any kind you wanted as long as they were leather) or other stuff

Today, there's an expanding demand for semi-autos and EBRs. The expansion of the 1911 market and makers alone has been huge. Striker-fired semis are the rage. The Internet has become the go-to market for lots of people, specially those who grew up with it.

For us, that means gun shops have thin profit margins, reduced inventory (JIT logistics, anyone?) pander to the buying public and stock what sells. Revolver stuff...not so much. Let's face it - the semiauto is the standard now. Revolvers are a niche market.

Personally, I don't see that as a problem as much as an opportunity. Yep, I can't walk into a LGS and buy grips... but Midway, Brownells, etc are at my fingertips. I would never had known about some of the small businesses that meet my niche market needs (including those who sell on the Forum like John Culina), and I'm getting serious deals on ammo. I also got a good deal on a nice CM this weekend that was lonely among the plastic guns at the LGS. The owner was glad to have it out the door, and it's in much better care here at the Home for Wayward S&Ws. (Well, leastways until the next boating accident.)

Would I like to see more at the LGS? Yep; but they're a business-and semis and EBRs are the meat and potatoes. For us, it's an opportune market. FWIW.

P.S. I 'm gonna go look on the Internet for flotation devices; I need to go boating soon

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50 Years of DSOTM

Have you ever asked if they could order it for you? No gun shop can possibly stock every item let alone guess what they should stock.

Many small mom and pop gun shops are struggling while we make excuses not to support them. In the end, we will suffer for it.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I'm guessing you avoid all potholes?

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Other than a local chain, the stores north of Akron aren't known for their customer service.

There's an LGS here that seems to have a bunch of Hogue, Pachmayr, and even some Herrett stuff...which is fine if you're a rubber freak, not so fine if you're a more traditional guy like me. And there's another one about thirty miles up the road carries a lot of DeSantis and Bianchi leather for revolvers, but there's so little of other stuff in the place that it really isn't worth me driving up there to look at the stuff.

You can always find a bunch of the cheap nylon and other types of fabric holsters for revolvers, but I can't get serious about that stuff, either.

The good ol' days are pretty much gone, except for gun shows.

I wonder if the majority of young people today think of all revolvers the way I used to think of cap and ball revolvers in my younger days. IE, a quaint historical relic.

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You're shy a few manners.

Can't blame the local LGS for stocking only generic items.They seem to be catering to a generation that only looks for fit and price.You know what I mean...A plain leather holster that fits every K frame 4"bbl.

As new as I am to firearms I still want a holster that is molded to a particular firearm.I want to see craftsmanship.I want quality.I want to see the soul of the leatherworker everytime I pick up that holster.I want something that in some way reflects who I am.While we should still support the local LGS we should support the numerous artisans as well before their craft is lost.

As the years fly by, I find myself buying more and more items from internet sources. Prices, selection, and availability are good and delivery is normally quick, often within a week. eBay has become my first stop to look for most items I don't need immediately. I have made four purchases from eBay stores in the past week, including a camera, windshield wiper blades, a book, and several computer peripherals, all from eBay stores. Amazon is also acting as a host for thousands of other internet sellers, much like eBay. Many may not be aware, but Amazon has become a giant in the world of cloud computing.

Falkner, I got VHS tapes for you. Up to about 100 new in the wrapper and several hundred once recorded. Got them from a friend that passed and I cleaned out his house. Can't bring myself to throw them away. He was almost as big a pack rat as me!

I know you were just kidding but just in case!

Most of the time, I can't walk into the LGS and buy *anything*. All of the clerks are shooting the breeze and carefully avoiding talking to anyone who looks like they might cause them to actually do some work.

Perhaps they don't get paid on commission...

New rule in 2015 - If its not tactical, its not practical!
Every good young gun nut knows you must have polymer guns to be "cool" with many, many high capacity magazines that can be "dropped and stuffed" to continue a barrage of lead down range. By the way, what is this term "accuracy" you speak off? What was that about actually putting a second bullet thru the first bullet hole? where did you dream that silly idea up, watch this, I can use all the paper on that target in 2.34 seconds. Silly old man with those steel guns and wood stocks.

This must be dependent on your (the general you) area. I only have mom and pop gun shops here and by mom and pop I mean family owned. There is no Cabelas or Bass Pro or .....And they are anything but struggling. Two of them made the top 25 sellers list on GB last year. One deals in class 3, another has a range. High inventory, high turnover. The only one I know of that closed was because their prices were outrageous even before the panic and their selection was slim. When I walked in and saw a used Taurus for the price of a new Glock I walked right out.

There is nothing wrong with supporting them but ordering grips, mags, holsters is something that doesn't require a middle man

Depends on your interests. I guess I'm on of those guys you describe. I'm more interested in practical accuracy. I don't own a rest or sand bags to shoot off. The only time my rifles see a bench is when I sight them in. After that it's all of hand and not static if I can help it. I loose interest pretty quickly at a static range. One or two mags and I'm done because the next mag is just more of the same. Based on the 1st mag I already know where the next mag of bullets is going to go. If you're into that great.....to me its boring

If it's not black, plastic, and tactical, today's shooter isn't interested.

Gun stores around here appear to be doing well. Carters, Sportsmans, Shooters Depot and Volunteer Ordnance all have indoor ranges. GT Distributors and ACS cater to the police. And of course there are pawn shops with large gun inventories and the usual suspects like Dick's, Gander Mtn, Sportsman's Warehouse and Academy. Cabela's was just built here and a Bass Pro Shop is under construction.

And with all of the above... 90% of my purchases are online.

Some of the smaller stores I've talked to recently mentioned keeping most revolver trade ins out back for friends to buy.Too much low balling by the older guys at whatever price is put on it, when there in the case.The younger crowd is spending a lot of money on the new autos,and not reloading as much as the older crowd as well.The fact that most will pick up some new stuff when they come in for ammo, is a help for the stores.

A big Amen on that. There's only one store I frequent, and that's for powder, though they have some interesting guns occasionally. I hit the occasional LGS or pawn shop, but only when it's convenient.

I do wish I could find more grips & holsters locally so I could try before buy.

The only real downside to internet purchases is they're harder to sneak past my wife


More shooters is a good thing. The CHL revolution has shown a lot of people that guns aren't evil. This has resulted in an expansion of gun rights and the relaxing and sometimes repeal of restrictive state & local gun laws. More & more people taking responsibility for their own defense. Yeah I wish they liked the same stuff as us old farts, but it's still a very positive change.

That will teach the cabana boy to be quicker with those mojitos...

Stores around here always have revolver stuff and two of the local shops I frequent always bring in some really nice used Smith's, Ruger's, and Colt's. I don't understand why shops in other areas don't even try and only cater to one or two types of shooters (tactical mostly). But walk in any of those shops with a model 19 that's got target trigger, hammer, and grips and they'll trade you just about anything you want in the store for it.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I went into one LGS to buy a holster for a semi-well known gun. The guy told me that they didn't stock them and to go buy it online.

That was reminiscent of the time I went to Best Buy to buy a digital pocket camera. It came in several colors. They didn't have the one I wanted, the sales clerk said that I could go online and buy it from them there. -- Yes, and as I saw, I could also go online and buy it from Amazon for $20 less.

It's madness to tell customers to buy things online.

Your post illustrates my point. Brick and mortar stores can't possibly stock one of each size and color. But because us Americans want what we want NOW, we can't be patient and let someone order it for us.

I understand the convenience of having it shipped to your door and possibly save money. But eventually the stores won't be able to compete with the internet and big box stores. More people will be out of work and prices WILL go up as soon as they realize the brick and mortar stores are gone. The storm has already started and it will get worse.

I just ordered a Glock front night sight ay my LGS. Paid $40.00 which INCLUDES installation. The least expensive one I saw on Amazon was $39.00 shipped. No installation. Yes they are easy to install but that's not the point.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I have an extensive collection of the revolvers. Yes, I also have a few of the so-called modern semi automatics but much prefer my wheel guns. Virtually every time I go to the range younger shooters come to see (and admire) what I've brought. They often refer to me as the "old timer" and my describe my revolvers as "classic", "old fashion" and "old school". Note the operative word "old". Ive concluded its simply a sign of the times that any handgun without a mag is considered obsolete by most Millinials and Generation X'ers. I cannot fault businesses for catering to market share; after all it's about "business". I don't mind because whenever "revolver stuff" is for sale locally it's usually discounted which is fine by me 😀

I'm in the Denver metro area and outside of the city itself there's a pretty good selection of shops. There's been a few new shops opening too I've noticed all within 20-30 minutes of my front door.

My favorite is one that's been around about 25 years and I've been dealing with them the entire time. They used to carry lots of grips and speedloaders. They still carry a decent number of holsters (some even for wheelies ), mostly Blackhawk leather and a bunch from an area leathersmith (Sweetwater Saddlery).

It also tends to attract an "older crowd", has a great consignment section (busier since 7/2013 when we in Colorado lost the right to conduct ftf transactions without background checks). Last Saturday as a matter of fact a gentleman brought in an absolutely beautiful 4" 19-3 that looked like it hadn't even been shot though he said it had.

Most of the other shops stock the new/more modern stuff-I understand, I know how retail works, it's what sells.

At the last Tanner show there wasn't even much in the way of decent Smiths, few grips and holsters, etc. I bought some Pach Compac Pros that were supposed to be for a K/L round but turned out to be for a Ruger lol.

It's why my first stop whenever I log on is the Classifieds section here!

Come on down to the Houston LGS's. revolvers are alive and well.

I just love going into a Sporting Goods store, Cabelas or a good regular gun shop and ask them where the left handed holsters are?
Makes my day every time!

While many here in this Forum (including myself) are "Revolver Guys" most of the younger people look at us as Dinosaurs. If they are the owner of a said business, they tend to just think wheel guns are antiques and there is no real market worth catering to. In the large scheme of things they MIGHT be right from a financial standpoint (money laid out sitting in the shelves VS the actual amount of Revolver goods sold). Like you said, the only exception might be J Frames. Since I am NOT a GS owner, I can only surmise - but don't know for sure.

Henceforth....... we DO HAVE the Internet!