LGS won't show take down on a gun?

[Trons]

I went to my LGS yesterday, specifically looking for a M&P .22c, because I'm thinking of trading my FS M&P .22 in for one, because it's closer in size to my shield. They had it, I liked it, but wasn't ready to buy that specific day, doing a little field research. I left, talked to the wife, decided I would go for it after we met for lunch. On the way to meet her, I wanted to stop by and see what the take down was on it.

I walked in, a different guy, whom I'm told is the owner, helped me, and when I asked him what the take down was like, he just pointed to the lever and said it's like the standard M&P, just flip that down. Well, I wasn't sure what he meant by standard, so I asked if I could do it. He said "No, if you take down a new gun, you turn it into a used gun."

That didn't make any sense to me, but I let it go and walked out. After to talking to a friend of mine, he told me that the guy has a bad reputation, and that there's no reason he shouldn't have shown me the take down. My friend said he buys most of his guns at Gander Mt. and they have taken down their display models before so he can see the insides.

I was wondering if anybody else has heard of anything like that?

 

[A.O.]

I used to work in a LGS and would do takedown on every new gun we would get in , just so I knew how to do it. Anyone looking at a gun, if they wanted to see take down I would show them. Some obvious new gun owners I would go through take down and assembly several times with them so they didn't have to try to figure it out on their own when they got home. Also always gave them the option to bring it back in if they needed help with it.

I'd avoid that guy like the plague.. but that's me..

 

[SteelOnSteel]

I agree with A.O.
For a small LGS it is about service and being helpful, otherwise they can't compete with the big stores or the internet, he is just hurting his own business, I would go elsewhere.

 

[N4KVE]

That was the policy where I used to work. Apparently in the past, employees took guns apart, & couldn't put them back together. However, in my case, since management knew I was very familiar with AK's, I was allowed to take them apart to show to customers. If a customer wanted to see a gun come apart, management would find it on U-tube & show it to the customer. GARY

 

[hoc9sw]

I have asked in the past at several local stores and big-box stores (Cabelas, GM, BP). The only shop that would allow a take-down (field strip) is the LGS/range where they have rental guns.

They will all go through it once you've purchased it, but not before.

They did not explain, but I suspected risk of marring / damage to a new-in-box item.

It has stopped me from buying one handgun.

 

[Bkreutz]

I suspect the "owner" didn't show you the takedown procedure because he didn't know how.

 

[A.O.]

I suspect the "owner" didn't show you the takedown procedure because he didn't know how.

I agree with this... and is this the guy you want to buy your guns from?

 

[71velle]

I recently picked up a rugher 22/45 and asked to see the take down, and the guy said no. Said it was a pain to do, told me to watch the youtube vids to learn how. Hold me if I were to take it down and have a problem putting it back together to bring it in and he would look at the youtube videos to help. Thought it was odd because of how common the gun is.

 

[Trons]

Yeah, I won't be going back to his shop. The problem is, he's the only one who had the .22c in stock. I guess I'm waiting till another store gets it.

As my son said, he's not sure it's a wise investment because we rarely shoot the .22 anymore. We are almost always shooting my shield because it's so much fun. The only time the .22 comes out any more is when we have guests over that are new to shooting or my wife joins us.

 

[arjay]

Whenever Ive bought a new gun,Ive asked for a discount if there was a mark on it.Assuming he's the owner,he would worry about things like that.An employee wouldn't.
Edit: Theres also a quick sizing up of people we business owners do.Is this guy a buyer or a shopper? It's just the way it is.

 

[BAM-BAM]

S&W has a take-down video on the Compact on their website... looks easy

Ruger .22s have a long reputation of being hard (PITA) to put back together.

As to the bigger question ..... on a new gun I can't blame a LGS..... As an example think about all the Colt 1911s with the slide stop scratch/"smiley" ..... you've seen over the years.

Used guns are a whole different matter...... for example I won't buy a used blue gun without being able to look under the grips........ seen a lot with hidden rust!

 

[Saudade]

They will all go through it once you've purchased it, but not before.

They did not explain, but I suspected risk of marring / damage to a new-in-box item.

Some will not even let you rack the slide or dry fire. Remember these guns still have shipping preservative on them and not necessarily gun lube.

Really, would you buy a "new" gun that had been racked and field stripped dozens, maybe 100s of times.

Once you commit buying it, it's a different ballgame.

 

[Pef]

I see the owner's point. Take down a gun for every customer that is interested - do you want to be the 101th interested customer and then buy it "new" only to complain you found a bunch of scratches after disassembling it for cleaning?

I've seen people racking slides and dry firing new guns for sale like they were running drills.

Gun sellers can't win. If they try to limit "customer playing" with guns they are deemed to have a "bad rep." But then if they let customers rack and fire all they want and then sell new guns that look "used" - e.g., slide wear, etc., - they are deemed disreputable.

Would the way a gun is taken down be a determining factor for purchase anyway?

 

[Saudade]

As to the bigger question ..... on a new gun I can't blame a LGS..... As an example think about all the Colt 1911s with the slide stop scratch/"smiley" ..... you've seen over the years.

"Hey Mr LGS, Can I field strip that Nighthawk Custom or maybe that Wilson Combat".

 

[Ranger514]

His store. His rules. Maybe the guy has a reputation, or maybe the guy just didn't think you were a serious buyer. I don't know anything about that model, but I would have done a lot of research of the reviews on that gun, and watched the takedown vids before buying.

 

[Saudade]

Would the way a gun is taken down be a determining factor for purchase anyway?

I can only speak for myself. It can matter depending on the use case. If I were looking for a duty weapon I may want some easy to disassemble in case I need to do it in the field. Something that took no tools and maybe had no loose parts laying around.

For example, a Beretta 92 requires no tools, no trigger pull, no removal of any parts to take off the slide.

For a range gun, a more "complex" procedure may be acceptable since you'll have a bag with some tools and likely an area to work in. Or wait until you get home.

This would certainly not be the only factor, but could part of the consideration.

 

[younggun22]

That was the policy where I used to work. Apparently in the past, employees took guns apart, & couldn't put them back together. However, in my case, since management knew I was very familiar with AK's, I was allowed to take them apart to show to customers. If a customer wanted to see a gun come apart, management would find it on U-tube & show it to the customer. GARY

Usually it's a combination of lack of knowledge on the take down procedure and not wanting to damage the finish in some way.

The shop I worked at had the happen a few times where the sales associate couldn't put it back together properly and damaged it.

I wouldn't take it as something personal. on a new gun it wouldn't bother me, you can always learn how to break it down none are really that difficult for a basic field strip.

... Used gun is a different story though.

 

[Arik]

All the lgs I know will generally show you how to take it down on just about any gun. Sometimes the salesman does it just to show a difference between 2 different guns whether it's a internal difference or just a difference in take down procedure.

There are few exceptions to this but nothing that's new production.

I remember a few times when one lgs said no. One gun was a Mauser broom handle and the other was a Uzi. Both rather difficult unless you know exactly how it goes.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I wouldn't get too wound around the axle at all if a clerk wouldn't disassemble something for me until I purchased it. Like others have pointed out, lots of possibilities: Don't want to break or scratch it, don't know how, don't think you're all that interested in buying it here, etc. Seems reasonable to me.

 

[uncleted327]

I would personally not be doing business with him or anyone like him. A gun is a big investment and I'm not about to buy one without feeling the trigger and examining the inside of the gun. I could care less if 50 people did the same thing before me, it shouldn't have any negative impact on the gun. I have guns that have hundreds of rounds and dozens of take downs on them and they still look brand new. And as far as eyeing people up as buyers or lookers, that mentality alone would be enough to make me stop frequenting a shop. Lookers become buyers, and buyers have a lot of places to spend their money.