This week at the GS (from behind the counter)

[Old Corp]

On the various gun/shooting forums, I've observed that it's quite fashionable to 'slam' the clerks and employees that work at gun shops.

One rarely encounters a post of "I encountered a clerk that really knew what he was talking about and I appreciate the guidance". Those don't seem to show up.

No, it's not a 'fantasy job'. Enjoyable at times? Yes, definitely.

Just taking the past week as an example - this is what I've encountered and was paid to endure:

- 'Joe Rifleshooter' enters. "Lemme see that M1 Car-been you got up there."
Dutifully handed forth, I get regaled with an extensive story of how a friend (it always seems to be a friend) that had one, and he "casted his own bullets and RE-loaded some. And he killed a BUNCH of deer with it out at 350 yards and no scope, 'cuz ya can't scope these puppies, and he lobbed those casted bullets out at those deer and killed a bunch with it."
Trying to enter just a tidbit of useful information into the mix, I offer up that this is a Universal commercial carbine that someone polyurethaned the stock on, and that it was not quite as desirable as a good quality GI model.....to which I just received a look as if I may be demented.

- next was a person who had NEVER owned or even shot a centerfire rifle.
His interest was drawn to an entry-level Savage .30-06 SS bolt gun with a low-end scope on it, used.
Did ask some pertinent questions about the differences in performance between the .308 and .30-06 cartridges.
Once satisfied that the .30-06 would meet many needs (perceived and otherwise), then I get an entire treatise on his plans "to do alot of 1000 yard shooting".

My observations is that novices, especially novices on the right-hand side of the Mississippi River where I've spent my life do not even know what 1000 yards LOOKS like, let alone be able to strike anything but a mountainside at that distance. In this case, I'd be fairly certain that a big yellow school bus would be pretty safe at 300 yards from this nimrod.

So, before one falls into the fashion of deriding GS clerks, spend just a moment and think what we get to hear each working day......

 

[bmx]

I'm retired and have been a shooter since I was 12YO. I also work at a LGS as a salesman and I have to agree about the BS comes across the counter from the average customer. Although all of us try to educate new and young shooters some of them are in a class all by themselves.

As the OP mentioned it's always a friend, uncle, cousin that had the invincible handgun or rifle that never missed and was super accurate to 1/10th of a knat's butt at some unreal distance. Most shotguns would make a guided missile pale in comparsion.

Most all of the new handgun shooters want a Glock 9 or 40 and the latest plastic wonder holster with a double or triple mag carrier. On the rifle side it's even worse with the know-it-all newbie wanting a tricked out AR-15 with a $1,200.00 ACOG.

Every one of the hand gunners have to have night sights for "night time engagements", what ever that is, and all the rifle shooters are hot to trot wanting night vision setups until they understand the purchase price.

About 90% of these types of customers have never shot a gun, been in the military or understand ballistics.

The customers I really enjoy are the folks, men and women, who have some or a lot of expierence, that know and understand guns. These folks make the job worthwhile.

Some of the time we get new shooters who are willing to listen and learn, and we can save them a bunch of money and time on the learning curve.......................others not so much.

 

[V-35]

1000 yds.

Jack O'Connor was someone that I always enjoyed reading in his day. When he first started writing for Field & Stream (if IIRC) about the WWI era, he said there were still a lot of old Indian fighters around who seldom let balistics or physics interfere with a good story.

He said many would talk about picking off Indians a 1000yds. with their old Sharps 'Old Reliables.'

Now he said a Sharps would 'lob' a shell that far, & would even kill at that range if someone happened to be in the way of the shot as it 'rained down'. However, if you were trying to take out one individual, "The front sight of the Sharps (at that range) would cover up most of the tribe".

With his dry wit, I thought he was one of the better wordsmiths of his day


Art

 

[Kanewpadle]

I have also worked both sided of the counter. And I can guaranty that for every negative word said about a gun shop employee, at least twice as much was said about the nimrod customer that just left the store.

Those comments never seem to make the gun forums.

 

[Muley Gil]

I spoke with a feller today who asked me about qualification with my sidearm, as he wanted to get back into "the profession". When I told him that I had to two quals yearly, one for the state and one for the Feds, he informed me that would be no problem, as he could shoot "Expert" with the rifle, shotgun, and handgun.

Gee, sure wish I had gotten his autograph!

 

[jkc]

Overhearing the often inane chatter from customers at my LGS has taught me a healthy respect for the forebearance of gun counter clerks. I'm afraid if ran such a place, I'd hire a bouncer to 86 the braggarts, nitwits, know-it-alls, etc., who clutter up the place and interfere with the paying customers...

 

[NZshooter]

To this day my all-time favorite is the guy that's convinced AIDS was invented as a biological weapon in 1863 and first used by J. Edgar Hoover. Can't make this stuff up.

 

[Gunslinger808]

I guess no one in the military ever eats, every guy I had come in to my shop was some high speed low drag invincible.
No one ever came in and said they were a cook.

 

[tops]

I guess no one in the military ever eats, every guy I had come in to my shop was some high speed low drag invincible.
No one ever came in and said they were a cook.

Everybody that I have talked to that was in service in the last 20 years has either been a sniper or in some kind special rescue team. I have decided there are not any just regular soldiers anymore. Larry

 

[Alpo]

I guess no one in the military ever eats, every guy I had come in to my shop was some high speed low drag invincible.
No one ever came in and said they were a cook.

I blame that on the Appleseed shoots. Ever been to their website.

"There are two kinds of people in this world. Riflemen, and cooks."

If you can't shoot well enough to meet their expectations as a "RIFLEMAN" ta ta ta ta ta taaaaaa (where's the bugle-blowing smilie when you need it?) then you are a lowly "cook", and are not worth talking to.

 

[carpriver]

A night engagement, When I was a younger man we called it necking, or the submarine races, or just plan parking.
Sorry Guys and Gals Sometimes I can't help myself. I just have to make smart assed remarks.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

On a par with Internet Vets. One thing about some of the Great Gun Writers is that they could poke fun at themselves. I recall Skeeter's line from "The Mama Mia Caper"-"Mighty hunter in magazine articles; dripping dud in wet forest." and Bill Jordan wondering wondering how he could have missed the first time he fired a .357 Magnum as he clearly remember he had a good sight picture when he closed his eyes.

 

[Fishslayer]

I blame that on the Appleseed shoots. Ever been to their website.

"There are two kinds of people in this world. Riflemen, and cooks."

If you can't shoot well enough to meet their expectations as a "RIFLEMAN" ta ta ta ta ta taaaaaa (where's the bugle-blowing smilie when you need it?) then you are a lowly "cook", and are not worth talking to.

They've obviously never heard the motto "Death From Within!"

 

[chud333]

Seen both sides of this issue while hanging around gun shops.
Sure there's always the idiot customers and then there are just
as many idiot gun shop workers as well.
Can't stand to be patronized or looked down upon by some
jerk who thinks he's the reincarnation of Elmer Keith simply
because he works at a gun shop and carries exposed all day.
I'm not impressed and i put more rounds down range in a
month than most of these types put down range in a year.
Of course there is always the jerk customers as well, not
denying that at all. But if you want to work in any retail
establishment it's part of the job.
I was hanging out in a LGS back in the mid-80's and had a good
friend who worked in that shop. I enjoyed going in there and
cutting up with the fellas and killing some time talking guns
and hunting etc.. It was October, i believe and a guy walks in
with his buddy and asks for some buckshot as they are getting
ready for upcoming deer season in November. My friend who
was working informed the guys that buckshot was not legal in
Indiana for deer hunting and would they maybe instead like some
slugs. The biggest guy said, heck we been shooting deer with
buckshot for years and don't care what fish and game tells us
what we can and can't do. My buddy asks, how far is your longest
shot with buckshot on a deer and he says, we usually just sit
in our tree stands and when the bushes or branches start to
shakin' we blast away especially right at first light and before dusk.
OK.......Purely out of principle he DID NOT sell them any buckshot
that day even though the shop had piles of it behind the counter.
It goes both ways you see. Good guys and bad guys on both
sides of the counter.

Chuck

 

[Lee Barner]

i worked in gun shops part time while in the service and then owned one for several years after i retired. then i sold cars for a few years. whoever said there is no such thing as a dumb question never sold guns or cars. i did also learn a lot from knowledgable customers, but got a lot more chuckles out of the "rambo" types. lee

 

[Alpo]

They've obviously never heard the motto "Death From Within!"

I used to have that t-shirt.

 

[Old Corp]

At another LGS I worked at, a relatively small, rural community, I was amazed at how many guys came in and related, through rather 'veiled' means that they work for 'a government agency that doesn't exist', and were 'out-of-country' last year on some 'op'. (Strange, since I recalled seeing them at the local McDonalds)
One was even responsible for field testing the Sig Mk 25 9mm that later was OK'ed to be issued to US Navy SEALS. All because of it's performance on his 'op'. Oh - he was issued special ++P++ JHP's for it, the guys issued the pistol later have to make do with FMJ's

And I thought I'd encountered all the weirdos in 30 years of LE work.....

 

[Arik]

Oh yea, there are winners on both sides of the counter! As a daily visitor to a LGS I hear both sides and they are both funny and disturbing. A lot of buyers tend to just buy on looks and not actually do any research before hand.
"Oh look a $100 gun! Its shoots a 9mm so its just as good as...." (Glock, M&P, FN..etc..etc..)

"A 380 is only a little smaller then a 9mm but a lot lighter and more concealable. We're only talking about 2mm case length difference. You basically get the same round" True and there is only a 2mm difference between the .40 and the 10mm.

"I want a gun that will knock out an elephant"

Then there are the salesmen who just throw stuff out there like they were the ones that invented this gun.

"AK is only good to maybe a 100 yards"

"ARs are all the same"

"ARs will are accurate to a 1000 yards"

If its German it automatically = WW2 = major combat = rare = chaaa ching $$$$$. Same with American guns. "This stormed Normandy, killed or wounded Hitler himself"

There are SF members on both sides of the counter. Im surprised they all dont know each other. I dont say anything about my past but in the mid 90's (when I was 15ish) I was part of a Marine force recon platoon. They actually asked me to join. That was fun for a while but I eventually left and joined the French Foreign Legion. I only did that for 5 years because I got tired of being in Africa and honestly it wasnt as difficult as everyone mae it out to be. Today Im thinking of buying Blackwater!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

A night engagement, When I was a younger man we called it necking, or the submarine races, or just plan parking.
Sorry Guys and Gals Sometimes I can't help myself. I just have to make smart assed remarks.

That's why I was known as "Ninja"-my "night vision goggles" were an extra ration of carrots- I could open most latches with one hand and the target would never know until it was too late. When necessary I could disappear deep into the bush without a sound. Ahhhhhh Night patrol...........

 

[Arik]

I actually want a pair of NV goggles! Not because of any night time ops but i just think they are cool!! Also would be cool to use at night when i walk my dog in the field behind my house. There is always something that grabs his attention and i can never see what it is!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2