Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
It wasn't GunWorld off of SunnyLane in OKC was it?
That place is ridiculous. I've been to this place once also since it's close to work. A few people from work go there to use their range. I cant imagine how places like that stay open.
"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men
shall possess the highest seats in Government,
our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots
to prevent its ruin." Samuel Adams
But you know it is like any other sort of buisness .......there are places that cater to enthusiasts and there are places that specialize in people with more dollars then sense.
They will either get smart or they will hit the road. I have often fantasized about hitting the lottery big time (don't play it) and opening up a big gunshop. Then keeping the prices high so no one comes in except my buddies who I will sell at cost. Then we can just sit around the pot bellied stove and talk guns all day and night without being bothered by customers.----------------Sixgun
1st. Gen. Colt SAA’s, 1878 D.A.45 and a 38-55 Marlin TD
There are two shops within 45 miles of here that are like that. Their baseline price appears to be at least MSRP plus 10% -- and they go up from there. I don't believe it's a coincidence that one is in the middle of a very high-income area, while the other is right on the edge of another -- you know the type of neighborhood, where Hummers and big BMWs are parked in the driveways of $450,000 houses (fancy, but of crackerbox quality) built 10' apart from each other. They sell a lot of guns, seemingly mostly to folks who like to brag about how much they paid.
When I make it down to the flat country down there, I usually try and stop by the gun shop in Mustang. Seems like a decent place.
Used to love to go to the old Southwest Shooters, when it was on main st. in OKC!!
Why is it in those stores that my stuff is S#*T and their S#*T is stuff??? Try to trade and they act like they have the best and latest and their isnt anymore. If it is your stuff thier is just soooo much of it out there and prices are waaaay down.
Andrew, you and Hillbilly hit it on the head - it's GunWorld. He's been there a couple of years and seems to stay ahead of the bank. He won't do it on my nickel though.
Hillbilly, that's Rt. 66 Pawn that you're talking about. Seem like decent folk. I rented a storage unit there for about a year and a half. No problems that I recall.
Southwest shooters used to get all my business until they quit maintaining inventory and went to s$%t. I used to go in there just to look around and give Terry grief.
Andrew, I work in Bricktown. We really should get together for lunch sometime.
We have one that is very high but they will usually take an offer of 10%-25% less.
"I have reached up to the gun rack and taken down the .30/30 carbine by some process of natural selection, not condoned perhaps by many experts but easily explained by those who spend long periods in the wilderness areas."~Calvin Rutstrum~
"You come to the swamp, you better leave your skirt at the house"~Dave Canterbury~
Once I find a shop with outrageous prices, I try to stay away. On occasion I will find myself window shopping again but seldom if ever buy. I also steer my friends clear and recommend other shops when I find a deal that I am going to pass on.
I think I'd be polite and tell 'em, boys y'all got a nice store here but your prices are kinda high. that way when ya don't come back they'll know why.
Maybe they can mend their ways before they go out of business.
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
This is a great thread. I moved from the OKC area about a year ago and concur with everything I see here. All of these names are familiar to me. I purchased a Swede Mauser from Gun World just after they opened. It took a lot of work just to get them down to a reasonable price. I almost walked on that deal. I went back a time or two but choked on the prices.
Southwest Shooters Supply was on their way down when Bass Pro Shop and Outdoor Warehouse opened up. Mega stores don't offer much in the way of bargains or anything interesting on the used rack. I've spent a lot of time in pawn shops over the years with mixed results.
Here is a piece of history. Gun World has some connection to Mashburn Arms Co. There were a couple of cartridges wildcated by Mashburn. 218 Mashburn Bee is the first to come to mind. They still used the Mashburn name in the phone book up to about 4 or 5 years ago. They changed the name when they built the new retail and shooting facility. Too bad they went commercial.
If you ever purchase a gun from them, LOOK OUT! They will ask you to sign a statement that says if the background check comes back bad, they keep the money and the gun!!!!!!!!
No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself
There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.
Will Rogers
Having been in the gun business and a couple of other retail businesses over the years I can tell you that the internet has really hurt the retail sales of new guns. The markup on new guns is small and the people on the net can sell new guns for an even smaller margin due to their lower overhead. The owner of the gunshop I worked in used a 100% markup on used guns (buy at $50.00- sell at $100.00) in those days. This is a typical markup for almost all businesses, except furniture (300%). The big box stores have also hurt gunshops by pricing ammo and components at very small margins. The small gunshop/gunsmith is an endangered species and is not a business I would ever consider as a way to make a good living. You do understand that the reason we see new models and cartridges introduced all the time is a marketing tool to keep you buying their guns. The manufacturers would go out of business if you never bought new. Guns are not like toilet paper, they last forever.
Last edited by Gun Smith on Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's hard to keep a gunshop open selling guns alone. The best small town gunshops are in the hardware stores. They have enough overhead to keep the guns around between hunting seasons.
Also the big box stores are different based on the local manager. The Gander Mountain by me has outrages prices on guns new and used. My buddy's best place for finding good deals is the Gander Mountain close to his house.
I always wonder about piano stores and anvil sellers. You got to figure that over the years, they must have made just about all the pianos that thw world could ever need. Do those things go bad? I can't imagine they do, but who knows? Anyway, same for anvils. I would think the world has all the anvils that it will ever need, so who would go into that business.
Anyway, back on topic: So, gun shops with high prices. Well, sometimes it truly is to allow the shop staff to have more say in who buys their guns. If the guy who is dressed nicely and speaks intelligently about guns comes in, he might get sticker price minus 30% or more. But if some greasy slouch comes in with his pants basically falling down and his cap on sideways and it looks like he will probably take that gun straight to a liquor shop for a stick-em-up, then it is sticker price, baby, pay the money or walk out the door. And, if a local cop comes in, or a guy who buys there all the time, etc, it might be sticker price minus 50%. You see what I mean? The bad dudes from the porjects get the message loud and clear that they can't afford that place. The nice folks come to understand that they will get an instant discount at the register.
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people"
-The Declaration of Independence
Anvils go bad! Seriously! Try finding a used one that hasn't been abused. And they go up in value almost as fast as guns. I retired one that came refurbished, and didn't survive.
Chris wrote:Anvils go bad! Seriously! Try finding a used one that hasn't been abused. And they go up in value almost as fast as guns. I retired one that came refurbished, and didn't survive.
County
OK, but what about pianos? Do they go bad, and why would anyone buy a new one when there must be millions of used ones around? I know of a guy on the radio, Dave Ramsey, who insists that no one should buy a new car and that we should all buy used cars, and I kind of tend to agree. I think that applies to rifles and pianos, too. Problem is that it is hard to find used modern era rifles because the auction listings are all for N.I.B.
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people"
-The Declaration of Independence
Ursavus, you're stereotyping! That bad boy dress might be hiding the next Bill Gates.
What BenT said makes alot of sense, one of the better non-big box gun stores in Wisconsin is in the Oostburg Ace Hardware store.
A personal observation, I visit a gun shop at least once a week and truly believe that the ones in and around the larger metropolitan area tend to be way over priced. Especially on used guns, they also seem to have a very dillatory attitude in general. Just yesterday I stopped in at one that sold one of my sons rifles on consignment and questioned were the money was, for the fourth time in four weeks we heard "in the mail". When pushed, the comment was non-commital, as if lets see if you can make us pay.
Last edited by Old Time Hunter on Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Southwest Shooters and Mashburn's in OKC and Charley's in Midwest City used to be the best places to buy. But haven't been back in years so can't help anyone with OKC outlets now.
