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Gunshop Commandos


38superman

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I can't tell you how many local gun stores I've been in where either the sales people or customers have tried to tell me something about Clark Custom Guns. It's actually fairly amusing.

It serves to remind me that if I'm talking to someone I don't know... it's possible that they might know more than me on any given subject.

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One thing I have learned is that those that did the real things in life that the Gun Store Commandos speak of, rarely spoeak of them and then allmost never except in the company of their brothers. Those tales are not generally shared with the rest of the world as we really can't put them into the proper perspective. We simply have no point of reference.

Jim Norman

Very True.

My relatives that served in WWII and Korea would very seldom talk of the horrors of war, and when they did, it was only general terms. Hardly ever did they speak of specific events.

FWIW

dj

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I can't tell you how many local gun stores I've been in where either the sales people or customers have tried to tell me something about Clark Custom Guns. It's actually fairly amusing.

It serves to remind me that if I'm talking to someone I don't know... it's possible that they might know more than me on any given subject.

Renee, I think it is safe to assume you know more about that subject better then anyone!

Mike

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I picked up a frame form the local show when the owner was away. It's a fairly busy shop with about 4-6 people staffing the counters on a Saturday.

It took me about 5 minutes to convince the clerk that the steel lower portion (without grip) of an SVI I was picking up required a 4473. He kept trying to tell me that the serial number was a "Caliber Designation" (he was confused by the custom number) and was not a frame. It was really interesting we he started telling me how he knew the people at the factory - but didn't know any of their names.

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Whenever possible, I check out everyone in the store as I enter, looking for those tell-tale callouses on their elbow.

It's a sure sign of the goof who's just hangs out, leaning on the counter, ready to swoop down with superior gun and ballistic knowledge, complete with amazing stories of when they were in Special Forces/SEALS/Delta/Force Recon/ or all of the above!

HA, if they weren't in the 87th Chairborne Division, Space Shuttle Door Gunners, they ain't crap!

I have a 'Gunshop Commando' watch list in our shop... I literally RUN AND HIDE when I see certain individuals coming into my pawnshop/gunshop.

here are a few things that caused these commandos to get on our black list

-The guy that talked to me for 20 minutes on how the Mosin Naguat was THE MOST ABSOLUTE ACCURATE rifle ever made... out of the box, issue ammo, will shoot a ragged hole at 500yards, blah blah blah. this guy comes in at least once a week, I refer to him as the Ace of spades in my deck of retail terrorists.

- The guy who tried to convince that the 357mag is one of the most powerful calibers ever and that his 'friend' knocked himself out with the hammer of a Ruger Blackhawk 357 when he fired it, cause the hammer IMBEDDED in his head.

there are many many more...

I worked for a while at the local Gander Mountain. Many goofs.

I had a goof(dressed in black BDU's no less) tell a customer, who was looking at a Beretta 92, that he shouldn't buy one of those because, "if you point that at someone, they can take the slide right off the gun!". I told him I saw that movie too. I offered to give him the gun for free, IF he would go out back with me and take the slide off the gun BEFORE I shot a round through his hand. He left soon after.

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There's a local guy that claims to have flown Apache attack helicopters in Gulf War 1...looking at his driver's license once when he was buying a gun, he would have been 17-18 in Gulf War 1. He would have been lucky to have been even working on them as some sort of tech at that age. This guy also claims to fly "hueys" that carry 20 people, not counting "bombs" :wacko:

There are several assorted goons that claim to do assasin style tasks for various local law enforcement agencies. I certainly hope no such thing really happens and if it does they wouldn't hire such cretins that brag about it to do it LOL. :blink:

Some how we manage to encounter these people and we don't even do retail on a regular basis.

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There's a local guy that claims to have flown Apache attack helicopters in Gulf War 1...looking at his driver's license once when he was buying a gun, he would have been 17-18 in Gulf War 1. He would have been lucky to have been even working on them as some sort of tech at that age. This guy also claims to fly "hueys" that carry 20 people, not counting "bombs" :wacko:

There are several assorted goons that claim to do assasin style tasks for various local law enforcement agencies. I certainly hope no such thing really happens and if it does they wouldn't hire such cretins that brag about it to do it LOL. :blink:

Some how we manage to encounter these people and we don't even do retail on a regular basis.

Are his "hueys" all black with limo black tinted windows??? :ph34r:

Is his flight helmet fashioned from Reynolds or store brand foil??? :lol:

I hate...I couldn't resist...too easy...

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OK, I was at the local big box store last night and they have a new guy who doesn't know me. I heard him tell a guy "the .45 was the only pistol ever design specifically to kill a man, bald head and big glare on his face." What a goon.

Then I asked if he could order me some VV320 in bulk. HE didn't even know what it was. He replied well not unless you want to spend $350 (smirking.) What a goon, I told him as flaty as I could, "OK that should get me through a couple months." The look on his face was priceless.

I've done demos at the store before with video, so most of the regulars there know that I shoot a bit. He did a 180 once one of the old timers told him about my work on XD's and how fast the shooting on the demo tapes was and about how sweet the triggers on my XD's are.

From a big bad ass to a sheep in 2 minutes. I then proceed to show him how to fit a gun to a shooter and the pros and cons of different products he sells. He was totally clueless. Hopefully it will spare future customers the B.S. he was selling.

Edited by Loves2Shoot
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Great work. Sometimes these guys are wannabees just because they don't know any better and learned everything they know listening to other know-nothings blather on. Set them on the right path if they aren't too far gone.

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I think Francisco, my youngest son, was still 12 the day we were waiting at the local shop/indoor range to shoot some groups. It's a small shop so there's not much to see or at least that I want to see. But it was a Saturday and the place was packed with lookers, some regulars that just hang out there and people like me waiting to get in the range.

Fran and I just parked our butts in a corner close to the counter (the monkey cage) so as not to be in the way of anybody. One of the young attendants, the more vocal of all, was giving the rap to an older gentleman about how "if you want a gun for defense why spare and buy a plastic gun when you could have a nice Sig or S&W double action, believe me I was in the military". And this went on and on and on... "Forget about a revolver... Glocks don't have safeties... Taurus will jam when you need it most..." Can't remember what other BS this guy gave the customer.

My name was called to use the range but before going in, I gave my business card to the poor customer that now had been listening to this guy for about half an hour, with a schedule of our local matches and invited him to come and try some guns. As we were walking in the range my 12 year-old looked at me and in Spanish told me:

Wow Papi, that guy was talking a lot of "caca"!

Even pre-teens catch the counter super ninjas.

;)

Edited by Nemo
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What I REALLY want to know is how all these goons and losers managed to GET these jobs in the first place????!!!!!!

I wanna know!!! :angry:

Siggy,

As a former owner of a gun shop, I will try to answer your question.

Many of the folks that end up behind the counter are just people that "like" guns and enjoy being around them and talking about them.

They usually have some shooting experience as hunters or in the military.

Working with sales reps, spending a little time on the range, working around a gunsmith and reading gun related magazines, etc. gains them some general knowledge.

The more experience they have using what they sell, the better they are.

Some are little more than grocery clerks selling guns instead of Cherrios.

They take whatever someone tells them at face value or what they see in a movie and repeat it as if it were gospel.

Whatever their expertise they tend to become jaded by dealing with a customer base that contains a few truly knowledgable folks and a whole lot of neanderthals.

I got to the point that I got sick of customers (particularly women) coming into the shop to look at a handgun for protection and saying "I don't need to learn to shoot. I don't want to shoot anybody, I just want to scare them away".

I have watched in horror as police officers come in to look at a revolver and sling the cylinder closed because they saw Broderick Crawford do it on "Highway Patrol".

I loved the guys that came in everyday and asked me if a 300 win mag was big enough for deer.

I loved the guys that insisted that they would only deer hunt with a semi-automatic rifle.

They would never consider a bolt because they needed those quick follow up shots.

I wondered if they were hunting or going to war.

A gunshop is a funny place.

Firearms knowledge is something that a lot of people associate with manhood.

They may have it and they may not but they are always going to try to impress you with it.

It takes all kinds...... on both sides of the counter. ;)

Tony

Edited by tlshores
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I loved the guys that insisted that they would only deer hunt with a semi-automatic rifle.

They would never consider a bolt because they needed those quick follow up shots.

I wondered if they were hunting or going to war.

I own ~125 acres in the north Arkansas Ozarks that my son and I hunt on. I had an acquaintance (not really a friend) that kept bugging me to take him deer hunting. After a couple of years of him asking, I told him OK.

He showed up that morning with his Remington 7400 30/06 and 5 of the Ramline 10 round mags. He was also carrying a Desert Eagle 44 mag with 4 or 5 extra mags. This guy was easily carrying 100 rounds of ammo or more. Then he walks about 100 yards from the truck and plops his butt on the ground. He stayed within sight of the truck so he wouldn't get lost.

My son and I carry 25/06 bolt guns with only the ammo in the rifle, 4 rounds.

He has asked to go since then, but it just didn't work into my schedule. :wacko:

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When I was in college I worked part-time in a gun shop. Mostly as stated above because I enjoyed them. I had hunted before but was not serious about hunting. I was knowledgable enough to provide good information. I once prevented a friend or a friend from buying S&W .41 mag as a fishing protection gun. No Kodiak Bears down where I live.

After about 25 years of not shooting, I am shooting again and still learning.

I was in Sportsman Warehouse the other day when a young woman-good looking to boot-was asking the clerk some questions about a .45 pistol. He was inept. He could not answer her questions and for the most part was pretty unhelpful. Now the strange part is that SW is usually pretty well staffed with some guys that actually know their stuff as well as dumb ones. She unfortunately got a dumb one.

Like the man said-to some it is just a retail sales job and to others it is an avocation.

Oh -- I could not keep my mouth shut. I started explaining the real pros and cons to all of them 1911s and the guy walked off.

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I teach a lot of beginning shooters and see a lot of "gunowner/carry permit applicant" level shooters on the range in my classes. I have to deal with the results of all the bad advice people get from gunshop employees, mainly regarding equipment selection. It's a given that in every class I'll have one or two students that show up with guns that are totally wrong for them or poorly suited for their intended purpose. When people call about beginner training the first thing I tell them is "don't spend money before you take our class". Some listen. Some don't. I finally sat down and wrote up all my standard, very opinionated advice as a FAQ

http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Archi...rstgun2006.html

One of the smaller gun shops in town is run by a couple of guys who have shot IPSC and IDPA and have been to several of the well known big schools. The largest family owned shop in town has apparently hired a few people that also have a clue, because students I get that have been in those shops are actually getting what I consider to be decent advice.

Normally I avoid local shops whenever possible because I can't go in one without overhearing conversations that make me wince or laugh or bite my tongue. My most recent favorite was the guy at Sportsman's Warehouse that told a customer that he should get a .40 vs a 9mm XD because ".40 was more accurate". My thought at that point is that more than likely the customer would shoot worse with the .40 because he'll be flinching more. At least they weren't pushing him into a .357 SIG model.

I assumed that the counter guy came to his conclusion because he'd probably shot a 9mm with a long heavy trigger that he couldn't reach and then shot a .40 of a different design that had a better trigger or fit his hand, so he got better results, thus (voila!) conclusive proof that .40 was "more accurate" than 9mm. Just the sort of thinking that passes for 'rigid scientific analysis' down at the gunshop.

After having the 'bad equipment' problem be a continual pain we've finally decided to just get an FFL and start carrying an inventory of gear that one or more of our instructors would actually consider carrying or using on match day.

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Rehn,

That is awesome. It is just a shame that few people I know that are buying their first gun would take that advice. They hear from a friend that the desert eagle is the biggest and best out ther and $1000 later, they have a worthless piece of metal. I like how you break down the primary and backup idea. I personally carry a 3" XD in .40, but have been shooting for a while. If I had to do it again though, I would have got the 4", so it proves your synopsis of primary carry guns is dead on, as far as I am concerned. Grat job on the breakdowns though. I wish that was posted ant every retailer in the country. It sure would save alot of people alot of time and money.

I wonder if Brian could tack that link under the BEginners Forum for new folks with questions on Self-Defense guns.

Mike

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was in a local shop a month or so back and was listening to the clerk, who I went to school with, tell a group of customers how some people where addicted to drugs, but he was addicted to killing people. This guy has never been in the military, but they have every video on combat tactics and shooting. Kind of pathetic :wacko:

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he was addicted to killing people.

It might be worth mentioning the clerk's behavior to the store owner.

Either he's aware of it and doesn't care, in which case you should find a new place to shop, or he's not aware and would probably appreciate the heads-up.

The clerk's not only representing the owner's business but also the entire firearms owner community. All we need is for that guy to be the one interviewed by the local paper or local TV reporter as an "expert" on gun issues before some referendum on firearms laws.

Karl

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