Marin Firearms store

[BlackDrop50]

Small shop, the guys there are *******s, no customer service or courtesy, or can't even acknowledge me, when I'm the only one in the shop, come right to the counter with money and info to buy a gun I already called to see they had. Waste of my time. I would never go there again. Don't waste your money there.

[liberty08]

I have purchased two guns from Marin Firearms. One was a rifle, and the other was a pistol. Their customer service is pretty good if you get Alan or the other older guy. The younger guy seems as if he has autism or maybe he just isn't very personable. I am also surprised there isn't more talk about this place too.

[mecam]

I have purchased two guns from Marin Firearms. One was a rifle, and the other was a pistol. Their customer service is pretty good if you get Alan or the other older guy. The younger guy seems as if he has autism or maybe he just isn't very personable. I am also surprised there isn't more talk about this place too.

+1 for Alan, stay away from the young bald guy.

[_Odin_]

yea, I called these guys about 3 weeks ago and asked if they would do a transfer for an OLL I had on order from DD's Ranch. I was told flat out, "NO".

I explained what I wanted transfered (Stag arms model 2T w/ BB). The guy on the phone goes "oh! is that one of those AR-15 type rifles where you press a button with a bullet to drop the mag?" I told him yea that's it. "Nope; can't transfer it - those are illegal".

Awesome.

[RP1911]

Is Ben still running the shop?

[climber]

i used to frequent Marin Firearms when they kept racks of consignment rifles on the floor...picked up a nice Finn m-39 and a Arisaka. i've always had good luck with the staff, but haven't been in since the remodel. still, they GOTTA be better than Helm's in santa rosa!

[battleship]

Ive been there several times for such a small shop they have a great selection of new guns and some of the best prices ive seen around, they even have some nice guns always in the consgniment case i.e. a stainless Python is currently for sale. well worth checking out.

[tankerman]

still, they GOTTA be better than Helm's in santa rosa!

Anything is better than that place, specially if that short, fat pr-ck is working, the one that yelled at me in front of my 5 year old son for not having photocopy of my D/L.

[edward]

i used to frequent Marin Firearms when they kept racks of consignment rifles on the floor...picked up a nice Finn m-39 and a Arisaka. i've always had good luck with the staff, but haven't been in since the remodel. still, they GOTTA be better than Helm's in santa rosa!

QFT & +10,000,000,000

Helm's sets the bar so unbelievably low that any half rate pawn shop, sporting goods store or wal mart would look like the pinnacle of reason and good service by comparison.

EDIT: On topic, never been to Marin Firearms, but I called this summer to ask if they would handle an online transfer for me of a PTR-91 from Lan World Inc. They at first didn't know what it was and after I said it was the American made clone copy of the HK-91, and the one I wanted had a mag lock, they said "Uhhh, no sorry", which is atleast nicer than the answers I got from some other area FFl's (including Helm's).

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

Is Ben still running the shop?

I don't think so.

[DRM6000]

yea, I called these guys about 3 weeks ago and asked if they would do a transfer for an OLL I had on order from DD's Ranch. I was told flat out, "NO".

I explained what I wanted transfered (Stag arms model 2T w/ BB). The guy on the phone goes "oh! is that one of those AR-15 type rifles where you press a button with a bullet to drop the mag?" I told him yea that's it. "Nope; can't transfer it - those are illegal".

Awesome.

they had a sig 556 with a bullet button on it though.

i've heard one guy on the phone explaining to a customer that the bullet buttons are not doj approved and that makes the bb illegal.

oh yeah, after he got off the phone, he didn't even acknowlege me, the only customer on the whole entire, tiny store.

alan seems to be the only guy to talk to there.

[Alaric]

I bought my first handgun from them 10+ years ago, a S&W 66 .357. Great store back then, but they have a tough clientele. Marinites can be real jerks.

I witnessed some tweaker chick try to steal a display knife off the counter and get kicked out of the store - she was pretty obvious.

Went in there about 6 months ago and saw a customer meltdown. This Marinite comes in demanding they release a gun he'd waited 10 days for, though he doesn't have proof of residence (he had like a library card or some such bs). Really clueless and demanding customer, total clown. The guys behind the counter were trying to be helpful at first but ended up having to threaten to call the cops in the end to get him to leave.

Thought I'd heard somewhere that store was sold to the same people who own Bullseye Range maybe...?

[DRM6000]

the last i heard it was sold to bill at bullseye, but a friend who frequents the store tells me that alan owns the place.

i remember seeing bill at the store before it was open for business and that he was waiting for the atf inspector.

i'm not sure who owns the store, but that's my $0.02 anyhow.

[fairfaxjim]

In 2006, the Marin IJ reported that Bill Byrd had purchased both Bullseye range/gun store and Marin Firearms. I know it was closed for a while after that, and I don't really know who owns it now. Bill definitely has Bullseye, and has fixed it up quite a bit. I recently was in Marin Firearms and saw Mark Baradat who originally started Bullseye in San Rafael, so he may own it or have some interest in it. I haven't purchased anything from them in a long time. They seemed to have a pretty good selection for a small store, and were helping a guy find and order something they didn't happen to have. It's good to still have several gun stores in Marin.

[odysseus]

In 2006, the Marin IJ reported that Bill Byrd had purchased both Bullseye range/gun store and Marin Firearms. I know it was closed for a while after that, and I don't really know who owns it now. Bill definitely has Bullseye, and has fixed it up quite a bit. I recently was in Marin Firearms and saw Mark Baradat who originally started Bullseye in San Rafael, so he may own it or have some interest in it. I haven't purchased anything from them in a long time. They seemed to have a pretty good selection for a small store, and were helping a guy find and order something they didn't happen to have. It's good to still have several gun stores in Marin.

If you go to Bullseye, right by the indoor range entrance there is a cash register. Next to that register on it's left is a wall, where there is\was a piece of paper on it saying something like "Don't talk about Marin Firearms." to remind the staff there. Seems there has been some bad blood or something since the last purchase of Marin Firearms and with Bill of Bullseye. I too heard that Bullseye bought both places, but seems that is not true. No one talks about it seems.

Ben was the owner before he sold to whoever owns it now and retired to Nevada, and he was a crabby old codger at times. He talked me out of a sale of an HK of his once right as I had it in my hands and was ready to buy it because he got all puffy about me asking to have it racked back (it was zip tied shut) so I could see inside of it. Ben was a character, and yes a lot of people rolled their eyes about him. I have been inside since it re-opened and well it is stocked full of items (small place) and I see they do a brisk amount of transfers there too.

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