Sharpshooters Encounter #2

[ts]

So I go back to Sharpshooters in Torrance, even though the last time I went I was met with racist remarks and rude ignorant people. So I go in, and I shoot my UZI with 2 of my friends. I get a tap on the shoulder and the employee that was rude to me last time said, "Unload your gun and bring it to the front, the boss wants to see it." So I finish sighting in the laser and finish the magazine off. Make sure the gun is unloaded and go to the front, my friends follow.

So, the infamous Fred checks out my gun, handles it for a few seconds and says to me, "This is an illegal assault weapon if you ever f-ing bring it here again you will go to f-ing jail." I then informed it was a fixed 10 round mag, GI receiver, met length requirements. His response was, "Oh, you got me there."

I then asked why he was so rude to me and making assumptions. And he says, "I've been behind this counter longer then you've been alive." And makes other rude remarks. So I go back to shooting unpleased.

I go to buy more ammo and the guy that everyone hates, Fred, APOLOGIZES TO ME! I was shocked. I accepted his apology and we just talked for a little and he is a hard *** but he an okay guy that has a short fuse and not very good people skills.

He even gave me advice on my UZI.

Not as bad as last time.

[daskraut]

Dude, you did good. you kept your cool and didn't pop-off when you had the right, but perhaps respected age and possibly understood that maybe this guy deals with puddingheads all day long and has grated nerves!. I just had a run in with a guy at angeles saturday morning. I was shimming a scope mount on my long distance shooter when a guy folds up my chair and starts cleaning up my brass, so I said "i'm still shooting boss", to which I get the slow turn of the head and the look of death, followed by "yea, you guys are getting real sloppy over here, so i'm gunna clean it up". I just looked at the 16 brass casings by my bench and said "no problem". He then gruffly sweeps up all the brass and trundles off. A half hour later i'm shooting my 1943 mossberg .22 and the same guy asks in the nicest tone "gee, is that a mossberg?", polite conversation ensues and all was good in the world!. Gun people can have really lame attitudes when they have gun related jobs!. Keep that cool head, it will serve you well in years to come. DK

[scorpucla]

??

I'm not trying to be an *** or anything, but why'd you go back?

I go there, and don't have a problem. I also don't ask them for advice, don't make small talk, etc. I sign the book, pay my fees, and go shoot. They're not real helpful, but I can't say they've been rude to me either.

Bottom line, you're making a choice to go shoot there. If you don't like it, go shoot somewhere else.

[ts]

I go to the range to shoot. This is the closest rage to me. Everywhere else is 45 minuets further away. (my zip code is 90275 - if you can find a better one where I can shoot my UZI please tell me). Some guys there are as*holes and some guys there are racist. But if I am able to get past them and get into the shooting zone with out any trouble it is a great experience. Lately it hasn't been good though. I am only 20 and I know a lot about gun laws, mainly due to this site. These guys at the gun shops/shooting ranges are more then twice my age some times and they think just because I am young I have an illegal assault weapon with or without knowing it. I don't care how old you are, there are dumb as*es of all ages, same with geniuses. I didn't blow my top because I was shooting something that looked exactly like an IMI UZI (even though it is a GI 4332 or what ever) and if a DOJ/ATF agent entered and saw that he would close the shop down. So I could understand his concern, but it is the lack of respect to a fellow human being that bothers me.

Edit: You guys need to work on the profanity filters.

[VeryCoolCat]

"yea, you guys are getting real sloppy over here, so i'm gunna clean it up".

Actually I don't mind when they clean up around me. I dunno... but I've gone to a few ranges very cluttered. I also better if you know the person there that way you aren't freaked someone is standing behind you while your shooting.

I go to buy more ammo and the guy that everyone hates, Fred, APOLOGIZES TO ME! I was shocked. I accepted his apology and we just talked for a little and he is a hard *** but he an okay guy that has a short fuse and not very good people skills.

I've heard he is only an *** around people he don't know, act cocky, or blatantly don't know crap. After my 3rd time there... didn't seem to have any problems with me.

[Matt C]

a guy folds up my chair and starts cleaning up my brass, so I said "i'm still shooting boss", to which I get the slow turn of the head and the look of death, followed by "yea, you guys are getting real sloppy over here, so i'm gunna clean it up".

Fine with me, I would just take out my Mosin Nagant carbine or compensator equipped M1a.

[ibbryn]

I then asked why he was so rude to me and making assumptions. And he says, "I've been behind this counter longer then you've been alive." And makes other rude remarks.

So I guess he's just cranky cuz he feels bitter that he is stuck in a dead end job and has no qualifications or skills to move up in the world.

We should pity him.

[stevie]

I've been shooting there from first day.. he has always been cranky

[fairfaxjim]

I then asked why he was so rude to me and making assumptions. And he says, "I've been behind this counter longer then you've been alive."

I would have told him that may be a good excuse for dying before me, but not for being a s*** to me. At least since I will outlive you, maybe I'll get some peace and quite around here one day.

[Aluisious]

So I go back to Sharpshooters in Torrance, even though the last time I went I was met with racist remarks and rude ignorant people. So I go in, and I shoot my UZI with 2 of my friends. I get a tap on the shoulder and the employee that was rude to me last time said, "Unload your gun and bring it to the front, the boss wants to see it." So I finish sighting in the laser and finish the magazine off. Make sure the gun is unloaded and go to the front, my friends follow.

So, the infamous Fred checks out my gun, handles it for a few seconds and says to me, "This is an illegal assault weapon if you ever f-ing bring it here again you will go to f-ing jail." I then informed it was a fixed 10 round mag, GI receiver, met length requirements. His response was, "Oh, you got me there."

I then asked why he was so rude to me and making assumptions. And he says, "I've been behind this counter longer then you've been alive." And makes other rude remarks. So I go back to shooting unpleased.

I go to buy more ammo and the guy that everyone hates, Fred, APOLOGIZES TO ME! I was shocked. I accepted his apology and we just talked for a little and he is a hard *** but he an okay guy that has a short fuse and not very good people skills.

He even gave me advice on my UZI.

Not as bad as last time.

You are a glutton for punishment I can't believe you went back there.

[Ryan HBC]

I love sharpshooters! Drop me a PM next time you're going (so I can play with your CA UZI.) I've been going for a while now and bought several guns there so I have a decent relationship with the guys, and I don't need there help with anything so it doesn't bother me anymore. If there was a better show in town I would drop them in a heartbeat, but it seems like the next range is LAX range. Sharpshooters is the closest and definitely the lesser of two evils.

- Yes, those guys are RUDE!! Especially to the beginners. Which is funny, because the beginners are the ones that keep that business going. They get grumpy when newbs make them do things, they will ignore customers while eating lunch at the counter, etc. I think it's hilarious to watch.

- Yes, they are racist! I hear them talking about having to deal with minorities all the time and it gets pretty deep. It's not like they want to hang them from trees or anything, but they obviously stereotype heavily and have a general redneck mentality / superiority complex. Their behavior is generally harmless, but embarrassed nonetheless.

Every time I go there it cracks me up to see the way they handle customers. Their customer service absolutely sucks ***. The owner and manager is some Korean chick that doesn't know jack about firearms / ffl's, and she has the final say in everything. At least their fees are decent and they give me good deals on hand guns.

[daskraut]

I did not mind the guy at angeles "cleaning up" after me, it was the thought in my head he was after my .30-06 brass!. There was a thread here about a guy at angeles that picks up your brass and threatens to boot you if you try and retrieve it from the bucket, apperently he re-loads. I got my brass out of the bucket asap with no problems, but I was in battle-mode, maybe it showed!

[smle-man]

I did not mind the guy at angeles "cleaning up" after me, it was the thought in my head he was after my .30-06 brass!. There was a thread here about a guy at angeles that picks up your brass and threatens to boot you if you try and retrieve it from the bucket, apperently he re-loads. I got my brass out of the bucket asap with no problems, but I was in battle-mode, maybe it showed!

I tried Angeles twice and it was such a bad experience I've never been back. One of the range idiots spent the time I was there yelling at the other workers and the customers, another wingnut rooted through my ammo box looking for steel jacketed ammo and the balance of the employees on the shooting line huddled together complaining about what a lousy place it was to work and how stupid the shooters were. Who needs that abuse? The range I go to now is mellow and laid back and a fun place to shoot.

[Crazed_SS]

Thanks for the heads up on this place..

Me and my buddies usually go to Insight when I go up north, but now i know to definitely stay away from Sharpshooters.

[jester]

I live close to sharpshooters and go there once in a while. Never had a bad experience, even with Fred, who seemed like a nice enough guy....
a few years ago, fred was selling t-shirts from one of these forums that referenced unintended consequences.
On the front pocket(polo type shirt) it had a drawing of a chopper going down in flames and the caption; careful what you wish for
on the back was "henry bowman shooting team" in a large red mil-dot reticle.
Its funny, I took that shirt to Knob Creek and showed it to John Ross. He laughed and said "I don't know anything about that"