Is that it for stores in South Bay?

[ElKabong]

I swung by Turner's for the first time in quite a while and I was surprised by how thin their stock looked compared to before the chain was sold. Are they the last reasonably sized store in South Bay? Twenty five years ago they were all over the place (remember the original Beach Cities Armory?). Of course twenty-holy-cow-five-I-can't-believe-it-years is a quarter of a century. I think we had woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths round these parts back then too...

If there is only one, is there really insufficient business to keep one gun store in business in the entire region from LAX to Palos Verdes and the coast to Carson?

[high_revs]

reeds has a selection... sjge has decent choices... but i like going to irvington arms myself. kewl peeps there.

[Aluisious]

I think he's talking about SoCal.

[jester]

Yep, SO-SoCal

[stevie]

Sharpshooter gun range
insight gun range
Ammo Bros
Ades

Just depends on how far you want to drive

I liked BCA, Ranger Sales, Gardena Guns, Western Surplus to name a few. That have all disappeared

[HowardW56]

I swung by Turner's for the first time in quite a while and I was surprised by how thin their stock looked compared to before the chain was sold. Are they the last reasonably sized store in South Bay? Twenty five years ago they were all over the place (remember the original Beach Cities Armory?). Of course twenty-holy-cow-five-I-can't-believe-it-years is a quarter of a century. I think we had woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths round these parts back then too...

If there is only one, is there really insufficient business to keep one gun store in business in the entire region from LAX to Palos Verdes and the coast to Carson?

There is Turners (Redondo Beach) that you mentioned, Sharpshooter (Torrance), Union War Surplus (San Pedro), Martin B. Retting (Culver City), of these I prefer Sharpshooter... That's all that I am aware of local to the South Bay. Going further north doesn't help. Los Angeles has run just about every gun shop out of business; forget Santa Monica, Inglewood, and Beverly Hills...

I have heard that there is a FFL dealer somewhere in Compton, but I'm not sure where...

If you head north towards Magic Mountain there is a gun shop at Oak Tree, Gun World in Burbank, Kings Gun Works in Glendale (a great place for 1911 parts) a few in the San Gabriel Valley, south there is Turners (Signal Hill), several in Orange County, there are a few in Ventura County… They haven’t all gone away, but there aren’t as many as there used to be….

If anyone knows of others, I'd love to hear about them....

Especially if they have any old Smith and Wesson Revolvers in stock…

[ElKabong]

Gardena Guns? Was that the place near Western and Compton (now Marine) that was in business in the late 1970's through the early 1980's?

I was aware of the ranges, but I mean actual gun stores like Turner's before the chain was sold or better yet like the old B&E, B&B's, National Gun Sales or that store that used to be in Torrance on Hawthorne south of Sepulveda near uh... Airport or so on the west side of the street.

I know a guy that has an FFL that used to have a business in Compton but the LAFD harrassed him so much (not over firearms) that he moved to another area. So he could have been the FFL you heard about.

The store mentioned in Compton might be Crispus Attucks National Gun in Inglewood. Never been there but I looked at the map and it is in what looks like might be an odd location. I don't know the area but my assumption is that it might be a really small store.

I haven't been to Martin B Retting's in a while but they had a nice selection last time I was there. Good to hear they are still around. Other than that I am only familiar with The Stockade and The Fowler Gun Room (same owners) and The Grant Boys in Orange County. MBR isn't too far.

I was just wondering if there was a new store I was unaware of. It seems like there might be enough business to support one store in what seems like a large area (specifically SoCal's south bay area). It really says something if a region that large that seems to have some cash (or maybe not after mortgages and what not) can't support one fair sized gun store.

[blackberg]

there is/was a range in compton, on long beach blvd,and rosecrans near the 710 , never been there just seen it.

it may have closed down, or is about to close since I saw an Ad for the real estate that it sits on last month.

[stevie]

Gardena Guns? Was that the place near Western and Compton (now Marine) that was in business in the late 1970's through the early 1980's?

Yes that was the one. Another big chain (Sportsmart) used to sell firearms.

[COILSPRING]

Those were the days...

Gardena Guns? Was that the place near Western and Compton (now Marine) that was in business in the late 1970's through the early 1980's?

If I remember correctly it was called the Gardena Valley Gun Shop... I've meant to ask Alan Tanaka if he was doing their gunsmithing back at the time. You guys are bringing tears to my eyes, Ranger Sales on Torrance Blvd., Beach Cities Armory first on Aviation and later on PCH, B&B Sales (both of them), how about Laurence & Company on Artesia in Redondo Beach... I can't remember the name of the Filipino owned shops on Artesia Blvd. and the store on Carson Blvd. in Carson. How about C&P Armory, wasn't the owner Cliff Yost, Ted Yost's Dad?

[stevie]

I worked at Lawerence and Company for a little while until they closed.

C&P Armory... I think i read one of the workers/relatives killed a cyclist during a road rage thing?

[tackdrivr]

If I remember correctly it was called the Gardena Valley Gun Shop... I've meant to ask Alan Tanaka if he was doing their gunsmithing back at the time. You guys are bringing tears to my eyes, Ranger Sales on Torrance Blvd., Beach Cities Armory first on Aviation and later on PCH, B&B Sales (both of them), how about Laurence & Company on Artesia in Redondo Beach... I can't remember the name of the Filipino owned shops on Artesia Blvd. and the store on Carson Blvd. in Carson. How about C&P Armory, wasn't the owner Cliff Yost, Ted Yost's Dad?

The store on Carson was called RNJ guns. They got taken down by ATF for selling full auto conversions. The gun smith did time.

The kid from C&P went to prison for shooting a guy.

Ranger disappeared one night in a shroud of mystery.

There were some "questionable" things going on during those days.

[stevie]

Ranger Sales

Yeah I had a Colt Combat Commander in for smithing.... Found it in Costa Mesa.. Luckily the smith posted a sign to check on firearms.

Place was great until it closed one day. Cleaned out lock stock and barrel one night.

[tackdrivr]

I worked at Lawerence and Company for a little while until they closed.

C&P Armory... I think i read one of the workers/relatives killed a cyclist during a road rage thing?

Did you work there when the knucklehead tried to rob the place?

[stevie]

Did you work there when the knucklehead tried to rob the place?

No, I had a quiet time. Got robbed at Franks Liquor in Torrance...