Gun World Burbank - never going back (rant)

[Zorgnot]

I don't think it's fair comparing at 3000 dollar pistol to a Farrari. But if you must I would say manipulating the gun is more like sitting in the Farrari, and shooting the gun would be more like driving the Farrari. Having never shopped for a 250,000 dollar car I can't say for certain, but would imagine they'd let you sit in one. Keep in mind there are guns out there worth a hell of a lot more than 3k.

PS they would give you a test flight on a 650,000 Cirrus before buying one.

[em9sredbeam]

It's a gun, it is made for the slide to go back and forth and the hammer to go down. It is not an ornament or painting made only to look at. I would not buy a gun without checking it out either, especially if you want to compare it to another high end gun. If the guy was that worried about damage, make people sign a waver and use snap caps. Simple as that. I would not give them my business either.

[triggatronic]

I always thought Gun World was a little on the pricey side.

[Fate]

Not sure if it's worth the rant. There are thousands of other reasons to hate on Gun World. One more drop added to the tidal wave won't change much.

[RoadKing]

but he is not a lookie loo he is a buyer
first line says you are not a buyer .... get over it you are just the typical lookieloo and most liklky not buy anyway and complain about the shop online while looking for the best price online and have it shipped to a different brick and mortar ....

Yep, you're right, I never buy local, only on the internet. I don't make it a point to go to my local gun store and buy supplies and other items on a fairly regular basis to support them either...

yes, we looked at multiple high end guns the day before and were moments away from buying the one my wife liked. Then she inspected it and found it was used and had been damaged by the previous owner. As in multiple idiot scratches thru the finish on an otherwise beautiful Nighthawk. The trigger was good and the slide was like butter. Oh, and SHE LIKED IT!

I think its funny there are people advocating that when shopping for a high end item the only way it works is if you show up, place your money on the table, tell them you are going to buy something from them, AND THEN get to look at the merchandise.

Question for all those who believe this... Do you get your money back if they don't have something you want/like or do they get to keep it since they showed you what they had that you did not want???

[RoadKing]

Its an Ed Brown. What is your wife gonna divine from racking the slide? If I were a gun store I wouldn't want 100 yahoos a day racking the slide and dropping the hammer on my expensive merchandise. And people under 30 shouldn't be allowed to post gun store "rants". It'd cut down on 95% of them.

So I take it you have never racked the slide on multiple, hand crafted high end 1911's? Not trying to be mean, just curious, cause if you had you would know there is a substantial difference in the feel from one to the other and some work great while some don't feel right. The trigger jobs are all different as well, some of the $3k guns we tried over the weekend had creep in the triggers or were much heavier pull weights than others. If we are going to pay for the gun, she gets to try it out to make sure she likes it.

Not sure what the under 30 comment is supposed to be about. Making assumptions about who I am? That's funny.

[RazzB7]

I see both sides of this.

I can understand the desire to want to get a feel for what you're buying before dropping $3K on a pistol.

But if I'd spent $3K on a pistol and it had signs of wear (even minor) before I got a chance to put a single round through it, I don't think I'd be happy.

But I don't think the issue is rant-worthy.

[The Gleam]

Its an Ed Brown.

My thoughts exactly. That, and by his own admission, they were "browsers". Lots of people browse, and if every browser was able to play with such a gun, it would look like a well-used gun in no time. Typically, someone buying an Ed Brown has a good idea of why they are buying it. These are not high-production guns, so the problem is that many Ed Browns in the display case ARE the one you will be buying. There aren't some 100 in the "back-room" inventory with a display model for beating up.

And I don't know exactly what the novice is going to extract or derive from racking the slide on a new Ed Brown over any other hundreds of models of 1911s, when it sounds like they still don't know what to expect from a 1911 at all. A novice asking to "rack the slide" on a new Ed Brown is like asking to parallel-park a Ferrari to compare it to the parallel-parking attributes of a Toyota Corolla.

Do you think for a second, knowing a browser is a novice to riding motorcycles, I would let that person take out a $70,000 Custom to see how it feels? I won't even let you sit on it.

What can I say about a Brown? Expect the tolerances to be tighter, and the "pull" on the slide that you are looking to test, to take a very marginal more heft than an RIA, Daly, Colt Government, Springfield, or Ruger 1911. Trigger will be sweet. The salesman should have advised you of this aspect. Being in the market for an Ed Brown, I am glad they didn't let you; I can buy it now knowing it won't be fingered to the point of used. I am glad they would do this.

But would I buy it there? Probably not; that salesman probably did you a favor as everybody knows Gun World's prices are laughable, as others have stated within this thread.

And on the Ferrari thing? No, you won't be walking into any Ferrari dealership and expect to test drive it without the credentials mentioned earlier, like you might a Toyota Corolla or even a BMW 650 for that matter. I know for a fact that the dealership in Beverly Hills won't let you. Nor will the Porsche dealership on Wilshire at San Vincente let you take out a GT-3 without the same.

[Jeepers]

Yep, you're right, I never buy local, only on the internet. I don't make it a point to go to my local gun store and buy supplies and other items on a fairly regular basis to support them either...here let me quote you again

We then left and I am still extremely annoyed with the BS there. I have been there a number of times to look at firearms over the last 10 years, very infrequently but that shouldn't matter, and there has always been an attitude. I was hoping it had changed since I had not been there in a number of years.

yes, we looked at multiple high end guns the day before and were moments away from buying the one my wife liked. Then she inspected it and found it was used and had been damaged by the previous owner. As in multiple idiot scratches thru the finish on an otherwise beautiful Nighthawk. The trigger was good and the slide was like butter. Oh, and SHE LIKED IT! wait what you didnt want it cause some one scratched it , maybe thats why they dont allow folks off the street to finger there guns

I think its funny there are people advocating that when shopping for a high end item the only way it works is if you show up, place your money on the table, tell them you are going to buy something from them, AND THEN get to look at the merchandise.

Question for all those who believe this... Do you get your money back if they don't have something you want/like or do they get to keep it since they showed you what they had that you did not want???

now let me fill you in a bit a 3000 gun does not make it perfect it means you bought a "name" you can brag about,you want a sweet slick 1911 have one BUILT to your specs, but that mean you will have to lay out the $$$ before you get to finger it but you will also have the option of having the smith "fix" whatever issue you have with ... walking into a shop and saying i want to look at your high end 1911's says you dont know what you want ....

[Mac Attack]

Would you be happy to buy a high end 1911 that has had the slide racked and dry fired by every person that handled it over time? I hear what you are saying about wanting to feel the action and trigger but when do you decide who can do it and who can't? They are a lot of tire kickers who just want to handle a gun and have no intention of purchasing it.

[BKinzey]

Rack the slide to show the gun is empty. Confirmation that the gun is empty should be done by everyone who handles the firearm.

Any high end 1911 has had the slide racked and been test fired at the factory.

Unless it is a gold plated firearm or Patton's personal .45s customers should be able to handle and manipulate firearms. If affraid the customer will drop the firearm why take any of them out of the case?

[The Gleam]

If affraid the customer will drop the firearm why take any of them out of the case?

They will take it out of the case when I buy it today, now that I know Gun World has one in stock that hasn't been fingered-fugged up.

[Citadelgrad87]

OP, is it your position that racking the slide and deciding what that "feels like" factors in to a decision whether to buy a high end 1911?

I understand trigger pull, but what is slide racking supposed to feel like?

If I were buying a 2K 1911, I would want one that nobody else had finger banged or dry fired. So would you. If a shop only has one or two, well, it makes sense to me.

[Deal]

Gun World?

Oh yeah, I remember now.

That place feel off the map forever for me several years ago.

There has been many many threads/posts about GW and I don't remember any of them particularly good.

Lot's of reasons to not do business with GW and the remark about displaying CG banner is shocking to me. Someone needs to get that back!

I have been to gun shops all over so-cal, nv, az, and tx. Gun World in Burbank ranks right up there as the worst 1 or 2 ever.

[Zorgnot]

My local shop has a pair of Nighthawks both over 3k and let me manipulate both. Neither had any damage after I racked the slide.

Very nice guns and they knew I wasn't going to buy either right then.