Gun Store Etiquette

[Filderpot]

I just read a few posts about gun store etiquette that listed a few do's and dont's. But one thing that I didn't see mentioned is about seeing the inside parts of a gun. A lot of my local gun stores sell previously owned rifles and handguns and I ended up getting screwed over on a deal a while back when I purchased my first rifle. If I had the opportunity to perform a more detailed inspection of the rifle I would have known that several parts on the inside were bent or rusted and that the barrel was seriously corroded.

What do other CalGunners say about this practice?

[gti_20ae]

When I buy an used M1 Garand or M1A/M14, I always ask if I can take it out of the stock to check it. If they would not let me do that, I usually just walk away. If you are a serious buyer, I don't see why they would have a problem with that.

[uaheclipse24]

Most gun stores will let you take it apart, as long as you know how to properly and put it back together I have never had a problem nor any store tell me I'm not allowed to. If they tell you no, then walk away.

[mike_the_wino]

When I have bought a used weapon, I always performed a full inspection. Never hurts to ask. If they won't let you do it, ask them if they could field strip it.

And I know some folks don't like the flashlight to look for barrel problems but I haven't had any problems. Just get a piece of white paper in the chamber and shoot light onto that. Softer light and can reveal greater detail.

There are better ways but I don't have those tools.

[09rubicon]

I recently purchased a 100yr old Model 11 from my lgs. It "appeared" to be in great condition, but the offer I made was contigent upon it being in working order. There were no issues with me taking it to their range (same building) and putting some rounds thru it after a quick teardown showed it to be servicable. I also kept my word and purchased it.

[Khromo]

I think there is a happy medium that both the buyer and the shop will have to live with. Buying a used firearm is a somewhat risky proposition under most retail conditions. Dealing with the public has its own burdens. Buyer and seller both have rights.

I think the customer should bring his own bore light, maybe a loupe or glass to inspect the rifling at the muzzle, and reasonable expectations of what a detailed inspection should entail. A $450 lever action, a $1,000 1911, and a $2,500 custom bolt action would each warrant a different level of intrusion. That level is different on weekdays and Saturdays. That level also depends on the customer's attitude and manners.

Inspecting the bore with the customer's light, a detailed inspection of the muzzle with the customer's loupe, stripping the slide off a 1911, or removing the bolt from a bolt action shouldn't be a problem. Maybe opening an AR, but not necessarily removing the upper.

"The inside parts of a gun" might be warranted on a higher ticket item or a collector's item, or the right customer on a slow day. Regular, as in repeat customers, might have more leeway. Otherwise, I can't imagine most retailers taking the sideplates off a S&W, for instance.

I sell and repair musical instruments, meaning I deal with a lot of millenials, and since I live in SoCal, I deal with a lot of entitled, inadequate personalities. I learned long ago that many, many customers are not worth the grief and aggravation they bring with them. For instance, anytime a customer insists on watching a repair being done, or uses the term "hard earned money" or "customer is King!" I send them up the road with no regrets.

[Khromo]

...If you are a serious buyer, I don't see why they would have a problem with that.

Neither do I, because that rifle would tend to be in a higher price range, and might have been older and passed through more hands.

The retailer selling a used rimfire for less than $200 might make that call depending on how much free time he had.

It can be difficult to distinguish the serious buyer from the headache, in some cases. But since I see you are a retailer, I'm sure you know that better than most!

[bombadillo]

I would want a detail stripped gun for a used firearm at times.

If a gun shop sells you a new firearm, and it has some of the things mentioned, I would go back to the gun store, and either demand a refund, or demand a new firearm without the problems.

[ElvenSoul]

I have learned when buying guns if you can't inspect. There is a reason. A ugly ugly rusted broken reason.

[Merc1138]

Disassembling firearms was discussed in the recent thread about gun store etiquette, including a reply specific to the subject of disassembling firearms from a guy who runs a gun shop. Can't get much more of a better answer than that.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1002735

As far as you making a used firearm your first purchase, I'd actually consider that a very bad idea as you may not be familiar enough with it to know what you're looking for. While a corroded barrel should be obvious, how are you supposed to know what the internal parts are supposed to look like? While it is of course possible to research this information in advance(and most people should), if you hang around in gun shops often enough you'll quickly learn that most people don't.

As the retailer who replied to that thread mentioned, as long as they aren't ridiculously busy, and the gun isn't a nightmare to take apart, just ask. If there's no reason they shouldn't be able to take it apart, and you aren't sure about the condition of it based off of a function check with a snapcap(something you can also ask about), walk away. It's the equivalent of a car salesman not letting you pop the hood on a car or crawl underneath and take a look.

[Filderpot]

I was 18 and fresh out of basic training, I had some jingle in my pocket that was burning a hole in my pocket. Looking back I know how foolish I was to purchase the rifle anyways. A lot of gun stores in my area are really picky with letting customers handle firearms, now that i'm older I do a lot more research when I look at getting a new firearm. Just wanted to see if all gun stores are like that, thanks everyone for your imput.

[mikenewgun87]

Ask the dealer/ sales associate to dissamble it, so you can inspect. Then when they cant, call them out and call them a freaking idiot who shouldnt work there!

[Merc1138]

I was 18 and fresh out of basic training, I had some jingle in my pocket that was burning a hole in my pocket. Looking back I know how foolish I was to purchase the rifle anyways. A lot of gun stores in my area are really picky with letting customers handle firearms, now that i'm older I do a lot more research when I look at getting a new firearm. Just wanted to see if all gun stores are like that, thanks everyone for your imput.

No, they're not all the same as what you seem to have described in the OP, but part of it also depends on other cirumstances as well. If they have to break out the toolbox to take apart a rifle and other customers are waiting... that should be obvious.

What it sounds more like in your particular incident was a young guy who didn't quite know exactly what was going on, that they could sell a rifle to and get you out the door ASAP. Overall that's a crappy thing to do for a variety of reasons. It sounds like the perfect storm of crap gun, crap salesman, and a guy who just turned 18 with money in his pocket and didn't know any better.

As far as all of the gun stores in your area, I doubt that they're all like that. Like I mentioned in the other thread(couple other threads on this forum), shop around, get to know the people working at the shop, and you won't continue to get treated as "random jackwad #49 off the street window shopping today". It doesn't mean you'll ever be best friends with them and get discounts, but it's the little things like the clerks not flipping out over you doing a safety check because they know that you know what a safety check is. Or wanting to look down the bore of a rifle, and knowing that you understand what you're looking for, rather than being a random than looking like a random guy trying to get a case of garand thumb to migrate to his eyeball.

[Jimi Jah]

I found out pointing the gun towards the salesman is poor etiquette.

[MrSam]

Ask if you can take the gun apart. If they refuse, ask them to do it for you. If they refuse again, find another seller.
I was at an LGS with my friend a few weeks back. He found a "good condition" 1911 that was priced fairly well. The shop had no problem with him doing a thorough inspection of the gun.