I live around NE Indiana as a reference point.
My big gripe about not spending money at local gun stores is none of them carry qualty stuff. If you are an AR shooter, forget it. Most of the stuff sold around here would not make it through one carbine class....but it's sold like it "just as good as" blah blah, it's not. Gun selection in the area is OK, but not great. I know it's tough to compete with the online retailers and maybe get contracts...I just wish a local GS would carry some of the following stuff:
Blue Force Gear
Daniel Defense
Larue
Aimpoint
EoTech
Surefire
Magpul
Tango Down
Benchmade/Emerson/Spyerdco knives
AAC
LMT
BCM
ETC:
Tapco parts are not quality parts for a serious end user, neither are fake points etc..
The new "freedom fire arms" is doing a decent job on gun selection and prices are in line for a retail store. Accesory selection has picked up there, hell I even saw blue force gear slings last time I was in there. They have aimpoints for sale but 900 plus for a M4s....get real, that's 300 over realistic pricing.
I may get flamed just my obersvations....I would be willing to spend more money locally if retailers carried qualty gear and not bubba gear. With that said some stores do a better job then others. I am an AR and handgun snob..and yes I shoot all my guns and take several carbine/handgun classes a year. Flame away
One last story, I was at Gander Mountain last week and I heard the nice kid behind the counter explaining how a Kimber 1911 is the best you can get. It's not (period). Kimber 1911's are barely hobby grade 1911's. At one point they made a decent 1911 (Classis Series 1) but now they are junk. If the salesman would have said "if you only intend to shoot this at the range and not bet your life on it it should be fine", but don't make it something it's not.
My big gripe about not spending money at local gun stores is none of them carry qualty stuff. If you are an AR shooter, forget it. Most of the stuff sold around here would not make it through one carbine class....but it's sold like it "just as good as" blah blah, it's not. Gun selection in the area is OK, but not great. I know it's tough to compete with the online retailers and maybe get contracts...I just wish a local GS would carry some of the following stuff:
Blue Force Gear
Daniel Defense
Larue
Aimpoint
EoTech
Surefire
Magpul
Tango Down
Benchmade/Emerson/Spyerdco knives
AAC
LMT
BCM
ETC:
Tapco parts are not quality parts for a serious end user, neither are fake points etc..
The new "freedom fire arms" is doing a decent job on gun selection and prices are in line for a retail store. Accesory selection has picked up there, hell I even saw blue force gear slings last time I was in there. They have aimpoints for sale but 900 plus for a M4s....get real, that's 300 over realistic pricing.
I may get flamed just my obersvations....I would be willing to spend more money locally if retailers carried qualty gear and not bubba gear. With that said some stores do a better job then others. I am an AR and handgun snob..and yes I shoot all my guns and take several carbine/handgun classes a year. Flame away
One last story, I was at Gander Mountain last week and I heard the nice kid behind the counter explaining how a Kimber 1911 is the best you can get. It's not (period). Kimber 1911's are barely hobby grade 1911's. At one point they made a decent 1911 (Classis Series 1) but now they are junk. If the salesman would have said "if you only intend to shoot this at the range and not bet your life on it it should be fine", but don't make it something it's not.