The things you hear at a Gun Store...

[Rye Miles #13621]

More than a few times we had guys coming in with their wives or girfriends who have never shot before. They want them to shoot a .45 or .40 or even a .357 for the very first time. I would always suggest that the lady rent a .22 and get used to the feel of a handgun, the bang etc. The ladies are always willing to do that but the guys will say,"She can shoot mine, it's alright, she'll be fine" Ooookaaaay..........One girl went back to the range and fired what I think was her boyfriends .45 or .40 Glock she took one shot, put the gun down and came out crying!!! I tried to talk her into a .22 to rent but she said "NO, I'm never shooting again!!!" Nice job boyfriend!!

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

My dad taught concealed carry for 20+ years before retiring.  S&W should have given him a bonus for the number of J-frames that were sold because of his advice.  

 

Folks, especially women, would come to class with the latest semi-auto recommended by their male counterpart or the sales guy, and then could cycle the slide or clear a jam to save their soul.  Then Dad would let them try one of his J-frames and the rest became history.

 

I have 3 J Frames. I love 'em. I have a 442, a 36 and a model 60 Pro.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 minute ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I have 3 J Frames. I love 'em. I have a 442, a 36 and a model 60 Pro.

I had 2 , now I'm down to one, my 442 which is my carry gun.  I traded a model 60 and a 67 for a Colt SAA in .357!!!

[Outrider Outlaw]

As much as I have come to hate the term "common sense" as in "common sense gun laws" it just doesn't make any sense to start a novice on something any bigger than a .22.  Let the person get used to the noise, the recoil, etc.  Then when the novice is ready, let them say they want to shoot something more powerful and then build up gradually.  Now that's "common sense".

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, DocWard said:

 

I've often suggested revolvers to women shooters, particularly novices. This is due to my wife having some arthritis issues and not being able to reliably cycle a semi-auto action. All too often I have a woman come in with husband/boyfriend/significant other/knowledgeable friend who suggests she look at things like 1911s or the like. At her request, I was showing one lady a semi-auto, a Shield, if I remember correctly, and her male friend was going on and on about how it would be perfect for her. I released the slide and asked her if she could cycle it. She couldn't get it close to all the way back. His response was typical. "I'll make sure it is loaded and ready to go for her." I nodded and asked what if she had an issue with the firearm while he wasn't there. She looked long and hard at revolvers that day.

Another lady was in with her early-20's son and he was pushing her to get something along the lines of a Sig P226 or something. Of course, he had no intention of him having fun with it. I suggested she look at revolvers and he started going off about how revolvers are crap, how they are only five shots, etc... I agreed that a revolver was superior to a semi-auto in a number of ways. Feeling challenged, he asked how. I shrugged and said they are far simpler to operate, and I've never seen a revolver have a failure to feed or failure to extract. The salesman hovering near me couldn't suppress a surprised laugh. The son just stood, giving the dictionary definition of looking dumbfounded and finally said quietly "Yeah, I suppose you're right there." His mother ended up buying a revolver.

 

Funny you should mention this Doc.

I was at Cabela's, again, and there was a guy, maybe 30, and an older lady looking at pistols. The guy was holding an H&K USP Tactical with all the nifty "tacti-cool" stuff like flat dark earth coloration, night sights, threaded barrel, etc.

I figured it was for him as he was doing all the talking. Turns out the gun was for his Mom, the lady with him. She wanted some home protection. Of course she was paying for it and Junior was commenting how he would come over and shoot it all the time to make sure it worked okay.

The salesman, to his credit, jumped in and steered the lady to some other more common sense selections. Junior was an idiot...probably still is.

[Pat Riot]

31 minutes ago, Outrider Outlaw said:

As much as I have come to hate the term "common sense" as in "common sense gun laws" it just doesn't make any sense to start a novice on something any bigger than a .22.  Let the person get used to the noise, the recoil, etc.  Then when the novice is ready, let them say they want to shoot something more powerful and then build up gradually.  Now that's "common sense".

I do agree with you IF one has the ability and the time for you to work with them.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Another issue with semi-autos in the hands of all inexperienced shooters, not just ladies, is firing them from a limp wrist.

A friend's wife's first gun when she obtained her CCW, in Florida, was a case in point.

She liked the Browning 1910 in .380, so her husband bought it for her.

It's a nice small piece with enough zip to do the job if needed, but her inexperience, light weight and small stature make it a jam-o-matic because of the way she holds it and tries to shoot it.

 

[DocWard]

2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

More than a few times we had guys coming in with their wives or girfriends who have never shot before. They want them to shoot a .45 or .40 or even a .357 for the very first time. I would always suggest that the lady rent a .22 and get used to the feel of a handgun, the bang etc. The ladies are always willing to do that but the guys will say,"She can shoot mine, it's alright, she'll be fine" Ooookaaaay..........One girl went back to the range and fired what I think was her boyfriends .45 or .40 Glock she took one shot, put the gun down and came out crying!!! I tried to talk her into a .22 to rent but she said "NO, I'm never shooting again!!!" Nice job boyfriend!!

 

Very few things in the world of firearms makes me more angry than giving someone, especially a first-timer or novice, more firearm than they can handle. It not only runs the risk, as you describe, of causing a person who may be neutral on the subject to be completely put off on firearms, it can also cause them to have a completely negative opinion of them. This means instead of another person with a positive view, possibly promoting firearms, we have the opposite.

The other issue is the fact that it is a very real safety risk. People risk injury and death, both of which has happened, either because they think it will be "funny" or because they think they know best. When I see idiots doing these things on youtube, especially to women and kids, I want to take a baseball bat to them. And I'm a mild mannered guy.

 

1 hour ago, Outrider Outlaw said:

As much as I have come to hate the term "common sense" as in "common sense gun laws" it just doesn't make any sense to start a novice on something any bigger than a .22.  Let the person get used to the noise, the recoil, etc.  Then when the novice is ready, let them say they want to shoot something more powerful and then build up gradually.  Now that's "common sense".

 

48 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I do agree with you IF one has the ability and the time for you to work with them.

 

IN an ideal world, I agree, the .22LR is the best teaching tool there is. I also consider it great for diagnosing issues a shooter may be having, because it takes recoil out of the equation. It also allows for much practice of fundamentals without breaking the bank. However, when someone comes to me, needing a firearm for personal protection, they typically don't have the time, money or inclination to start with the .22 and work their way up. Then I start looking at .38 Special, or 9mm in a firearm with some mass to it (other than for concealed carry) to limit recoil as much as possible. If at all possible, I try to give them a few suggestions and try to get them to go to a local range and rent before purchasing. It may mean I don't get a sale that day (or ever), but I would rather them be safe and know what they are getting.

[Dorado]

Last three people I taught to shoot pistols I started them on my SAA's. Hard to beat being able to only fire one, extremely light cowboy round for a first shot. Lighter than many .22s I've fired. I show them how to load it, operate it and how to safely aim and fire. They always got a big kick out of shooting a big gun so easily. I've always worked with them on proper form and grip. I'm proud to announce that one of my "students" joined the Marines and she's gotten her expert rifleman's badge.

[Eyesa Horg]

2 hours ago, Outrider Outlaw said:

As much as I have come to hate the term "common sense" as in "common sense gun laws" it just doesn't make any sense to start a novice on something any bigger than a .22.  Let the person get used to the noise, the recoil, etc.  Then when the novice is ready, let them say they want to shoot something more powerful and then build up gradually.  Now that's "common sense".

Couldn't agree more. An acquaintance of ours bought himself a Tacti-Cool automatic and brought his wife over to shoot. She was nervous just holding it. I wanted her to start with my .22 rifle and then work towards pistols. He was insistent she could handle his, so I asked her to chamber a round upon which she somehow gave herself a nice blood blister. Finally was able to send him away  while I worked with her for a while with the rifle and then revolvers. Within a few minutes of hitting a target 10 feet away, you couldn't kick the grin off her face! We shot for a while, relaxed and BS'd for a while--- by the end of the day she wanted to try my cowboy double SG. She comes over on occasion to shoot, but still won't even hold his pistol again. I've heard of way too many idiots starting out Ladies with things like 30-06 and high brass turkey loads in SG and then wonder why she doesn't think the black & blue down to her waist isn't fun and now wants nothing to do with guns. Idiots I say.

[Church Key, SASS # 33713]

I did a lot of newbie training when I was with the Rockville IWLA. We used .38 revolvers with light loads. Worked out quite well. They still have several public classes a year.

[Dorado]

It's hard to beat a light .38 load. There's enough umph in them to feel like a "real" gun, light and controllable enough to feel good in the hand. I start them off with a single action because they have to slow down and think about taking the next shot. A double action can allow an inexperienced shooter to jump the trigger and fire a second round unprepared and dangerously. Before I loaded one round at a time. This is easier.

[Fast Tracker]

I worked at Gander Mt. A twenty something man came in and we started talking.

Customer: I love 1911s. My dad has some. My uncles have them. They said Kimbers are good. Do you have one I could see?

Me: Of course.

I dropped the mag, locked the slide back and gave it to him.

Cust: How do you make the slide go into place? 

I showed him.

Cust: What's this thing by my thumb?

Me: That's the safety.

Cust: How do you make it work?

Me: How often have you shot a 1911?

Cust: Just a couple of times.

Me: I think you need a few more lessons.

[Dorado]

I've got a friend. He claims that nothing less than a .300 Winchester Magnum will kill a whitetail deer. Said that anything less is stupid and cruel. Was stunned when a young kid next to him showed him a picture of a Mule deer he took with a .243. Speechless when the kid said that it only walked 10 yards before falling.

Then again, I've gotten a couple of guns off of him for cheap so I'll let him think what he wants.

[Chili Ron]

Howdy,

I let my sister start out shooting my 357 mag for a first try.

She said she could see how folks like to shoot competition.

However it was a Marlin loaded with cowboy 38s....

hahaha, had you for a second didn't I?

Best

CR

 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

10 minutes ago, Dorado said:

I've got a friend. He claims that nothing less than a .300 Winchester Magnum will kill a whitetail deer. Said that anything less is stupid and cruel. Was stunned when a young kid next to him showed him a picture of a Mule deer he took with a .243. Speechless when the kid said that it only walked 10 yards before falling.

Then again, I've gotten a couple of guns off of him for cheap so I'll let him think what he wants.

Bettin' he ruins a lot of meat as well, or takes really long shots.

[Dutch Wheeler]

On 4/26/2017 at 8:55 AM, Rye Miles #13621 said:

All these stories got me thinking that maybe we ought to have an IQ test instead of a background check!!

 

+1000!

[Dorado]

34 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Bettin' he ruins a lot of meat as well, or takes really long shots.

Around here you either need to reach out and touch them from a distance or you need a good brush gun. He just thinks that nothing less than that can kill a deer. He thinks .22s are more or less bb guns and are useless. I got a nice Henry .22lr survival rifle for $30 off of him. He shot maybe 20 or 30 shots out of it. It was still new. Got my derringer off of him too. Bought it because it was cool. Fired it once and changed his mind. He had it for a week or two when I bought it off of him. He had the receipt so I was able to send that in and get a .357 barrel for half price! I paid $200 total for it all.

He's also not a meat hunter, he's strictly a trophy hunter. I really don't like that and told him that if he ever gets a deer to bring me the carcass. Otherwise he'd just send the head in and throw away the rest. So far he's been skunked. He's not exactly what you could call a hunter. Has all the latest gear, he's a good shot, couldn't sneak up on a blind and deaf duck. He is however a good fisherman.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

I didn't hear this in a gun store, but rather at a gun club meeting, then carried over several months, and then a full year.

Fellow was planning a trip to Alaska and he wanted to buy a .458 Winchester Mag to take along. Some of the older fellows commented  that was a lot of gun and would not something in a .30 caliber be a better choice. Nope, he was set on the .458.

 

Fast forward a few months, and I ran into him at the range, sitting with his new .458.He was wearing a hat with a long pheasant tail feather sticking out to the rear. I didn't pay too much attention to him until he touched off that cannon and let out with a loud yell.

I thought he was injured and asked if he was ok. It took him a few seconds to respond. He said that he had just picked up his new rifle for an Alaska hunt later in the season. First time out with it. He had a box of ammo on the bench and only a few had been removed and were lying on the bench. I reckoned the shot was his first shot out of the gun and the box. Satisfied that he was ok, I returned to my firearm and continued to get set up. About five minutes later, I saw him load another round into the breech. I stopped to watch.

When he touched off the second round, he let out another yell and that feather danced a jig. It was a very funny sight to see. Of course I was concerned but he seemed be ok, so I went back to my business. A short time later I heard a third shot and then a yell.

Apparent;ly he had had enough, and packed up and left.

 

About a year later I once again found him at the range, but this time with a smaller caliber rifle. I asked how his Alaska trip worked out.

He stated that he didn't go. I asked if he stll had the .458 and he said that he had sold it.

 

 

[Dorado]

I was out at a gun range at the 100 yard section. All the bays except the far right one were full. The rest were taken by what looked to be airmen with their tactical ar-15s with probably $4000 worth of accessories attached to them and several thousand dollars worth of optics on both the table and rifles. Sounded like a major gun battle. I got them to stop long enough for me to hang my targets then I took the spot on the end. I no sooner sat that they were back at it. I brought out my Mosin Nagant M44 with 203gr surplus ammo. They gave me all kinds of crap about my ugly wooden gun. If y'all never heard one let me tell you. It sounds like a cannon going off. I took careful aim and fired. BOOOOMMMM!!!!!! They nearly jumped out of their skins. It got very quiet after that. I lined up my next shot. BOOOOMMMM! By my fifth shot I had an audience. I think they admired the 4 foot wide 7 foot long muzzle flash. At 100 yards with stock sights I could cover all five shots with my fist. Then I brought out my main hunting rifle a Reminton 700. I have a large-ish scope made larger by the sunshade I have on it. I heard lots of whispers behind me and fired five shots. Could have covered them with a half dollar. I didn't want them to know that was my first time shooting that good so I said, "Found out what I wanted to know.", packed up and left. I love one of the comments I overheard. "Dang! Was he shooting a cannon?!"

[Pat Riot]

One of my favorite gun store memories was the guy that needed a gun for an Alaska fishing trip. He was told he needed a gun in case of bears. The sales guy showed him a bunch of options but he wanted to go on the cheap and opted for a shotgun.

As they were doing paperwork the guy says. "So, what ammo do you recommend"?

The salesman said "Slugs...load 5 in the magazine and if the bear attacks wait until he gets about 15 feet away and then let him have it."

The guy buying the gun was speechless. He turned a lovely shade of white and said with a nervous laugh "You're kidding, right"?

"Well, if you think you can do it as there will be a lot of excitement you could start pumping slugs into him at 15 yards that way it won't be a second before he gets to 15 feet but maybe 2 or 3. Just don't fire all 5 before he gets closer. That'll give you time for a good kill shot at 15 feet".

The guy really didn't say anything else but he looked like he was going to wet himself.

 

After the guy left I asked the salesman if he was serious.

He said "Yeah, that's the standard macho horsecrap that some people say but it's been my experience that if someone wants to go the cheapest route I figure they will buy one 5 round box of slugs to take with them. You can bet your *** he will practice with it now before he gets there." He said that last part with an evil grin on his face.

[DocWard]

So, I'm working today, and there is a younger guy there with his girlfriend. He clearly knows very little about pistols, but seemingly enough to impress her. He looks at an FNX 45 Tactical as we are talking and points, saying "Too bad that one is plastic, it must shoot really nice with the full choke on it." It took me a second to realize he was talking about the thread protector at the end of the barrel. I'm not creative enough to make that up.

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, DocWard said:

So, I'm working today, and there is a younger guy there with his girlfriend. He clearly knows very little about pistols, but seemingly enough to impress her. He looks at an FNX 45 Tactical as we are talking and points, saying "Too bad that one is plastic, it must shoot really nice with the full choke on it." It took me a second to realize he was talking about the thread protector at the end of the barrel. I'm not creative enough to make that up.

Full Choke, huh? 

You should have corrected him and told him it was an "Accurizer".  

"Yes, in order to tailor the gun to the load you have to increase or decrease the tension on it by mere  tenth-inch-pounds one way or the other. Awesome feature and only found on FN's. H&K, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer all have something that looks like this but they are mere thread covers compared to this baby." 

"How do you measure tenth-inch-pounds"?

"You need a special 1/8th inch drive torque wrench for that...call Snap-On tools or better yet go to Sears or any good auto parts store. If they don't have ask them to send to someone that does. Lots of folks haven't heard about these yet so insist on talking with someone that knows all about 'em. They'll set you up". 

 

Hehehe 

 

It would be funny but that would be mean...and it would go against all the crap I have complaining about on here with goofy people. I would be tempted but I wouldn't do it to him.

 

It would be funny though.

I wonder how many stores he'd hit before he figured it out?

[DocWard]

3 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Full Choke, huh? 

You should have corrected him and told him it was an "Accurizer".  

"Yes, in order to tailor the gun to the load you have to increase or decrease the tension on it by mere  tenth-inch-pounds one way or the other. Awesome feature and only found on FN's. H&K, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer all have something that looks like this but they are mere thread covers compared to this baby." 

"How do you measure tenth-inch-pounds"?

"You need a special 1/8th inch drive torque wrench for that...call Snap-On tools or better yet go to Sears or any good auto parts store. If they don't have ask them to send to someone that does. Lots of folks haven't heard about these yet so insist on talking with someone that knows all about 'em. They'll set you up". 

 

Hehehe 

 

It would be funny but that would be mean...and it would go against all the crap I have complaining about on here with goofy people. I would be tempted but I wouldn't do it to him.

 

It would be funny though.

I wonder how many stores he'd hit before he figured it out?

 

I am definitely NOT that creative! 

[Cat Brules]

55 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Full Choke, huh? 

You should have corrected him and told him it was an "Accurizer".  

"Yes, in order to tailor the gun to the load you have to increase or decrease the tension on it by mere  tenth-inch-pounds one way or the other. Awesome feature and only found on FN's. H&K, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer all have something that looks like this but they are mere thread covers compared to this baby." 

"How do you measure tenth-inch-pounds"?

"You need a special 1/8th inch drive torque wrench for that...call Snap-On tools or better yet go to Sears or any good auto parts store. If they don't have ask them to send to someone that does. Lots of folks haven't heard about these yet so insist on talking with someone that knows all about 'em. They'll set you up". 

 

Hehehe 

 

It would be funny but that would be mean...and it would go against all the crap I have complaining about on here with goofy people. I would be tempted but I wouldn't do it to him.

 

It would be funny though.

I wonder how many stores he'd hit before he figured it out?

 

Well, that's all well and good, but you would have to actually want to continue engaging the guy in a conversation that long to pull it off.

[Pat Riot]

6 hours ago, Cat Brules, SASS #14086 said:

 

Well, that's all well and good, but you would have to actually want to continue engaging the guy in a conversation that long to pull it off.

THAT is very true. 

See what I wrote below.

 

7 hours ago, DocWard said:

 

I am definitely NOT that creative! 

Ah, you just have to work on your BS Super Powers 

Well, maybe you could have used that opportunity to sell him some extra gear. Like a suppressor - if those are legal where you live.

 

Cat makes a good point.

I was going to post this last evening when I saw Doc's post but I got carried away responding and forgot to post it...

 

I was in Bi-Mart yesterday to buy some .45 caliber bore brushes. Bi-Mart has a small selection of long guns and hand guns and they have very good prices on most of them, Better than many stores but their selection is very limited.

There was this little guy there and he had 2 women with him. They were gathered around the pistol case which is about 4' wide - it's small.

This guy is leaning on the case with one elbow with his feet splayed out sideways handling pistols the clerk is showing him.

He looked like some lazy goof that couldn't bring himself to stand upright. I would say he was about 5 foot 4 or 5 inches tall and probably about 125 pounds. He wasn't a big guy. The 2 women with him were a both quite a bit bigger. The bore brushes I was looking for were directly across from the pistol case so things were a bit crowded there so I excused myself. Grabbed some brush packets and stepped to the side to look them over.

I hear the guy say "Boy this handle is short". I look over and he has a Glock 26 in his hand. Still leaning on the counter but handling the gun and racking the slide complaining that he can't "do it right". I wanted to say "Stand up dummy and quit leaning on the counter and maybe it will be easier to work the slide".

It was obvious he didn't have a clue.

He says "I think I like this one".

I just had to interject. I said to him "Have you shot one of those"?

He said "No"

I told him that he might want to go rent one and try it before he buys it because the recoil is ridiculous and he might want to consider a gun with a better grip.

The clerk nodded his head in approval.

He gave me a very annoyed look and said "Yeah, whatever" and turned away from me. (Little Man Complex....or he was just a jackass...either one works)

Then he said to the clerk "Do you have one of those handle extension things"? 

The clerk, who is one of the nicest and most helpful people there at the store, said with a funny look "Do you mean an extended magazine"?

The guy said "I guess....whatever you call it"

The clerk said yes and handed him one from the rack next to him.

He looked at like it was a turd. He had no idea what he was looking at.

He said "No, I meant a handle extender...you know, it makes this longer" pointing at the grip.

The clerk said "Uh, when you insert that magazine it makes the grip longer."

The guy still stared at it like he was doing long division in 3rd grade.

 

I walked away. I do hope he bought the Glock. More sales mean Bi-Mart will continue to keep selling guns...and I hope the first time he pulls the trigger he thinks about what I said.

 

 

 

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

On 4/27/2017 at 3:16 PM, Dorado said:

Around here you either need to reach out and touch them from a distance or you need a good brush gun. He just thinks that nothing less than that can kill a deer. He thinks .22s are more or less bb guns and are useless. I got a nice Henry .22lr survival rifle for $30 off of him. He shot maybe 20 or 30 shots out of it. It was still new. Got my derringer off of him too. Bought it because it was cool. Fired it once and changed his mind. He had it for a week or two when I bought it off of him. He had the receipt so I was able to send that in and get a .357 barrel for half price! I paid $200 total for it all.

He's also not a meat hunter, he's strictly a trophy hunter. I really don't like that and told him that if he ever gets a deer to bring me the carcass. Otherwise he'd just send the head in and throw away the rest. So far he's been skunked. He's not exactly what you could call a hunter. Has all the latest gear, he's a good shot, couldn't sneak up on a blind and deaf duck. He is however a good fisherman.

The game warden would like to know about that!

 

Blackfoot

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I can't count the times I've suggested to a boyfriend, husband, or even a dad to go get some pie and ice cream and come back in a half an hour... and how many 3" and 4" six shot .38 Special revolvers I've sold to ladies who couldn't operate a semi auto "gun of the week".  Easy to load, easy to operate, easy recoil, too much noise (but I cautioned them about that), and most of the time easier to carry.

 

Made a lot of shooters and friends that way.

 

I worked alongside Undertaker (Chuck Ports RIP) who was the best instructor I ever saw when teaching ladies to shoot.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 9:22 PM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Full Choke, huh? 

You should have corrected him and told him it was an "Accurizer".  

"Yes, in order to tailor the gun to the load you have to increase or decrease the tension on it by mere  tenth-inch-pounds one way or the other. Awesome feature and only found on FN's. H&K, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer all have something that looks like this but they are mere thread covers compared to this baby." 

"How do you measure tenth-inch-pounds"?

"You need a special 1/8th inch drive torque wrench for that...call Snap-On tools or better yet go to Sears or any good auto parts store. If they don't have ask them to send to someone that does. Lots of folks haven't heard about these yet so insist on talking with someone that knows all about 'em. They'll set you up". 

 

Hehehe 

 

It would be funny but that would be mean...and it would go against all the crap I have complaining about on here with goofy people. I would be tempted but I wouldn't do it to him.

 

It would be funny though.

I wonder how many stores he'd hit before he figured it out?

You have an evil streak in ya,  Pat. 

[The Tonic Kid, SASS #70340]

Not necessarily at a gun store, but here's the story.

 

I was still an LEO at the time and a FA instructor. A friend of mine asked if I would help a girl he knew who was trying to obtain her armed security guard license with some firearms training. I told him I would be glad to help her out. He said she did not have a firearm. I told him I would bring a semi auto and a revolver to the range. When she arrived at the range, I asked her what firearm she would be qualifying/training with. She told me they would be qualifying with "real guns". Now this young lady had zero firearms experience, so I patiently asked her if she would be qualifying/training with a semi automatic or a revolver. She told me at class someone asked the same question and the instructor told them they would be qualifying with "real guns". Well, I knew the instructor and had his phone number, so I called him. When I told him what she said, he just laughed and said, "'wheel guns', not 'real guns', meaning revolvers. I laughed and told him thanks. I spoke to the young lady, and explained what the instructor meant when he said "wheel guns". I helped her a couple of times. For the record, she turned out to be a very proficient shooter, because she didn't have any bad habits to break.

[Dorado]

2 hours ago, BLACKFOOT SASS #11947 said:

The game warden would like to know about that!

 

Blackfoot

Yes he would. He's never gotten one though. Only a matter of time. I've warned him about it multiple times and told him that I'd report him if he tosses the carcass. I may look the other way if he gives it to me though. I'll eat it.

[Wapaloosie73]

On 4/21/2017 at 2:52 PM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

It's a sunny day and I rode my motorcycle to work so I decided to take a ride (and a long lunch) and go over to Cabela's - yes, I know I complained about them. I may be a bit perturbed at them but its still a great place to look at toys and burn time.

 

Anyway, I was in the Gun Library just looking around and this guy walks in carrying a rifle that he found on the rack outside the gun room. Just so you know the guy was carrying a Winchester model 70 in .300 Win Mag. It had the scope bases on it but no scope. It looked like a nice rifle,

 

He asked the clerk, and I kid you not, "How far will this rifle shoot"? 

Clerk: "How far do you want to shoot and what are you holding there"?

Guy ".300 Winchester Magnum"

Clerk "What is it that you wish to shoot"?

Guy "Out far"

Clerk "Out far?..but what are you shooting"?

Guy "I just want to know how far it will shoot".

Clerk "Let me see it".

He takes the rifle and looks it over like there are instructions on it or some indication of what the guy wants to know.

Clerk, handing the rifle back, "I don't know...maybe 400...500 yards"

At this point I made it a point to stop where I was and get interested in some gun in the case. These guys are both not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Guy "I need something that shoots further"

Clerk "How much further"?

Guy "Oh, 8 or 9 hundred yards".

Clerk "Hang on a moment".

The clerk goes into the office and I here him say;

"Hey, will a .300 Win Mag shoot 8 or 9 hundred yards"?

At this point I was going to chime in and tell the guy that the .300 Win Mag is capable of kill shots out past a 1000 yards depending on the game but this guy really didn't look like he was all there. I had this thought in my head of me being interrogated by the police and saying "I had no idea the guy wanted to shoot someone"...but I digress...

I don't hear what is said in the office but he comes back out.

Clerk "Yes, this rifle will shoot 8 or 9 hundred yards...I didn't know that, sorry".

Guy "That's okay. So it will shoot 8 or 9 hundred yards you say"?

Clerk "Yep, that's what they said in the office".

Guy "Okay...where do I get ammo for this thing"?

Clerk "We can help you with that but, again, what are you looking to shoot with this rifle"

Guy "I don't know. I have a scope for it".

Clerk "What kind of scope"?

Guy "Nine power"

Clerk "No, what kind of scope"?

Guy "I don't know...it's black".

At this point I was done so I left the Gun Library and meandered over to the pistol counter and I heard a guy say;

"Now that's not a manly gun, there, Bob"

I look over and there are 2 Nimrods looking at and handling pistols.

"Bob" puts the pistol back on the counter and tells the clerk "Looks like I need a manlier gun...let me see that one".

 

I left.

 

I knew an old cowboy that always carried a rusty Winchester 94 .30-30 cracked stock basket case in his rifle scabbard.

 

It was my best friends great uncle.

 

I tried to make small talk with the old cowboy and asked him what kind of ammo he used.... he shrugged.

 

I asked him how far he could shoot with open sites......he shrugged again.

 

I started to ask him a third question and quite perturbed he cut me off and said, "Sonny? If you throw enough lead out there sumthin is bound to run in to it!!!"

 

I didn't ask anymore questions.....

[Cat Brules]

I recall going up to the range near Morro Bay one evening in the winter.  I was setting up to fire my pistols and was approached by an attractive young woman, all smiles, greeting me warmly.  I didn't know who she was, and I stood there looking puzzled.  She said, (Cat), I'm Elizabeth xxxxxxx, I dance with xxxxxx, your wife!!  I instantly knew who she was and I said, "Oh, Elizabeth!  I'm so sorry!  I didn't recognize you with your clothes on!!...... OH S#!+!!"  We both started laughing.  Elizabeth had NO firearms training, had been accepted for a security position at the nuke plant, and just showed up at the range with her new Glock (same one plant security used), 150 rounds and an extra magazine.  We closed the place down and didn't fire a shot.  We did 4 more training sessions at home, in two weeks before we went back to the range.  We trained with my Ruger Mini-14 as a long gun off the range and with the Mini and a borrowed  M-15/AR-15 when we went back to the range.  I had her fire a couple rounds from a .30-30 and a .45-70 to demonstrate the insignificant-by-comparison recoil of the 5.56mm round.  We did 2 live fire range visits, then she went in for her first day of onthejob training the next week.  

 

My wife told me Elizabeth accelerated through training and became a permanent armed security guard at the plant.  I was very pleased, since she was single mother of a little girl, struggling to make ends meet prior to that (I bought her ammo for the training I helped her with).  

 

It's easy to train girls....they aren't trying to prove anything.  I've trained a lot of young people.  I trained two brothers together; one became a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputy a couple years later.

 

I've seen ignorant people at firearms counters asking dumb questions.  That doesn't bother me so much as smart assed replies from the counter guy or the customer with an aggressive, angry demeanor, trying to intimidate or humiliate another customer.

[Alpo]

Yeah, that last part, about the smartass answers from the guy behind the counter. You hit that nail right on the head.

 

Sometimes the dumb comments are made by people that got all their firearms knowledge from Call Of Duty.

 

And sometimes they are made by people who were told that by those who make themselves feel big by giving newbies wrong information (ha ha ha, did you hear what I told that idiot over there, about how pulling the trigger harder makes the bullet go faster? and if you hold the buttstock away from your shoulder it doesn't kick as hard? ha ha ha I'm so damn witty).

[DocWard]

1 hour ago, Cat Brules, SASS #14086 said:

I've seen ignorant people at firearms counters asking dumb questions.  That doesn't bother me so much as smart assed replies from the counter guy or the customer with an aggressive, angry demeanor, trying to intimidate or humiliate another customer.

 

My go to quote when dealing with a novice is "We were all beginners once." If they are commenting on problems with another salesperson, I add "Some people don't remember that."

 

While I can't help but laugh afterward when someone talks about something such as a pistol with a full choke, my goal as both a salesperson and a supervisor, is that my team and I treat both novices and experts with the respect they deserve. "Deserve" can be a somewhat nebulous word. If someone is rude to me or another salesperson, I hope that I respond with respect in return. Once someone shows complete disrespect or hostility, I have no qualms about setting them straight.