doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Head Shaker

Hey all, as some of you know I was looking for a 28ga and did find a Dickinson. But in my pursuit, I spoke with quite a few Gun Shops and also with some of the Gun Library folks. Boy, it never fails to amaze me how some folks are just plain rude and sorry to say, limited in their knowledge of basic shotgun terms. I had one guy argue with me about the differences between an Estate model Dickinson and a Plantation model. When I asked the price, all he said was it was a new gun, no price. I asked about the wood and all he said was it had scratches, he couldn't get it thru his head I wanted to know what the figure and grain was like. All he said is it's wood not plastic. I said thanks and hung up.

Now, you would think a gun store would have a scale and trigger pull gauge, nope not all. I found one (Dickinson) at a different Sporting Goods Store, asked about the weight and the fellow told me, about 7-8lbs. Asked about the trigger pulls, he said, yep you have to pull the trigger so the gun will fire. Again, thanks and hung up.

On the flip side, the Library I did buy the Dickinson, the guy was great, knew what I was talking about, friendly and a joy to deal with.

It was a fun ride, but left me shaking my head.

So.....anyone else have some good stories about dealing with Gun Shops?

Best,

Greg

Greg you own some really nice guns if I were you I will be looking for a nice Spanish side lock in 28 gauge and you won't have any trouble withe the triggers but try to find a gun made between 1990 and 2005 I own an Orvis uplander in 28 gauge made by arrieta and it's a hell of a gun or even a Parker reproduction in 28 gauge which will hold its value and even go higher in a few years remember you can never have enough 28 gauges

Hey Jim, perhaps down the line, but I did get a Dickinson. A match to my 16ga one. So....we'll see.

Have a Happy 4th

I have found it to be commonly useless to speak on the phone to any gun shop about condition of any used firearm.
Get into doubles & there is no one there to even be able to tell the difference between English, Spanish, or Italian proof marks. 8500 bar is the same mystery as 3 tons, let alone have any idea of choke or what 12/70 0r 13/1 means.
But really, so what. Never has my assessment of a gun as a buyer ever been the same as the sellers description even if it did read as though he were knowledgeable. So I know better than to expect any more.
Rust pits must be visible from fifty paces to rate a mention & stock repairs remain as invisible as a pair of mismatched hammers held on with Philips head self tapping screws.
A restock, no matter how agricultural or even a Greener with a Sako butt plate are also never worthy of mention.
I could go on but it would then seem like I love to whine.

There are two ways to do this. The first is to physically go there & take the gun in hand & freak them out by removing the fore wood & barrels. The second is blind faith backed by a big heart full of forgiveness& & a fat wallet.
I once drove a 1500 mile round trip to look at a Purdy. Thank God I did as it was lipstick on a pig & not so visible on the tactfully taken photo album that made no mention of the sleeved barrels.
O.M

Unless you're dealing with someone who specializes in doubles--and sometimes not even then!--you're probably SOL. Always good to deal with someone knowledgeable. But when you stop to think about it, how many people in gun stores are all that knowledgeable about every "niche" in the market? Someone might know collectible handguns quite well but not much about rifles and shotguns. And when you get into our fairly small niche--the sxs world--there probably aren't enough really sharp guys to put one in each and every Cabela's Gun Library.

That being said, Greg's examples are pretty pitiful.

I simply expect honesty from a seller, not knowledge. Ignorance is not dishonesty, but deliberate omissions sure are.

+1. That is it in a nutshell.

SRH

I had a Gun Library sell me a shotgun as a 20 gauge, turned out to be 16 gauge. And gun store did the same thing. How can a seller like a Gun Library not know the difference between 20 and 16?

Cause they've never seen one.....maybe haven't even heard of one.

Hi all, to be fair, my rant pointed out a couple of the over the top experiences I had. I will say for the most part, the staff responded quickly and were good about my questions. The one guy was rude IMO, but perhaps he had a bad day or was busy. That being said, you still should treat every customer as a buyer not a pest.

The one fellow who did sell me a Dickinson was really top flight, a pleasure to deal with. I did e-mail corporate about the fine service I received and they responded that they will pass on my e-mail to the Store Manager.

There are more good than bad out there, but like the Army, a thousand atta boy's are wiped out by one ah Sh**!

Anyway, Happy 4th to all.

Greg