quote:

Ever been offered a jewelers eye to "have a look at this"???

That is a new one for me. I probably would have asked if he carries that around to locate his pecker when it's time to make wee-wee. Perhaps why I'm not in retail any longer.

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my favorites are the 'Experts' that insist the know all there is to know about a type of firearm, but then struggle to figure out how o check it or clear it when handed one,,

Anyone who says anything along the lines of "I've forgotten more than you'll ever know", or any sort of derivation of that statement is not anyone I want to do business with. Customers assume that they are always right, and a gun store is their own private playroom. No, it's not. Have some manners for fuck's sake. I always wonder if they were ever given the speech that I was given as a young man by my Grandfather. "Don't touch anything without asking and be polite".

What if they do know a hell of a lot more about that gun than the tool behind the counter?

Respect is a two way street. If a Gunshop won’t let me inspect a gun they will NEVER get my business.

Used guns with obvious wear? Maybe.

A new one? Not so much.

quote:

Originally posted by Mustang-PaPa:
I don't/won't buy a gun that 14 butter heads have finger fucked.

Give me a brand new unmolested gun.

Now a used gun if I know enough about the gun itself to be able to determine somewhat of a condition by looking at it torn down then I will ask if its ok to tear it down or have them tear it down if they prefer but I feel one must ask before tearing it down or dry firing a new or used gun.

Exactly- if an unmolested model, from the back, isn't available I'm not buying. Agreed on the used as well.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
What if they do know a hell of a lot more about that gun than the tool behind the counter?

Respect is a two way street. If a Gunshop won’t let me inspect a gun they will NEVER get my business.

And how do they know this? Because you said so? Sure, there are some real dolts working the gun counter, but a LOT more on the customer-side of the counter. Depending on who I was dealing with, I'd suggest to the customer that I take it apart and he/she could look away.

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Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
I wanna see the guts of a gun before I make an offer or buy, especially a used gun. Damn straight I'm going to take it apart

Don't you think you should ask first? It isn't your gun.

This.

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Originally posted by Chris Orndorff:

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
What if they do know a hell of a lot more about that gun than the tool behind the counter?

Respect is a two way street. If a Gunshop won’t let me inspect a gun they will NEVER get my business.

And how do they know this? Because you said so? Sure, there are some real dolts working the gun counter, but a LOT more on the customer-side of the counter. Depending on who I was dealing with, I'd suggest to the customer that I take it apart and he/she could look away.

And I would find such a compromise to be perfectly acceptable. I don’t know why someone would buy a gun in person and not inspect it closely first. Yeah, sure it’s probably fine but I’ve found issues over the years that made me pass on both new and used guns that I fully intended to purchase prior to looking it over closely.

Ideally one should strive to achieve such a good relationship with their LGS that they will not only know you buy name but sometimes encourage you to test fire a used example on their range if they have one. My LGS did this for me knowing full well once I fired a few rounds through that Browning Hi-Power I would buy it. They were not wrong. Such relationships are probably pretty rare.

I usually ask the salesman to strip down the gun for me.

I think they should ask and either get permission or you agree to take the gun down for them regardless of their expertise. Nobody wants an idiot mark on what was a pristine brand new gun. That being said, I have seen a good amount of new guns that have glaring issues on the inside. Horrible QC. Invariably those new gun owners complain and then get crushed for transferring a gun without looking at it well enough. I’m a Beretta guy but their TN factory has put out some shit recently. Without a takedown you wouldn’t have seen an issue before you got home.

They work fine but horrible f&f.

When in doubt, ask.

One of the more popular shops here in NH has signs on all firearms out on the display store not to disassemble firearms without a salesperson present. No doubt they wind up with more than a few new firearms with damages on the exterior.

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Originally posted by rscalzo:
One of the more popular shops here in NH has signs on all firearms out on the display store not to disassemble firearms without a salesperson present. No doubt they wind up with more than a few new firearms with damages on the exterior.

So, the people just keyed them out of spite?

Hmm, never broke one down at the store. Especially if new. Always ask if I can rack the slide, for example and inspect what I can see. Dry firing as well, but lowering the hammer by hand, not letting it hit on empty chamber hard. Just to see if trigger is gritty, and pull weight. Used one, might if it looked worn, but I usually only buy used that have been gently handled by the looks of the item. Check for fit, wear, etc. if I determined I was going to buy it, I might, but have never had to do so yet.
I figure it’s not mine yet, have to respect their property.
So far, have never had an issue with either used or new.

I’d always ask before dry-firing if I decided to do that. Sometimes the answer would be yes, sometimes no.

I cringe watching people dry firing the shit out of any Keltec, none of them are designed to be dry-fired with their high velocity lightweight hammer firing mechanism. You’ll break the firing pin in no time at all doing that, I sometimes think this has unfortunately contributed to their (undeserved IMO) reputation as “junk”.

You MUST ask first. Even customers I've known for years ask. They also ask before taking a picture. Most want to send it to a friend who's looking for that particular gun, and I like free advertising.

If I'm looking at it, I'm clearing it for safety. I don't ask permission to do that.

If I have any interest in buying it, it's getting dry fired, and field stripped, before I buy, but only with explicit permission, and then carefully and not much dry firing. I won't buy a gun that I haven't seen function, and if I haven't inspected the basic interior mechanical condition.

But I would never do so to excess, and I would never do so without the permission of the clerk. In fact, I usually offer them the opportunity to do the field strip if it makes them more comfortable.

Everything I do, I do gently. I don't whip things open or snap them shut. I ride the slide home, I don't drop it, and I am careful with magazines. If an AR pattern gun, I will ride the charging handle home, and then gently tap the forward assist, or let the clerk let it fly. I am very careful with other people's guns.

I don't bother with any of the above if I don't have a legitimate intent to buy. I don't fingerfuck other people's guns.

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Originally posted by Underdog:

quote:

Originally posted by Mustang-PaPa:
I don't/won't buy a gun that 14 butter heads have finger fucked.

Give me a brand new unmolested gun.

Now a used gun if I know enough about the gun itself to be able to determine somewhat of a condition by looking at it torn down then I will ask if its ok to tear it down or have them tear it down if they prefer but I feel one must ask before tearing it down or dry firing a new or used gun.

Exactly- if an unmolested model, from the back, isn't available I'm not buying. Agreed on the used as well.

So I’ve had a handful of people get mad that I have no interest in letting them take apart a brand new gun and the instance yesterday Most recently the guy watched me cut the seal (couple pieces of tape) on a factory new 15-22 pistol. I pulled the gun out to the counter, cut the seal open in front of him, and showed him the gun that he wanted to then tear apart.

If you want a new gun from the back I’m completely ok with that (assuming we have multiples I’m happy to pull a new one out), but then it’s even less of a reason to tear it apart because then if for whatever crazy reason you decide you don’t want it now I have the display model and another one in the back that has been molested.

It’s very rarely the normals that come all the time. It’s the idiot that can’t hold a gun without flagging every person in the store that thinks they are a gun guy. I’d never claim to have more experience than many of the people that come through the door I’m sure a lot of them have much more knowledge about certain things than I do.

quote:

Originally posted by m1009:
Hmm, never broke one down at the store. Especially if new. Always ask if I can rack the slide, for example and inspect what I can see. Dry firing as well, but lowering the hammer by hand, not letting it hit on empty chamber hard. Just to see if trigger is gritty, and pull weight. Used one, might if it looked worn, but I usually only buy used that have been gently handled by the looks of the item. Check for fit, wear, etc. if I determined I was going to buy it, I might, but have never had to do so yet.
I figure it’s not mine yet, have to respect their property.
So far, have never had an issue with either used or new.

Sounds reasonable. I’ve also never disassembled a gun I was purchasing new or used (although I can understand asking to see inside if used) but I’ve never had any problems with any used guns I’ve purchased from a store. I would be much more skeptical of a private party selling me their gun in the circle k parking lot.

I've done it once on a Gen4 Glock to check to see if the recoil spring was one of the updated ones. Yep, the guy got mad, but I had the slide off long enough to check.

I always ask first but yes, I tear down a brand new gun and inspect it before I buy. If they say no, I pass on the gun.

I only do this if I'm truly serious about the gun and yes, over the years I've seen brand new guns that have issues during a tear down that made me walk away.

Same thing with dry firing (ok, I don't dry fire .22's), I ask, if they say no, I hand it back and walk away.

quote:

Originally posted by m1009:
Hmm, never broke one down at the store. Especially if new. Always ask if I can rack the slide, for example and inspect what I can see. Dry firing as well, but lowering the hammer by hand, not letting it hit on empty chamber hard. Just to see if trigger is gritty, and pull weight. Used one, might if it looked worn, but I usually only buy used that have been gently handled by the looks of the item. Check for fit, wear, etc. if I determined I was going to buy it, I might, but have never had to do so yet.
I figure it’s not mine yet, have to respect their property.
So far, have never had an issue with either used or new.

This is pretty much me.