Favorite gun shop in the SD area?
 

Hey guys my name is robert, and im a new calguns memeber. I just purchased a savage 111, and i still need to purchase a optics mount, rings, and a scope for it. I was wondering what your favorite gun shops in the SD area are so that i can go check them out and hopefully complete my rig. ps if any of you have a decent scope for sale for a good price (looking in the $200, $300 max range) feel free to pm me.

Parallax tactical
Direct action solutions
Turners
Wiser owl
Discount gun mart

My go to LGS is Fine Firearms in La Mesa, off the 8 on La Mesa Blvd. It has a decent selection of guns and gun related items, a friendly staff and prices don't seem out of line with other LGS.

I also visit; Discount Gun Mart on Morena Blvd, off the 5-8 exchange. There is also a sister in El Cajon, Santee, of the 67 on No. Magnolia.
San Diego Police Equipment, on El Cajon Blvd
American Shooting Center, off of the 52 on Ruffin Rd
Turner's near ASC, but off of the 15 on Clairmont Mesa Blvd
Project 2000 in south El Cajon on Dehesa Rd
and....although I HATE this place....The El Cajon Gun Exchange on Broadway....they have REALLY crappy human relations there, but they have guns and stuff too. Last resort.

I like la mesa collectables and the others they said ^^

But I WILL NOT shop at el cajon gun exchange because a) there prices are super high b) workers are rude as hell c) im young (23) and when I go in their they treat me as if I was a kid so I take my money elsewhere

El cajon gun exchange is horrible. I don't understand why they're still in business.

Another vote for Wiser Owl. One nice thing with the rush, since Casey's shop is relatively new (6 months), she doesn't get the full court press you're seeing at Turner's or Parallax. It's nice having your weapon handled by the gunsmith at the store counter instead of in the back. Also, cash discounts and 10% military discounts.

Parallax is definitely one of my favorites, but it's also frequented by many people. It's a relatively small shop, so unless you're very proactive in getting someone's attention, you might want to get comfortable waiting.

That being said, their prices and knowledge-ability are hard to beat.

Pretty much what was said above.

I bought my scope's and accessories at OpticsPlanet through Amazon back when shipping and tax was free.

El Cajon treated me great. I was only there twice though. Once to buy & once to pick up. Just happened to be in the area and they had a rifle I wanted.

The only bad part of my time there was a gay dude trying to pick me up. I'm not on that team buddy.

Depending on where in San Diego County you live, my go to places are La Mesa Fine Firearms (in La Mesa) or Bigshot on Miramar Road. Both have very knowledgeable staff and good customer service.

More info:
http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=557701

Fine Firearms, La Mesa.

+1! Parallax all the way! Best selection, unbeatable prices, tons of knowledge of all platforms and 3% discount if you pay wish CA$H!!!!

Direct Action Solutions
Parallax Tactical
Turner's in San Marcos

Those are my go to shops.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, i dropped by gunmart because i was in the general area, and the had mounts and rings that i needed (long lines, but helpful staff) Ill probably try stopping by another store in the next couple days so that i can acquire a couple other things such as gun oil, and some cleaning supplies, so thanks for all the great info.

I just saw 2 more gun shops in lakeside off winter gardens and in santee over by the riverford exit didnt catch there names tho ill see if I have time tommorow to swing by and check them out ill report back anybody else check these places out?

Glock Store
Direct Action Solutions
Wiser Owl
Discount Gun Mart (Santee)
P2K

Least Favorite:

San Diego Police Equipment (Bad Service)

"I just saw 2 more gun shops in lakeside off winter gardens and in santee over by the riverford exit didnt catch there names tho ill see if I have time tommorow to swing by and check them out ill report back anybody else check these places out? "

The one in Santee used to be owned by Shari and her husband Jim, but they sold out about a year or more ago. Who ever bought it from them turned it into a 'black gun' only shop with very limited stock.

Another fella bought it more recently, John is his name, and he is trying to get some better stock and a wider band of product. It's a very small place on the second floor.

The Wintergardens one is actually an auction house that has some guns for sale, but mostly for auction. It's a very clean, well kept place and nice to visit, but I have yet to see much of any real value there. Only once did I see something nice and it was for auction only. They are close for the Holidays until after the 1st anyway.

Awesome thanks I still havent checked it out but want to check out the santee one Im hoping they do speacil orders Im tired of being told no when trying to order a gun around here

Fine firearms in la mesa has what your looking for. El cajon gun is a fine shop just a few old guys there that will razzle u but they are fine folks

Ok i went to a couple more gun shops in the last couple of days so ill give you my reviews
Parallax tactical - good shop decent selection, probably the best prices, however very busy, and due to this customer service wasnt that great, also didnt have the particular item i needed
Wiser owl - definitely the smallest operation, however the lady working there was great, even though they didnt have what i needed, however i would rate their customer service the best
Fine firearms - huge inventory, especially of older guns, large selection of ammo, helpful people, even though they were busy, however i think the prices were pretty high
Gun mart - decent invintory, cs was only ok, decent prices.
Thanks for all the help guys

Turners Kearny Mesa and Discount Gun Mart are my go to ones.
Joe from parallax is a douche and has screwed over me and my friends over a few times so i wont be doing business there anymore.
DAS- I went there for a ppt and was treated well. Been meaning to go back just a bit out of my way.

before the panic buying

turners kearny mesa- best selection of guns by far. cheap prices if your able to save up money and wait for their deals. expensive ppt.

parallax tactical - great selection. prices are great sometimes. expensive ppt and special orders.

wiser owl - doesn't have the greatest selection, great ppt and special order pricing.

fine firearms - great selection on older guns, expensive ppt and special ordering.

when i started buying guns, i learned the hard way that not everyone is going to have nice customer service. every shop seems to have bad employees and good ones too. i know alot of people here talk about not going here or there cause of the attitude. i got past that. i go wherever my needs are filled.

My dad's sister in law and her family own this one. It's called "Past and Present". The good stuff usually winds up in the auctions. They are a full FFL and can order whatever, but mainly deal in cowboy stuff. The website is worth checking out to see what's going to be up for auction.

I go to California Police Equipment on el cajon blvd, theyere veteran owned and top notch service every time i go in!! helped me many of times with my adams arms piston seizing and other armorer services. i dont go anywhere else!!

A couple more worth mentioning:

Poway Weapons & Gear
Quite possibly the best place to get real SD ammo like Winchester Ranger and Federal HST. Have common pistols in stock (ie. Glock, S&W, SA), lots of shotguns, and had a decent selection of EBR prior to the panic. Will special order if you want.

Glock Store
The place to go if you want a Glock. Even has a range on site where you can test fire if you bring some ammo.

I have always had great experience with customer service and a good verity of handguns at California police equipment. Very military friendly. I bought my sig there and im going to buy a second one soon.

I'd agree with Parallax having a slip in customer service lately. I hadn't had a reason to go there for a couple of months, but decided to stop in since i was at the mirimar cemetary. I was less than stoked with the change in customer service and employees. I only saw 2 familiar faces there. The rest were new employees. I also noticed they were expanding into the space next door. I hope they have enough stock to fill this expansion. Unfortunately, now seems like a bad time to be doing so. I hope they can survive, and go back to what they were.

I used to like Parallax a lot. Last time I was in there, I almost had to wave cash at them to get them to help me. I think the long term problem is that Joe needs to find employees and managers he trusts to make relationships with customers. It was about the confidence/kindness/friendliness of Joe that got a lot of people to go back there. The unfortunate problem created is 100s of Joe's "closest" friends are now there daily.

And to keep this post on topic, I drove past a "Team Glock" sign the other day on Lake Murray Blvd in La Mesa (approx. 6025 Lake Murray Blvd.). I pulled in the parking lot when they were closed and the name is escaping me, but it was something along the lines of "Western Butte Tactical" or something like that...

ETA: Hah, it's "Wilde Built Tactical" : http://www.wildebuilttactical.com

+100 for wiser owl. Best buying experience I've had. As others stated already, Not as much in stock, but can special order.

BIG SHOTS
miramar rd. By far

Update.

My favorite gun shop is Duncan's in San Marcos.

After a long morning waiting for one shop to open (that never did). And over an hour waiting for turners to tell us "corporate will not allow us to ship a lower to another FFL".

Duncan's has us done in about 15 minutes! And they were slammed with customers.

Thank you Duncan's!

I like Poway Weapons.

Seem like decent folks. i have bought a few items there.

+1 on Parralax Tactical and Fine Firearms. Both have very knowledgable staff and are extremely helpful and nice. My visits to PT have really impressed me though. Good people.

Only negative encounter has been SD Police Supply; they seem dismissive and condescending. I seem to inconvenience them by trying to spend money there. I won't be going back.

Edit: I'd also like to add that Jay from Holt and Son Firearms. He has come through for me when tracking down specific and hard to find weapons. He is a very knowledgable and professional FFL dealer.

Although Gusslers is not a 'gun shop' they are a great FFL. If you are buying a firearm online, or need something shipped in, they are the place to go.

Gusslers
Address: 9334 Dempster Dr, Santee, CA 92071
Phone: (619) 258-2543
http://gusslers.com/

Walked into Parallax Tactical the other day expecting their usual wall-to-wall crowd. Pleasantly surprised at the lack of crowd. Still had a decent selection of "stuff". Not many guns on the wall or in the cabinets, but parts seemed pretty well stocked.

Walked out with the ambi-safety I was hoping to find.

Wiser Owl had awesome Customer service ,a little less in stock,but Casey was Hot to look at. I"ll be doing more business there. No one has mentioned TDS Guns in the So. Bay on Bonita rd/otay lakes rd. They are good people too. On a whim, try Royal pawn shop on El Cajon Blvd/30th. they have good customer service and alot of pistols.

wiser owl-great prices and best service
discount gun mart morena blvd-good selection, good service
tds-okay selection for ar15 and ak parts (great if you live in south bay)

royal loan is awesome...bought my saiga there before the panic and they were almost too friendly and helpful lol

Ive been to most of the Gun stores in San Diego, I go to Fine Fire arms as much as I can. The guys there are great never try to screw you and always helpful. Even went as far to not selling me a new gun because it wasnt what I really wanted. The other stores I have been too had pretty good experiences with with the exception of El Cajon Gun exchange. I have had multiple incidents with them. If you are not there buying a gun they could give two sh***s about you. I wont ever go back, I dont care gun stock ammo stock. They have the worst customer relations than any other place I have been to.

I think its a great Idea to have a list of good gun stores and stores that we should avoid in the SD area this gives anyone just browsing through this site to take advice on good stores and avoid the bad ones hopefully this will make the bad ones change their ways or die off.