LA-area gun shops you like/trust

[Clairvaux]

To answer the OP's question:

There are lots of great stores in the LA area. It would be unjust not to mention all the ones that have done well by me. Especially after mentioning Oak Tree where I've never even bought anything hahaha.

• The #1 best place to get sporting goods is . . . . the place you're at right this moment:
• CALGUNS.NET 5 stars
  
  
• ALAMO 5 stars - the gold standard in how a sporting good operation should be run
  http://www.yelp.com/biz/alamo-jewelr...an-west-covina
  
  
• Their satellite store CARSON PAWN 5 stars (probably a bit far for you)
  http://www.yelp.com/biz/carson-jewelry-and-loan-carson
  
  
• RIFLEGEAR 4 stars - good selection, good service, knowledgeable staff, bit pricey tho, and really far for you
  http://www.yelp.com/biz/riflegear-fountain-valley
  
  
• TURNERS .............. this is hard to rate. A lot of people don't like them and I can't dispute their objections HOWEVER speaking purely subjectively, my experiences with Turners have been universally without issues. I would not give them a blanket recommendation given all the stories I have heard, which can't be ignored. I'd say if you know one or more specific dudes amongst the staff that you have a relationship with, Turner's is ok. But don't go there to do PPTs.
  
  
• ADDAX 4 stars - been here once for cleaner, but I really liked the vibe of the store and the people.
  http://www.yelp.com/biz/addax-tactical-san-fernando-2
  
  
• P&D Gun Supply 4 stars - ran several PPT thru them. Store is the definition of hole in the wall one-man operation (first time I went I drove by it 3 times) but Dmitry is very chill and knowledgable and often has stuff that is hard to find.
  http://www.yelp.com/biz/pd-gun-suppl...l-san-fernando
  

[meyerlemony]

Originally Posted by Clairvaux

Oak Tree: don't they have pretty good sales?

(Never bought any sporting goods from them personally, but as a place to shoot it is one of the All Time Greats!)

They used to. Not so much anymore.

I am a HUGE fan of Smokin Barrel in Simi Valley BUT...come to a CalGuns meet-up and try a bunch of stuff first. Then you will know exactly what you want!

[RookieShooter]

+1 for Fort Courage in Simi Valley. Very friendly folks and excellent customer service.

[Clairvaux]

Originally Posted by meyerlemony

BUT...come to a CalGuns meet-up and try a bunch of stuff first. Then you will know exactly what you want!

If and when you do this, you will know exactly what you want = Everything

[EatsEverything]

I wonder what Andrew4699 ultimately ended up doing. Did I miss him at the September meetup?

[belle765]

Great experience with Guns Direct in Burbank. Used them for almost every situation; out-of-state transfers, private-party transfers, in-stock buys, whatever. Always efficient.

Plus I tend to send them e-mail inquiries at odd hours (like 1 a.m. on a Sunday morning) and they somehow always seem to get back to me in a few minutes with the answer …

Also, nothing but good things to say about Rifle Gear. Though I did once wait for 6 hours in line there, but at least I got to meet and talk to a Navy Seal who was also waiting.

[Justinoff]

Originally Posted by sly-jay

Retting has always treated me fine. They've taken the time to answer my questions or look for an obscure item, handled returns without issues etc. For me it's the only store for miles (heck my local Big 5 doesn't even carry ammo) but I could sure do worse. Large, well-stocked, lots of guns to ogle and some less-typical stuff too. Gorgeous Kimbers and Nighthawks, interesting C&R stuff etc.

I live in Culver City . Retting gouges for transfers about a $100 total. And to say they are affordable is a joke . They are 15-20% above everyone else in LA because they are the only shop in West LA .
I used to go In there with cash in hand items on counter and still have to wait 15 min for someone to ring me up. Don't get me wrong there are 2 or 3 old guys in their that know what they are doing but the younger staff forget it . But if you must go ask for Charles .

[Justinoff]

*there

[Tovarish]

Originally Posted by Full Clip

On Magnolia Blvd in Burbank there are three gun shops in about 1/2 mile: Guns Direct, Aegis Trading and Gun World.
I would rank them in that order.
Of note, Gun World has the best inventory but generally quite a bit more expensive.

This is the "/thread" for gun shops in the valley.

If you buy online, the cheapest and most reliable FFLs around are Aces Jewelry and Loan in West Covina and a Calguns user with the ID kemasa in Simi Valley.

[heidad01]

Originally Posted by RookieShooter

+1 for Fort Courage in Simi Valley. Very friendly folks and excellent customer service.

^^^^^

++ 1 for Fort Courage

I'm in WLA with a shop 3 miles from me (that I do not care for) and do the driving to Simi to do PPT or other business there.

Very friendly and courteous folks. It is always nice to talk with the big tall guy and the lady (forgive me for not remembering names) who run the shop.
Thay will order stuff for you and will receive what you order from other vendors. No hassels or attitude, Good prices and great service.

[Mister Coffee]

^^Good to know. Fort Courage will be on my list to check out (I drive far and wide for good service, too).

[Painted Man]

I done about 20 sales with Addax and they have always been super nice!!!

[valdier]

I'm a fan of Ammo Bros, and Turners (believe it or not).

[MrBlazito]

Another one for Fort Courage and Addax Tactical. Had positive experience at both.

[philobeddoe]

Originally Posted by Andrew4699

Hi, thank you. The short answer is, I don't really know. I flirted with both shotguns and rifles, but my wife and I decided for several reasons that our first gun should be a handgun. Probably a 9mm that we both could handle and that accepts readily available ammo. It is not exactly what I want — I have several "dream guns" all picked out — but they are currently out of our price range. I had planned to save until I could afford exactly what I wanted, but as of now I have a wife, a brand-new baby and NO GUN AT ALL! I feel naked, like I should get something (which has to be better than my current nothing) until I can get exactly what I want. I figured I could get a better gun for less money if I bought used, but I wouldn't know exactly what to look for to tell if it was a lemon or not. That's why I was asking the members about credible, trustworthy gun stores. I'm not confident enough to buy off the Internet because I feel like I need the guidance of a pro.

The guidance of a pro, gotcha.
Well the pros usually ain't working in gun shops.

Where are you again? I can't see your location on my phone.

I'm happy to run down to Martin B Retting with you to pick up an affordable used shotgun off the used rack.

Great choice for HD while you save up for that dream gun, and better than nothing, and possibly better than you're dream gun.

Also, to keep it simple. Glocks are about $499 - $525 before tax and Dros, while you up for dream gun.

As for lemons, I dont know from lemons.
Took a chance on Gunbroker, GunsAmerica, and out of state sellers more time than I remember ... no problems, no lemons.

Bought in Calguns market too, no problems.

Turner's has monthly sales.

What you wanna buy will affect where you wanna buy FFL-wise.

PM if you wanna chat or meet-upo



____________
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

[FMJacket]

always had a great expierence at Addax Tactical

[Pappagiorgio]

Originally Posted by 2nd Mass

Depending on what you're looking for Bain and Davis in San Gabriel Valley is old school and usually no BS.

I visited Bain and Davis briefly but I wasn't very impressed with the layout, selection or attentiveness of the associates. The selection was tiny (~40 pistols in the glass cases, maybe 45 rifles too far behind the counter to really see), there are a few dusty racks of random accessories and holsters, and the whole place smelled like cigarettes. Further, despite looking around for about 10 minutes, none of the associates ever acknowledged me or asked if I wanted to see anything.

I've had a much better experience at Turners. EBRWorks is also great if you don't mind the long drive to Thousand Oaks.

[heidad01]

^^^^^
Turners
How do you like to take a number and wait til you get lucky for one of the young hung over redneck associates to bang around and scratch your new stainless revolver and then tell you that they do not have a rag to wipe down the gun.
What kind of a gun shop does not have a gun rag/towel at the gun counter??

[Franklincollector]

It seems like there is a bunch of contradictions here. Lots of post here complain about poor service yet want the cheapest price. You can not get both. You had to wait for 15 minutes, big deal, you're not the only person in the world. They could hire 20 people so there would be no wait, and you would have to pay more for your stuff. I own a large business in the South Bay and am by no means the cheapest nor the fastest. I do however, pay my staff far above industry average. I only hire the best. That means you pay more for my top notch service. Thankfully, there is still a portion of the population that doesn't want things the fastest or the cheapest. I have a plaque above my office door that states "cheap work ain't good and good work ain't cheap. The firearm business shouldn't have to employ the Walmart business strategy.

[bsg]

Originally Posted by Tovarish

If you buy online, the cheapest and most reliable FFLs around are Aces Jewelry and Loan in West Covina and a Calguns user with the ID kemasa in Simi Valley.

i finally stopped in to check out Aces; nice people and very reasonable charge for out of state transfers.

[sean5063]

Originally Posted by Pappagiorgio

I visited Bain and Davis briefly but I wasn't very impressed with the layout, selection or attentiveness of the associates. The selection was tiny (~40 pistols in the glass cases, maybe 45 rifles too far behind the counter to really see), there are a few dusty racks of random accessories and holsters, and the whole place smelled like cigarettes. Further, despite looking around for about 10 minutes, none of the associates ever acknowledged me or asked if I wanted to see anything.

I've had a much better experience at Turners. EBRWorks is also great if you don't mind the long drive to Thousand Oaks.

How about waiting there for 45 minutes to find out that they won't help you with your PPT unless they get through all their "regular" customers. The guy with the white or gray hair said that as long as other customers keep coming in, it will be awhile till they can help me with my PPT. We left. Will never go back

[WallaceTRP]

Gun Effects in Hacienda Hieghts. Helpful whenever I head into their shop.

[SoCalGunny]

My favorite shop, Island View Enterprises in Ventura or Cobra Tactical in Castaic. Great shops.

Oak tree is a cluster eff and with their playing dumb act with the smart gun tech laws at their FFL ive left them completely.

[Shaolin Crane]

Entreprise Arms in Irwindale, has always done me right for all my transactions. Even gave my pops a discount on ammo when I bought him an AR pistol for his birthday.

I tried to use Ace's and had nothing but problems and went back to Entreprise and do not regret it, good people over there.

[glkber]

I've been to a few in LA area. nobody mentioned Gun Gallery in Glendale. I've done a couple of PPTs there and have had great experience overall. Nice people, very fast service.
Turners in Pasadena and in Reseda are both great, but they are usually very busy so be prepared to wait.
Ammo Bros in Cerritos is also great, but also often busy.
Gun World in Burbank is the only one I have complaints about. Did PPT on a handgun that we had the OEM lock for (so should not have to buy a new lock), but the guy insisted that I needed to buy a new lock. Add insult to injury, they charged $20 for a basic lock that is $5-$7 at any other gun shop. I called them again to see if they would do a safe affidavit for a shotgun PPT and I was told they would not - they insist on selling their $20 locks. I suspect this is their way of discouraging people from doing PPTs there as they don't make much profit from this. The store is also very dirty. On the other hand, their inventory is very good if you are looking to compare different guns, etc.

[CoolHandLuke77]

Make the drive down to Fountain Valley in the OC. And go to OC Firearms. I make the drive overtime I am in the market for a new gun. Awesome, friendly staff lead by owner Steve. Super friendly guy. Just an awesome shop.

[santamonica9]

Originally Posted by Justinoff

I live in Culver City . Retting gouges for transfers about a $100 total. And to say they are affordable is a joke . They are 15-20% above everyone else in LA because they are the only shop in West LA .
I used to go In there with cash in hand items on counter and still have to wait 15 min for someone to ring me up. Don't get me wrong there are 2 or 3 old guys in their that know what they are doing but the younger staff forget it . But if you must go ask for Charles .

re:retting in culver city (retting.com)
charles is usually in the back, ive had luck with the persian guy, maybe b/c im persian too their prices are not as high as some claim. they do not match any turners special sale stuff, but they do have great deals on used firearms all the time. their layaway is also something ive used allot. the $100 is the dealer transfer fee from an out of state dealer to dealer transfer. plus the 25 dros & tax. NOT a private party transfer at $35 cash

ya, they do get busy on weekends and ive waited a half hour to pick up my gun but at least in this place people are smiling and trying to help people without the huge attitude seen at other shops in the industry....turners torrance

[bigger hammer]

Another vote for MB Retting in Culver City. Been shopping there for 30+ years and never had a bad experience. Yeah, sometimes they're busy and you have to wait for help or to get rung up, but that's to be expected in any business when they're busy.

Great selection of both new and used guns. Prices are on the high side but not overly so. When the city of LA imposes their idiotic rules about purchasing ammo before holidays, you can still buy here.

Only time I've ever seen them get an attitude is when the customer walked in with one.

[jeremyy]

Guns direct in Burbank!!!!

[madoka]

Originally Posted by Franklincollector

It seems like there is a bunch of contradictions here. Lots of post here complain about poor service yet want the cheapest price. You can not get both.

OC Armory. Good service and I just bought a NEW Springfield TRP Full Rail there for $1550! People try to sell used ones for $1800-2000 in the marketplace.