Horrible Gun stores in Socal

[GUN FREAK]

I've always been treated very well at both the Stockade and Fowler's.

A ++

[GUN FREAK]

You need to move up north a little bit and visit the shops around Orange County. There are some great shops here: Riflegear in Costa Mesa, T&A Armory in Santa Ana, OC Armory in Laguna Hills, Field Time Sports & Guns in Westminster, and Straightline Tactical in Anaheim are some great gun shops to visit if you value great customer service. I'm sure others will chime in on some other great shops, but the ones I listed are the ones I've actually had the pleasure of visiting.

Field Time Sports & Guns in Westminster (F-)

[forgiven]

Ammo Bros.

[mikepiet]

Love Project 2000 range\gunshot in El Cajon , CA. A lot of younger kids work there but they never look twice when asking to handle a firearm. A couple of the kids are VERY knowledgeable when asking about handguns etc.

I was in there once with my LWRCI and they must have mistook me for LE when I started asking about handguns. Never the less, very nice and welcoming.

BUT, the range over in Kearny Mesa off of Ruffin Road. That place was a JOKE. The over weight guy in there was a crack up. I think I knew more about handguns and I only read Calguns and a couple other rags. After talking to him, you'd think Sig was the only handgun out there.

Fun thread. I should head up to the Oceanside store mentioned here. I want to get a 9mm AR for practicing at the El Cajon PD range.

Parralax Tactical looks promising. Hope they do well. I was bummed when I called the other day for some Tango Down rail panels. They only had Troy rail panels. Ended up ordering from Riflegear.

M

[pullnshoot25]

Worst= turners San Marcos very rude and they talk down to you.
Bad= El Cajon Gun Exchange. If your not over 50, know every episode of leave it to beaver, (guy stopped helping me to talk to about it) already know them and buying guns they like then your out of luck.

OK=discount gun on morena. Good selection good prices, but know what you want before you get there, they will not help much if you dont.

Good= Royal Loan, limited selection very friendly and very good prices
Good= Duncans guns works, can get super busy on the weekends
GOOD= Parallax Tactical. There is not a better shop (EBR mainly) in San Diego and is very bad for my wallet. They even will let you build your ar while your there while using there tools . They just got there lic to sell guns so there is not much other than ar stuff otherwise I would never go to another guns store in San Diego.

CGM in Solana Beach is much better. I know both store owners on a personal level and I would rather pluck my eyeballs out with a dull wooden spoon than go to Parallax Tactical ever again.

[Exposed]

Best customer service in the busniss. Not a great selection on guns/rifles, but if they dont have it they will bend over backward to get it for you cheaper than anyone else in So. Cal. Very progressive and up to date on all the "cool new toys". Worth the drive! = Bright Spot Pawn in Riverside!

[SanMiguel3]

I do my best to make sure everyone is attended to and feels welcome in the shop. I've been on the other side of the counter, and as a younger guy myself, I know exactly how it feels to be marginalized and ignored when shopping for firearms. Most places treat me like I'm some punk who just wants to oogle some "sweet M4's" that I saw on Counter Strike or Call Of Duty. It sucks when people refuse to take you seriously based on prejudice and I would not wish such experiences on anyone.

Steve Converse
Sales
Ade's Gun Shop

I was at Ade's on Friday to do PPT and Steve was absolutely great.

I do think that making a snap decision based on a single experience is a mistake; anyone can have a bad day, and it could be a single "renegade" employee. Now if poor treatment happens consistently across the board, fine. You gave it a fair shot.

That said, the first impressions are powerful and often final. That young "snot nosed kid" could grow up to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and will remember how he was treated the first time he walked into a shop.

[sevensix2x51]

ive been going to socal guns for 10 years, so i never run into any problems there. i did like the la mesa store much more when they were open, but the kearny mesa location is great too. some of the floor guys arent completely up on all the latest gun laws to the point of we calgunners, but nobody in there is too much of a knowitall to refuse your business, like some other places can be (el cajon @#%hole exchange). The bossman over there is a great guy to deal with as well, should you have any problems. he would rather break even or lose a little money fixing a problem to make a customer happy, than screw you for a hundred bucks and leave a bad taste in your mouth. if you want a storeffl that's up on the laws, gussler's is where you go.

[jcris7]

Annies get your gun in Corona is my favorite.

+1 For Annie's Get Your Gun. Jerry and Ann are great! Pretty much all of my business goes to them for everything I need thats gun related. I love mom and pop small-business gun shops that care about customer service! If you're a good customer and patronize them regularly, they'll be happy to work with you on a payment plan if you can't afford to shell out all the $$ for something at once. Bought a SIG and a Mossberg 500 from them.

Just my two cents on other gun stores in and out of the IE.
Turners (Corona) - Browsed but never purchased anything from them. Prices seem a little high. But the times I've been in there, the people behind the counter are pleasant and sincere. I only go here if theres a weapon from my watch list thats on sale and is a good deal.

Centerfire (Riverside) - Some think they're great. I don't. They left a bad taste in my mouth. At the time (fall 08), my next door neighbor's home was burglarized while asleep and I had been wanting to purchase my first handgun (a SIG 229 .40) for a while after years of frequent range rentals and practice. Thats when I decided to get it. I won the gun in an auction mid-October 2008 on gunbroker.com. Centerfire really dropped the ball on the transfer. Gave them the fax number so they could get send off their FFL information. I had to go back several times after 2 weeks to politely complain about why there was a delay in the shipment. Turns out when I called the dealer in Georgia they did not include my name on their FFL when they faxed it, so the poor guy didn't know know which transaction the FFL was associated with. The gun did not arrive at the store until after Thanksgiving and took it home first week in December because of this snafu. It was really nerve-wracking knowing our usually quiet and peaceful neighborhood could be hit again and I was defenseless to protect my home and family if the need arose. In a way, Centerfire put me in jeopardy because of their screw up. I couldn't afford an immediate store purchase of another pistol in the meantime since I plunked the $ on the SIG. Poor customer service and don't care for the younger people working in the store. They have real attitudes sometimes. Will not return.

Dave's Indoor Gun & Archery (San Bernardino) - Went here as a backup since Magnum Range in Riverside was full that day. My friend came along so both of us could get some range time on my P229. The guys in there were very rude and short and acted like we were borderline intruders on their turf. We did not feel comfortable in there at all. We decided to leave after sharing a 50 round box of FMJs. Won't go back.

American Shooting Center (Kearny Mesa) - Nice clean range. Tweaky and rude range employees. Gun sales people were friendly however.

Project 2000 (El Cajon) - Friend and I go here when I visit him in San Diego. By far the cleanest and nicest range. The employees are helpful and give good customer service. Definitely go here if you live or visit the San Diego area! Good selection of handgun and rifle rentals.

[beemaze]

Field Time Sports & Guns in Westminster (F-)

+1

I bought a rifle there once and they asked me for my HSC. I said, "that's for handguns, you know?"

HSC= Handgun Safety Certificate, morons....

They do have a great selection, however.

Addendum See the latest fiasco at Field Time here.... http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=345765

[PyroFox79]

I have never had a problem in any gun store I have been to. Especially SoCal Guns. I sometimes go in their to see what they have on consignment. One time i walked in just looking at bolt action rifles and i told the gentleman that i was just looking at my options and he was more than happy to help me. He went through practically every rifle they had explaining the ups and downs of each. Same with turners down the street. But if anything i felt a bit ignored at turners. If youre looking for AR stuff go to Parallax Tactical. Discount Gun in Santee and down on Morena are pretty good.
I have heard a bit of Fud everywhere I've been. I just find it to be normal as our laws are so complicated. That and people make mistakes or remember things incorrectly.

[bob7122]

I've always been treated very well at both the Stockade and Fowler's.

thats cuz ur white ....



jk grant boys, oc armory, riflegear, ammobros, are great field time can lick my !@#$%^ and fowlers and the stockade are rude to the core fowlers wouldnt give the time of day i took two of my friends one is a conservative well mannered and the other liberal shortempered person and they agreed with my op fowlers and the stockade suck go for the others.

[Bonecrusher]

I haven't read through all the post's, but in San Diego, this is an easy one for me.

Absolute worst: El Cajon Gun Exchange

Without a doubt the best: Don Gussler (not a store, but excellent for transfers,etc...) in Santee, and Ironsight's in Oceanside.

[chesterthehero]

Annies get your gun in Corona is my favorite.

i really like this place.. its a mom and pop store but they know their stuff and know how to treat customers...

riflegear is another nice place.. lots of good info and they will say "im not sure, let me look it up" insted of giving you some half informed answer..

[zeprider25]

Turners in Chino Hills and Corona have been good to me.

Just recently got a mossberg 500 from Big5 and that was a less then pleasent experience.