BELDING & MULL PHILIPSBURG, PA

[david1]

No sir I am too busy looking in my gun magazine to take your $1000. Or maybe I can get off this chair and stop talking to my friends who never buy guys to help you out.

[leadflinger]

B&M has rapidly become my favorite gunshop. My experience is that they let you browse until you approach the counter and ask for help. Gary is kinda quiet, but very nice fellow. Their prices are competitive, and on certain things, they are way lower than anyplace else in the area. I'm not going to say what those things are, because I wanna buy them all for myself
Grice's sucks. I was in there on Tuesday - asked for help - and the guy behind the counter said he'd be right with me. 35 minutes later the guy was no place to be seen and I was still waiting. I walked out.

[Stooperzero]

GRIPEs

LOL

Thats what I call it..... I just go there to BROWSE as I'd have to douse myself with gasoline and set myself on fire to get waited on. They set a new low for me last week so I spent my $500 at Bob's instead.




I've probly spent about $6-8K so far at B&M since I started going there.
You can Look without being Pestered , if you want something just ask them.

Bout a 9/10 on the scale for shops in driving distance for me...

So many places have lost my business it's unreal . I won't name any specifics but theres some places if I'd step into tehm again I'd vomit.

[Bradster]

Where is this place? I have never heard of it and I am somewhat in the area.

[recoil freak]

I hope the folks at Belding and Mull do well. Anytime I have gone in they have been fantastic. They may not have exactly what I'm looking for but are more than happy to order it for me. On the other hand I agree with the other poster's about Grice's. If you can get someone to wait on you they are generally very rude and condescending.

By the way the original Belding and Mull manufactured a powder mesure I belive in the 30s that was so state of the art that it still was the top dog right into the 60s. They carried the patent and was produced in Philipsburg

[Rick]

Just as an FYI. Belding and Mull produced the first reloading manual, somewhere around 1928. Not Hornady, Lyman, Hodgson or any of the big players now. I haven't been there since the relocation from down in town but in the years past I frequented. As far as costs go, dependant on where you're travelling from and what you plan on purchasing-it all pretty much comes out even.

I don't know where the guy that started this thread was traveling to or from, but if I were already there I think I’d just say "hey could I get a little help here?" $2 cheaper for the primers at Grice after driving 19 miles to get there.

Oh well, since I’ve moved from the nobility of being able to claim Clearfield County as my stomping grounds to being trapped in Schuylkill County with the flatlanders I do most of my purchasing at Dave Keefer Gunsmith. Keefer Road, Pine Grove, PA. Again, the original poster probably wouldn't care to shop there as Dave is, I guess, infamous, for customer care. But I have to tell you there is something that I enjoy about going there. A lot can be said for talking to the guys at the counter while waiting. If I wanted a run through grab what I want and leave experience I’d go to <Insert Corporate Giant Store>.

But I really enjoy discussing what I'm getting, hey what do you think about.... That kind of thing. I just bought another Winchester 69A from Dave and waited about 20 minutes for my transaction to finish. Dave carries on about 6 conversations simultaneously so as long as you can keep track of where you are it all works out.

For me the difference is between getting your hair cut at Supercuts and going to Bill Spanogle's place. 1 has more wait, but is usually a better experience.

[Buffalo1937]

I guess I had the same experience as VMAX82 this week. I stopped there shortly after they opened one morning this week, looking for an M&P 40 cal. I was the only customer in the place and the owner and another younger guy, who never got off of the computer, sure didn't make any attempt at customer service. I got a "Hi" when I entered and, after several minutes of standing at the counter, the owner did answer a few questions but never quite fiddling with his pile of paperwork to even offer any real assistance.

I then headed for Bob's in Clearfield, where I was promptly waited on - even as they dealt with several customers. They were very knowledgeable, answered all my questions and I left with a full size M&P 40, a holster and some ammo.

Belding & Mull is an old name but NOT the same company. I regularly shopped at the old store on 4th & Laural St. where Bruce and Danny always went out of their way to service their customers. That store has been closed for several years and "Belding & Mull" was dormant till this outfit bought the name.

[Steeltown]

I had a similar experience at Walmart in Hanover last week. I was looking for a type of pizza sauce and could not find it in the aisle I was looking. I notice an elderly Walmart employee stocking shelves in the aisle so I look over at him and asked if they had the brand I was looking for, no response, I asked a second time and again no response. I gave him the benefit of the doubt of being hard of hearing, as I am still looking some lady he obviously knew says "Hey Chuck how are you" and they begin a small conversation, when he was done talking with her I figured I would give it one more shot and ask and he totally ignored me. I was pissed and a little bewildered but I kept my mouth shut and walked past him. People like that I have no use for!

[leadflinger]

Yes, the new Belding & Mull is run by different people. The guy that runs is now is Gary Broberg. During the day it's often him and a very quiet young fella behind the counter. Neither of them will pounce on you when you enter, but Gary will often look up and say hi. If you don't directly walk up to him, he will absolutely leave you alone. I kinda like that, but I can see where some people wouldn't. Once you get to know him (and I'm just starting to) he gets friendlier. I was in there recently to do a transfer on a gunbroker purchase and he was talking to me about this black powder revolver that caught my eye. He's apparently somewhat of a history buff and he enjoys talking about antique/classic firearms. If you are standing around for your turn to get waited on, you might not like this. It's true that you'll usually get waited on at Bobs in Clearfield much faster - probably because they have more people behind the counter. Bobs has a larger selection, but I believe their prices are higher than Belding and Mull on average. Grices... I think enough has been said about them - they are my last choice from a customer service standpoint.
Possibly the friendliest place I've been to in the area is Pioneer in Altoona. There are a couple of old guys in there that can be a real riot if they get wound up.

[Mity2]

My experience with them is somewhat mixed. First time I went there about a year ago, I got GREAT service. Gary was very friendly, and showed me some of his personal collection, just shooting shit - and I was only picking up box of ammo.

I was there earlier this week, and I didn't get as great service. But lady was asking a bunch a question about AR(Which she bought), and I just browsed unbothered until lady came out to run the register, which was very friendly lady
I was there yeasterday, and didn't get all that great service, but he was running PICS on someone(which sometimes it can take a while).
Young guy someone mentioned was there, and may be he could have been little more helpful I guess.
Same lady again came out and manned the register, and I was promptly taken care of.