Gordon's Sports Supply, French Creek Outfitters and Farmer's Market Gun Shop

[lcompton]

Good afternoon.

I'm not sure I've mentioned this before, but it happens that I've taken Fridays off for the summer. So, today I decided to make the rounds and visit some area gun shops to have a look at the pickings (or, fresh catch, if you prefer) of the day.

There are four firearms on my current shopping list and it's hit-or-miss as to whether I come across them or not. The shopping list includes an Auto-Ordnance 1911 with walnut grips, a super cool-looking Sig Sauer P238 in two-tone, a respectable Sig Sauer 1911 in stainless steel and the lovely Sig Sauer SIG556 Classic rifle.

First up was Gordon's Sports Supply in Eagle, Pennsylvania. Gordon's is a small shop geared largely toward camping and fishing. They have a modest selection of handguns; many of which appear to be second-hand. The gentleman with whom I spoke was pleasant and I was able to have a wee bit of dialog with him. They didn't have any handguns that caught my eye, but there were a few Bushmasters that looked like a lot of fun. According to the gentleman with whom I spoke, they do FFL transfers for USD40.00. I asked if they would leave a package I ordered sealed until I came to the store and he hesitantly responded yes, "if you want it that way." He also explained that under such circumstances they would want the customer to come in quickly for pick-up so they could mark the firearm received in their books. Overall, it was a pleasant encounter.

Next up, after having the tires on my bicycle replaced (oh, and get this, my bicycle tires are Kevlar-lined — no, not to make them bullet proof, it's to make them puncture proof, which I need on the mostly crushed stone Perkiomen Trail. I digress...), was a visit to French Creek Outfitters (FCO). FCO has a generous handgun, rifle and shotgun selection on display. They didn't have any Sig handguns that made me want to fork over a USD1,000.00 or so, but, gosh, I was tempted by one of their SIG556's. It was mighty purdy up there on the shelf with a nifty-looking bipod protruding from the barrel shroud. Knowing that I have my automobile inspection due in November, I wasn't up for forking over USD2,100.00+ for the toy. On the other hand, if my truck gets a clean bill of health in November (meaning I don't have to spend thousands of dollars on repairs), the SIG556 would be a fitting celebration of a healthy truck.

Oh, one other temptation at FCO was a pink camouflage 20-gauge shotgun. It was very neat-looking and rang in at just over USD300.00. If it had been a 12-gauge, I definitely would have picked it up. I also inquired about FFL transfers at FCO and Bill informed me that dealer-to-dealer transfers are USD50.00 and person-to-person transfers are USD30.00.

Last up was a little hole-in-the-wall called Farmer's Market Gun Shop (FMGS), which used to be located in the Downingtown Farmer's Market for anyone who remembers that place before it was demolished to make way for a Home Depot among other things. Ed is the proprietor at FMGS. I actually had forgotten about this place, but it came up on a search I did on Crimson Trace's web-site last fall when looking for local Crimson Trace dealers. So, I dropped in today and introduced myself to Ed, a nice personable man who also happens to be an active hunter. FMGS is defnitely not your typical gun shop. It's more of a hunting shop and he has plenty of rifles, but I didn't see any handguns on display. Anyway, I chatted about Crimson Trace (CTC) laser grips with Ed for a bit and ordered a set for my P230SL. I've wanted CTC laser grips since forever and it took CTC eons to come out with a set for the P230 frame. They've been out for awhile now and I'm glad I finally got around to ordering a set. By-the-way, if you haven't ordered a copy of the CTC demonstration DVD, you won't be disappointed if you do. It's a neat video featuring the laser sights and there are some interesting tactics demonstrated as well. Anyway, the P230 laser grips I ordered will arrive in about two weeks. One other nice thing is that Ed discounts the laser grips a bit so I paid USD285.00 instead of the USD329.00 listed on CTC's web-site. I also picked up a package (6) of .380 ACP snap caps.

Ed wasn't busy at all and I was lucky to have plenty of time to talk with him about hunting. I've been interested in getting into hunting small game, but it's a bit of a challenge for me because unlike many hunters, I am without a mentor to help me make this journey. I purchased a book on field dressing small game from Cabela's in Hamburg a few weeks ago and I can certainly read and learn some things that way, but it's not the same as going out into the field and having someone show me the ropes as it were. I've always been squeamish about handling raw meat and this is something that I would obviously need to overcome. On the bright side, the pictures in the book I was reading on field dressing small game didn't make me sick — well, not too much anyway.

That pretty much sums up my Friday activities. I do hope that everyone else had a lovely day and has an even lovelier weekend. I'm looking forward to my weekly 40-mile bicycle ride on the Perkiomen Trail tomorrow. The weather for tomorrow in my neck of the woods is forecast to be pleasant.

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Gordon's is a nice little family owned shop offering all you could want as a hunter, shooter or fisherman...plus you can take your kids with you! French Creek Outfitters is like an old time hunting/camping/sporting goods store with just the right amount of inventory to not overwhelm you but still give you personal service. Gun selection is extensive, prices are competitive, staff is knowledgeable. Farmer's Market is old, dingy, no inventory and not the friendliest place to walk into...but it is a gun shop, and we need all of them we can get. My $.02