Musser's Outdoors Ephrata, PA

[22 Rimfire]

Prior to the panic, Musser's prices were on par or slightly higher than other shops and stayed that way at the start of the buying frenzy. As a result, the store looked like it was going out of business for for a month or two.
In that month or so that Jamie had no inventory to speak of, he still had to pay his workers, the electric, insurance, etc.

With the current higher prices, you can still not get .22 ammo and the centerfire selection is limited. If things return to normal and prices stay high, shame on them. For now, the higher prices may be the only way to keep the already limited supplies in stock.

I have been in the store and heard new gun owners complaining, "What good is this gun I just bought if you don't have any ammo to sell me?"

[bigredxlt]

Thats funny because they sure had a ton of sandwich baggie glock 17 mags in stock for $40 a piece. You can try to justify their price inflation or you can look at the shops they compete with and realize the bottom line is that their prices are higher than the rest. If the shop does not have access to an adequate supply of inventory maybe he should have considered that before opening a business, rather than piss off otherwise loyal customers.

[Gunowner99]

I bought a Ruger P95 there 2 months ago at a fair price even now.

Also bought some cleaning supplies. Other than that, they are pretty high but my base is Shydas, Tropp, Wal-Mart and Richland.

[heatheroo]

as I mentioned earlier: they stock real blackpowder. There are less and less shops that do that. Wal-mart never has. Cabelas stocks it but they are out of stock and told me they have no idea when they will get more. For the traditional BP crowd, that alone gets me into Mussers and saves me a run to Dixons. As Streaker pointed out, the previous operator (Trout Run) was not thought very highly of. The folks at Mussers have always been courteous to me and it's nice having a shop practically within walking distance.

[streaker69]

Thats funny because they sure had a ton of sandwich baggie glock 17 mags in stock for $40 a piece. You can try to justify their price inflation or you can look at the shops they compete with and realize the bottom line is that their prices are higher than the rest. If the shop does not have access to an adequate supply of inventory maybe he should have considered that before opening a business, rather than piss off otherwise loyal customers.

Would you take that into consideration of every other gun shop that currently doesn't have an adequate supply of ammunition and magazines? I seem to recall that very recently many stores are completely sold out of ammo, was just in Walmart today and their shelves were almost completely bare, including Fudd ammo.

[bigredxlt]

Would you take that into consideration of every other gun shop that currently doesn't have an adequate supply of ammunition and magazines? I seem to recall that very recently many stores are completely sold out of ammo, was just in Walmart today and their shelves were almost completely bare, including Fudd ammo.

I havent heard any of those shops complaining they arent able to pay their employees or keep up with the bills due to their limited supply. Instead the shops I have been to seem pretty happy with the way things are going and financially are doing better than ever. Also comparing local gun shops to walmart is an apples to oranges comparison. We are all aware of the current ammo situation, and with that in mind the fact that Mussers is able to keep dozens of glock 17 mags in stock would be indicative of their overinflated prices.

[streaker69]

I havent heard any of those shops complaining they arent able to pay their employees or keep up with the bills due to their limited supply. Instead the shops I have been to seem pretty happy with the way things are going and financially are doing better than ever. Also comparing local gun shops to walmart is an apples to oranges comparison. We are all aware of the current ammo situation, and with that in mind the fact that Mussers is able to keep dozens of glock 17 mags in stock would be indicative of their overinflated prices.

You're right, comparing Walmart is apples and oranges, funny that you didn't mention that previously when people were saying how cheap walmart has ammo compared to Mussers.

I also just went through and re-read this thread and I didn't see anyone saying they were complaining about not being able to pay their bills.

[guest]

I have been following this thread for years each time I have had dealings with Mussers. After my recent experience I decided to weigh in.

I have tried to be a customer at Mussers on 3 occasions.

The first time I dealt with the owner who was miserable. This was shortly after they opened so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The second time I went in I dealt with a very helpful employee but the sale took a turn when I asked a question that apparently only the owner could answer so we agreed that he would contact me the next day. He never did. So, I went in a week later to find the owner working but I could not keep his attention, even though I was the only customer in the shop at the time. He seemed mopey and disinterested in opening any cases.

A few days ago I decided I was ready to buy a new carry pistol. When I called Mussers I got the worst phone service. Its was the owner again and he spoke in clipped sentences and I had to milk him for the information I needed. I was at length quoted an insane price for a pistol that I could (and did) get for 40% less than Musser quoted me and I did so at sticker price.

Long story short, a quick trip to Village Arms and I spent my paycheck there without issue.

So, the next day I called Mussers for an accessory that VA did not have in stock. When they asked what model it was for I got a tirade about how I had bought a sub-par gun and that they don't "support" it.

Whatever.

Another sale lost for Musser.

This sucks because Mussers is right down the street from me whereas VA is a 45 minute drive. I wanted to like Mussers but my patience has limits. When I'm in that shop I always feel like I'm begging for the favor of giving him my money.

[lager1829]

This sucks because Mussers is right down the street from me whereas VA is a 45 minute drive. I wanted to like Mussers but my patience has limits. When I'm in that shop I always feel like I'm begging for the favor of giving him my money.

If you are willing to go 45 minutes for good service and pricing, you should give Lanco Tactical in E-Town a try as well.

http://forum.pafoa.org/shops-20/1498...-tactical.html

[raxar]

I wanted to let the masses know Musser's got a ton (like several cases) of 9mm and .308 in today, with more on the way

9mm is $20 a box IIRC, several different brands