Walmart has done it again

[JIMMYC308]

+1 on that thought!!! I remember I used to buy guns at K-mart years ago and they stopped selling them with little regard for us. Hell certain Walmarts don't even carry guns anyway and they will always bow to public outcry so I see a gunless future in stored for all Walmart shoppers.

[Suburban]

Bring a couple utility bills with you when you go to buy the rifle, if you still end up getting it from Wal-Mart. It seems that there are different rules when buying guns from Wal-Mart or a sporting goods store. They wanted 3 items showing name and address. It took me three trips to the store to pick up a 10/22, since the assitant manager said I needed 2, and then I came back and the manager insisted that 3 are required by law.

[Warners Surplus]

If you haven't purchased that 700 SPS at Wal-Mart yet, you may want to talk to your local shops.

Remington changed the SPS again and most of the distributers are closing out the 2006 700 SPS. Price's are coming down but so is availability.

As far as Wal-Mart and paperwork goes, they are suppose to follow the same rules as us. The rules they follow seem to depend on the sales clerk at the time though. I know both Wal-Marts by me just got twisted by PSP firearms div. and that was one of the major reasons they are cutting out most firearms sales in Pa.


Rich W.

[Karys]

If you haven't purchased that 700 SPS at Wal-Mart yet, you may want to talk to your local shops.

Remington changed the SPS again and most of the distributers are closing out the 2006 700 SPS. Price's are coming down but so is availability.

I'd second that advice. The guns you get from a local dealer are going to be better than a second rate model you get from Wal-Mart. You can probably find a similar deal on a close out of a discontinued model.

As far as Wal-Mart and paperwork goes, they are suppose to follow the same rules as us. The rules they follow seem to depend on the sales clerk at the time though. I know both Wal-Marts by me just got twisted by PSP firearms div. and that was one of the major reasons they are cutting out most firearms sales in Pa.


Rich W.

Wal-Mart does have some goofy rules about paperwork. The last time I bought a gun there, they said I could not abbreviate anything on the 4473. When I asked why, the clerk said it's a state law that they're not allowed to accept a 4473 with abbreviations. When I asked a local dealer about it, he said he never heard of that law and he gets audited by the ATF and PSP annually.

I'm actually glad Wal-Mart isn't selling guns anymore. I never bought many guns there. If you really look around, you can find deals at local shops that are almost as good. I'd rather deal with the two or three local dealers that know me than someone at Wal-Mart that doesn't know me, might not know the law and will probably give me a hard time about something with the sale.

[DPB]

I'd second that advice. The guns you get from a local dealer are going to be better than a second rate model you get from Wal-Mart. You can probably find a similar deal on a close out of a discontinued model.

Merely from a liability standpoint, how could any manufacturer afford to sell a "second rate model"?

Does anyone really believe that Remington is running the "Wal Mart" assembly line right next to the "Mom and Pop's Gun Shop" assembly line, with both building the same model?

Regarding putting Mom and Pop out of business, if they have decided to compete directly with Wal Mart, they have put themselves out of business, and will fail with your help or without it. Also, customer service in the Mom and Pop stores has, on average, been vastly over rated.

The small shops that have prospered provide services that Wal Mart doesn't. This ranges from custom work, NFA stuff, competition guns and gear, black powder, whatever. If you decide to compete directly with Wal Mart and provide only the services they provide, I think you've made a poor business decision.

I believe the issue of "No abbreviations on the 4473" is actually a federal law. I say this, because I've bought guns in a number of states, and they all required everything to be spelled out.

[PA Rifleman]

Merely from a liability standpoint, how could any manufacturer afford to sell a "second rate model"?

...

It isn't a liability issue since it's price control, not safety. They all should meet the same basic safety standards.

When the the big buyers order guns from manufacturer, they order the models stripped of anything unnecessary save for token embellishment, like maybe pressed checkering. The Stuff-Marts have enough purchasing power that making a production run for them is tantamount to rolling out a new model with all production models pre-sold.

The flip side is the Stuff-Marts know it, and sometimes try to push vendors around. They'll make one or two huge oversize orders...one they know the vendor will struggle to meet. It's sized so the vendor is unable to fill the smaller contracts, and is forced to dedicate their entire production to Stuff-Mart. They'll keep this up until the vendor no longer has any customers other then Stuff-mart. In today's day & age, this won't take long.

With the vendor totally dependent on Stuff-Mart, Stuff-Mart now plays hardball: reduce prices xx% (double digit intentional) or we shop elsewhere. Ouch. More than one small company has gone under falling for this.

In the old days, Sears, et al would get their corporate brand placed on the gun. Now they don't even bother with that.

[Karys]

Merely from a liability standpoint, how could any manufacturer afford to sell a "second rate model"?

Maybe I should clarify what I meant. The guns that are sold at Wal-Mart are just as mechanically sound and safe as those sold at other places. What I meant was the fit and finish on Wal-Mart's guns is not as good. That's what I meant by "second rate".

Does anyone really believe that Remington is running the "Wal Mart" assembly line right next to the "Mom and Pop's Gun Shop" assembly line, with both building the same model?

I don't, but it's easy to produce a run of guns in one hour or one day on the same production line that is somehow made in a less expensive manner to be sold to Wal-Mart at a reduced rate.

Regarding putting Mom and Pop out of business, if they have decided to compete directly with Wal Mart, they have put themselves out of business, and will fail with your help or without it.

I agree.

Also, customer service in the Mom and Pop stores has, on average, been vastly over rated.

That depends on where you go. The few shops I choose to do business with are run by good people and they have taken good care of me. There have been shops where I've had rotten service and bad attitudes, but I wouldn't say that the service in most shops is over rated.

The small shops that have prospered provide services that Wal Mart doesn't. This ranges from custom work, NFA stuff, competition guns and gear, black powder, whatever. If you decide to compete directly with Wal Mart and provide only the services they provide, I think you've made a poor business decision.

True.

I believe the issue of "No abbreviations on the 4473" is actually a federal law. I say this, because I've bought guns in a number of states, and they all required everything to be spelled out.

I don't know. I filled out four or five 4473's last year and Wal-Mart was the only place that said no abbreviations. I would think if it was a federal law, the other shops I deal with would have told me the same thing. They didn't mention anything about it.

I believe all this discussion is eventually going to be futile. Wal-Marts all around my area are not selling guns anymore. I think it's only a matter of time before the quit selling them everywhere.

I never meant to start an arguement. Sorry guys.

[billamj]

I don't know. I filled out four or five 4473's last year and Wal-Mart was the only place that said no abbreviations. I would think if it was a federal law, the other shops I deal with would have told me the same thing. They didn't mention anything about it.

Over the past year I've been lucky enough to purchase a couple of very nice firearms at different stores and in each case I was told no abbreviations on the 4473. I'm pretty sure that it is a requirement, though it could be a relatively new one.

[Cole]

Wal-Mart's selection and service never compared with the local gunshops anyway, and let's be honest . . . they have deep pockets and therefore are a bigger target for crazy lawsuits.

Let Wal-Mart do what they do well . . . sell low-quality crap cheaply. Meanwhile, leave the firearms business to loving students and practicioners of the craft.

[DPB]

I'm not trying to stir anything up, but I'm still not sure I'm buying the Wal Mart stories.

First, at the closest Wal Mart to me right now, half the guns have synthetic stocks. Also, I don't see the checkering on the Wal Mart guns to be substantially different than in gun stores. The days of nice checkering on production level rifles is largely a thing of the past.

What I do think has happened is that some manufacturers have come out with lower cost lines, and these are the lines that Wal Mart and similar stores pick up.

The two most glaring examples I've seen are Weatherby and Leupold, both of which are available at Wal Mart. Twenty years ago, I'm sure any one of us would have had a heart attack if we had seen a Weatherby rifle in a discount store. Then they started the "Japanese" Weatherby's, at a much lower shelf price. I can't comment on the relative quality, but my jaw hit the floor when someone told me he had paid less than $500 for a Weatherby rifle.

I've just seen the Leupold's recently. They appear to be the lower level Leupolds, but I'm sure they are still quality scopes. Again, five years ago, I would have said this would never happen.

Some other totally random thoughts:

I suspect that Sears and JC Penney stopped selling guns because they couldn't compete with specialty shops, and it just wasn't worth the hassle. So, essentially, Mom and Pop put them out of the gun business.

It's funny how some people complain about Wal Mart selling guns, and some others complain when Wal Mart talks about stopping selling guns. Mom and Pop could be doing the same thing they did to Sears. At some point, I suspect that Wal Mart will decide that profits from firearms are not sufficient to justify the hassle involved.

Finally, I agree with the statement: "Let Wal-Mart do what they do well." However, I think that what Wal Mart does well is that they employ a heck of a lot of people.