Chambersburg Gander Mountain SUCKS ASS!!!

**Cheeseybacon** · November 17th, 2007, 09:02 PM

Against my better judgment I decided to seek out the services of the gunsmith at the Gander Mountain in Chambersburg. Gander Mountain had previously put a bad taste in my mouth from my Dad's dealing them. A while ago he brought in his problem-riddled Kahr PM9 to them for send back to Kahr and they failed to ship it and left it in their back room for over a month before my dad called and asked what the hell was going on. So up until this point I haven't had a real high opinion of the firearm department at the Chambersburg Gander Mountain. Despite of all of this, I made my decision to go back to them again because the only other easily accessible gunsmith in the area that I was familiar with was at Hunter's Den. The smith there installed night sights on my Glock 26 and within days the front sight came lose and they refused to do anything to fix the problem. I decided that I didn't want them to potentially botch up my newly acquired Smith and Wesson 629 while installing a fiber optic sight so I went to Gander Mountain. I reasoned that while the people who sell guns and handle the shipping were pretty dense, maybe, just MAYBE the Gunsmith himself had a little bit better head on his shoulders than the rest of them.

I presented the Gander Mountain gunsmith with both my G26 slide with the loose front sight, and my precious 629 and fiber optic sight. I figured that both tasks were pretty simple and not asking a whole lot, I mean it's just front sights, right? How hard is that for the average gunsmith? Well APPARENTLY Gander Mountain is not equipped with the special proprietary equipment to install or even tighten up the front sight on the complicated, obscure pistols known as Glocks, even though they clearly list Glocks as being one of the manufacturers that they will service. Next, they looked at the pinned-in front sight on my Smith and Wesson 629 which of course they also claim they serviced and again said they weren't equipped install a new sight on that gun either. This time he gave me the excuse that they didn't have a small enough bit to drill out the pin on the sight. I'm no gunsmith but it looks to me like that pin could be drifted out with a proper-sized punch.

I ended up being turned away with no resolution to either sight issue on my guns. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the only thing the Gander Mountain gunsmith knows how to do is mount scopes on hunting rifles. Apparently asking him to do anything else, like installing front sights, is an astronomical task of epic proportions that he just can't handle. Ugh, I guess I only have myself to blame for thinking I could give Gander Mountain another chance.

Can anyone recommend a good smith in Franklin County?

**Chevmeister** · November 17th, 2007, 11:32 PM

Sorry Im not fimilar with your area so i dont know any gunsmiths. I believe you will find that Gander Mountian gunsmiths arent gunsmiths at all. At best you will find someone who can disassemble most guns and put them back together.

**fultonCoShooter** · November 18th, 2007, 02:48 AM

check with Don Horowitz in mercersburg he knows what he is doing

**carterbeauford** · November 19th, 2007, 08:48 AM

I inquired about getting a pistol refinished at Gander Mountain, they told me 6 month wait.

hope Cabelas puts them out of business.

**QuincyTwpConstable** · January 16th, 2008, 07:35 PM

The gun shop across from Martins on Route 16 has done OK by me in the past.

Herold's Gun Shoppe, now at 16 and Barnett Ave.

**Night Stalker** · February 29th, 2008, 09:03 AM

I use my neighbor who has been a gunsmith and builds long range shooters for over 50+yrs....
Moyers gun shop in Carlisle/middlesex twp area

Give Bill a call...9-5 T-F sat 9-1

717-258-6607
Tell him Bob Eppley sent ya...

**djturnz** · February 29th, 2008, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Chevmeister

Sorry Im not fimilar with your area so i dont know any gunsmiths. I believe you will find that Gander Mountian gunsmiths arent gunsmiths at all. At best you will find someone who can disassemble most guns and put most of them back together.

I know it's an old post, but fixed it for ya.

**mountainshadow** · June 10th, 2013, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Cheeseybacon

Against my better judgment I decided to seek out the services of the gunsmith at the Gander Mountain in Chambersburg. Gander Mountain had previously put a bad taste in my mouth from my Dad's dealing them. A while ago he brought in his problem-riddled Kahr PM9 to them for send back to Kahr and they failed to ship it and left it in their back room for over a month before my dad called and asked what the hell was going on. So up until this point I haven't had a real high opinion of the firearm department at the Chambersburg Gander Mountain. Despite of all of this, I made my decision to go back to them again because the only other easily accessible gunsmith in the area that I was familiar with was at Hunter's Den. The smith there installed night sights on my Glock 26 and within days the front sight came lose and they refused to do anything to fix the problem. I decided that I didn't want them to potentially botch up my newly acquired Smith and Wesson 629 while installing a fiber optic sight so I went to Gander Mountain. I reasoned that while the people who sell guns and handle the shipping were pretty dense, maybe, just MAYBE the Gunsmith himself had a little bit better head on his shoulders than the rest of them.

I presented the Gander Mountain gunsmith with both my G26 slide with the loose front sight, and my precious 629 and fiber optic sight. I figured that both tasks were pretty simple and not asking a whole lot, I mean it's just front sights, right? How hard is that for the average gunsmith? Well APPARENTLY Gander Mountain is not equipped with the special proprietary equipment to install or even tighten up the front sight on the complicated, obscure pistols known as Glocks, even though they clearly list Glocks as being one of the manufacturers that they will service. Next, they looked at the pinned-in front sight on my Smith and Wesson 629 which of course they also claim they serviced and again said they weren't equipped install a new sight on that gun either. This time he gave me the excuse that they didn't have a small enough bit to drill out the pin on the sight. I'm no gunsmith but it looks to me like that pin could be drifted out with a proper-sized punch.

I ended up being turned away with no resolution to either sight issue on my guns. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the only thing the Gander Mountain gunsmith knows how to do is mount scopes on hunting rifles. Apparently asking him to do anything else, like installing front sights, is an astronomical task of epic proportions that he just can't handle. Ugh, I guess I only have myself to blame for thinking I could give Gander Mountain another chance.

Can anyone recommend a good smith in Franklin County?

In the case of Gander Mtn., it's sadly a case of you get what you pay for. Most of their help are college kids from Wilson or Shippensburg, they pay crap and it shows. go see Stu at the Hunter's Den in Rouzerville or Mr. Herrold across from Hardee's in Waynesboro.

**Gunowner99** · June 10th, 2013, 11:09 AM

Sad to hear of your issue. Gander is hit or miss for me.

**Shodan** · June 10th, 2013, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by mountainshadow

In the case of Gander Mtn., it's sadly a case of you get what you pay for. Most of their help are college kids from Wilson or Shippensburg, they pay crap and it shows. go see Stu at the Hunter's Den in Rouzerville or Mr. Herrold across from Hardee's in Waynesboro.

Well, at least those college kids should have graduated by now.