SR 556 Anyone??

[fightingquaker13]

Probably is the price point. I know my Sig 556 is almost $2g these days. Of course, other brands are cheaper for either a piston and especially non-piston rifles.

As for the gun shop, no reason to buy retail. Go find a good pawn shop, see what they charge for an FFL transfer, and buy the Ruger (if that's what you have your heart set on) from the cheapest mail order seller. At least around here, the gun shops charge $50-75 for a FFL transfer, the pawnshops about $20.

I'm with Path here. I will pay about $50-$75 moreto buy from my local dealer as I want him to stay in business. Beyond that, I'll buy online. Just remember to tack on the shipping fee plus the FFL transfer fee to your total cost before making the call.
FQ13
PS Check out AR15.com One of their advertisers (I forget the name) has gas piston uppers that folks seem to like. This is NOT an endorsement, just something you might want to checkout before droping the green.

[2HOW]

I'm with Path here. I will pay about $50-$75 moreto buy from my local dealer as I want him to stay in business. Beyond that, I'll buy online. Just remember to tack on the shipping fee plus the FFL transfer fee to your total cost before making the call.
FQ13
PS Check out AR15.com One of their advertisers (I forget the name) has gas piston uppers that folks seem to like. This is NOT an endorsement, just something you might want to checkout before droping the green.

[/quoteI have only found 1 dealer in my life that I would pay tribute to, and he died. Screw these obnoxious, condescending know it all local dealers.

[fightingquaker13]

[[/quoteI have only found 1 dealer in my life that I would pay tribute to, and he died. Screw these obnoxious, condescending know it all local dealers.

But where are you going go to for repairs, advice and and other stuff like ammo, targets, cleaning kits etc.? That's not even getting to the morality of buying local from small busines if it makes any sort of financial sense, in order to keep your money in the community. Plus there is the political value of having a store front gundealer there to remind folks the WE are the NRA (my personal favorite was "Just Guns" in Austin). Its just like a fly shop, you can get a better deal online, but are they there with the customer service when you just need a little tweak without shipping it off and waiting two weeks? I say buy local  if you can and consider that $50 well spent IF they provide good service. Otherwise, buy on line.
FQ13

[Overload]

Gun stores do this?  Most in our area don't do repairs, give poor advice, all the gear you mention is available elsewhere.  Now, I agree with the buy local from small businesses part, but realize that gunnies move up the Inverted Pyramid of Need* faster than most hobbies, so it's hard for any local to carry it all, or even the majority.  Still, I buy local whenever I can.

*Inverted Pyramid of Need'(I can't remember what it's ACTUALLY called): Business axiom showing that customers start at the same place at the tip of a inverted pyramid needing the same core items.  As the customer gains experience, the stuff they need later is more and more specific and they branch out as they move up. 

But where are you going go to for repairs, advice and and other stuff like ammo, targets, cleaning kits etc.? That's not even getting to the morality of buying local from small busines if it makes any sort of financial sense, in order to keep your money in the community. Plus there is the political value of having a store front gundealer there to remind folks the WE are the NRA (my personal favorite was "Just Guns" in Austin). Its just like a fly shop, you can get a better deal online, but are they there with the customer service when you just need a little tweak without shipping it off and waiting two weeks? I say buy local  if you can and consider that $50 well spent IF they provide good service. Otherwise, buy on line.
FQ13

[blackwolfe]

I like the idea of buying local, however not at the expense of being ripped off.  Also can't buy local if they don't have the product.  When a local tire dealer wanted over $600 for a set of tires for my truck and a place 50 miles down the road that I pass by several times a week wanted just under $400 for exactly the same set I feel the local dealer is ripping me off. 

Service has a lot to do with it too.  Asked local gun dealer about a rifle.  I had to keep calling him back on it.  Finally said he could get one but didn't know how much, but I had to put half down before he would order it.    Wasn't sure when he could get it.  Called an out of town dealer that I get to maybe once a year when I'm in that area.  He had one in stock, and said he would hold it for me.  I was going to either give him CC number or send him a check and he said it wasn't neccessary he would hold it for me even though I couldn't get there for a week or two.  When the local dealer eventually got back to me several months later with a price, he was about 25% higher.   

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

Gun stores do this?  Most in our area don't do repairs, give poor advice, all the gear you mention is available elsewhere.  Now, I agree with the buy local from small businesses part, but realize that gunnies move up the Inverted Pyramid of Need* faster than most hobbies, so it's hard for any local to carry it all, or even the majority.  Still, I buy local whenever I can.

*Inverted Pyramid of Need'(I can't remember what it's ACTUALLY called): Business axiom showing that customers start at the same place at the tip of a inverted pyramid needing the same core items.  As the customer gains experience, the stuff they need later is more and more specific and they branch out as they move up. 

For the record, I do shop all 4 stores - 3 chain and 1 Mom & Pop. Two of them have full-time gunsmiths (Mom & Pop) and Gander Mtn., and perhaps Scheel's does too, or they send it out, not sure. The old Sportsman's Warehouse (Warehouse Sports now IIRC) does not have a GS so far as I know.

But when they have as an example Lancer poly AR mags for $30, when I can buy them online somewhere for $17, I shop very carefully. OTOH, they tend to be competitive on Blackhawk gear, they just have very little of it. I paid retail for a Serpa holster locally just cuz I didn't want to wait. But it was $15 less on line.

Most of the counter guys know something, at least I have not caught them being blatantly wrong.

[ericire12]

Major thread drift!

[Pathfinder]

Major thread drift!

Have you not been paying attention? This is minor at best!!   

[Michael Bane]

Can I ask a stupid question here?

Ruger is an advertiser on my shows and website, which makes me "paid by Ruger." My good friend Jeff Quinn's website, GUNBLAST, has as one of its top advertisers Ruger, but he's not paid by Ruger. Mas writes for magazines who take ads from...Ruger...but he's an objective source. If a show that is strictly "pay for play" — that is, unless you buy an ad your product doesn't exist, period — an objective source of information? You notice a gun magazine has 3 full page ads from the company that made the gun on the cover...how objective would you rate that information.

How exactly does this work?

Michael "PUZZLED" B

[MikeBjerum]

Can I ask a stupid question here?

Ruger is an advertiser on my shows and website, which makes me "paid by Ruger." My good friend Jeff Quinn's website, GUNBLAST, has as one of its top advertisers Ruger, but he's not paid by Ruger. Mas writes for magazines who take ads from...Ruger...but he's an objective source. If a show that is strictly "pay for play" — that is, unless you buy an ad your product doesn't exist, period — an objective source of information? You notice a gun magazine has 3 full page ads from the company that made the gun on the cover...how objective would you rate that information.

How exactly does this work?

Michael "PUZZLED" B

MB,

You are asking the $60K question there!  I like to get info from shows and magazines, but I filter it through the lens of commercialism. I'm seeing a lot of good stuff on BSA, and nothing personal, but I found myself asking last night "How much is Michael getting to say that?"