Favorite & Least Favorite Gun Shops in Middle Tn.

[Cherokee Slim]

Gun City -- I've done business with them off and on for over forty years; I think they are trying to come back from a low point, hope they make it in a now run-down neighborhood.

In 1972 most of my THP academy class was taken to Gun City to get a special price on High Standard DA .22mag derringers. That's the last time I ever was there.

Since Chattanooga has gotten so poor on good shops I've taken to getting almost everything on line. I find exactly what I want and Skip's Firearms does the transfers. It cuts down on impulse buying. (except for that 2 Colt New Agents instead of one purchase last week)

Terry's Toys takes care of all my SASS (cowboy) guns. Midway, all my reloading & non-gun stuff.

Hero Gear sounds like a fun trip from Chattanooga, with lunch later at the Outpost Armory? I don't get to get back to the states very often so I try to optimize my gun time.

Cherokee Slim

[wipfel]

Favorites: Guns & Leather. My wife and I took our handgun carry class there and thought Mark Crabtree did a great job. They always are busy and sometimes getting help can take some time. Pretty good prices.

Goodletsville Gun Shop. Just pre-payed for a Glock 27 on Friday with Phillip. Seemed like a good guy and had the best price I could find (online or off). Their selection was very limited, unfortunately.

Least Favorite: Franklin Gun Shop. I asked for some help with an IWB holster and one of the guys helped for a minute, excused himself to help someone at the gun counter and never came back. When i approached him to ask some follow up questions, he blew me off pretty bluntly. Spoke with the owner (unrelated conversation) about 2nd Amendment stuff and realised the only opinion he wants to hear is his own. They also have the highest FFL fees of any shop I've even heard of so far ($75).

[Guest malbolja]

Best:

Guns & Leather. Nice selection, great staff. I can't seem to set foot in there without buying a gun.

Worst gun store I've ever been to:

Without a doubt Franklin Gun Shop. I can't seem to go there without wanting to do something to the staff that would guarantee a long prison term. They will screw you every chance they get. The perfect store for folks with more money than sense. I'd rather take an butt kicking than do business with such arrogant A-holes.

[Volzfan]

Guns and Leather is my favorite around here. I want to get by Goodlettsville sometime.

Least favorite is Gun City and I'll leave it at that.

[Guest Straight Shooter]

My favorite gunshop is about 30 miles from me,in Huntsville Al. Larry's Pistol & Pawn. Been going there since '79. I just priced a Ruger SP101, and he was $150 CHEAPER than Hero-Gear, and $50 Cheaper than OutPost Armory for the same gun. Best inventory youll see.

[Guest Broomhead]

Where is Bellshire located?

Best G&L

Worst East Side

[SavageSig]

Where is Bellshire located?

Best G&L

Worst East Side

Bellshire Hardware is at 3837 Dickerson Pike. If you're coming from Nashville, go I-65N and take the Dickerson Pike exit. Take a right and drive a few miles. Bellshire Hardware will be on your right. He has a pretty good sign you'll see from the road, and he's in a small strip mall.

[Guest ljc3]

Another vote for Hero Gear. Joe, Jeff and Mike are super!

[Kano]

Favorite:

Guns & Leather

I called them from CT. a few times 6 Months before I moved to TN,( over 2 1/2 years ago) asking questions about there range and living in TN, They where always great to talk to and very helpful....... after I moved to TN, got a membership to there range which I have now been a member for 2 years. I consider the owners & staff as friends and have had Jeff Walle work on a few of my 1911's and Wayne Webster made me a great Holster also got a good deal on a Dan Wesson Valor.

Great Range and Nice People !!!

Worst.

Franklin Gun Shop

[Dropkick Murphy]

My favorite is Hero Gear. I've been treated really, really, well there. Weather I'm spending $30 or $3000 they take the time to talk to you. They have an amazing inventory, but it is a little out of the way for me. Worth it though.

Almost tied for favorite would be Guns and Leather. Great prices, great inventory, good people there. My only complaint is that they are so good it is always packed, and it might take a bit to get some help, but never anything too bad. I've been to Guns and Leather 4 times and I've never left without buying a gun. I think they pump some kind of chemical into the air.

Least favorite, and probably the worst customer experience I have ever had was at the Outpost armory. It was just one guy I dealt with, and he was probably having a bad day, or was stressed out, but I refuse to go back because of that one guy. It was that bad. Probably my loss, but oh well.

[gunbartender]

best, hero gear.

worst by far is Usleton's (sp?)

[Guest midnitelamp]

been a long time since i was in gun city,but i remember a rare blend of ignorance and obesity.

guys at reloaders bench seem ok.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Most favorite....Outdoor Country...Gainesboro.

Least favorite....Reloaders Bench....Mt.Juliet.

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Least favorite, and probably the worst customer experience I have ever had was at the Outpost armory. It was just one guy I dealt with, and he was probably having a bad day, or was stressed out, but I refuse to go back because of that one guy. It was that bad. Probably my loss, but oh well.

Agreed, same thing happened to me. I had some Gold Dots in my hand to buy and two guys in the little employee shirts were just standing there talking. I stood there before I took the Gold Dots ($26.99) put them on the counter, and just walked out, went to Lebanon Gun Shop the next day, and bought some from David.

[daddyo]

I have never been in their store, but Ken's Guns & More in Lewisburg has had a table at all of the RK and Bob Pope gun shows that I have been to. If I were closer to L'Burg I would trade with Ken. He has always been extremely helpful and they always have a great selection as well as fair prices.

[daddyo]

I haven't been to many in the area, but the

BEST: Franklin Gun Shop or Outpost

Worst: On Target

I really can't believe how rude and how inconsiderate the people behind the counter there are. It's like when I go in they get pissed that someone wants to spend money. Luckily for them I'm not going back. I tried going in today to show my friend some guns, actually, and they were complete jerks the entire time. The girl behind the counter just kept saying "Well, I prefer Glocks to anything else." and rolling her eyes when he wanted to look at their revolvers.

Is she a redhead?

[Guest WWIIfanatic]

Franklin Gun is pretty bad they have a couple M1 Garands there and they are trying to sell them for $1k. the one that i was looking at was like $995 and was rebuilt and had fixed rear sight. That is way overpriced by about $300.

ive only been to Franklin Gun and Outpost so i guess by default, Outpost i my number one pick, lol.

[StPatrick]

I've been reading here before I ever bought my first gun, so I've managed to avoid any truly negative experiences. Here's what I've experienced:

Guns and Leather: Friendly staff, but crowded (albeit for a reason: everyone seems to like them). The range is nice, and the HCP class is reasonably priced - Mark Crabtree is just as decent as they come, and manages to make the classroom portion bearable. The one time I traded, I got what I felt was a fair value. The gunsmith, Jeff Walle, is also very friendly, and will install sights at no charge, while you wait, if you buy them from the store. I'm sure others do this, but it's still a nice feature.

Guns for America: Again, friendly staff. It's a small shop, but they'll do whatever they can to meet your needs. A big plus for them is that if they can't do something, or aren't sure how, they tell you so outright instead of selling a compromise. That kind of honesty is something I respect, and I'll keep going back.

Lock Stock and Barrel: I've only had some gunsmith work done there, but it was professional and fast. The Markers seemed very friendly and knowledgeable; for a small shop they have a lot of very interesting inventory, especially if you're interested in older lever guns or pump-action rifles. The pistol selection was very wide, especially if you're looking for used items.

I'm looking forward to finding a reason to visit the shops that have gotten overwhelmingly positive comments in this thread at some point.

[gregintenn]

Antlers and Feathers in Lafayette is a pretty good small town gun store. Go on in and tell Brent that Greg said to give you a deal.

My least favorite would be most any of the big box stores such as Wal Mart, Dicks, Academy Sports, etc. They all sell low end stuff. They do usually have good prices, but never a good selection and pitiful customer service. The Wal Mart in Lafayette is the only big box store I can remember who have someone working at the gun counter that has a knowledge of guns. Most of the rest I've talked to I doubt have ever fired one.

[56FordGuy]

There are lots of good ones. Guns and Leather, Hero Gear, Guns for America, I'd recommend any of them. Heck, I haven't had many really unpleasant experiences with gun shops.

However, I have had one. Game Fair in Nashville. I went in there one time, and I don't feel any need to ever go back. I can honestly say, it's the only time I've ever been made to feel like I, a paying customer, was an unwelcome inconvenience. No plans to deal with them again.

[Guest Keinengel]

I intend to make a trip out to Hero Gear soon and the same with G&L. I've had pretty even experiances with the few i have been too. I haven't had the lack of service problem at On Target but their prices are really high and one of the guys who works there is a ****. On the plus side they have a nice selection and their range is pretty nice.

The Outpost has high prices on guns at the level of On Target but they will come down a fair bit and their ammo selection is wonderful.

Tolliver's Pawn in manchester is an oddball place really. The store is old, tiny and crowded. The guys who work there (Mike included) are very nice guys and will give you a fair price. As far as their new selection goes its pretty limited being as they are primarily a pawn shop but their used section always has some very interesting stuff.

just my .02

[monkeylizard]

+1 on GnL. Great staff, broad selection, decent pricing, fair FFL transfer fee, a great gunsmith, a low price on the HCP class, and 2 indoor ranges.

Politics and personalities aside, Uselton's range is bright and clean, as is the shop. The staff there were never rude to me when I was first learning about handguns. In fact, they were quite helpful. It's where my wife and I learned to shoot. The instructor was good and the class was very helpful to both of us. I just wish I had known then how overpriced it is. If it wasn't for the stupid high prices on the FFL transfer, classes, guns, supplies, range, and ammo, (that's everything, right?) I'd go back. As it is, I probably never will. I'm a capitalist, so more power to him if he can keep customers at those prices. His only local competition seems to be Franklin Gun Shop, which I hear is equally overpriced.

I stopped in at Guns for America yesterday with D3vo. It's a small shop near 100 Oaks. I estimated about a dozen or so long guns and two dozen handguns, plus a selection of accessories and targets. Mrs. Owner was there yesterday. She welcomed us when we came in, then left us to browse. Once we found something we wanted to see, she was very helpful. FFL fee is reasonable, and the shop is centrally located. Keep up the good work.

[Chris]

Best -

Outpost Armory (full disclosure these guys are clients) - Great Selection, very knowledgeable... they can get their hands on stuff others can't.

Guns for America - Small store, but I love talking to those guys... I've found some really good deals there.

Franklin Gun Store - Can be a bit overpriced, but they have a HUGE selection and the staff is very helpful.

Worst -

Gun City (Gun Sh*tty) - Awful selection, terrible staff and don't use the range unless you are wearing full body armor. It's unsupervised and very dangerous... I've had ricochets come within inches of hitting me.

[Guest highvoltage]

after doing business with several shops over time here is my new list

my favorites are.: Lebanon gun shop. David and all his staff are great this is where i do most all my reloading and gun buys from now.

: guns and leather i have never had a bad experience here. they to are a top notch gun store just so far from me.

now for the least favorite: the armory in Lebanon Curtis is a great guy. but i can not get any help from the employees there if he is not there

: re loaders bench mtjuliet can not seem to get much help there maybe its just me. but a great place to go smoke and tell shooting story's.

[Guest Dryw]

New to the forum but though I'd add my $0.02.

Best: Reloader's Bench. Moderate price premium, but I don't mind that in the slightest as they have an extremely amicable "walk up and talk to" staff. Not one of them acts as if customers are an annoyance, treats you as if you're an intellectual ant compared to them, or as if they are doing you a favor by gracing you with your time. That can't be said for way too many other establishments. I can see why it might be hard to catch one of their eyes at times though. Been in there on several occasions when its wall-to-wall. Think that too says something about the store.

Honorable mention: The Gun Room. Great folks. Limited selection, but service makes all the difference to me. Especially these days with the belt tightening. Folks that act like they _want_ my business, tend to get it.

Worst: I'll hold my tongue. Think it's already been mentioned enough times here anyway.

Cheers!

-Dryw

Edited November 25, 2010 by Dryw