Carters in Chattanooga

[crashgordan]

What type of market would there be for a indoor range/gun shop in East Ridge?? Maybe ten lanes as much as 50' deep. It is a large building so might have to offer pawn to cover overhead??

Just thinking.?.?

Probably would do very well.

i think something like Coal Creek Armory in Chattanooga would blow the doors off everyone else.

I've talked to them about moving one into Chatt...

hope they do.

or someone does...

[Patton]

I talked to the guys from Carters and they were talking like they were leasing the building from Ray Carter. Has it changed hands and we have not known it?

All my guns now will come from Skips firearms. He sold me a new Glock for such a great deal that I can't even say. It was a Law enforcement Glock. I give him 5 STARS.

[Guest Patty]

Probably would do very well.

i think something like Coal Creek Armory in Chattanooga would blow the doors off everyone else.

I've talked to them about moving one into Chatt...

hope they do.

or someone does...

Something like a Coal Creek Armory would go under?, lol

[Guest cheez]

All the gun shops and pawn shops in Chattanooga combined wouldn't make a good Hero Gear. If Joe opened a store here and ran it like his store in Winchester he would mop up. Places like Carter's and the A frame in Hixson would fall by the wayside. Chattanooga has never had a decent full service gun store.

[Patton]

So does anyone know if these Academy Sports that are coming in will be selling guns? I know the other ones do.

What is funny is there is going to be one at Hamilton Place and CBL properties are "gun free" BTW I don't shop CBL properties for those reasons.

[Almond27]

So does anyone know if these Academy Sports that are coming in will be selling guns? I know the other ones do.

What is funny is there is going to be one at Hamilton Place and CBL properties are "gun free" BTW I don't shop CBL properties for those reasons.

Dick's Sporting Goods is on CBL property, I'm pretty sure and they sell guns. As for a good gun shop coming to Chattanooga I hope the Shooter's Depot is a good store. They have announced their range prices and membership levels on Facebook. If we ever get a great shop around here like said already they will wipe out the competition. Carter's gets a big thumbs down from me.

[ShamGlock]

All the gun shops and pawn shops in Chattanooga combined wouldn't make a good Hero Gear. If Joe opened a store here and ran it like his store in Winchester he would mop up. Places like Carter's and the A frame in Hixson would fall by the wayside. Chattanooga has never had a decent full service gun store.

I can't stand either of these places. All I wanna do is join an indoor range for easy weekday shooting and both these guys were so rude I walked out. I can't wait until this new place opens up, I hope it's decent.

[Guest tbone]

Frankly, I have never had a problem with Carl in Hisxon (the A frame). Carter's is nothing to write home about, the prices seem high. The last time I checked, you had to buy their ammo to shoot on their range, which is B.S. Where is Shooter's Depot? Are they already open?

[ShamGlock]

Not yet. They are set to open the 15th with the range soon to follow. They will be on the corner of Shallowford and Polymer close to the old Bi-Lo warehouses.

[Guest TwoLaneBlackTop]

If you want a gun just do a transfer and use Skip's or Mark Scott of Scott Bookkeeping and get exactly what you want for the best price and avoid that TN sales extortion.... err I mean sales tax.

[crashgordan]

Something like a Coal Creek Armory would go under?, lol

i'm confused by your statement (or question?), but maybe i'm just confused...

At any rate, I think any shop that could open and just respect the customer base and open at least a short pistol range with a decent membership AND walk in plan (like Coal Creek) would do well!

anybody can join CC or you can walk in and pay a small fee and shoot there... im not endorsing CC, i generally don't care for the way they treat customers, both observed and personal experience. but I do like that I can walk in and shoot there and don't have to just through a bunch of membership hoops...

I think that someone should lease the now empty building next to Sportsmans Warehouse and open an indoor range and coordinate w/ Sportsmans (or not), offer many rental options (like CC) and offer classes, some targeted to women, taught by women, as well as memberships and walk-in options. I think they would do well once they get the word out... it would be the only range this side of town and very convenient to most (i''m hearing rumors about "depot"? don't know anything about it)

Wish i had the $$$ and a few good partners, i'd make it happen...

[Guest cheez]

Frankly, I have never had a problem with Carl in Hisxon (the A frame). Carter's is nothing to write home about, the prices seem high. The last time I checked, you had to buy their ammo to shoot on their range, which is B.S. Where is Shooter's Depot? Are they already open?

If you walk into Carter's you pay $20 for the range for a day plus you have to buy their overpriced ammo. If you buy a year membership it costs $150 and you can use your own ammo. I took my HCP class there 2/27/10 and that is what they told me. Their range has I think 6 stations, very poor lighting and no ventilation. There were 30 something people qualifying in the class I was in and I was in the last flight. By that time it looked like someone had set off a smoke bomb in there or was shooting a black powder gun.

[Pengnpup]

Carters daughter does a great job teaching the Permit course. Ray is alright he is just grumpy. Carl Poston in Hixson is a total jack ass. I was looking in their one day. he had the nerve to say to me " are you going to buy something or waht, this isn't a museum" I turned to him and said yea Carl the stock in here is old, it might as well be" I had 500 to spend. I went to Silvers in Fortwood and bought what I needed. Steve Silvers is an awesome dude!

[Il Duce]

ive never had an issue at carters or sportsmans although i hate their membership prices and requirements

[I_Like_Pie]

Carters daughter does a great job teaching the Permit course. Ray is alright he is just grumpy. Carl Poston in Hixson is a total jack ass. I was looking in their one day. he had the nerve to say to me " are you going to buy something or waht, this isn't a museum" I turned to him and said yea Carl the stock in here is old, it might as well be" I had 500 to spend. I went to Silvers in Fortwood and bought what I needed. Steve Silvers is an awesome dude!

This is a 100% true story. One father's day in the late 1980's I bought a Lee auto prime (you know- the hand loaders) from Carl because i couldn't think of anything to get him at the time.

Flash forward 20 years I went in there 2009 because I somehow lost a shellholder for my reloader and didn't want to drive over the river to sportsman's warehouse.

There, sitting on the very same shelf, was the other lee auto prime that I had to cull through because the box was dented. The sad part is that the price was exactly the same - Which was twice as much as I can get it for at midwayusa. No joke....I used my credit card and Carl processed the payment on a rotary dial telephone!!!!!

That place is still in business simply because the owner simply has nothing better to do than sit in that building.

[I_Like_Pie]

And just as an FYI - Carl wasn't always a curmudgeon and we should probably give him some credit. When he started and ran Montlake Classic Clays - it was a top notch business.

In other words....he is not oblivious to his situation. He just doesn't care anything at all about that shop. It is only there as a storefront for an FFL, a range, and a place to train Carry permits.

[ShamGlock]

Carl may not have always been a complete a$$ but he sure has it down pat now. A few years ago I went in there to join the range. He started out by asking me why I didn't just go shoot at PC for free, then he began grilling me on my political leanings. I told him I didn't see how that was relevant to joining the range and asked if I could join or not. I filled out his form and pulled out a check card to pay and he looked at me like I was an alien and told me to come back and just pay with cash. I walked out and decided to never return. Two weeks later he called and left me a voicemail thanking me for wasting his time and informing that he was just going to rip up my file and throw it away. I have never been back.

[strickj]

Carl has always been very nice to me.

A couple years back, a girl - friend of mine bought one from him.

A few months later that gun was stolen from her car (yeah,I know).

She called police to report it stolen but was unable to give them the serial number as she never took the time to write it down (yeah, I know.She's a blond).

Shortly after that, I stopped in his shop one day to look around and got to talking to him about my friends stupidity.

He remembered the girl and knew exactly who I was talking about(she's a blond ).

Anyhoo... a few days later I stopped in for something else and to my surprise, he handed me a piece of paper with that serial number on it

Now, I know he doesn't get a ton of sales in that place, but it was still allot of work to have to go through his books to find that serial number.

It was something he didn't have to do. He did it just because he's a good guy...

[Il Duce]

yeah Carl has always been helpful to me as well. as soon as some funds open up i plan on purchasing a Stoeger Coach 12ga from him.

[ShamGlock]

Well at least he gives some people good service.

[Patton]

I went in the A frame today for the first time since more than likely the early 90's. I went in and was greeted. He asked what he could do for me and I asked for specifically a finger extension for my New Glock Subcompact. He said I don't have those. I said oh well and looked around a little. I started asking him about the glock magazines he had in the display that already had an extension on them. He said he had to look for the keys. During this whole time he is talking deap politics that i could agree with but i didn't chime in. He finds the keys and pulls out the one I was looking at and said it is $35 and puts it away not even offering it to me. I asked how much for a Glock 19 mag and he said they are $39. I'm think holly hell but maybe he will do a military discount and he said, "No first they want a discount on the range then merchandise." I said thank you and walked out. I went to Carters later and was greated and felt welcome. I actually searched for something to buy.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Patton

[Almond27]

yeah Carl has always been helpful to me as well. as soon as some funds open up i plan on purchasing a Stoeger Coach 12ga from him.

One thing about Carl he will straight up tell you he is going to make a profit off you. Carl gets bad mouthed alot but I purchased a WASR from him during the Obama scare and he treated me right. It could have been because I knew someone who did alot of business with him though and he called and told him I was gonna come buy one from him. I was in Carl's one time though when a black fellow and his girlfriend came in and old Carl went from a great mood shooting the sh** with me to an ahole real quick I guess he grew up in the old south I've seen him be a jerk to other people before. He is leery of taking CC or debit cards he said to me the only reason he took mine is he knew I worked for a reputable company(I no longer work there) and they wouldn't allow trash to work for them lol. He still uses the carbon copy credit card swiper which to me is so old fashioned lol he called the payment and back ground check in over the phone. I haven't been back to purchase anything from him though but I will probably take my permit class there.

[pitt2magic]

The last couple of times that I have been in Carters, Ray has been fairly pleasant and helpful. I was shocked. I shoot in his range in the Winter because Im a wuss and hate the cold weather. His range memberships have 2 levels, the more expensive option lets you bring your own ammo, the one I have is $25 a year, $10 everytime I come in to shoot plus I am "supposed" to buy all the ammo from him. I would rather shoot outdoors anyway.

[Guest Law of Thirds]

I've always had a good experience at VOW, they've got honest answers for honest questions and the prices are pretty fair with an occasional steal to be found. Same goes for Fugate's up by bowater, they've got great prices, good advice and good selection on handguns. Skip's is good too, I've found self defense ammo there for almost less than range ammo! Same goes for GT distributors, a while ago they had 4" 686's for 349! J&M pawn is helpful and they've got a good selection but some of their items are high on the price range (especially what's popular).

On the other hand: Carter's was nothing but disappointing. Selection was good but prices, especially on used items, were not and the service.....well, there wasn't any. Valu Pawn was selling bumper chrome Jimenez Arms for over 200 and used L frames for 600+ the last time I was in there and the staff isn't helpful or knowledgeable.

[Guest TNTgill]

I agree with the good experience with the guys from VOW. I have sold one to them and bought one from them and got great deals both ways. I only interact with them at the shows here in Knoxville but they always remember me and will shoot the breeze with me anytime I stop by. I would pay more for the same gun from them than I would other just because they actually will take time to talk to you. Some of the places here in knoxville just plain suck with customer care and service and I would never do business them (CC for example). Just wanted to give the guys at VOW at thanks for the great service they have provided me with.