Worst Gunstore Ever

[Oh Shoot]

This might be the case. I'd go onto their site and check, but it went down shortly after I took my gun in, and is still down. Checked it earlier today out of curiosity. I'm not actually sure who was in charge when all this went down.

 

Their training site is the only one I know that has always been active:

 

http://www.firearmsclasses.com/

 

Mike is still listed as lead instructor regarding the various courses, I just don't know his role in actual retail store operations now, or even in the past actually.

 

- OS

Edited July 5, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Guest BBmG]

Their training site is the only one I know that has always been active:

 

http://www.firearmsclasses.com/

 

Mike is still listed as instructor on some of the courses, I just don't know his role in actual store operations now, or even in the past actually.

 

- OS

 

They also have  http://tngunshop.com

Not sure when it went live, or when it went down though.

Edited July 5, 2013 by BBmG

[vontar]

like I wrote, I'd like to hear Mike's side of the story too.

 

 

 Like OS pointed,  maybe he is not the owner anymore. Dunno.  Have not been to active in buying guns lately.

I was in there about a month or so ago and talked with Mike.  Brought a few .22 shells while I was there. 

Tried to talk him out of one of his personal guns with no luck.  :D  He has one of those unicorns I want that are just outrageous on Gunbroker.

[vontar]

BTW, didn't say it eariler, welcome to the board, now get some pictures of that Mosin up.

[Guest BBmG]

BTW, didn't say it eariler, welcome to the board, now get some pictures of that Mosin up.

 

Thanks! Just as soon as I refinish the wood (bought all the stuff to do it just before my gun poofed for three months) and actually get that scope mounted! I do love me some gun porn, heh.

Edited July 5, 2013 by BBmG

[Mike.357]

yeah, welcome to the board.  Sorry if I rubbed it the wrong way.  Dunno what happened at Austin's but it certainly does not seem the norm to me.  Hope you get it sorted out.

 

And we all love some Mosin Nagant's.  Post up some pics.

[tartanphantom]

Welcome to TGO, BBmG.

As a Mosin enthusiast, I would love to see before/after pix of that Mosin project of yours.

[Guest BBmG]

Welcome to TGO, BBmG.

As a Mosin enthusiast, I would love to see before/after pix of that Mosin project of yours.

 

I'll be sure to share. Assuming I can find a before picture. I don't own a camera at the moment, but I think there's some older pictures floating around somewhere...

[Guest BBmG]

yeah, welcome to the board.  Sorry if I rubbed it the wrong way.  Dunno what happened at Austin's but it certainly does not seem the norm to me.  Hope you get it sorted out.

 

And we all love some Mosin Nagant's.  Post up some pics.

 Thanks, and no worries. I hope to have some pictures up soon!

[TMF]

Thanks! Just as soon as I refinish the wood (bought all the stuff to do it just before my gun poofed for three months) and actually get that scope mounted! I do love me some gun porn, heh.

 

You're a chick?

[Guest BBmG]

You're a chick?

Yup

Edited July 5, 2013 by BBmG

[TMF]

Yup

Well then that post I quoted was like spotting a white rhino. Glad I witnessed such a rare event.

[vontar]

when you are able to get that scope mounted I would really like some details.  After reading about it and sleeping on it I got to thinking I might like to setup a scope on mine that does not modify the bolt.

 

I had actually considered buying a separate bolt that was modified to work with a scope.  I think I like this idea better.  However I would like to see the placement before I make a final decision.  Also I am not in a hurry.

[Bassoneer]

Frontier Firearms does have a Gunsmith. They call him Red. 

He owned his own Gunsmith business for years before going to Gander Mountain.

He left Gander Mountain where as of 2 weeks ago he was still working at Frontier Firearms.

 

Not trying to call you out on anything, I'm just saying they have a Gunsmith.

Whether he does custom gun work or not, I do not know. I do know he does work on factory stuff.

Custom being making of or modifying parts.

 

And I'll agree. I was not impressed with Austin's in OR.

When "Red" was at Gander Mountain he worked on one of my pistols and I was unhappy with the results.  

 

However, "Bob" at Predator is a master gunsmith with training and experience and has done extremely nice work on a couple of S&W revolvers for me.  Go to "Bob" at Predators.  Best wishes, B 

Edited July 5, 2013 by Bassoneer

[atlas3025]

I have always been treated wonderfully at Austin's, and Mike is a very knopwledgable and friendly person.  I have heard there have been some health concerns in his family, but don't have any details.  Not sure if he has been active in the shop or not.  Very sorry to hear of your experience.  It sounds way out of character for them, as others have said. 

[bubbiesdad]

Thanks for the link fix!

 

I actually called Frontier first and at the time, they told me they wouldn't be able to do the work. It seems they're not currently employing an gunsmith.

 

 

I've heard of Austin's and generally not in very favorable terms.  But I've never been to them, way to far to begin with, so really cannot confirm the details.

 

NOT pushing anyone's store but

 

Coal Creek Armory
10737 Dutchtown Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37932
Phone: (865) 966-4545

 

Has ALWAYS been very good, at least to me.

Frontier's highly capable gunsmith went to Coal Creek when it changed hands.

[bubbiesdad]

BTW, didn't say it eariler, welcome to the board, now get some pictures of that Mosin up.

 

[URL=http://s277.photobucket.com/user/bubbiesdad/media/pointlessstandard_zps32416d36.jpg.html][/URL]

 

I have a 91/30 and an M44.

 

[URL=http://s277.photobucket.com/user/bubbiesdad/media/789e6321-b427-4d7f-8f54-63d94df58c59_zps88803082.jpg.html][/URL]

[East_TN_Patriot]

The service at Frontier Firearms is not much better.  My wife and I had a similar experience with them three or four years ago when she ordered and paid for a handgun to give me for Christmas.  Over 4 months of lies and phone calls that were never returned, I finally received my handgun.  When we went to pick it up, I was talking to the clerk while they ran the background check, and the owner walked out of his office, butted into the conversation without so much as an excuse me or a kind word to me as a customer, griped at his clerk about some paperwork issue, and stomped back to his office.  The entire ordeal was so terrible that my wife, who is not a gun enthusiast, refused to ever purchase another firearm for me as a gift and she has held true to that statement.  It was about that time the owner of Frontier Firearms came onto TGO to bash members who order guns from sellers on the Internet (long-time TGO members will probably recall that thread).  I'll never darken their door and would grin a little bit if they went out of business.
 

Edited July 8, 2013 by East_TN_Patriot

[Spots]

Fighting Sheep Dog Firearms is a small shop right down the road from me in Oliver Springs and they do some amazing gunsmith work. $59 flat rate fee for all gun repairs on labor. John is the guys name, served in the Marines, great guy to talk to and very knowledgeable if you still looking for a gunsmith.

Last few tim3s I have been in Austins they were nice enough, but the selection is horrible and they are rather overpriced on most things. Just my .02 cents.

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[Lumber_Jack]

i got a screaming deal at Austin's a couple years ago, but wasnt really overwhelmed with the customer service though.  it wasnt bad, it wasnt good, just kind of lackluster at me being there to buy a gun.  Either way, glad you got your gun back and didnt loose any money.  Call Predator and get that work done right.  FYI it might be 4-6 weeks to get it done there due to backlog of work. 

[Dolomite_supafly]

Probably a good thing you didn't go to Frontier. Funny how things that don't seem right at first are a blessing in desguise.

 

 

This picture is from this posting here.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/43360-front-sight-staked-like-a-vampire-until-dead/

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

I don't think of it as throwing dirt so much as using my freedom of speech to share my expierence and help others when making a decision about where to go. I'm a member on several other firearm forums, but I decided to check out this local one as well, and seeing as it's local, a store review made sense. I'll be here for more than just this though, if that's what you're wondering. Seems like a cool site. What you see above is what happened on my side of the story. Since I hardly EVER heard from them the entire three months, it's a bit hard for me to post their side.

 

If you are good friends, I'd actual like to hear his side of the story too. I never did, since I couldn't get them to call me.

 

Just so you are aware you are not guaranteed any First Amendment right of freedom of speech here.

 

You are NOT allowed to say whatever you want here under the guise of the First Amendment here. The First Amendment protects you from government abuses. We are a private entity and as such we can edit, delete or do whatever we want with your posts here and you have ZERO recourse. In the same way you can limit what someone can say in your living room of your home we can limit what you say here. We are generally tolerant of what people say but that is OUR choice, not your right.

 

As far as reporting the guns stolen you could have found yourself in some trouble legally. The gun was not stolen and by reporting it stolen you would have filed a false report. It was a civil matter, not criminal, and trying to get LE and the courts involved in a civil matter is wrong no matter what they did or didn't do to your gun.

 

I know how frustrating it can be but involving LE in matters they should not be involved in is not the way to go.

 

Welcome to the board.

[Guest DragonLW]

I gotta comment on this thread, because I see complaints which a small business cannot avoid. Actually, its a *damned if you do - damned if you don't* situation.

First, there was a comment that Austins prices are too high. Well, sure....he's a small one-man / one-store operation, and he has to turn enough of a profit to make a living. Making a living includes making enough money to pay all the store bills, all his personal bills, provide health insurance for himself, save some for retirement, etc...thats a REALLY big nut to crack each and every month. He doesn't have the bulk buying power of Gander Mountain, Academy, or even Wal-Mart, so his wholesale costs are higher.

The tradeoff? You get (or at least *should get*) personalized customer service.

As for the comment about lackluster customer service at Austins, again, its a part of small shop / one guy. The average person, when they walk into ANY store, once they have the attention of a salesperson they expect to have THEIR FULL ATTENTION until either:

A) A sale is consummated

or

B) A decision is made to not buy something that day.

Now, while said small store owner is talking to the first customer, 2 more people walk in. He looks over, nods and waves, then goes back to giving his attention to  the first customer WHO FULLY EXPECTS THE OWNERS FULL ATTENTION UNTIL HE MAKES A DECISION.

It may take another 15 minutes. Now, this one person in one small store that has higher prices than people think is fair, has two people waiting for his attention, and one who won't let go of his attention. In today's society of instant gratification, the two folk waiting will only wait, on average, about 5 to 7 minutes before they walk out in a huff. Meanwhile, the store owner (realizing he only has, at best, 5 to 7 minutes) starts to pressure / rush the first customer to try to get him to make a decision, and now THAT customer gets huffy because he feels as if the owner *doesn't appreciate a paying customer* enough to respect him and not try to rush him.

So, I'll ask the folks on this thread...what is the one owner running a small shop to do?

He can't afford to hire another person because he has to keep prices low for the folks that complain about pricing...

He can't haggle too hard when someone wants a bargain for fear of pissing off *that* customer...

He can never move fast enough to satisfy the five-minute-attention-span people...

 

He will always be moving TOO FAST for the customer that currently has his attention...

Austins is a small one-man operation. And its a proven fact (take a business marketing and sales course sometime, and pay attention to the research done...its amazing) that in order to keep 50% of the potential customers happy, you're going to make the other 50% mad as hell.

Its just a fact of doing business as a small one-man operation.

Reminds me of something my old man told me many years ago...Good, Fast, or Cheap....pick two. :-)
 

[bubbadavis]

Sorry but there is no excuse for not returning a customer's call for days/weeks. It's not like they didn't return a call that day - but the OP tried calling and leaving messages for weeks. I don't care how few employees a shop has, that is just bad customer service.

[R1100R]

Sorry but there is no excuse for not returning a customer's call for days/weeks. It's not like they didn't return a call that day - but the OP tried calling and leaving messages for weeks. I don't care how few employees a shop has, that is just bad customer service.

This is too true. Edited July 11, 2013 by R1100R