Specialty Sports & Supply

I went to SS a number of times with questions about handguns, having sold guns for over a year previously I was suprised at the lack of knowledge and lack of care they showed. There answers to my questions were vague and they seemed more interested in answering the phone than my questions. They do have an amazing inventory, but when I price shopped (price isn't always more important) they were over $100 higher for the same pistol (XD-45). That added to the lack of substantial service made my decision easy, DM out east it was. Pros: Huge Inventory and will gladly show you anything Cons: Not increadibly knowledgable or don't care enough to share. more

But I question whether or not these guys are actual shooters. They seem more like salesmen who can answer general questions (like you can find in an owner's manual) and less about technical specifics. My example: today I went in looking for an AR15A2 front sight post. I specified that it was just the post, the kind that can be adjusted with a tool having four prongs on the end, not five. The clerk hands me the tool.\r \r I repeated myself. ""No tool, just the post."" I""m handed the removable A3 style sights that attach to flattop rifles with Picatinny rails. I handed them back. ""No. A2 sight post."" No dice. He had to call help over (who tried to offer me the tool again!) to find out that they didn't have them and I was advised to go to Brownell's web site to find what I wanted. (I did.)\r \r Next I asked for a shotgun heat shield for a Mossberg 590. I was directed to a certain aisle where they were stocked. They didn't have any. ""Oops,"" was the reply. When asked if they'd get more in, they didn't know.\r \r To add insult to exasperation, I simply began walking along the row of handguns on my way out. The clerk behind the counter began shadowing me wherever I went. Didn't offer help until I was moving to leave the store, but he kept right on my tail as if I were casing the place.\r \r Go to Specialty to look at what you want to buy, then do like the clerk told me. Go somewhere else to get it. Pros: Insane inventory. Cons: Not a lot of help from staff, treated like a shoplifter. more