Gander Mountain

[sgt_zim]

They're closing a bunch of their stores, including the 3 in Houston. I always felt like I was getting raped when I went there, but in a pinch, they were convenient.

Does anyone know of any other places that aren't a two hour round trip from Sugar Land for powder and primers? American Shooting Centers is the closest place now.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Carters Country at 59 and beltway

 

[008]

Agree on Carters

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

When I lived in NE Houston (Kingwood), Carter Country and Academy were my go-to places. The Carters on the north side of town has a shooting range too. There's a Bass Pro in Katy, but I never made it that far west. Easier to order stuff online.

If you want to go look at a lot of guns, including a lot of used guns, go to Collectors Firearms (http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/ )

 

[sgt_zim]

Carters Country at 59 and beltway

D'OH!!!!

I only drive by it twice a day

5 days a week

every week since 11 April 2012.

To be fair, it's always dark (about 0540) when I drive by it in the mornings, and I'm dodging idiots and gawkers and non-drivers in the afternoons on the way home.

 

[sgt_zim]

When I lived in NE Houston (Kingwood), Carter Country and Academy were my go-to places. The Carters on the north side of town has a shooting range too. There's a Bass Pro in Katy, but I never made it that far west. Easier to order stuff online.

If you want to go look at a lot of guns, including a lot of used guns, go to Collectors Firearms (http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/ )

There's that one, and one down in Pearland. I've been to the one in Pearland a number of times (it's on the beltway). The one in Katy is nice, it's just painful to get to - Grand Parkway traffic, even on the weekends, backs up from I-10 almost to the Westpark Toll Road.

I need to try and find a shop out 59 in Richmond or Rosenberg.

 

[CAustin]

They're closing a bunch of their stores, including the 3 in Houston. I always felt like I was getting raped when I went there, but in a pinch, they were convenient.

Does anyone know of any other places that aren't a two hour round trip from Sugar Land for powder and primers? American Shooting Centers is the closest place now.

I never cared for them much either. If they are closing up you might catch a few deals!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Carter's Country weekly ad on their website is pretty good too.
http://www.carterscountry.net/ads.htm

 

[Bullthrower338]

There's that one, and one down in Pearland. I've been to the one in Pearland a number of times (it's on the beltway). The one in Katy is nice, it's just painful to get to - Grand Parkway traffic, even on the weekends, backs up from I-10 almost to the Westpark Toll Road.

I need to try and find a shop out 59 in Richmond or Rosenberg.

There is a big gun shop in Whorten called carrols on the left if headed to el campo, I go to R &M in El Campo quite a bit. They have a lot of powder

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Gander Mountain used to be a great catalog company.......looked forward to their fall catalog (and Cabela's) every year like a little kid looking forward to the Sears Christmas catalog! When they started opening their retail stores, we were all excited. After shopping with them for a while, they started to (severly) limit their inventory......and "choices" finally became whatever they had on hand. I quit going when they redesigned the local store.....put all the used guns behind the counter (couldn't handle any of them now w/o asking). So I walked into the store when it first opened and went to the gun counter (no other customers yet), and I was told you have to take a number!!!
....Really?! Not only am I the only person at the gun counter, I'M THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WHOLE STORE!!!!!!
So I tore a number off the machine, and it was #6......the A-hole behind the counter calls "Number 4? Number 4?"......when he finally got to "Number 6?", I threw the ticket on the counter.....and walked out.

I don't know much about the stores in TX, but locally I get my powder from a Mom/Pop pawn shop; they have an excellent selection, prices are reasonable, and it's not too far from home. I quit buying from certain stores when they jacked up prices astronomically during the Obama I'm-gonna-take-all-your-guns-for-the-sake-of-the-children era. There are only a few stores I patronize anymore, but I am constantly looking for other sources. I used to buy at the local gun shows, but they started charging for parking, admission, and the dealers started to become nonnegotiable with their prices ("if you don't buy it, someone else will").....it soon became cheaper to buy via the internet, even with shipping and hazmat fees.
Hope you find a good place to do business with.......I lucked out when I stumbled on that Pawn shop; maybe there is one in your area that has powder/primers.

 

[Bullthrower338]

The last time I darkened the door at a gander mountain was in Spring Texas before I was a Texas resident and still residing in New Mexico. I was going to purchase a M1A national match and was told I couldn't purchase an "assault weapon" with a NM drivers license. I explained the ATF Rules on the sale of a long gun(had my FFL at the time) and he told me that I was correct and he could sell me a long gun. At that point I said, so you can sell me that model 700 right there in 308 but not this M1A?
Yes Sir!
I explained my opinion of gun stores pandering to the anti gun crowd, told him he should remove the front sight from the M1A so it didn't hurt as much when he stuck it up his butt and haven't spent a dime with them since.
I went to another dealer and bought the same gun and shot a service rifle shoot the next weekend.
I'm glad to see companies with what ever way the wind blows policies fail. Either support shooting sports and the 2nd amendment or go away.

 

[thriller]

I don't know how far it is to your nearest internat router, but since your on here I would suggest you order it online haha.

 

[Bullthrower338]

I don't know how far it is to your nearest internat router, but since your on here I would suggest you order it online haha.

This was a bit before I had any internet capability, we still ordered by calling the distribution center and you can't ship to an address different from your FFL, much easier to buy a gun locally to play at a match than drive 24 hours round trip and miss two days of work to save a couple hundred bucks.

 

[sgt_zim]

I don't know how far it is to your nearest internat router, but since your on here I would suggest you order it online haha.

For powder and primers, there is a HUGE insurance fee attached, and it's the same whether I buy 1# of powder or 100#, 1 tray of primers or an entire carton - it's usually about $35. I don't reload enough (yet) to justify buying a 5# can of powder. I buy primers by the case when I can, but 1000 primers is less than the explosives fee I have to pay.

 

[sgt_zim]

There is a big gun shop in Whorten called carrols on the left if headed to el campo, I go to R &M in El Campo quite a bit. They have a lot of powder

American Shooting Centers has a pretty good selection of powders, and they're usually about $25-26/lb, they're just a bit off the beaten path, at least for me. If you go there, the powders are on a shelf behind the counter, near the right-hand corner.

 

[Philip Glass]

I too enjoyed their catalogs as a kid but times change. I was in their store in Lubbock recently and they had some deals but it was pretty quiet there and I could tell they wouldn't be there long. All the guns, even behind the counter, are attached to a cord and getting someone to help you is nearly impossible. I still feel like there is a place for a quality retailer that actually stocks and sells top name merchandise. Unlike Cabelas/Bass Pro who now mostly sell their brand and maybe stock one other. I like going to the big stores but honestly my tastes have changed and I am now too particular and want the top shelf gear. I mean if you spend time online and know about the products and what is available and what is top rated why would you go to Cabelas and buy the bottom of the line with their name on it?
Sorry if this makes me sound like a jerk but if you fly to the other side of the planet for a hunt don't you want the best gear you can afford?
Regards,
Philip
P.S. ditto Carters Country. Support local businesses!

 

[sgt_zim]

I too enjoyed their catalogs as a kid but times change. I was in their store in Lubbock recently and they had some deals but it was pretty quiet there and I could tell they wouldn't be there long. All the guns, even behind the counter, are attached to a cord and getting someone to help you is nearly impossible. I still feel like there is a place for a quality retailer that actually stocks and sells top name merchandise. Unlike Cabelas/Bass Pro who now mostly sell their brand and maybe stock one other. I like going to the big stores but honestly my tastes have changed and I am now too particular and want the top shelf gear. I mean if you spend time online and know about the products and what is available and what is top rated why would you go to Cabelas and buy the bottom of the line with their name on it?
Sorry if this makes me sound like a jerk but if you fly to the other side of the planet for a hunt don't you want the best gear you can afford?
Regards,
Philip
P.S. ditto Carters Country. Support local businesses!

My problem with the big box stores...the items I most frequently buy, they mostly are over-priced by 50-100% compared to online. It had gotten to where the only stuff I ever bought from any of them was powder and primers. When I happen to be up near American Shooting Centers, and on range days, I buy my powder there because most of the stuff that my buddies and I use (Relodr 7, 19, 22) and Hodgdon/IMR (4831, 4064, Varget) is usually around $25-26.

Don't even get me started on Bass Pro/Redhead. I haven't bought it in years because none of it ever made it through a single season.

 

[greyfox]

GM is WAY over priced and too much pushing Columbia and North Face clothing, Cabela's is better and Bass Pro, well, if you're into the Bass circuit and NASCAR - they're good, otherwise the Internet will eat their business. I recently drove to NOLA and saw a Field and Stream but it was closed both times I passed it (south Alabama or Mississippi maybe??)
A
lot of the stores have gone to designer brand camo - which please don't get me started..... OK, it's hilarious when you see the shows on TV and "hunter" is all decked in matching camo, then there's the guide in jeans and tennis shoes, and the camera man in a plaid shirt......

Sgt_Zim - Buy the 8 lb keg - you pay the same HAZMAT fee and it'll last 8 times longer than a one pound can and you just might find yourself loading and shooting more!!!

 

[thriller]

I wasn't a fan of gander mountain when they insisted i pay for a gun in advance before they would ship it to me then lost it for 6 weeks. Only to find out they shipped it to the wrong state.

 

[sgt_zim]

GM is WAY over priced and too much pushing Columbia and North Face clothing, Cabela's is better and Bass Pro, well, if you're into the Bass circuit and NASCAR - they're good, otherwise the Internet will eat their business. I recently drove to NOLA and saw a Field and Stream but it was closed both times I passed it (south Alabama or Mississippi maybe??)
A
lot of the stores have gone to designer brand camo - which please don't get me started..... OK, it's hilarious when you see the shows on TV and "hunter" is all decked in matching camo, then there's the guide in jeans and tennis shoes, and the camera man in a plaid shirt......

Sgt_Zim - Buy the 8 lb keg - you pay the same HAZMAT fee and it'll last 8 times longer than a one pound can and you just might find yourself loading and shooting more!!!

I'm about to start reloading hardcast for my 45-70, so I expect I'll be shooting that a lot more, especially since it's my favorite to shoot of all my rifles.

I really get a chuckle out of watching videos of guys night-hunting for pigs, and decked out in camo from head to toe, NVG mounted on their heads, and either NV or thermals mounted on their rifles. Sadly, most of them aren't even very good shooters - maybe their semis in 6.8 or 300 AAC with the 30-rd mags encourage sloppiness. I'm no Franz Albrecht (look him up on youtube if you don't know who he is), but I generally do better than those guys.