What's up with todays' gun shops?

[John Wasmuth]

Terrible part for those that build their own, old and not so well taken care of 98 Mausers were available for a hundred bucks or less and parts and pieces to build nice sporters were cheap and just about every gun shop you could think of…….. now a junker with no matching numbers are $800.00. Around here any way. Black rifles have gotten ridiculously cheap both to buy and to build… sad.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Give me a proper hunting rifle built on a proper hunting rifle action like a Mauser. None of that military stuff for me!

I’m just being facetious, but you mean a military action, like the Mauser, or Springfield, in a military caliber like the 7x57, 8x57, 6.5x55, 30-06, or 308?
But with a different stock and possibly barrel so it’s more user friendly?
It kind of sounds like what the kids are doing today with their ARs.

 

[skydiver386]

Fellas, look on the bright side. Every gun store I've been to in the last few years had a smattering of Henry rifles and shotguns in stock.

If Henry ever decides to build a center-fire bolt action, I'll be the first one in line to buy one.

 

[Daniel Cary]

Cabella's sales tried to pull a fast one on me, not long ago.

Stores, Car Dealers, Shopping .. Nothing it what it use to be. No one seems to know what they're talking about, what their selling, etc. The thrill is gone & businesses know theirs a sucker born every minute.

"They don't want people who question things, they don't make good consumers"

 

[lockingblock]

Wood and blued steel is sadl on its way out. The Ruger American is the future…lowest cost, machine made, plastic stock…but still very accurate.

I hate it…but people don’t want to spend the money.

 

[Rare Breed]

I am not planing on buying anymore guns. Not worth the hazle. Have all I want.
Krish

My friend you could start your own gun store with all you have!!!

 

[Daniel Cary]

It's pop culture ..

Look at the horrible music that dominates & sells.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I’m just being facetious, but you mean a military action, like the Mauser, or Springfield, in a military caliber like the 7x57, 8x57, 6.5x55, 30-06, or 308?
But with a different stock and possibly barrel so it’s more user friendly?
It kind of sounds like what the kids are doing today with their ARs.

my point exactly.

I’ve grown tired of people talking about “kids today”.
First of all, kids today are pretty much like kids of any other generation. And if they aren’t, perhaps look to the people who raised them, I.e, usually the people bitching about kids today.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Like flintlock, caplock and rolling blocks, wood and steel are destined for photos in firearm history books, museums, wall racks, safes, nostalgia hunts/shoots, reenactments, the super rich and never to be shot again collections. Myself and my fellow tradesmen all say the same thing. We're dinosaurs, and so are the aformentioned. My buds that work in gun shops don't have heirs bringing in black rifles to dump. They're unloading dad's and grandad's prized wood and blue steel hunting rifles.

Now hand me that stainless barreled, kevlar stocked, 34mm scoped rifle.

"The past is a different country. They do things differently there".

 

[sureshot375]

Kids these days. All they want is “tacticool”. Hunting with an AR- ridiculous. Bunch of military wannabes.

Give me a proper hunting rifle built on a proper hunting rifle action like a Mauser. None of that military stuff for me!

I’m sure there was a group of grumpy old caveman bitching about the kids with their AltAlts.

Mausers were military rifles!!!

I’m sure there were a bunch of grumpy old guys In Germany in the early 1900s bitching about youngsters with their fancy bolt action repeating rifles!! They aren’t in the trenches in France. They don’t need those rifles.

 

[SpringbokJG]

Where I live everything is 90% black guns and pistols when I go into the shops looking for USED hunting rifles. They all have new rifles for sale with 99% camo synthetic stocks and many seem to have a SMALL handful of bolt action rifles but half of those are WW2 military rifles. Try and find ANYTHING .338 and up is useless. What has happened? I ask this question to find out if this is a Nationwide trend here and/or in other countries? I guess I'm just fu***** old. LOL

During the height of Covid and its associated stimulus payments, pandemic unemployment, etc. I watched the milsurp market explode. K98s in particular nearly doubled in price. Same for Arisakas as well. Even the WW2 stuff left on the shelves here in Montana seem to be all less desirable models at inflated prices.

Black guns are easier and cheaper to shoot well, maintain, and modify. They have a certain charm, and one can take them afield without worries about damaging beautiful wood and metal work. My Mausers are irreplacable, but my anodized semi-autos are not.

 

[wolfhunter]

I have 3 hunting rifles in fiberglass 2 of witch were made before plastic was the norn.3 match rifles glass stock but the real nice ones are wood and blue one of my favorite custom mauser 6.5-284 octagon krieger barrel any bullet weight sub minute 100 gr. is real coyote medicine worked good on wolfs to althuogh most the wolf was shot with a 243 . pre 64 winchesters come in wood and blue!

 

[CZDiesel]

No sir you are wrong. ARs have been out a long time.

PRS competitions and the Ruger Precision rifle started that slide. Ruger made an affordable rifle that shot small groups the average person could afford. PRS while they don't have a ton of members, a lot of the optic and rifle manufacturers pay attention to the audience. For every PRS member they average 10+ people who want to try it.

If you figure out a way to have Safari match competitions. Grow the sport, the pendulum will swing the other way.

Companies produce what sells, it is nothing against anyone. We are all free to build custom rifles, if that means with our own hands or paying someone else.

No Respectfully I’m not wrong… While at the DSC convention this year I talked to multiple firearm manufacturers and scope makers and that was their direct response!
While talking to Leupold and imploring them to bring back some sort of “Classic” line without tactical or ranging turrets, or at least reopening their Custom Shop so we as hunters can order what suits our hunting needs best and that was their response too!
Leupolds response was they understood but market conditions didn’t support it at this point. They said “If they sold one, ONE dangerous game scope to every 10,000 low power AR scopes they were lucky!”
I get it, they are a business that needs to be profitable. But make no mistake! The AR has killed the traditional hunting rifle and hunting scope…

 

[Jim Golden]

The F’N AR happened and it F’N killed the hunting rifle and scope market!!! Now if it’s not tacticool it doesn’t sell to the new gen and all of a sudden a 6.5 Creedmore is supposedly a serious long range big game round but a 264 Win Mag is unheard of WTF!

I love the .264 Winnie. It's NUCLEAR on white tail deer

 

[Hogpatrol]

A custom action manufacturer I deal with introduced two new actions with integral 20 MOA rails. I asked about making them with 0 MOA rails. Was told that's the market and no zeros would be made..

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Mausers were military rifles!!!

I’m sure there were a bunch of grumpy old guys In Germany in the early 1900s bitching about youngsters with their fancy bolt action repeating rifles!! They aren’t in the trenches in France. They don’t need those rifles.

I'm fully aware that Mausers were military rifles. Kids today are doing exactly the same thing that has been done forever; that was in fact my point. I considered "Mauser, Springfield, or Enfield" to make it extra clear that the "traditional walnut a blued steel" rifles of today were once new military technology but thought that excessive. Clearly I need a sarcasm font.


For The record, kids today are also no more or less stupid than previous generations, their clothes are no more or less ridiculous, and in 50 years the more miserable amongst them will be complaining about how lazy kids are and how music was so much better when they were young. Just like today.

 

[Inline6]

A custom action manufacturer I deal with introduced two new actions with integral 20 MOA rails. I asked about making them with 0 MOA rails. Was told that's the market and no zeros would be made..

I'm running a 40moa rail on my 22lr. If it makes you feel any better. Haha

 

[Safari Dave]

It's the same here in Georgia.

The good thing is that my favorite gun store doesn't give much for nice bolt actions and they sell them cheap!

I will not be sharing...



Got a CZ 550 Safari Classics in .458 Win Mag on Monday for $1,000!

I didn't buy a Sako 85 in 7mm Rem with a Leupold VX III 3.5-10x50 for $700 a few years ago. I I've never gotten over it. (I guess I was just too gobsmacked to wrap my mind around it!)

 

[Inline6]

No Respectfully I’m not wrong… While at the DSC convention this year I talked to multiple firearm manufacturers and scope makers and that was their direct response!
While talking to Leupold and imploring them to bring back some sort of “Classic” line without tactical or ranging turrets, or at least reopening their Custom Shop so we as hunters can order what suits our hunting needs best and that was their response too!
Leupolds response was they understood but market conditions didn’t support it at this point. They said “If they sold one, ONE dangerous game scope to every 10,000 low power AR scopes they were lucky!”
I get it, they are a business that needs to be profitable. But make no mistake! The AR has killed the traditional hunting rifle and hunting scope…

If you are talking about LPVOs I'll buy that.

The med to high power optics is being driven by the PRS. Forums dedicated to shooting long range look at the membership. I enjoy this forum very much, this place had a very limited reach In comparison. People that want to hunt DG vs people shooting match. I'm not even sure what that ratio is.

 

[meigsbucks]

Supply and demand.

Like it or not most of the members of this site operate in what would be described as a “niche” community.

Most rifle shooters are .30 caliber and below with synthetic and stainless being favored over blued and walnut.

Advancements in technology (push feed actions) manufacturing processes (metal injection molding) and other factors have made these stainless and synthetic rifles more affordable. While aging equipment (CZ550 and others) of years gone by is scrapped.

Let’s face it, the average hunter is not looking for a Heym Martini Express or Kreighoff double rifle. We are in the minority.

The good news. I absolutely love being in this minority community that’s been created. Time to do more shopping between each other and keep members informed when those good deals on proper rifles show up.

EDIT - You should also know that the door swings both ways. If the local gun shop doesn’t carry what you are looking for, you don’t have to go there.

Also, let them know what you ARE looking for. Let them know there is a market for what you want.