It is getting hard to find someone like you gentlemen who actually know what you are talking about behind any gun counter today. I have lots of stories from my side of the gun counter that keep me from shaking my head.
Yeah I was at Cabelas which really seems to suck. They had a custom Model 7 with an unmarked SS barrel and a 223 Rem bolt face they said was a 223. I asked if I could bring my cleaning rod in to measure rate of twist and the guy acted like I'd asked if I could screw his daughter. I said I wouldn't buy it if I didn't know the ROT, so this BSer drops the bolt, shines an LED up from the chamber and eye balls it, telling me it just happened to be the rate I wanted.
More recently I had my semi-custom .300 Weatherby on consignment at an LGS. Just to see if they were doing anything to move my rifle I went to the place and asked if they had any 300 Weatherby chambered rifles
Guy says no; I reply oh really? He said yeah cuz Weatherby doesn't really chamber rifles in that cartridge much anymore due to lack of Ammo.
They've gone to standard cartridges he says. I scoffed as plainly and boldly as I could... he had that smarmy know it all tone of a doushey gun counter guy so ai reply "really? Weatherby stopped making rifles in Roy's most popular cartridge!!!???"
He replied with a repeat of his original assertion. I said well I have one on consignment here and wanted to know what if anything you were doin to move it and that's obviously nothing. That's when l lost patience.
He said oh yeah we're doing everything we can to sell it but (he used way more words than this cuz he obviously LOVED the sound of his own voice) there just isn't factory Ammo available everywhere.
I said well that explains why YOU wouldn't buy that rifle but not why you said you don't have a rifle you do have!?!?
More on the standard cartridges and Ammo..
To which I replied "You don have to tell ME that I own the thing but haven't ever had issues finding Ammo... Thank God I have more resources than this store!" As I headed for the door.
They had a really nice old Remington 700 BDL in 6 mm Remington. I asked if I could look at it as we are standing there arguing. I wanted so badly to ask "aren't you going to warn me about how rare 6 mm ammo is?"
Just to be clear I don't expect him to have exhaustive knowledge of his inventory and if he'd have simply said "I'm sorry I hadn't seen this rifle before" I'd have been fine, but doubling down on the stupid Ammo argument told me the guy hasn't ever said he was wrong about anything and wasn't about to start.
I don't get angry very often at all but this REALLY pissed me off. They take a big chunk on consignment items which is fine but they obviously aren't doing anything to earn it.
Like Scott said good help is damned hard to find these days!
