I have an FFL, so I don't usually buy new guns at gun shops.
I'm not a stocking dealer, but if I was, I would allow customers whose business I valued to return an unused new rifle for store credit and I would put it on my shelf. Better than 80 of the pre-'64 Winchester 70s that were in my Father's collection were NIB with the original bill of sale and, in some case, the check used in making payment. A clear chain of custody; from the dealer to the original buyer to the subsequent buyer(s).
Jeff
