I have often wondered if some of these big stores that sale firearms actually interview the sales people they hire to work the gun counter. I try not to go to these places for anything unless it is absolutely necessary, or if they have a good deal on something I want. If any of you guys work in those places then I am not talking about you.;) Is there a bonus to the sales man if they sale the magnums, or is it just the counter jockeys thinks that is the best? Most people around where I live are after deer or pigs. I Have no idea why they would advise a person they need a 300 RUM. I am sure some people who come in ask for those rifles. I know a sale is a sale but you don't make a repeat customer if the rifle kicks the crap out of them, and they give up hunting because they cant stand to shoot the rifle that someone told them they had to have. cdb do you have try to talk some people down, or do you often give in and let them buy that hammer of thor, and just tell them to bring it back if they want to try something different? I am not talking about all salesmen. I have heard this happen a few times while standing near the counter looking at the guns.
It depends. If it is someone's first rifle I will gently try to nudge them down from a 300 Winmag or 7mm Mag to a .243 or 7mm-08. Especially if the rifle is for hunting here in Texas where the indigenous wildlife is just not that big. The largest animal I've killed is a nilgai on a friends ranch in the valley, with a .270. It ran about 30 yards before it went down. The nilgai was a target of opportunity. If I had been hunting nilgai I would have used my 30-06 which is the most powerful rifle I own.
I think everyone is guided by unconsciously by their own experiences. I grew up hunting with a milsurp 30-06 and .303. When I was 14 I shattered my shoulder blade in a football game and needed surgery. I never noticed the recoil before that but it bothered me a little bit after the operation shooting those milsurps with hard butt plates. When I was 20 I broke my shoulder blade again in a football at college and had operation number two. The next Sept I used some calf money to buy a 700 ADL .270 and the recoil was manageable again. When I was 42 my bicycle flipped after being hit by a car and I broke my collar bone and shoulder blade again. Operation number three. For the last 13 years I've been an official member of the recoil sensitive club. I now shoot a 6.5x55 with a Pachmayr grind to fit pad while wearing an Evoshield recoil shirt. The purpose of this long story is that it explains why I suggest a .243 when someone brings their wife or kid in looking to get them a .308. And more than caliber I suggest a youth or compact rifle for most of them(some don't need the shorter lop but most do). I want their shooting experience to be as enjoyable as possible and to not develop a flinch.
On the other hand women come in the store that have been hunting all their life and want a 30-06 and I don't suggest anything. They are very experienced and shoot heavy caliber well.
And sometimes I do suggest heavier calibers. When someone comes in wanting an AR for hogs in .223 I usually suggest an AR in .308 which in my opinion is better for hogs. Or when people want a 22-250 or .223 for deer I'll suggest a .243. I know a lot of deer and hogs are killed with .223's but personally feel there are better cartridges. I suggest once and then drop it if people aren't receptive. There is nothing more irritating than a salesman that is pushy and insistant that you buy what they suggest.
