Wife & I needed to buy a .22 rimfire rifle as a gift for someone. Normally, I buy at Greentop Sporting Goods near Richmond, Va. on the way to my lake cottage. Since its a 2 hour drive we decided to shop local. The few local (40 minutes) gun shops didn't have any less expensive 22 rifles in stock. Decided to check out Walmart which was a big mistake. The clerk at the counter looked to be in a near coma. I saw a Savage that looked appealing so I asked to examine the rifle. The clerk informed us that a manager was required to open the gun case. After paging & waiting 10 minutes with no response the clerk left to find a manager. After about another 15 minutes he strolls back with a manager who unlocks the case & two internal locks. I examine the gun & decide to buy. Since my license was renewed 27 days before I can't do the FFL paperwork so wife offers up her license & CC. Clerk spend at least 5 minutes checking every detail. Then wife fills out FFL paperwork on computer. Then clerk has her review every question to make certain she answered correctly before submitting. This took about another 20 minutes. Ever so slowly the clerk transmits the form to the state police & of course is put on hold. After another 10 minutes approval is received. I'm thinking that this fiasco is finally over. Hardly. Now the clerk receives payment & needs a manager to pull the gun from inventory. Since I'm about ready to commit an assault wife suggests I leave for the in store McDonalds. After only another half hour a manager arrives carrying the gun & escorts us out of the store. Total transaction "only" took about an hour & 40 minutes. I'm sure the sporting goods clerk fell back into his coma after we left.

down here, that would be called 'express shopping' at WalMart! Glad you got the transaction done same day.

Greentop, I have been. Huge rack of long guns out for the trolling. They used to have lots of reloading stuff as well. Pretty cool store.

Licence...I thought there was no licencing for longarms in the US?

Once, and only once, have I bought a gun from Walmart. I believe it took 3+ hours, before I finally took possession of a $245 Remington 870. I value my time too highly to ever go back.

Yes, they have guns for sale, but they're not in the business of selling guns.

FC

Believe the OP is talking about his driver license.

I have a strong distain for the computer forms.

IMO...There are far too many local stores to even think about buying a gun at Wally World.

I too bought 1 gun at Wal-Mart never again. It was a Savage .22 also.
Bought a Ruger handgun at Cabels and that was about as bad.

I live 45 minutes from there.

They get a lot of my money. If I don't feel like driving up there, I'll order it and it will sometimes arrive the next day, no more than the second day after I order.

Sometimes they don't have what I want on the webpage, but I have gotten the "internet order" rate for telephone orders after I mention I looked for it on the web. Latest instance was when I ordered a Garmin 62S. $4.99 shipping. I can't drive up there for that.

They seem like good people to deal with. They're not perfect, but nobody is and they're about as good as anybody in the business

Hawk, they still have a pretty good selection of reloading stuff, but they too have suffered from the "shortages" created by the scare.

Fairfax County where TBear and I live over the years has harassed and driven out virtually all the Mom and Pop gun stores that were here.

The nearest gun shops in adjoining counties charge top dollar in NIB fare.

The one gun show we have -- repeated often enough -- in Fairfax also don't have any price breaks on NIB guns.

There is no license required to own guns in VA -- just a federal and state check of criminal records prior to sale by an FFL holder. That paper record of transfer allegedly goes away.

1B

The process was much the same when I bought my Sig 223. Getting the manager was the biggest hold-up. Once he arrived it went ok..just slow as molasses since they don't sell 'em every day. It probably took a little over an hour.

Getting escorted out with it was kinda wierd.

The certain result of allowing leftists to gain control of government at every level, and I'm not just speaking of Democrats. Both parties are leftist, both having moved left simultaneously over the decades, one maintaining a position on the political spectrum just slightly to the right of the other throughout the leftward slide.

What else could you expect buying a gun from a person in an obama career job?

You are lucky, tbear. Walmart can't sell any guns in Kommiefornia anywhere. I envy you.

I've only bought 1 gun at Wally World. Quick. Painless. I liked the computer form.

Took about 20 minutes and saved me $75 vs. the LGS with overpriced everything.

I refuse to be treated like a common criminal when buying a gun, "Escort out" who the hell do they think they are?

I only buy at a privately owned gun shop or private party sale, I'd rather pay a little extra (which rarely happens) and not put up with being treated like an idiot.

The big box shops can chug arsenic for all I care. I do shop at a couple of the big box shops but I would never buy a gun at one of them.

i've only bought twice, my brother was the sporting goods manager at the time, a colt ar15 and a sw29, got his employee discount too.

I had a similar experience as the OP buying a Marlin .22 at a local Northern VA Walmart. After all the paperwork and time expended, the clerk opens up the box and it is the wrong gun. It was a stainless version rather than the blued and it was $62 more. I explained to her it was the wrong gun and she about fainted. Apparently it takes an act of congress to return the gun to inventory and retrieve the correct one. I told her I would save her the trouble and take the stainless one but for the blued version price. The manager was ready to be somewhere else so gave the OK and overrode the price difference. Worked out in my favor.

True about having gun stores around to buy from, however sometimes they are the only ones that certain guns.

Example, back in 08-09, I didn't have a 223. You couldn't find any or order one. But be damned if Wally word didnt get a mini 14 in, now it has a home.

Another time I bought a Marlin 30-30, the day they announced the plant closing.

I purchased one Ruger 10-22 from Walley World just for the action and the whole transaction took maybe 30 mins . Remember it is Christmas and things run slower.

I remember when you had to give your name, address, phone number and autograph for .22 ammo at Kmart.

I've bought one rifle (that I can recall) from Walmart back around the mid-90's. At the time they were running a closeout sale on some special run gray laminated/stainless finish Ruger 10/22's made exclusively for Walmart in both standard and full length stocks. When they got down to $125.00 I bought one of the full stocked models. Maybe I just got lucky and caught them on a good day but the whole transaction took no longer and went down about as smooth as any I've ever done.

Walmart used to run some pretty darn good closeout sales every once in a while on long guns and hunting equipment. Around that same time I bought a brand new Redfield Widefield 3X9 scope for $75 on a closeout sale. It originally had been every day priced at around $125 IIRC.

I've never had any problems purchasing a firearm from Walmart.

Several years ago, talking to a Walmart clerk, he told me he could special order a rifle I wanted - that nobody in town carried. A Marlin 1894C, 357 MAG/38 SPL. The price was surprisingly low and they even put it on lay-by for me at no extra charge. (Later, they discontinued special orders - but I still appreciate what I got.)

As far as escorting customers out of the 'store' with a purchased firearm ... Many stores that do not sell firearms exclusively, but are department stores full of moms and kids, exercise this policy which I think is reasonable and prudent - I do not take this service as a personal affront.

I think that he may have been referring to his driver's license for use as ID to fill out the background check paperwork.

Its been a long time since I bought a gun from walmart but the last time I did it didn't take any longer than my normal gun shop did. I'm sure things have probably changed since then.

If the buyer had any typing skills at all I could get through a sell and paperwork in about 25 minutes including the NICS call. Unfortunately, it would take another 25 minutes to get a manager to the gun room and unlock it, then another 20 minutes to get a manager to review the paper work and finish the sale.

I understand the reason a manger needs to review the paperwork but if managers were not doing associates work because we were always short handed I could do a sale in 45 minutes or less.

Walmart has a gun sales gold mine but are too stupid to know it. I guess that's good for the other shops around.

kwg

Well at least you can walk out with it. Remember, that clerk could have been working ladies wear yesterday and electronics the day before. It takes 10 days to buy a rifle where I live.

Does sound painful.......

I have had quite opposite buying experiences at WM

I bought one at WalMart about ten years ago, in Silver City, NM, where probably 98% of the population own and use firearms. The drill was approximately the same, except that I had to fill out the paper 4473, and had to answer all the questions orally once I was through. Then the manager was paged and we did all of it again. As in your case, they handed me the rifle once we were all outside the store.

I swore, "Never again", and so far I haven't been tempted to violate that oath!

these things never cease to amaze me living in arizona, which is awash in firearms. I can't comment on walmart, but i can on being escorted out of the store.
Long time ago we had a supermarket grocery store chain call smithy's. They also had a sporting goods section, where they sold firearms. Some guy walks in and buys a shotgun, on the way out unescorted he picks up a box of shells off the shelf, and goes postal. It wasn't too long after that, they stopped selling firearms.
Cabella's will walk you out locally, even tho you are packing a loaded firearm yourself.
again, corporate liability reasons.
i don't typically buy this stuff at walmart, but i can tell you i bought a brick of .22shorts a couple of months ago at walmart, and it was a nothing.
I do know i here complaints periodically from people knowing my association with some rather big firearms sellers here. And the complaints are usually about how anal they are on the paperwork.
But then the complainers don't face 15 or 20 a.t.f. agents and a week going through every scrap of paper knowing the a.t.f. would just LOVE to write them up.

Green Top IS an excellent store. I preferred the original store (about 1/2 mile away) as it had an old time, crowded feel, but the new one is more modern. Green Top has a large selection of new and used firearms, fishing gear, reloading supplies and equipment and, hunting/outdoors clothing. Lying just off I-95 (north of Richmond in Glen Allen, VA), it is well worth the stop.

The new store was taken ofter from one of the larger big box sports merchants (Dicks perhaps?)

Shows how much you really do know about the United States, yet continually mouthing off about things here, doesn't it?

Our local Wallymart in Riverton WY has a sporting goods manager that speaks gunsnammo, she is pretty sharp and runs a tight ship, very helpful. Older feller that works there is a little slower but helpful also. I have never had any problem there at all and will buy from them if they have what I want. FWIW, we have a large LGS here in Yuma, if you buy a gun they walk you up front to pay for it and walk you to the door. Doesn't bother me at all.

aint bought a gun from wally world since 97 when I bought a marlin 336 for $214. smooth transaction, still have the rifle

Too bad, before Wal-Mart lost their New Jersey State Firearms Retail License they used to get the nearest salesman and ring it up, no NICS no nothing. Unfortunately Wal-Mart is no longer allowed to sell guns in New Jersey!

I have bought several rifles and shotguns from Walmart. Always show my cwp, fill out the forms while the wife is shopping. They ring up everything at once and out the door we go. Never had a problem there. Getting ammo is another story. All I need is a box of .22 and .380 to put under the tree for the kid and wife! Its getting frustrating finding ammo. but I will keep looking!

Post Sandy Hook frenzy here in Ct. now requires one to have a long gun eligibility certificate to purchase a rifle or shotgun. Ammunition eligibility certificate to buy a box of .22's.
If you have a handgun permit, you don't need either. No more (legal) FTF sales too.
Color me gone in less than 6.

I have found doing most anything anywhere near Reston, VA is a PITA.



Travis

I have a home there and am known as the biggest PITA in the area.

Supposed to be that way here (Oregon) too.

Yeah. Sure. Recently a local gentleman (past FFL holder) had to report a stolen firearm to authorities. As he was recounting all of the details (make, model, caliber, etc) he started through the serial number and the gentleman on the other end recited the last 4 numbers before they were ever delivered. Seems there was already a database available on the screen with all the who, what, when vitals.

Government will never throw data away.

Gander Mountain.

Last time through GT had every kind of powder and primer one could want. Limited quantity purchases but folks are ok with that.

Are you one of those toll booth people?



Travis

TFF!

God knows I hate that quarter gastapo chit. Everytime I mix up my little white transponder things between cars they send me a bad boy letter.

Fairfax County's finest has also decided to turn those little quarter huts into holiday money makers so beware.

I guess we are lucky, we have the same couple of older guys working the Kalispell store for YEARS. They are well versed on the guns they have and can fill out the paperwork as fast as any shop I have ever bought from. Quick, easy and always cheaper!

Never thought I'd see the day I'd buy a gun at Wal-Mart, but was successfully escorted to the front door with a Colt LE6920 when they had a sale running. Other than having to wait for the guy in front of me to finish his purchase, I don't think it took over half an hour...

Walmart in my area has a catalog of long guns they can order for you. You would be surprised at what they have available, no layaway though.

It originally was Gander Mountain. Gander Mountain couldn't compete with Greentop or Basspro. Before Walmart the family went shopping at Basspro in Hanover, Md. At this store you take a number & wait from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to have the priveledge of talking to a clerk in the gun shop. Most know little or nothing about real hunting guns or equipment. Saturday we visited the story for some shopping & considered buying a 22 cal. rifle there. Wife took a number & after over an hour gave it to someone. I refuse to wait this long just to see a gun or be waited on. The Basspro in Ashland, Va. is near Greentop & offers decent service. Usually, a clerk is there to wait on you. At Greentop all the clerks in various department hunt, fish, use archery equipment, know muzzleloaders, reloading, & general hunting gear. Some years ago a machine screw became lost from my CZ in 416 Rigby. I didn't buy the gun there & told them so. One of the managers ordered the part & had it shipped to me no charge. Despite being 2 hours away I stop there frequently when traveling to my lake house in NC. This is the kind of service that deserves support.

Maybe you should get a cottage on a different lake where the shopping is better. Blue Ridge Arsenal was nice 20+years ago, Loudon Guns a maybe. Clark Brothers hasn't changed in 40+ years. Is Dawson's even around anymore?

Damn I hate NOVA......

Haven't bought a gun from Walmart for many years��.last time I did, they escorted me to the front before they handed me the rifle���I thought it was really funny that they wouldn't let me carry a boxed, unloaded rifle to the front door��.especially since I was legally carrying a concealed handgun at the time���.as I understand it, the escort to the front is an insurance thing��..

How many years before there's ammo around to actually SHOOT it??