sidekick discontinued???????????

[Deter]

Went into a local gun shop here in michigan yesterday.  Was told by the owner that the sidekick has been very difficult to keep in stock as nef was not delivering them in a timely manner.  He went on to say that his discussion with nef had revealed that they were in the process of discontinuing the sidekick due to the lack of profitability.  he told me that the huntsman was going to remain in the line up.  has anyone else heard anything like this.  After finding a load mine liked I am consistently seeing 1-1.25" groups with mine at 100 yards.  I was going to get my son a nd wife each one for CHRISTmas.  would be sorry to see it go. :?  :?  :?  :?

[Les Staley]

I was wondering how they could put out such a nice, solid, accurate rifle for $159 full retail...  I have talked my kid brother into buying one.  Hope he finds one...and I hope you find a couple too,,,,Les

[TOMMYY01]

Hopefully, they will make them for a few months. I will say, I'm glad I got mine when I did if that's the case. I think I like this ML better than anything on the market  :grin:  Hpoe you guys can get one before they are gone :eek: Any NEF/HR that Ive' bought  will not be sold I know that much!
                                                             tommy

[Rwalter63]

I find it odd that they would discontinue a brand new model after marketing it less than one year. I certainlly hope not. I just purchased one and I am very happy with mine. Lets hope this is just a rumor.

[icthus153]

i would have bought one but found out about them too late  :cry:  but my dad went to order one at walmart and they told him that they were discontinued also !!

[MSP Ret]

Hey Raynor, I would think your the go to guy here, do you know if they are discontinued or not?....<><.... :grin:

[rwullsch]

I just called H&R customer service and asked if they were discontinuing the Sidekick.  She assured me that they were not discontinuing that model.  She has received several calls about that.  It is not true!!!!!!!!

[MSP Ret]

Thanks rwullsch, where (and why) do these things start? Deter, 2 posts and you got us all frazzled already, go back to that "dealer" in Michigan and give him a heads up will you (or a dope slap!!!).

And while your there wish him a Merry Christmas for me!!!....<><.... :grin:

[RT8]

I, too, tried to get Walmart to order a Huntsman (yeah, I know, we're talking about the Sidekick, just stay with me a minute).  They told me they were discontinued as well.  Turns out, (our local) Walmarts can only order the blued, 24" Huntsman...and they order them through Sports South.  We'll, I belong to a club that has a dealer account with Sports South (among others).  I checked their website and they listed both the Huntsman (in 24" & 26" versions, both blue and ss) and the Sidekick (24" & 26" bl & ss).   I finally got the blued 26" version of the Sidekick.

If your dealer orders from Jerry's Sports Center, that may be why he's reporting them as hard to find=Jerry's is out of them.

Sports South, Zander's, and Ellet Bros. all have (as of 2 weeks ago) both the Huntsman and the Sidekick in stock.

[TjdUSAF]

Thanks Deter...you got me off my duff and headed to BassPro to buy the Sidekick.

Thanks to the rest of you, I'm looking forward to enjoying this gun.

Everytime I started looking into Muzzleloaders I kept running across positive comments about the Sidekick but I was hell bent on spending twice the cash on an Omega...I trust I won't be disappointed.

I did have a funny conversation with the salesperson at BassPro.  I asked to see the Omega, the T/C Black Diamond, and finally the Sidekick.  I knew what I was going to buy but I justed wanted to get a 'feel' for how they all put to the shoulder.  When the guy handed me the Sidekick he said, "I doubt you'll like this one, it should come with training wheels."  15 sec later I told him I'd take it and he could keep the training wheels for his new bike.  

Can't wait to start shooting and look forward to chatting with you guys.

[Primer]

TjdUSAF,

I feel sorry for the salesman at Bass Pro. Obvious that he has never shot one of the NEF muzzleloaders. :-D

You should send him one of your 100 yd targets when you find it's sweet spot. That will wipe the clueless smile from his face. :-D   :wink:

[raynor]

MSP,
Looks like your question has been answered. I haven't heard any such news of the Sidekick being discontinued. Can't imagine them even thinking it. Non-firearm with no background check and there selling like mad.

[TjdUSAF]

Mudshark,

I'm not a huge fan of BassPro but I had to go where the inventory was.  We recently got a small BassPro in Central NY and if it'll make you smile I have heard that the headquarters is less than enthusiastic about the sales up here.  Gander Mountain has surrounded this BassPro and many people  shop Gander first since it's more convenient to them.  Gander just didn't have the Sidekick.

A friend of mine was the Air Force recruiter in Springfield and he told me that 'Ol Johnny Mo' was VERY generous to all the service recruiters and was an exceptionally nice man.

[Rwalter63]

TjdUSAF

Maybe your Gander was sold out of them at the time, but Gander Mountain is selling the Sidekicks. I purchased mine at the Buffalo (Tonawanda) location about two weeks ago. They didn't have them on display though which I thought was odd. I had to ask at the counter if they had any of them and the sales associate had to check the back room. Maybe they are flying out the door to fast for Gander to keep them on the shelf.

[TOMMYY01]

The BPS at Charlotte NC is a good one. I never have a problem as of yet with them :grin:  The guys at the gun counter know me by my first name. That helps. They even listen to some of my stories. Now the BPS  at Nashville Tn, sucks. I'm originally from Nashville, Tn. Most of the people that work there, at least the ones I've talked to, carry a chip on their shoulders. Don't know why. And the ones that are suppoesedly their experts don't know squat about ML. They act like you are bothering them.

                                                                    tommy