How long do these things usually take?

[jmichna]

I've fallen in love with the looks of the Marlin Model 60SS... the stainless barrel, the laminated gray & black-grained wood stock.  It is just a sharp looking .22!

These are not in stock at any of the local shops or big box stores.  After shopping around I found that pricing for the 60SS was all over the place, but I found a good deal at a mom & pop gun shop about 30 miles away.

They were very price competitive, and frankly I'd rather support the little guys rather than the big box stores.  The lady owner said she'd order the weapon the following Monday (Jan 7th), but had no idea when she would received the rifle.  I placed the order and gave a cash down payment on January 5th and paid the balance by check, which cleared on January 10th.  I called on the 24th and they still had not received the rifle.

I've not ordered something not in stock like this before. How long do these kinds of things usually take?

[Graybeard]

Depends on several things really. First is how the store you bought it at operates and where they get their stock from. If they compile orders and actually only place an order when they have enough to minimize shipping costs or at fixed intervals say once or twice a month it could take a long time. It also depends on whether the wholesaler they contacted about it had it in stock or if they have to wait for one to be delivered.

The store at which I mostly do business has recently changed ownership and I'm not sure how it will operate in the future. But in the past the owner had many different suppliers he dealt with. Many times when I wanted a gun he didn't have in stock he'd sit down get on the phone and start calling until he found someone who had that gun in stock and he'd have the ship it immediately to him for me. Most of the time unless it was something that no one had in stock he could have it to me within three days and often the next day. Once he made at least 20 phone calls before he found exactly what I was looking for but he had it waiting on me within a week.

A small mom and pop store probably doesn't have the kinda connections he had and probably doesn't like to order in single guns at a time due to the higher shipping cost per unit that it requires. Just because a dealer tells you "it is on order" doesn't really mean that they have actually placed the order it might only mean it's on their order list and when that list gets long enough it will be ordered. Dunno how it works at your store.