Author Topic: Gun dealer vs Walmart: Quality of the guns (Read 3726 times)

coyote trapper1929 · « **on:** August 31, 2005, 11:20:30 PM »

Hi.

Does anyone know if there is any difference between the rifles sold by a regular gun dealer and the rifles sold by Walmart? I am thinking in terms of quality of the rifles overall and the quality of the walnut stock. Would a regular gun dealer be more likely to carry a rifle that had a higher grade of walnut stock on a rifle? Or, are they about equal?

Thanks,

Mikey · « **Reply #1 on:** September 01, 2005, 02:53:31 AM »

coyote trapper: a 'Stocking Dealer', one who stocks a particular brand of firearm is more likely to offer the higher grade product. A smaller dealer may also offer a higher grade product as the can maximize their profit margin more easily: "Yep, this one here is $X -it's their top of the line. Ya can't get this one at the local mart, this is top shelf"........

Large outlets like Wal-Mart may order 10,000 rifles at a time but may only go so far as to order 'standard grade' products so as to draw in business and minimize prices to the customer. Lots of times the larger outlets order and pay for the product a couple of years in advance, so that when the product is finally delivered, the 'standard grade product' may not even be as nice as the same ones made two years prior.

Most of the differences in any one model of rifle, say the M70 for instance, would be cosmetic. JMHO. Mikey.

NONYA · « **Reply #2 on:** September 01, 2005, 04:46:34 AM »

I have bought 2 firearms from walmart a Charles Daly 12g semi auto and a Rem 22 Semi,they bolth broke,I returned em bolth,Im done shopping for guns at Walmart...

quickdtoo · « **Reply #3 on:** September 01, 2005, 06:02:51 AM »

Quote from: NONYA

I have bought 2 firearms from walmart a Charles Daly 12g semi auto and a Rem 22 Semi,they bolth broke,I returned em bolth,Im done shopping for guns at Walmart...

Hmm, that's interesting, Walmart has a no return policy on firearms.

FWIW, Walmart's firearms supplier is Sports South who supplies firearms to lots of dealers including mom and pop shops, so I don't see that WM's firearms are any different than those aquired elsewhere.

http://www.sportssouthinc.com/

Anyone interested in aquiring a firearm thru Walmart can check Sport South's inventory for availability...

http://www.internetguncatalog.com/

Then print the firearm page from their online catalog and visit WM to order it.....unless you live in California.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=170080&path=0%3A4125%3A4155%3A170080

R.W.Dale · « **Reply #4 on:** September 01, 2005, 06:32:15 AM »

Quote from: NONYA

I have bought 2 firearms from walmart a Charles Daly 12g semi auto and a Rem 22 Semi,they bolth broke,I returned em bolth,Im done shopping for guns at Walmart...

Imagine that L.O.L. A Charles Daily breaking.

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** September 01, 2005, 10:36:20 AM »

quickdtoo,

Quote

Then print the firearm page from their online catalog and visit WM to order it.....unless you live in California.

That's right. Wal-Mart lost it's license to sell firearms here in California due to violating firearms laws. Should be able to get it back in two or three years. Lawdog

quickdtoo · « **Reply #6 on:** September 01, 2005, 10:47:15 AM »

Yup, know all about it, had a long discussion with the manager about it when I bought my last firearm at Walmart....he was very adamant about crossing all Ts and dotting every i when filling out the 4473, literally, and no abbreviations at all!! He had no intentions of making the same mistakes that were made in California and jeopardizing his ability to sell firearms.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #7 on:** September 01, 2005, 12:13:25 PM »

If the "grade" of rifle you buy is the same, it would be the same regardless of where you bought it. A Rem CDL is a Rem CDL is a Rem CDL. They don't make a CDL for WW and a different CDL for say Cabela's.

NONYA · « **Reply #8 on:** September 01, 2005, 03:46:20 PM »

if they have a no return policy they dont enforce it here,they told me the Rem semi auto i took back was the third one returned that year.That Charles Daly was a POS,the action block split right in 3 pieces,looked like it was made of pot metal or somthing,it had less than 100 rounds fired through it.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** September 01, 2005, 06:29:00 PM »

I've had this discussion with both Wal-Mart and manufacturer representatives. Wal-Mart sells the same items the other stores do, they just buy in larger quantity. If Wal-Mart doesn't ahve it on the shelf they will generally order it for you.

One difference you may see is what is on the shelf, though. With Marlins, for exacmple, you are more likely to see the .30-30s with the birch stocks (336W and 336A) rather than the model with walnut stocks (336C). At the local gun shops I see more walnut than birch.

Ramrod · « **Reply #10 on:** September 02, 2005, 04:07:48 PM »

My experiance with Walmart is that they stock cheap crap. I have to agree about the ugly wood stocks. But the usuall Wallyword purchase is a Tupperware stocked Winchester or Remington. These are all pretty bad, and the source of alot of "my ------ POS won't shoot worth a damn" posts.
Special orders are a different story, you can do well here. The store has no money of their own tied up in the gun like they do with the crap on the rack.
It Does pay to keep an eye out for closeouts. When Wallyworld headquarters says "get rid of them", the price will keep coming down till it's gone. Just in the last year, I picked up a .22-250 Remington 700 for $250. It was first marked down from $350 to $300. A couple of weeks later there it sat with a new tag, $250, and this time it came home with me. I unloaded it for $325 in trade a week later, for a gun I really wanted. This spring I picked up on a clearance sale, a Winchester model 70 with a 3x9 scope in 300 Win mag for $300. I'm hanging on to it for a later trade. I hate these cheap looking guns, but the dealers around here have no problem selling them.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #11 on:** September 03, 2005, 01:25:06 AM »

Wally World is in the business of selling stuff and making money. They stock what sells. If there wasn't a market, apparently a large one, for the ugly guns, they wouldn't stock them.

Slamfire · « **Reply #12 on:** September 03, 2005, 04:59:29 AM »

Wal Mart lets out contracts for low bid merchandise. Local dealers take what they can git from some jobber. That middle man gits the price difference.

Lawdog · « **Reply #13 on:** September 03, 2005, 10:24:46 AM »

Quote from: Slamfire

Wal Mart lets out contracts for low bid merchandise. Local dealers take what they can git from some jobber. That middle man gits the price difference.

And that about sums it all up. Right on 'Slamfire'. :toast: Lawdog

Slamfire · « **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2005, 04:54:51 PM »

Dang it Lawdog, now I have to adjust all my hats, my heads all swoll up. :-D

jro45 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 05, 2005, 05:25:30 AM »

I've never bought any guns from Walmart. I got almost all of my guns from a FFL gun dealer he only charged me 10% over what it cost him. Which think is a fare deal.

Todd1700 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 09, 2005, 09:08:13 PM »

Quote

If the "grade" of rifle you buy is the same, it would be the same regardless of where you bought it. A Rem CDL is a Rem CDL is a Rem CDL. They don't make a CDL for WW and a different CDL for say Cabela's.

Exactly. Wal-Mart will not stock the super high grade top of the line rifle or shotgun that a particular comapny makes but the models they do stock are no different in quality than that same model found in any other store. For example, you will see a Weatherby Vanguard at a Wal-Mart but probably never see a Weatherby Mark V which is a much higher grade rifle from the same company. However that Vanquard is the same gun that Weatherby sends to any other place. This urban myth is so widespread that my friends and I have actually compared like model firearms purchased from Wal-Mart and other stores. We can find no differences in fit, form or function.

Quote

That Charles Daly was a POS,the action block split right in 3 pieces,looked like it was made of pot metal or somthing,it had less than 100 rounds fired through it.

Nonya, your problem isn't where you bought but what you bought. There may have been a time when Charles Daily made a decent gun but everything they produce now is pretty much a P.O.S!!!

Boogeyman · « **Reply #17 on:** September 30, 2005, 04:34:46 PM »

WalMart dictates the product price and specifications to it's vendors.

Sometimes, while the product may "look" like a class "A" manufactured item, it may well be something less per WalMart's instructions.

The Beretta A390 (synthetic) is an example of this practice (i.e., no magazine cutoff) when compared to the Silver Mallard version of the A390.

This is perfectly legal as it's commonly known as "private branding/labelling".

Also, sometimes the manufacturer may cut corners with the product in order to make his profit margin after being squeezed so hard by WalMart.

I have had personal experience with this "private branding" practice with WalMart electronic and appliance products. They "looked" the same as what you saw at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. until you read the specifications on the box and compared.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 01, 2005, 01:18:17 AM »

I have bought hundreds of guns and never in over 25 years of buying guns, have I bought a gun from a local chain store or Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart causes manufactures to cut quality to increase quantity. Also there counter people don't know a rifle from a shotgun, I want to deal with a gun shop for firearms, not a buy all store. JMHO

TX Devil Doc · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2005, 04:27:54 AM »

Actually, I believe this has more to do with the quality of most mass produced, USA-made firearms than it does with the retailers who sell them.

RaySendero · « **Reply #20 on:** October 05, 2005, 04:48:39 PM »

OK you guys got me thinking!

I've always "assumed" that a Rem ADL or 1187 was the same no matter whether it came from Wally World or the local collector arms!

But now I do remember seeing branded firearms at Walmart - A "Sam Walton" model 1100 without the typical pistol stock and a Ruger 10/22 with 22" stainless barrel with a wood stock that looked like the old deluxe but with a poorer finish.

RaySendero · « **Reply #21 on:** October 05, 2005, 04:52:36 PM »

As a matter of fact that "Sam Walton" shotgun looked a lot like the old Remington 1100 special field. Do they even offer it any more?

Telahnay's g'son · « **Reply #22 on:** October 06, 2005, 04:52:00 AM »

Quote from: RaySendero

As a matter of fact that "Sam Walton" shotgun looked a lot like the old Remington 1100 special field. Do they even offer it any more?

Haven't seen any in a while and UR right it did look like the special field model...just with a "special" price on it.

Funny thing, I remember the old picture (used to be posted at many ChinaMart sporting goods counters) of Sam and his dog...the shotgun he was holding looked an awful lot like a Beretta 302!

jim21 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 02, 2006, 04:11:48 PM »

I've bought firearms from GanderMountain which I found pretty crappy
and I had to take them back.I wont buy from them anymore.I've bought
from Walmart and some of the firearms were seconds,I wont buy anything they have in stock.I'll special order a firearm from them,because then they get it from the manufactur or from Davidsons.I
found that out from management.
I also found out Walmart will quit selling firearms to roughly 1500 stores
by the end of August'06

sniperVLS · « **Reply #24 on:** May 06, 2006, 01:34:24 PM »

Ive bought 2 Remmy rifles and an 870 from Walmart in the past 12 months, all had to be special ordered and took a week to get in from wherever. All are excellent and the VLS is the best shooter I've ever had. Maybe my luck will run out......

They have the new Sendero SF II for special order, I might jump on the .300rum

I have relatives that have gotten some firearms from Gander, and all were excellent. These replies Im reading are starting to worry me.

nomosendero · « **Reply #25 on:** May 06, 2006, 03:15:42 PM »

I have heard these rumors for at least 20 years that Walmart does these secret deals with gun companies (especially Rem.) to market their "seconds" so that they would be cheaper & keep the factories happy at the same time.
What a bunch of crap!! First of all, the gun companies have the same warranty for the Walmart guns as others. Second, how many "seconds" do
the gun companies sell, that many, WOW!!!! Third, Walmart is hated by Liberals, Unions, Liberal Media, Competitors & those who feel that Walmart is hurting the small guy, but have never felt quite as hostile toward Sears, K Mart & the other big boys. To think they can sell these seconds by the millions year after year & never get caught red-handed
& then reported by Barbara WaWA or Dan Blather is just silly.
However, if someone does not want to buy from them that is cool with me.

Cement Man · « **Reply #26 on:** May 06, 2006, 04:50:09 PM »

I bought my first firearm from WalMart this past week. I usually go to my local small town gun shop first, but I had a sudden hankering for one of those 22" barrel stainless Ruger 10/22s that is apparently only available from WalMart. I didn't know what to expect in terms of service but I was pleasantly surprised. The young lady who handled the transaction was top notch at customer service and took care of all of the paperwork very well after allowing me to examine the rifle. Was she a firearms expert, or even very knowledgeable about firearms? I don't know, but probably not. But then again, in over 40 years of perusing gun shops and shows, I've met a lot of people who talked like they knew their business but were full of horse pucky. There is no shortage of people who make statements about guns, scopes, cartridges, and what all and have never seen, handled, shot, taken game with, or owned any of them either. So, "expert" or not, all I know is that I got very good service when I made the transaction, and also from the other "associates" who took care of me when I picked up my rifle the following day. I also had every opportunity to inspect my purchase before I made it - so I certainly couldn't claim that it was a reject or a factory second. Actually this is a very nice example of a 10/22. I currently own two others and have had two more in the past, and this one exhibits a fit and finish equal or better than my other ones. I will continue to patronize my local gun shop first because the owner has always earned my business, but I would certainly go back to WalMart. :grin:

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #27 on:** May 06, 2006, 06:52:44 PM »

Quote from: Boogeyman

WalMart dictates the product price and specifications to it's vendors.

When I read statements like this I just have to laugh at the ignorance of the writer. Wal-Mart does not dictate anything to their vendors Â– the two parties willingly come to an agreement.

Quote

Sometimes, while the product may "look" like a class "A" manufactured item, it may well be something less per WalMart's instructions.

This is actually a very common practice in merchandising. I would substitute the word Â“differentÂ” for Â“lessÂ”, however.

I have yet to see Wal-Mart herd customers into the store at the point of a gun. Nor have I seen Wal-Mart force vendors to sign a contract. Quite the opposite in fact Â– they are often so eager to land a deal with Wal-Mart that they enter agreements they would be better off economically to pass up. You see the same thing with any major chain store.

When it comes to guns and ammo, however, I thought everyone knew that Wal-Mart only buys seconds and thirds Â– rifles made out of pot metal, ammo that may even fire if youÂ’re lucky. Sheesh.

The Sodbuster · « **Reply #28 on:** May 13, 2006, 09:15:23 AM »

I just recently purchased my first firearm from Wal-Mart: a lefty, stainless/laminate, Ruger 77 in .25-06. It wasn't a stock item and they had to order it for me; but, at $512 it was still cheaper than I was able to find for the same rifle at Gunbroker.com, and I didn't have to pay any shipping or FFL transfer fees. Haven't shot it yet. I still need to scope it and get some ammo.

My only complaint with Wal-Mart is, when I put 50% down they said it'd be 5-7 busniess days before the gun came in. It took about 6-7 weeks. I'm a lefty and I'm not surprised at having to wait that long (I've waited longer) as long as I'm told up front it will take that amount of time. But I expected it in a week and was disappointed.

By the way; I bought the gun with the intent of having it rebarrelled to 6.5X55 (not available from anyone in left-handed). Now I'm not so sure. Your thoughts please.

Cement Man · « **Reply #29 on:** May 13, 2006, 10:04:18 AM »

Sodbuster,
I'm a big fan of the 6.5X55. I have a TCR, a Ruger M77 MkII, and a bunch of Milsurp Swedes. I love the round and intend to get more. If it was the only CF rifle cartridge I could use from now on, I wouldn't mind a bit. But, the .25-06 is also a fine, accurate cartridge with a fair amount of versatility, and, depending on the task, can do some things a little better than the Swede. I'm not sure I would change barrels if that .25-06 is a shooter. I think I'd break it in and shoot it a bit before deciding. If it's a real shooter it seems like it would be a shame to change it. On the other hand, you can never go wrong with a Swede. Decisions, decisions.......