Good gun shop in Western MA?

GunboatDiplomat

GunboatDiplomat

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Somewhere within a reasonable distance from Northampton. If I could teleport to Four Seasons every week I would, but barring that, is there a place that won't give me the hairy eyeball for browsing, or worse - flat out ignore me if I'm not one of the regulars? Thanks for any/all suggestions!
 
There are 3 in Agawam now.
2 are very new and would be glad to help you.
order what you want etc.
 
Was at R&R in Belchertown a few weeks back. Much better prices than FS and bigger selection. Picked up a barely fired gen 2.5 G30 for $525. Equivalent guns at FS tend to go for about 750-799. Not from WM so not sure what else is there. The Worcester shops Gun Parlor and Pullman arms are awesome as well. Further west, prices seem to go down and there is still good selection. FS is actually a pretty small shop, with 'average to high' prices from what I have seen elsewhere; outstanding compared to some of the others in the immediate area, but everything is relative... Eastern MA is a pretty high rent area.
 
mjp said:
Was at R&R in Belchertown a few weeks back. Much better prices than FS and bigger selection. Picked up a barely fired gen 2.5 G30 for $525. Equivalent guns at FS tend to go for about 750-799. Not from WM so not sure what else is there. The Worcester shops Gun Parlor and Pullman arms are awesome as well. Further west, prices seem to go down and there is still good selection. FS is actually a pretty small shop, with 'average to high' prices from what I have seen elsewhere; outstanding compared to some of the others in the immediate area, but everything is relative... Eastern MA is a pretty high rent area.
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I've read not great things about R&R - particularly regarding rude employees. I'm not a newbie, but I'm also not a walking Bible of guns and haven't broke bread with Samuel Colt and John Browning, either, so want non-condescending info when needed. I've seen their website and it's gots lots of pictures and little info, so it's either going to be a phone call or driving there to browse, and if they don't want to answer questions or do some counter work, it's going to be an unpleasant experience.
 
Personal Defense Specialists in South Hadley is a good, if small shop. It has it's own particular flavor with a dedicated cliental. That's mainly because it's a part-time shop run by guys with other jobs. But if you make the effort you can find some good items.
 
tkim said:
I've read not great things about R&R - particularly regarding rude employees. I'm not a newbie, but I'm also not a walking Bible of guns and haven't broke bread with Samuel Colt and John Browning, either, so want non-condescending info when needed. I've seen their website and it's gots lots of pictures and little info, so it's either going to be a phone call or driving there to browse, and if they don't want to answer questions or do some counter work, it's going to be an unpleasant experience.
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I think that's what I read on Yelp (or Google) as well and was a little hesitant to go in because of it, but I think I found a NES thread that spoke highly of them, so decided to drop in. I'm not out that way much, so I don't know the norms, but they were definitely at least as friendly as the typical shops around here in eastern MA. At first they seemed sort of stand-offish, they were on the phone with suppliers ordering inventory etc.. but once I started talking with them, they were very pleasant to deal with. I walked around the store looking at things for a bit and they were right there when I decided to buy something or ask a question. I'd say there are shops, such as the worcester shops I mentioned that do seem to be friendlier, but overall in the big scheme of things seemed pretty good.
 
I've been to R&R a bunch of times, Jabba the Hutt behind the computer and his co-horts have always been rude to me. I'm not going back, for guns anyways. The archery guy on the other hand is the 100% opposite, great guy and very accomodating to me and my daughter.

PDS South Hadley: Bunch of 20-30 somethings all wearing black running a gun store. Nice guys I guess, no problems with them, except their never open.

GnG Agawam: Been there twice, first time eh, second time with a buddy who knew them and got a smokin deal on an MP-15 sport.

Nicks Sport Shop, Palmer: Used to be a great little shop, very nice guys, very patient with me when I bought my first gun. Have not been there since the new owners however.
 
PaulR said:
I've been to R&R a bunch of times, Jabba the Hutt behind the computer and his co-horts have always been rude to me. I'm not going back.
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i have had the same experiences the 2 or 3 times I have been there also. 1st time was the worse. I was looking for my first pistol and after some looking around I decided I wanted a S&W 1911sc. While waiting for my license to finally come in I wanted to put a down payment on one. Found out they had one went to check it out. At fist they were ok I asked them about it and he took it put of the cabinet and went to hand it to me. I had explained to him before he handed it to me I didn't have my license yet and that it was approved and just waiting for them to mail it to me. As soon as I told him that he put it back and just walked away from me... Only been there for ammo since.
 
KMM696 said:
Guns & Gun Parts in West Springfield. Not a big store, but Mike's an easy guy to deal with and always has had something interesting in there.
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Mike is great......Been dealing with him for years.

He gets in most of the nicer older guns in the area.

If your looking for something old odd or unusual he is a go to guy
 
tkim said:
I've read not great things about R&R - particularly regarding rude employees. I'm not a newbie, but I'm also not a walking Bible of guns and haven't broke bread with Samuel Colt and John Browning, either, so want non-condescending info when needed. I've seen their website and it's gots lots of pictures and little info, so it's either going to be a phone call or driving there to browse, and if they don't want to answer questions or do some counter work, it's going to be an unpleasant experience.
Click to expand...

I've bought a few guns from R&R. Generally an OK experience. They are OK guys...nobody there is all smiles. But if you want to get a gun at a fair price, it's fine. I don't need to be the guys best buddy. I've gotten some good deals there over the years, extremely good deals when Rich is in the mood to sell.
And I'm not taking a number and waiting in line, looking at overpriced Glocks like at FS.

If you want first class treatment....Pullman arms has a bunch of great guys there. They are the friendliest, easiest to deal with shop that I've been in.
 
Another mixed bag of experiences at R&R, which is too bad since I'm within walking distance. I've been there a handful of times and probably won't be back unless there's something specific I'm looking for.

I haven't been to Nick's since the ownership change but that was definitely my go-to shop. It's in Palmer about 5 mins from exit 8 on the Pike.
 
Guns and Gun Parts. Mike gets some good stuff he sells for great prices. Two more interesting things I've gotten from him (both under $200) was a Turkish Model 38/46 Mauser and a US arsenal-marked Westinghouse Mosin Nagant.

Guns and Gear is a shop I frequent and the staff is usually very helpful and accommodating, even when I got the urge to fondle half the guns in the shop.
 
I have bought literally dozens of guns from R&R and they have always been very pleasant and helpful. Perhaps that's because I spend a lot of money there but they were pleasant before I started buying from them. I have found lots of neat older S&W and other cool stuff. I am not above going to another shop if they have something rare or interesting (m I have many times) but for my money R&R is a great shop.
 
R&R is awsome, Guns inc is better than it was, Guns and gear is ok but the selection is small and you might get the hairey eyeball from the owner. R&R has more guns than 4 seasons

- - - Updated - - -

stay away from ware gun shop!
 
The new staff at Nick's is way better than before. I have been stopping in for some rifle powder lately. Nice guys. As far as pricing goes I just bought a rifle from G&G that was $75 less than Nick's. I think the pricing of most stores is day to day honestly. I think with the way the market is now on any given day you can have good luck or bad luck.
 
mjp said:
Was at R&R in Belchertown a few weeks back. Much better prices than FS and bigger selection. Picked up a barely fired gen 2.5 G30 for $525. Equivalent guns at FS tend to go for about 750-799. Not from WM so not sure what else is there. The Worcester shops Gun Parlor and Pullman arms are awesome as well. Further west, prices seem to go down and there is still good selection. FS is actually a pretty small shop, with 'average to high' prices from what I have seen elsewhere; outstanding compared to some of the others in the immediate area, but everything is relative... Eastern MA is a pretty high rent area.
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I'd love to find a shop within MA that beats FS on price and has a bigger selection. Call me skeptical but I am ready to listen. Is the price advantage just on used Glocks or on brand new guns too? How big is their used gun selection?

I liked the Gun Parlor when I was out in Worcester, but their prices were generally above my financial means and everything I wanted said "LE/Out-of-state only."

I'll admit to being probably the only NESer who isn't into Pullman Arms. No luck there for me at all. [thinking]
 
EJFudd said:
I'd love to find a shop within MA that beats FS on price and has a bigger selection. Call me skeptical but I am ready to listen. Is the price advantage just on used Glocks or on brand new guns too? How big is their used gun selection?
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Their selection was huge, for new guns, they had a bigger selection than FS. The used selection was smaller, but still a big selection. For new i only really looked at a S&w sc 1911, which i think was around $1100 and a sig p220, which i think was around $850ish. Probably close to FS. Honestly, I kind of like guns that arn't on the "list" knowing it apparently pisses certain people off, so don't look at much new stuff LOL.

FS is kind of funny on used as they are all consignments and some prices are good, but a lot tend to be listed super high (although they do negotiate sometimes) so, it's sort of tough to compare. I suspect FS gets it reputation for new guns. New gun prices at FS tend to be good, although not neccesarily "the best". Usually if I have the energy and patience to look around I can find better prices than fs on new even, but fs is pretty reliable, there are definitely a lot worse. Gun pricing seems to be funny and not always consistent. For example, I think FS was selling Ruger Sr 1911s for around 700ish a while back and a few days latter found one at sportsmans den for 625.. They also had a bare bones ruger mk iii, the one without interchangeable grips for like 350 and at the same time I found one for 275 at Pullmans (and they wanted like 450 for a used mark iii with interchangeable grips while Pullmans had the same one for 350). But usually FS is pretty good on new stuff, it just depends how hard you want to look.

EJFudd said:
I'd
I liked the Gun Parlor when I was out in Worcester, but their prices were generally above my financial means and everything I wanted said "LE/Out-of-state only.
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They seem good on average when i've been in, with some great deals. They had a mint used 686+ 6" for $600 that I'm still kicking myself for not buying. But sigs where overpriced i remember (but f'k sig LOL). Got a great deal on some powder and good prices on ammo.

EJFudd said:
I'd
I'll admit to being probably the only NESer who isn't into Pullman Arms. No luck there for me at all. [thinking]
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their prices always seem better than fs when I've been in. Websites always outdated though. Need to remember to call before making the drive....
 
It's a mixed bag out there. From day to day, prices go up and down. You can find a good deal on one gun and not so good on the next in any given shop. The service can be good for one guy and not so good for the next. My advice is to check em all out and make your own decision.

Within a few mile radius in Agawam\West Springfield you have 5 gun stores. Guns and Gun Parts and Guns Inc. Both located in WS, and both offer different products, check em both out. In Agawam, you have 3 stores, Firearms Professionals, a new store opened up in an old store, "Autosport", looks like it may be a good store, I have not been in there yet, but read good reviews. I can't think of the other new store, but it is located in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, little store just opened, I stopped in, looked good, he was just beginning to get stocked up. Lastly, Guns and Gear, already talked about here.

If Nick's is in your radius, in Palmer, very good store.
 
turbo38gn said:
It's a mixed bag out there. From day to day, prices go up and down. You can find a good deal on one gun and not so good on the next in any given shop. The service can be good for one guy and not so good for the next. My advice is to check em all out and make your own decision.

Within a few mile radius in Agawam\West Springfield you have 5 gun stores. Guns and Gun Parts and Guns Inc. Both located in WS, and both offer different products, check em both out. In Agawam, you have 3 stores, Firearms Professionals, a new store opened up in an old store, "Autosport", looks like it may be a good store, I have not been in there yet, but read good reviews. I can't think of the other new store, but it is located in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, little store just opened, I stopped in, looked good, he was just beginning to get stocked up. Lastly, Guns and Gear, already talked about here.

If Nick's is in your radius, in Palmer, very good store.
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Culverine Firearms is the other place in Agawam/Feeding Hills. I stopped in when they first opened but didn't have much stock yet.
 
turbo38gn said:
It's a mixed bag out there. From day to day, prices go up and down. You can find a good deal on one gun and not so good on the next in any given shop. The service can be good for one guy and not so good for the next. My advice is to check em all out and make your own decision.

Within a few mile radius in Agawam\West Springfield you have 5 gun stores. Guns and Gun Parts and Guns Inc. Both located in WS, and both offer different products, check em both out. In Agawam, you have 3 stores, Firearms Professionals, a new store opened up in an old store, "Autosport", looks like it may be a good store, I have not been in there yet, but read good reviews. I can't think of the other new store, but it is located in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, little store just opened, I stopped in, looked good, he was just beginning to get stocked up. Lastly, Guns and Gear, already talked about here.

If Nick's is in your radius, in Palmer, very good store.
Click to expand...

Auto Sport was an OK shop. It seemed like it's the owner's hobby more than anything else. Good place to shoot the breeze, very friendly - but a very small selection. Last time I was there, though, he had a 30-06 AR and a "Tanker Garand" - just found thta intersting since he only had about a dozen rifles total. Just found out it closed.

Never had any luck at Guns and Gear - I must have hit it wrong each time I've gone, but I won't be back.

Guns and Gun Parts in W Springfield is a pretty decent place as is the new Guns Inc. Never a problem at either place.

B&G Sports in Westfield is a decent store. OK selection and friendly staff.

R&R is still my favorite - never a bad experience there.
 
Last edited:
Following up on the above posts, I finally got a chance to get out to R&R in Belchertown and Nick's in Palmer. I found Nick's to be a very friendly little shop with a good selection of new and used handguns but in no way did the prices begin to approach FSGuns low prices. Kind of funny but they were advertising on a board outside "Bricks of .22 ammo in stock!"... but the prices were at least 2-3 times the "new normal." Way too rich for me. Still, I expect to check back with them from time to time mainly for used collectibles. I've traveled that route many times in the past and never noticed them there. Now that I know where they are, it will be make sense to stop in and look around whenever I am out that way.

Despite the bigger store and seemingly large selection, I was less impressed with R&R. Prices were nowhere near FSGuns prices on anything I checked... plus I was pretty much ignored (and I hate to be ignored and not taken seriously in a gun shop). Can't see going out of my way to go back up there but I'll still check with them by phone from time to time for rare guns on my Want List. Nothing really wrong with the place. I just have better, cheaper options.

Overall, I am just not seeing the "prices are better the farther you go west" thing. Now, I guess a lot of it depends on your particular interests and what you are pricing out, but I still say FSGuns new gun prices, on those items they stock & sell, are very hard to beat. As pointed out, used gun prices can vary a lot depending on shop-owned vs. consignment and other factors... but overall, I think FSGuns wins more than loses on that count too.
 
EJFudd said:
Following up on the above posts, I finally got a chance to get out to R&R in Belchertown and Nick's in Palmer. I found Nick's to be a very friendly little shop with a good selection of new and used handguns but in no way did the prices begin to approach FSGuns low prices. Kind of funny but they were advertising on a board outside "Bricks of .22 ammo in stock!"... but the prices were at least 2-3 times the "new normal." Way too rich for me. Still, I expect to check back with them from time to time mainly for used collectibles. I've traveled that route many times in the past and never noticed them there. Now that I know where they are, it will be make sense to stop in and look around whenever I am out that way.

Despite the bigger store and seemingly large selection, I was less impressed with R&R. Prices were nowhere near FSGuns prices on anything I checked... plus I was pretty much ignored (and I hate to be ignored and not taken seriously in a gun shop). Can't see going out of my way to go back up there but I'll still check with them by phone from time to time for rare guns on my Want List. Nothing really wrong with the place. I just have better, cheaper options.

Overall, I am just not seeing the "prices are better the farther you go west" thing. Now, I guess a lot of it depends on your particular interests and what you are pricing out, but I still say FSGuns new gun prices, on those items they stock & sell, are very hard to beat. As pointed out, used gun prices can vary a lot depending on shop-owned vs. consignment and other factors... but overall, I think FSGuns wins more than loses on that count too.
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Those bricks of .22 at Nicks were selling for $65 each. youchy mama
 
Anyone care to suggest their preferred FFL for inbound transfers from out of state dealers (online, action, etc.), in the greater Springfield area?
 

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