Who has the "Dirtiest" Gun Shop

martin08

martin08

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My bid goes to Jim's Gun shop in Winslow, ME.

2500 guns in a 20X40' second floor shop. You have to climb up the fire-escape type stairs to go down into a dive. Used loading equipment, accessories and stuff falling off the dust caked shelves into the aisles. No place to walk without kicking the butt of a rifle. Never, ever been swept up.

And Jim's prices? Ha! All of his used guns are priced 30% more than new and he won't listen to a reasonable offer. That's the dirt on Jim, too.

Who has a Dirty Gun Shop story for us?
 
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Ha ha ha ha ha

I've know Jim for years,many years. I think I've always used his store as my business model of "what not to do".

He's a great guy if you "really" get to know him - but I would never take my wallet out unless I'm buy the door getting ready to run [rofl]

You can only imagine what he has in that place - if he could only find it.

There was a place in China, ME or on the way to China that you could eat off the floor - I think the guy went nuts when the Clinton ban went into effect,and moved to Brasil or something.
 
lord1234 said:
I had the ?pleasure? to visit stricklands guns. That place is like a shack. Definitely a mess.
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I beg to differ. Strickland's may look rough on the outside, but it is actually pretty well-organized and neat inside.

Depends on your definition of "dirty". Terry Goode's place in Pelham is a freakin' mess, but I still love going there. Now if you're talking covered in dust, with no windows and a few dim lightbulbs - that was Bay State Arms in Southborough. Unfortunately, that place has gone the way of too many other Mass gunshops.

In general - I'll take a "dirty" gunshop over a "clean" sporting goods store anyday. So much more fun!
 
I wouldn't say that Strickland's is very dirty either. It is well organized, there is a little dust on some of the older stuff, but nothing too bad. However when you look at it from the outside you wonder if your in the right place, considering its basically a shed in the dudes back yard.
 
USMA-82 said:
In general - I'll take a "dirty" gunshop over a "clean" sporting goods store anyday. So much more fun!
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I agree. I feel the same way about bookstores, too. It's hard to find a good brick and mortar used bookstore these days. There used to be lots of dusty little corner bookstores, with a possible treasure on every shelf. Not so much, now.
 
USMA-82 said:
In general - I'll take a "dirty" gunshop over a "clean" sporting goods store anyday. So much more fun!
Click to expand...


I agree. The Cabellas, Dick's and the likes make me feel like I'm not supposed to touch, ask questions or just shoot the breeze. And a lot of times, you're at the mercy of unknowledgeable monkeys with a nametag when you need to order something!

At least in the backyard and back alley shops, you know who the owner is!
 
As soon as I read the thread title, the first place that popped into my mind was "Jim's in Winslow". I have never seen so much dust on guns in my life.

I like Jim, by the way. I don't think I've ever bought anything from him, but I like him.
 
I was at Callaghans in Marlboro a couple weeks ago. A guy behind the counter was smoking a cigarette. I was looking for some 9mm ammo and a 20 gauge skeet/improved choke tube. The 9mm and all of the rest of their ammo looked old. The boxes, the brands, it looks like it's been stored in a basement 5 inches above water for a few years. In the glass display case is 4 used pistols and no new pistols. For rifles and shotguns, there are a few misc but again nothing new. The choke tubes were hanging on the wall and no particular order. 20's and 12's etc all on the same hangers. I gave up and left.
 
theGringo said:
I agree. I feel the same way about bookstores, too. It's hard to find a good brick and mortar used bookstore these days. There used to be lots of dusty little corner bookstores, with a possible treasure on every shelf. Not so much, now.
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there is one in downtown worcester...across from the public library
 
Hell I'd never critique a gun shop on cleanliness on a public forum. There are fewer and fewer gun shops and the last thing I need to do is be on bad terms with any shops. Stricklands is well organized and has quite a few pump shotguns and some great older rifles. Management is nice and douche bag know it all gun shop owner. There are some deals to be had in there. If you're looking for a dust free shop go to a bridal shop. If you don't like the dust... adopt the damn gun and oil it when you get home.
 
Anybody been to Carr's. Very nice people but you could probably fill two thirty yard roll offs with the stuff inside. It's like something was put down on the floor in 1969......and it's still there. I have gotten some great deals there however and it is fun to look thru all the junk.
 
McElhiney's in Waltham and B&D in Hyde Park.

However, both have or had a lot of interesting stuff. I could spend a lot of time just looking around. Never know what you might find.
 
Four Corners Antique outside of Rochester, NH. The store is still there (I think), selling antiques and junk, but the guns are gone.

The place was more "disorganized" than dirty, but they had good prices back in the day.
 
MFLR said:
There was a place in China, ME or on the way to China that you could eat off the floor - I think the guy went nuts when the Clinton ban went into effect,and moved to Brasil or something.
Click to expand...

Wildwood Guns, right off the Winslow road (about a mile from China Village and the head of the lake). I've never had the opportunity to go in, but they've been there for 20+ years, in that I can recall. A long while ago, I googled and found them online -- nothing I could afford, however.

I've never dared to go to Jims. The emergency stair case looks weird enough, not as weird as a gun store atop a pizza joint! The Morning Sentinel did a short story on him right after Maobama was elected and how sales were up...
 
Mainer said:
I've never dared to go to Jims. The emergency stair case looks weird enough, not as weird as a gun store atop a pizza joint!
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Actually it's a Chinese restaurant now. The kitchen exhaust comes out right under the "fire escape" stairs and the smell of Pu pu platter wafts up through the entire shop!

For $6.95 you can get one hell of an oriental delight downstairs!
 
Gun shops are like bars to me, I like the ones with a , for lack of a better phrase, "blue collar" ambiance.

Ever hang out at the Teamsters Pub in Southie? JJ Foleys? I like my gun shops like my bars, someplace I feel comfortable and affordable. I don't need to pay a premium for the decorating just give me the good stuff at a fair price and I'm happy, and have a good selection and supply.

Bike shops are the same way... find someplace where I can go in and poke around. "Boutique" dealerships suck. Big box gun shops suck
 
martin08 said:
My bid goes to Jim's Gun shop in Winslow, ME.

2500 guns in a 20X40' second floor shop. You have to climb up the fire-escape type stairs to go down into a dive. Used loading equipment, accessories and stuff falling off the dust caked shelves into the aisles. No place to walk without kicking the butt of a rifle. Never, ever been swept up.

And Jim's prices? Ha! All of his used guns are priced 30% more than new and he won't listen to a reasonable offer. That's the dirt on Jim, too.

Who has a Dirty Gun Shop story for us?
Click to expand...

Dirty Harry?
 
1903Collector said:
Anybody been to Carr's. Very nice people but you could probably fill two thirty yard roll offs with the stuff inside. It's like something was put down on the floor in 1969......and it's still there. I have gotten some great deals there however and it is fun to look thru all the junk.
Click to expand...

another great shop..picked two rifles from them that will be in my will or 'cold dead hands'.[smile]
 
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Went to Jim's years ago and it wasn't that bad. he had stacked (still in the factory boxes) 12 or more factory folding Ruger Mini's. We went upstairs to the overflow room and out to the overflow shed. Dust...as someone else said, I'll take a dusty gun shop over a squeaky clean box store anytime. It's usually these "dirty" shops that have the hidden treasures.
My vote... Years ago, my brothers and I stopped into to a house in Fryburg, Ed and Clara's. It was very evident Clara had passed away years before but the house was filled with firearms and ammo. One bedroom was the handgun room, another the rifle room, a back bedroom had the really nice stuff and the kitchen cabinets were the ammo area. The "desk" was the washing machine in the kitchen. The actual sleeping/sitting area was 1/2 the living room seperated by a hanging bedsheet. He had it all though. Basically if you wanted a box or two of say .416 Rigby, he'd buy 1/2 a case just to be safe. Picture taking the contents of a typical gun show, putting them inside a typical suburban house, shaking the house up a bit and the results were Ed and Clara's. The man knew where everything was though. Ask him for a model x and he'd rattle off the serial number while he shuffled over to pull it out from under the papers on the bookshelf. he sadly passed away shorty afterwards (house fire) but it still is one of the coolest shops I'd ever been in.
 

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