Tour of 6 gun shops in one day

[viiiball]

I had some time on my hands yesterday so I thought I would hit several of the local gun shops. Being that I did all this traveling I thought I would give everyone my impressions of these shops. I went specifically looking for 2 things, a 1911 (Springfield of Kimber) and an Advantage Arms conversion kit for my Glock.

Here is the list of stores in the order that I visited them:
Virginia Arms Co - Manassas
Guns & Ammo Warehouse - Manassas
Dominion Arms - Manassas
Blue Ridge Arsenal - Chantilly
Purcell Guns - Purcellville
Loudoun Guns - Leesburg

Virginia Arms Co. - 1st store visited and by far the one I liked the best out of the 6 I went to. When I walked in I was impressed with the layout of the store. Things were very organized and neat. I was greeted by courteous sales person asking me if I needed any help. They had a very good selection of handguns though some were hard to see the way they were displayed in the cases. Their gun prices were good, the best of the 6 stores I went to. Their selection of other items (ammo, belts, cases, etc.) was quite extensive. I would rank them #1 out of the 6.

Guns & Ammo Warehouse - This store left a little to be desired for me. Their selection of handguns was quite sparse. They seemed to have more used guns than they did new ones. I could not get a sense for their prices since they did not have any of the type of firearm I was looking for. I was greeted by a sales person shortly after being in the store. Their selection of other items was haphazard. They did seem to have more reloading supplies than any of the other stores. I would rank them #3 out of the 6.

Dominion Arms - Not doing it for me. The store was horribly disorganized. It seemed to be a lot of left over stuff just randomly thrown on the shelves. I did not see any new guns. It appeared they sold only used guns but I could be wrong as things were so disorganized I was having a hard time telling what was what. I was never greeted by any one even though one of the two sales guys was doing nothing. I see no reason for me to return to this shop. I would rank it #6 out of the 6.

Blue Ridge Arsenal - To be fair, I guess this is more of a range that has a few items to sell. Their selection of handguns was very slim and they did not have any 1911's so I could not get a sense of their pricing. Their selection of other things was not all that great either. As a gun shop this one did not do it for me. They were very busy trying to check people into the range so no one was available for the retails sales. I would rank this shop #5 of the 6.

Purcell Guns - This shop is in an old house so it was very cramped and dark. The store seemed to specialize in antique guns though he did have some modern handguns for sale. They had a nice collection of Kimbers. There was only one person working in teh store and he was working with someone else the whole time I was there so I never got a chance to interact with him. Also never got a chance to see any of the prices so I don't know how competitive he was there. Overall I found the store very hard to get around in and not so inviting. I would rank this one #4 out of the 6. I may have given them a higher rank if there were more sales folks to speak with.

Loudoun Guns - This shop is very well laid out and the guns are displayed so its very easy to see them and their prices without having to take them out of the display case. They have quite an extensive array of handguns, about equivalent to Virginia Arms. Their prices we some of the highest I saw all day. I was not immediately greeted by a sales person but as I was looking at some of the guns through the display case I was approached and asked if I needed assistance. They had a very decent selection of ammo but not a lot of other stuff. This is the only store where I bought something though. I bought a handgun rack to go inside my gun safe. These guys were also the only store that had any of the Advantage Arms conversion kits but not for the model that I needed. Quite expensive though as they wanted $350 for the kit. List price directly from Advantage Arms is $265. I would rank these guys #2 out of the 6.

So there you have it. My adventure for a Wednesday hopping around NoVA going to gun shops. I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon.

[zephyp]

Great review Doug. I'm sure some of the folks will find it very informing. I've been curious about a couple of those places myself and now know its a no-brainer not to go...Thanks!!!

[Hiwaytahell]

Enjoyed your reviews Doug...maybe you could do a few more on your next trip. Thanks

[vbrtrmn]

Nice review!

[Flavet]

Thanks for the review. Virginia Arms is #1 in my book for a number of reasons. Management and staff are top rung and I haven't been ripped off in several purchases, sold there on consignment satisfactorily, had their help on some troublesome transfers. I'd go there either first or last any day.

I'm sure Clark Brothers south of Warrenton would have been most interesting, but a heck of a long way further for someone who's already been up in Leesburg. Founded in 1987; run by the same family; lots of stock; hopelessly busy on weekends in the summer.. I love it but have only bought ammo there.

[mapcase]

I bought a Beretta PX4 .45 from Purcel Guns, and the price was good. I think the guy that owns it is the only one that works there. It is a little dark, but most of the guns are new, with some used sprinkled in (I think the tags were color-coded to indicate new/used).

Blue Ridge is definitely on the high end of price, but nothing compared to Loudoun Guns' high prices. I've only been to the Manassas shops once, and my quick assessment runs along with viiiball's (original poster), though I still might stop into Dominion Arms just to look, but I seem to remember their prices were a little on the high side.

[sigman]

I've been to Dominion Arms several times and I don't think this guy knows what he's talking about. I've always found the staff to very helpful every time I have visited them, and unlike the other shops I've been in, they are welling to explain things to you. And yes, because they also sell military surplus it can look a little disheveled, but they have a large selection of new guns as well as used that are displayed just fine. I guess, that this as well as other forums, everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I's put Dominion Arms right at the top of the list.

[BluemontGlock]

Doug,
great write up, thank you for sharing!!

Agree with much of what you have here, Va Arms, actaully got there for the first time after the shoot and greet at sharpshooters last time with Rick, & crew...impressive... very friendly folks..very helpful...good selection...when i was just gazing through the case (and they were busy) at the 4th gen Glocks, Tim (sales man) walks right up, and says "let me show that to you..."...and was going to get that pistol in my hands... "do you want to hold the XD at the same time to compare weight and feel?"... that is the firearm salesman i want to deal with... HUGE KUDO"S TO THOSE FOLKS...i will be back...

Purcell Guns, ( HUGE GRIN )...yes, that would be Dale behind the counter... and he is a Purcell, through and through,... very knowledgeable, old school, collects war I and II, & Vietnam area firearms and knows ALLOT about them...

He can be Quirky, and does not suffer fools well, but if you are the person that he is helping at that time, he focuses on YOU, until he is done, which personally, I really like, and will wait for that kind of service, knowing that i will get his uninteruptted attention when it is my turn... it is in an old house on mainstreet and there is usually someone sitting by the wood stove in camo w. some tale of the hunt from that morning... he usually has a good selection of ammo and new and used guns for the size of the shop, and as was noted , he has a nice case full of kimbers... A front case full of Glocks, has a decent rack of AR's as well, and a nice selectin of used guns, and everything is pretty well marked...some good relics, some are on display and not for sale, so there is always something to look at in there... Dale is a bit of an aquired taste, but those of us local would cry if he wasn't there, and over a little time, and a few sqaure deals, you can really come to like him, a curmudgeony, outspoken gun owner, that doesn't suffer fools CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?????
Its kinda what i imagine if Bill owned a gunshop ...

... AND when the town of Purcellville irratates him, he angles his WWII anti-tank gun, that is a permanently afixed adornement out in front of his shop, at town hall... that kinda stuff just makes me smile.