Anyone here ever been in American Guns & Ammo? ( http://www.americangunsandammo.com/ ) on Main Street between Greenfield and Val Vista

I stopped by there the other day. The guys working there seamed pretty nice and laid back, nice shop with decent inventory.

But... as I started looking closer, their prices... HOLY SHIT!!!!! Their prices on EVERYTHING was absolutely astronomical!  From $28 for a Pmag to the Glocks (bone stock/nothing special about them) for like $750.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

I imagine the only sales they get are people who have never been in another gun shop or even looked online, and are just completely ignorant.

Like I said before, nice guys, but how the hell do they even stay in business???

I don't know how most gun shops stay in business these days - regardless of area.

I haven't purchased a firearm at a local retailer in my entire life. There are far too many online retailers where you can find next to anything for damn near wholesale or below prices, and pay no sales tax.

But, yes, the local retailers that really get me scratching my head are the ones like you just referenced. I'd think anyone in 2017 with more than two firing brain cells knows how to at least somewhat use an internet search.

For the most part gun shops make profit on Used guns and ammo/ accessories/ reloading components.
If you are into obscure old classics ( like I am) you can get lucky at local shops. For example my recently purchased beretta jaguar. Found it at a local pawn shop (Prescott) cheaper than on line and it is an older one with the push button safety- not one of the recent import marked ones.
Like all other retailers guns shops have been pinched pretty good by online sales, but you still need an ffl for transfers and even at $25 per for doing a minutes worth of paperwork and making a phone call to nics is a nice little buck if they do enough of them.
Unless you buy in bulk, if you need. Pound of powder or a k of primers it only makes sense to buy local considering the hazmat shipping charges on these items.
Those that have a legit on staff gunsmith make a decent buck there as well.
My feeling is even if it a few bucks more than on line I prefer to buy local as I will then have a go to place for transfers components and gunsmithing should I need it.

I understand all that, and I prefer giving my money locally when I can, but what I am saying is that their prices on everything in the store was WAAAYYYYY ridiculous.

It's their store, their prices. I get that. I just don't understand how they can stay in business especially considering that AREA 15, Pistol Parlour, Quick Guns, Glockmeister, and a few others are literally just a few minutes away.

Their prices made Bass Pro Shops look cheap!


I thought about asking them about it, but didn't feel it was worth the argument, and quietly left

I gave up buying locally , prices too high and then there is the sales tax.  Just for an example , I just bought a NIB 4th gen POF p.308 16 inch NP3 last month from Central Florida Gun & Tactical LLC  for $1895.00 +$30.00 shipping and $15.00 transfer total $1940.00 it arrived 3 days after I ordered it . The cheapest price I could find in the valley was 2400.00 + tax total $2606.40 . So that is $666.40 difference , and the POF rifle is made right here in Phoenix. I used the savings to buy a scope for it . FYI the POF p.308 is a work of art and, functions flawlessly with all types of ammo , and holds 1moa at 100 yards with Fed GMM 168 .  
FYI POF has or had a deal that you get 6 free P Mags if you buy a P308 . The do have some really BULL SHIT requirements though and you must submit a receipt for the weapon , and a ATF page 3 form #4473 along with rebate form to get the mags . Never ever have I ever had to submit a ATF page 3 form 4473  with any other company . S&W , Para Ordnance , Savage ,Remington or Ruger don't require a ATF  page 3  ATF form 4473 , it is a real pain in the ass for the transferring FFL . Jeff at Arizona Armory is in total disbelief they require it . He said he will do it , but it is a pain in the ass.

Yeah. At this point, there's next to nothing that you can't find online at least around wholesale, and tax free.

I'm all for supporting my local economy, but I also have bills to pay. Money is money.

I've had some mixed experiences with American Guns & Ammo.

Years ago, I bought my first centerfire rifle from them. It was an M1917 rifle made by Eddystone in November 1918, still in its military configuration. The barrel was original to the receiver and had some pitting from corrosive ammo but otherwise didn't look too bad. I haggled down the guys running it at the time (Joe and Buddy, from what I can remember) and got the '17 for what was a reasonable price at the time.

I took the rifle to Rio Salado and proceeded to fire it for the first time. The first issue with the rifle was that before I could drive the bolt home on the 5th round, the wonky magazine spring would pitch the cartridge out of the action. Every. Damn. Time. I was frustrated that my '17 did not function as intended, but it fed and fired CMP M2 Ball without extraction issues. After replacing the faulty spring with a NOS one from Numrich, I came back a week later and ran some Remington Core-Lokt rounds from Bass Pro. To my dismay, I repeatedly could not open the bolt without pounding it with a rubber mallet a range officer had given me. The softer civilian brass (but interestingly, not the harder military brass) had bulges and scratches on it when I did manage to eject it. I took the rifle back to AGA and explained that they had sold me a defective rifle with a horribly pitted chamber and that they had not disclosed this to me at the time of purchase. AGA immediately refunded me.

I never did buy anything from AGA again. It is my understanding that Joe has sold AGA to another individual and is no longer involved with the operations of the company. Since they moved into their present, larger storefront, I have been back only once. Their inventory is purged of the milsurp they once had and seems to be almost only modern guns. Their prices have gone way up too. A 500-rd brick of 22 for over 60 bucks? No thanks!