Kind of shocked it held on this long to be honest.

With Shooters Outpost 3 miles down the road it was only a matter of time.

Lots of good memories going to Riley’s has not been the same for a few years

I see a facebook post from late yesterday announcing it.  Sad to see, but not surprising after the way their stock had been decreasing.  They did announce that they are still planning to fill pending orders.  They have also requested the ATF to expedite pending Form 4 approvals.

That place went to absolute shit in a hurry. Like someone tried to fuck it up kinda bad.

It was good for a couple years, the last 4 were terrible. Surprised they lasted as long as they did.

Hadn't been in there in a while, probably 2 years? I got my XL650 there and the old Sniper dude in the reloading section was super helpful and fun to talk to. I bought my first gun there on my 18th birthday though, so it's kinda sad to see it close after shopping there for close to 15 years.

I got my first gun there on my 18th birthday as well, kind of a shame to hear the news that they closed up.

Never once had a good experience there.  Hahah.

Glad you guys did

Very dissapointed to read this. Always had positive experiences especially in the reloading dept. Jack (the "sniper dude"), and Roy got me started into reloading back in  2012 . Very patient and knowldgable, and no hyped BS . Not sure exactly why they are abruptly closing, but hopefully someone buys the buisiness and keeps the name going. I remember buying my first Ruger 10/22 back in the late 80s at Rileys.

Don't you wet your knickers just yet.
I'm willing to bet $100.00 Clams that Ralph is still in the loop and will have the last say.
Riley's will not just go dead with weeds growing all around it.
Ralph will either get back in it, " very unlikely "  or he will sell it to the outfit that originally wanted to be part of Hooksett. ( Cabela's )
Ralph is pretty well connected in Hooksett. He did a great job fighting to keep Cabela's out of Hooksett.
Now? I'm betting in the end, we will see a Cabela's at that location.

Probably because they have no more money.

I was in there just a few months ago and it was bad, really bad.

Everything was dirty and run down looking, there was only a fraction of the inventory there once was, and prices were not good.

Compared to the Riley's of just a few years ago. I've bought a few guns and suppressors from them it used to be a great place.

I don't blame it all on shooters outpost seems like the new management drove it into the ground, hard.

Bass Pro and Cabela's merged though, and Bass Pro is already in Hooksett. Seems unlikely they'd open another store in town.

Oh, I didn't know that. You never know though, that's a nice piece of property.

As this has been made personal and about management, I feel it necessary for me to comment.

I am one of the owners of Riley’s Sport Shop; a customer for 40 years, and an employee for ten.

As both a business owner and a near lifelong patron of Riley’s, it has always been one of my main goals to duplicate the experience that earned my loyalty after all these years. Whether you were here for business, or just some old-fashioned tire kicking; the personal and professional relationships developed with both staff and customers defined one of our dearest core values – real gun people.

Our pricing was fair, and our selection diverse. We treated people well, and our staff was built from military, law enforcement, competitors and collectors. Good people worked here who are now out of a job.
As a business, we have had many challenges – most for reasons none of you will ever know.

There has been much speculation about Shooter’s Outpost’s role in Riley’s closure. Let me says this: competition is part of doing business; a good thing for customers, and sometimes even us. For the record, I am friends with Jim McLoud, the owner of Shooter’s Outpost. And while I’m sure his operation has taken business from us; it has also drawn it to us. I have collaborated with Jim, and he has helped and sent us a great many customers.

We have countless happy customers, many of whom are sad to see us go. None of these people hide behind a keyboard, conceal their identity, or speculate as a basis for derogatory or incendiary comments about the Company. Sadly, there are forums allowing this sort of trash-talking, often perpetuated by former disgruntled employees, spiteful competitors, or generally bad people. In fact, any self-professed 2A supporter who would celebrate the closing of any gun retailer is at best doing a disservice to a community desperately in need of credibility on a grand scale. To applaud the shuttering of an establishment responsible for outfitting generations of sportsman, marksmen, collectors and enthusiasts; serves only to appease an individual’s apparent sense of entitlement beset from some perceived managerial misstep.

No business is perfect – there are always bumps in the road. But when the day is done, legions of satisfied customers and decades of unwavering Second Amendment support lie in the wake of a business that has long been a foundation for the New Hampshire gun community - and beyond.

I am asking that the site staff lock - but not delete – this thread, as I would like what I have stated to remain.

Brian,

Thank you for your work at Riley's.

I have been a customer there since 1994 when I was in college and bought my 2nd Handgun.  It was up until recently the love of my life, pistol wise  HK USP 45.

Anyway about a year ago we were in the store with a batch of used guns from an estate sale type of thing. ( Wife was getting rid of dead dad;s guns )

We were handled very nicely and with warm regards, Also thought we were treated fairly.

While I shopped both Shooters and Riley's. I personally never felt either store treated me poorly.

I am saddened to hear of it closing and wish you and the rest of the staff good luck where ever you land.

I don’t think anyone is saying they are happy you’re closing, they are merely relating their experiences there.   Since Denver passed away and Ralph sold the company it just wasn’t the same.  That is a fact, not an opinion.

Don’t take it personally.   No one is attacking you or any other employees, past or present.

My comments about being shocked it took this long were in relation to the store itself.   It looked the same 15 years ago as it does today.   It’s not appealing or inviting, and if the personalities are no longer working there that I went to see (Buzz, Pete, Matt, etc) I have no other reason to stop in and spontaneously buy something.   Just my personal sentiment.

Wish you all the best and hope to see you guys make a return, the more competition the better for us as the consumer.

Riley's won't be the only gun shop in NH shutting their doors.
It's all done.
Why do we have Retards still clutching their nuts?  Claiming that we in NH are the LIVE FREE OR DIE STATE?
2A rights!
LOL.
NH is all done... NH will go totally Blue come 2020.
Let's move, get thet hell out of NH and move to a Red State.

True statement.  No reason this thread shouldn't live.

Wow. I bought most of my guns from Riley’s. It’s sad to see it go even though I’m no longer in NH. I bought two handguns there the day before I moved to CA.

I never had any problems with the staff, they were always good to me. I had some great conversations with them during slow hours about 2A, politics, Obama, etc.

You know, I was mostly with you until the part about closing the thread.  I have many good and a few bad memories of shopping at Riley’s.  I’m sorry it will be gone but it really takes some balls to come here with your butt-hurt and try to get the thread closed.  Some people expressed opinions you didn’t like, welcome to life.

When I moved to NH from Texas in the early 2000’s, I looked around for a good gun shop.  I found Riley’s by accident, just driving by one day. It was exactly what I was looking for.

The selection of guns, reloading supplies and C&R rifles kept me coming back, and I even got my first NFA items there.

Fast forward a decade, family obligations and life priorities changed over time.  I stopped by Riley’s less frequently, sometimes going a year without stopping in.

When my son and I last went to Riley’s in October, we were shocked.  The number of rifles in inventory seemed greatly reduced and the ammo selection wasn’t great.  I was disappointed at the state the store was in, and also because my son’s impression of Riley’s was not the same as my impression from more than a decade ago.

Brian, I am sorry to see you guys go.  My comments above are not criticism, just honest thoughts.  I know it is hard for brick and mortar stores to survive in the Internet age.  Wish there were options for you guys to save the place.  Best of luck!

I heard the news last week, I always enjoyed stopping in and browsing/ shopping.  I am very sad to hear of the closing of Riley's.  My friend Sean was an employee there, and as with all other displaced employees I am beyond saddened by this news.  

Appealing or Inviting? Looks the same as it did 15 years ago.
I need hugs and kisses immediately after walking through the door. ( See me, do you see me? )
LOL.
Why not educate yourself?
Think about a firearm that you would really like to own and hit the range with.
Or, maybe a well needed accessory.
Research that shit on your own.
Not just what your friends are buying. Decide for yourself.
What? No way,,,, Me decide? WTF. What about my friends and everyone else?
I want this. I need this. I'm ready to roll...
GO IN AND JUST BUY IT?   WHAT????
LMAO. NO WAY!!!!

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Go troll in GD, all you seem to do is shit on NH threads.

If you actually believe that then you need to move out! Wow.

No Man we need more 2A folks to move here I hope we get some folks who are seeking refuge from VA.

I dont care Fudd or not we NEED 2A folks HERE

It's over.
Who in the hell today would believe that NH is a free state? Where?
We're all done. Unlike 90% of you commenting, I was born and raised here.
Sununu only won by a few thousand votes. AND, that dude isn't even a Conservative PRO 2A person.
Sununu is a Bush type Republican. The Blood that pumps through his heart is more blue than it is red.
If you're to young to remember. Chris Sununu's Dad " JOHN "  is the one that gave us Souter on the SCOTUS.
He jumped up and down to convince his boss Bush 41 that he was the best conservative for the SCOTUS. ( John was 41's Chief of Staff )
Souter was more radical and to the left than Ruth Bader.
We are lucky Souter bailed out of the court shortly after his appointment.
SUNUNU is MA Governor Charlie Baker Lite. ( Nothing more, nothing less )
The liberals who own guns on this site? Stop crying. You are the reason that NH has gone down the drain.
You sneak behind that curtain and vote democrat.

I don’t vote democrat, I always cast a principled pro gun vote and sometimes that means voting libertarian and making an anti gun Republican lose.   As for Sununu, he vetoed all gun control last year.  Good for him.   So what if he did some other stuff that you conservatives don’t like.  I’m sick of the social conservatives and fiscal conservatives throwing gun owners under the bus.   Like Paul Ryan and his precious tax increase on the little guy but cuts for big corporations  or the way they have made health care worse not Better because opposing Obamacare was the thing to do.   But they wouldn’t enact nationwide carry.   So... be careful where you park at the pheasant lane mall in Nashua because you might find yourself in Massachusetts.

That's a shame. I live too far from Riley's to be a regular, but that place has been around forever. Good luck to everyone affected by the loss of jobs, etc. Hope you all hit the ground running.

It's a damn shame Riley's is out and a horrid place like Shooters Outpost remains in business.  I went to Shooters Outpost ONE time.  I'd NEVER go back there.   First, it took them about 2 hours to process a long gun I'd won at a Friends of NRA event in Concord.   Second, all the guns are kept away from the customers, and you can't touch anything.  Third, their checkout insisted on making me show ID to buy some ammo, falsely claiming it was the law (I'm in my 60s, so it certainly wasn't anything to do with age, the only legal requirement).  That was the final straw for me on dealing with them.   I left the ammo on the counter after arguing with several of them about it.   Snotty bunch of people, well suited to the Masshole crowd.  They can have Shooters Outpost.  I wouldn't patronize them if they were giving stuff away.

Riley's was a great old-fashioned gun shop. I am shocked and saddened to see it closing. Any time I went there, it was nice, friendly, helpful people, good product selection, accessible and well-organized firearms, and fair prices. I've bought many guns from Riley's over the years. So sorry to see you go, and best wishes to all of you in the future.

Well damn that sucks, I have bought several of my firearms from there. Most of my family purchased their firearms from there too. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end..

Ehh. Shooters outpost is awesome.

I have alway had fast transfers. Not sure what happened with yours.

Definitely not true about all the guns being away. And anyone would be more than happy to show you what you want anyways.

And yea for the ID is probably to make sure they aren't selling to anyone out of state that otherwise couldn't legally possess it. Kinda is what it is for them to cover their own ass.

Have you been there after they did the renovations? It's pretty great.

Yes, they did pretty much the same to me.
Show me your ID.
2nd Amendment suppression?
Pretty much.
Magazines and Long Guns?
Dealers can sell any magazine or long Gun to any person who is legal to own, regardless of what state they reside in.
State laws apply in the purchasers state only.
Shooters Outpost?
What name do they have listed on their FFL? LMAO...

Shooters Outpost follows the law.  If you can’t buy it in your state of residence you can’t buy it at Shooters.  See ATF Q&A:

(Note unlicensed means not having an FFL it has nothing to do with your Massachusetts or other states license)

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-frequently-asked-questions-unlicensed-persons

Q: From whom may an unlicensed person acquire a firearm under the GCA?

A person may only acquire a firearm within the person’s own State, except that he or she may purchase or otherwise acquire a rifle or shotgun, in person, at a licensee’s premises in any State, provided the sale complies with State laws applicable in the State of sale and the State where the purchaser resides. A person may borrow or rent a firearm in any State for temporary use for lawful sporting purposes.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(3) and (5), 922(b)(3), 27 CFR 478.29 and 478.30

THE LAW.. WHAT LAW? The ATF does not enforce state laws. LOOK it up.

And the state where the purchaser resides " LOL.
The ATF is not going to enforce unconstitutional firearms laws coming out of CA, NY, RI, CT, MD, HI and other shit holes.
That's a lot of WORK BRO -- LMAO. The ATF isn't going there.
A licensed dealer is not required to Nit F and enforce every single crazy firearm law coming from the 50.
Not happening, never will.
The sale takes place where the dealer resides. A dealer is required to abide by his state laws and federal firearms laws only.
Nothing else,, excessive state laws, restrictions are just that....Unconstitutional.
Patriots who reside over in CA are purchasing long Guns and Magazines out of AZ 24\7 all day long. Hmmmmm.
Yes, F Shooters Outpost.

Read the BATFE regulations. FFLs are required to ensure that the gun is legal in the state of residence of the buyer. BATFE provides every FFL with a book (now on CD) with the laws of the cities/states that restrict ownership of certain guns. So failure to do this means that the FFL can lose their Federal license to sell guns and be fined. SO takes it a step further on ammo after bad publicity and BS due to a mass shooter using MFL (when Jim owned it) to "practice" or buying ammo at SO (I had that discussion with Jim a few years ago, so I don't recall which it was), so mass media camped out at SO and wanted to castigate him for doing nothing wrong or illegal. To protect his business, he set a policy on ammo sales in place. I don't like it, but I can't fault him for protecting his business.

I hear what you're saying.
But, The ATF Isn't going to go after a NH Dealer or pull their license because they sold a certain model long gun to a New Jersey or Michigan Resident.
Why? Just because the liberals in those two states have an overall length law on long guns? LoL.  Or, they classify some long guns as evil pistols requiring a permit?
The ATF isn't going to enforce unconstitutional state laws. It isn't the job of the FEDS.
Sure, Michigan and NJ can contact NH. They can spend their money while crying and melting like snowflakes.  
Good Luck.
They will not and never will. Why? Because they would LOSE in court and they know it.
There was a time when Riley's wouldn't even ship a MA compliant used handgun to a fellow licensed MA dealer.
Ship it to a FFL in MA so the customer could do the paperwork at his dealer and take possession of the firearm.
Riley's would just say "NO".

Feel free to move to MA anytime you want with an AG who has already shown a propensity for going after lawful dealers selling shit that isn’t legal in a communist state. There is a reason they won’t do it and Maura Healey is that reason. Nobody is going to jeopardize their livelihood because you think that just because you can’t buy it in a state you choose to reside in, you should be able to hop across a border and buy it somewhere else.

Many Gun Dealers are Pussy, but, not all of them.
What if this was a person going for an Abortion?
What if Abortions were banned and illegal in NH but were legal over in MA?
Do you think the MA DR. would kick the NH resident out of the Clinic?  Nope. Why? Because Liberals have Balls and Conservatives do not.
Conservatives Roll Over.
Where is Mitch's plan? Nervous Nancy is ordering him and the Republican Senate to submit.
Mitch is on the floor in his living room curled up in the Fetal Position.
There are states right now banning abortion. Will the free Abortion states kick you out of their clinic because you're from a banned abortion state?
NO, they will not. They will coddle you and give you a doughnut just before they kill your child.

Take it to GD if you want to argue national politics