I decided to take a trip over to the new Shoot Straight location on Southern Blvd just east of the turnpike.

In all honesty, I didn't go there expecting to have a good experience due to the way I've seen them operate at guns shows and according to negative stuff I've read about them online.

I in fact did not have a good experience; I had a truly excellent time at the range and was extraordinarily  impressed by how nice the facility was and the caliber of the employees I dealt with.

From the minute I walked in the staff went out of it's way to be helpful and attentive.

They had a sale going on with manufacturer's reps present, I got to speak with the HK guy, and they had some very decent pricing on everything on display as well.

The icing on the cake for me was while shooting some XM193, I had a squib which obstructed the barrel.

I asked to see the gunsmith and he took care of my problem and checked out my rifle as well.

Although he spent plenty of time removing the squib and very thoroughly inspecting my AR, when I asked what I owed  I was told there would be no charge.

The service was excellent and the guy knew his stuff; I would have been more than willing to pay whatever the going rate was for his time and
expertise.

That is what I call customer service; I'll visit their range frequently and throw them some of my future  gun business too.







As for the XM193; I'll never shoot another damn round of that crap ever again in either of my ARs.

I've had squibs with it before, in both rifles,  with ammo I purchased from the range, Midway, and Ammunition to go.

The XM 193 I was shooting today was purchased from Midway.

Squibs in a rifle are serious business and I've had enough of them with XM193 to last me a lifetime.

By the way, this last squib was a primer only round; absolutely no powder in the cartridge and the bullet lodged in the leade, just forward of the chamber.

Nice, thanks for the review.  But it is just east of the turnpike isn't it?

When I lived in Central Florida I had mixed feelings with Shoot Straight. They do have nice shooting facilities and staff is semi knowledgeable with what they're talking about. On top of that they do have a very nice selection of guns, especially at their Tampa store. However, I don't like how many of their products are priced above MSRP and how you have to talk them down to MSRP, and they make it seem like you're getting a deal when you do.

As far as the XM193. I just bought a 1000 rounds of the stuff and have put about 500 through my rifle without a single misfire. Although, for an approx. 28 cents a round (for what I paid) I'm not surprised you had some squibs. I guess I got lucky with my batch.


but thanks for the write-up!

Indeed it is, I'm gonna edit the my post before anyone else sees it and realizes that I am an idiot.

I fail to believe you are one.

I was in West Palm on Sat., so I stopped by SS. The parking lot was packed, due to the grand opening going on. I had to wait 25 minutes to check out due to the size of the crowd, and SS only having 3 registers up. Nice place though.

I wasn't there for the "Grand Opening", but I stopped by a couple weeks ago just to look around, and I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed.  All the guns were marked high, and I didn't see a whole lot of floor space devoted to accessories.  To be honest, I don't buy enough guns to make any particular gun shop a regular stop, but I'm always on the lookout for a bottle of CLP, or some new brushes, a bore light, maybe a new CCW holster... This is why I really like going to a gun store - to look for the kinds of things you can't buy at Wally World.  I like wandering around in case I see something I want.  And there's just not enough stuff to look at there.  I'll reserve judgment on the place until I get a chance to use their range, but for now, I'm just not all that thrilled.

I was kind of leery of going to Shoot Straight with all the negative reviews that I had read both here and other places.  I am glad that I stopped into the store.  I found it free of the attitude that I always seem to get when I would go to Palm Beach Shooting Center.  All the employees seemed very helpful, and were always happy to help.  I liked it so much I purchased a family membership, so the wife and I can go shooting anytime without worrying about the cost.  

I really like the rifle side of the range.  The equipment there is new of course, but it is nice to actually have some AC when you are shooting both rifle and pistol.  

Over the past few weeks I see that they are filling in the shelves nicely, and are starting to have a nice selection of products.  I think the pricing on the firearms was to be on par with what is available in the WPB area.  I picked up a few cases of ammo in .380, .45 (both PMC), and a 500 round box of 5.56.

I am hoping that they do well there, and judging by the parking lot always being full, I think they will.

If you are like I was, and not sure about stopping in, do yourself a favor and give them a try.

Ron

...Semper Fidelis...