Posted: 3/24/2014 3:24:02 PM EDT
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For the next month I'll be at McLeod Hospital three days a week. Having never been to any gun shops other than Southland Gun Works and Darlington Gun Works is there anyplace else worth a look?
I see listings for: Blue Line (I'm not interested in using their range) Doc's Gun Exchange (still open? Their website URL redirects to some plumbing supply site) Fludd's Gun and Pawn Darlington Gun Works (been there years ago I'd always thought it was Doc's) Norman's Guns & Sporting Goods |
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There is a sporting goods store on Irby St just north of 2nd Loop/Irby street(and very near Doc's) ironically named Irby Street Sporting Goods. They have a few guns and ammo, but no reloading supplies. From what I understand, there is no regular supplier of reloading supplies in Florence(only at the Darlington race track).
Also, there is a very good hardware store near the 5 points area that is very similar to Simpsons, but I am afraid they have no reloading stuff and are very Fudd-ish. I am usually in Florence only long enough for work. One of my main stops for fun is Agri-Supply. My dad and I call it heaven. When we tell our wives that we are going to heaven, they know that is where we mean. Of course it is probably because of other reason they think we are not really in "heaven", but that is another story!!. If you dont care for tractors, fenceposts, or buying gallon paint pails of john deere yellow, it may not be the place for your though!!! And good luck at McLeod. If you thought downtown Sumter was bad, the downtown area around and just north of the hospital is equal or worse. There are some areas I will not work. |
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For the next month I'll be at McLeod Hospital three days a week. Having never been to any gun shops other than Southland Gun Works and Darlington Gun Works is there anyplace else worth a look? Doc's Gun Exchange (still open? Their website URL redirects to some plumbing supply site) Darlington Gun Works (been there years ago I'd always thought it was Doc's) I do not know if his store is still open, but Doc is still setting up at gunshows. I saw him this weekend at the Columbia fairgrounds show. Doc is a WW2 combat vet and I am afraid time is catching up with him, but he still gets around OK considering. I am pretty sure Darlington Gunworks is still in business, I saw the owner Jim Kelly (a nice guy) at the fairgrounds show also. He is primarily a gunsmithing shop, but has a few things for sale. With Nascar in town, you can forget Southland after mid-week (it is literally across the street from the track), but Darlington Gun Works is far enough away from the race track that it should be accessible. |
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Doc's is still open. It's a pain in the ass to find. He's behind the Hardee's on the corner of Irby and Second Loop. I don't know about Fludds in Florence anymore. They have a pawn shop in Lake City, but they don't open on Saturdays and their selection stinks. Darlington Gun Works is a decent enough place, but it's more of a repair/work shop for the old timers in there. They've got a reputation of not taking any crap off of anyone. Their selection of rifles is fair, and they didn't appear to have anything new last time I was in there. |
| Nothing really worth seeing in Florence gun wise. Most of the shops are a bust, Southland is your best bet but avoid it during race week. Schofield's Ace Hardware does have reloading supplies but at a premium, tack on about $10 extra for a 1lb jug of powder. The didi have 5.56 brass for cheap the other day but was mixed headstamp so I passed. Would rather buy crimped LC and know what I'm getting and run it through the swager. Agri-Supply is right down the street from the hospital and is worth checking out for your shop/ tool needs, lots of cool stuff in there. |
We finished at 4pm so I decided to take a drive out to Southland Gun Works. Good grief...it took damn near as long to get there as it does to drive from Florence to Sumter (gazillion traffic lights). I didn't anything I couldn't live without. Tula AK ammo $10/20.  Boxes of primers $40-47 a little rich for my blood. A few lonely cans of powder in odd types that no one uses. I bought two MTM ammo boxes and called it a day.
I want to get over to that Agri-Supply place. And Harbor Freight Tools. I see that Florence is also getting an Academy Sports. Oh, goody...another place for the neckbeards to plunder as if two Wal-Marts isn't enough. |
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Our clinical preceptor let us out at 2pm for good behavior so I went over to Schofield's Ace Hardware (near five points) to check out the goods.
All I have to say is that this store IS EXTREMELY PROUD OF THEIR INVENTORY. 
Primers: $50+ per thousand. A few crap bottles of powder no one uses: $39. Value packs of .45ACP ammo: $104. They're fucking insane. While I was in there I saw and overheard a conversation with some of the employees about how they were planning on expanding the gun section and I know why: because pretty soon they'll have to deal with Academy Sports as a competitor. Somehow I doubt Schofield's will lower the price on their inventory OF WHICH THEY ARE VERY PROUD.
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Further adventures...
For shits and grins decided to hit up the Wal-Mart on S. Irby St. Place is a fuckiing ghetto and the ammo case has been raped. Irby Street Sporting Goods: Elmer Fudd's wet dream. Ugh. Doc's Gun Exchange: Closed And I did make it over to Schofield's Ace Hardware again where I purchased a Hornady Powder Measure for an admittedly fair price among a shit-ton of overpriced inventory. Those people working the gun counter are still dildos, though. |
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I had that suspicion about Blue Line. A buddy here told me he crossed swords with the management there over the use of ammo not sold by the range. I think he said that he and his new-to-guns student walked out.
I made a Harbor Freight Run and picked up some clamps and whatnot and after being on S. Irby Street for the better part of an hour I hope I never go to that part of town again. Good grief what a war zone.  . And people think Sumter is trashy.
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I had that suspicion about Blue Line. A buddy here told me he crossed swords with the management there over the use of ammo not sold by the range. I think he said that he and his new-to-guns student walked out. I made a Harbor Freight Run and picked up some clamps and whatnot and after being on S. Irby Street for the better part of an hour I hope I never go to that part of town again. Good grief what a war zone. . And people think Sumter is trashy.
Yeah the Southside of town is rough. I've Never hand an issue with ammo at Blueline. Just remember if you go and have reloads just tell them they are WWB. One of my other gripes other than the prices and some of the staff, is the $250 membership they require you to buy in order to shoot a rifle. But, even if you get the membership you're only allowed to shoot a rifle on Tuesday and Thursday or something like that. BS rule but they pay the mortgage so I guess they can do what they want. I started going to The Gun Store in Conway if I need to do a quick test run on a build, plus while I'm there they let me take my suppressors out that are being held hostage. If you are ever down that way those guys are worth checking out. |
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Doc's has the best prices in town. Normans makes Scholfields look like a discount store. Definitely not worth the drive from Mcleods. Blue Line is another one that is proud of their stuff. Wouldn't waist the time unless you want to spend $20 to shoot. Pretty much this. The Doc's crowd is in Greenville this weekend, but if you're still gonna be around first of the week it's worth stopping by. Some of their ammo prices are better than PSA, specially 5.56 and 22 which they usually get in about once a week or so. I'll be up there Monday to see what they took in as trades at the show. |
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Pretty much this. The Doc's crowd is in Greenville this weekend, but if you're still gonna be around first of the week it's worth stopping by. Quoted:
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Doc's has the best prices in town. Normans makes Scholfields look like a discount store. Definitely not worth the drive from Mcleods. Blue Line is another one that is proud of their stuff. Wouldn't waist the time unless you want to spend $20 to shoot. Pretty much this. The Doc's crowd is in Greenville this weekend, but if you're still gonna be around first of the week it's worth stopping by. I'm in Flo-town Wednesday-Friday. Doc's is easy enough to find, but damn what a pain in the ass to make a left turn onto 2nd Loop Road from their parking lot. |
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Yeah it is a PAIN right there.
I rarely turn left there, I go back around and come out in between that furniture store and Carolina Hardware the few times I do turn left from there onto 2nd Loop. I'm maybe 900yds as the crow flies from Doc's, so I'm probably up there a little too much, heh. |
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Yeah it is a PAIN right there. I rarely turn left there, I go back around and come out in between that furniture store and Carolina Hardware the few times I do turn left from there onto 2nd Loop. I'm maybe 900yds as the crow flies from Doc's, so I'm probably up there a little too much, heh. Finally made it to Doc's this afternoon. They have an amazing selection of handguns (didn't really pay much attention to the long gun inventory). Place was really busy for such a small store. They had some .22lr and the cheap stuff (American Eagle) was flying off the shelves at two 50-rd boxes per customer. The CCI stinger's were too rich for my blood. From what I saw they probably sold out minutes after I left. Damn the traffic in that city sucks. ETA: Stopped in Schofield's on the way home and saw a shelf talker for American Eagle .22lr. One 50-rd box....are you ready for this? $6.99 That is not a typo. 
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Met up with ThePontificator today at Doc's, had some time to shoot the shit, get to know each other a bit. Will definitely do my best to meet up with everyone the next Cola show, and hang out. Hope you had a safe ride home brother! I did, and thank you so much for the gift. I have a horrendous amount of stuff to do next week so I think my "touring" is pretty much done. Instead of braving the crowds (and disappointment) at the opening of Academy sports I may shoot down to Scranton after my last day to treat myself to some Schoolhouse BBQ. |
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Doc's has the best prices in town. Normans makes Scholfields look like a discount store. Definitely not worth the drive from Mcleods. Blue Line is another one that is proud of their stuff. Wouldn't waist the time unless you want to spend $20 to shoot. I'll personally never step foot in Blue Line again. Prices are WAY out of line, and the guys that work in their are less than knowledgeable (being nice), not to mention the bad attitudes. Doc's has been good to me, but when time allows I'll make the drive to Darlington for Southland Gun Works. Good guys out there that understand customer service. |
