I'm new to AR's and I recently purchased my new Colt M4 carbine which I shot for the first time last weekend (I'm in love). Anyway, I attended a local gun show to purchase some 30 round mags and being new and naive, I bought 4 USA mags (huge mistake, but ya live and ya learn). Those 4 magazines are now in the garbage and I decided not to screw around and go for the best magazines I can find. I found a store online called Bernie's Sports Center. They were advertising "NIW" Colt 30 round mags for $50 each. I bit on the ad and ordered 4. I received them and discovered they were used USGI mags that were refinished with new colt floor plates and the green follower. All of them had cracked feed lips and dents. I'm guessing these guys bought some new Colt floor plates since they say exactly what the preban floor plates say and slapped them on the refinished USGI's. Has anyone got scammed by these guys before ?

OUCH.. That hurts!!

Personally, I have never heard of nor dealt with "Bernies" before. Have you contacted them about this problem and a possible refund?

Call me frugal but $200 could have bought 8 NIW USGI or 14 NIW British mags.

The best place for consistently good deals on magazines is right here on the EE [url]www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=7&f=24[/url]

I will be calling them in 15 minutes (when they open) to tell them they have a package coming back and to refund my card. Thanks for the link, I will probably go the "NIW" USGI route. I thought brand new colts would be the way to go, but...................

Don't waste the extra money for Colts unless you are looking for some collectors.

Its a well known "secret" that Colt doesn't make magazines, they are sub-contracted formerly to OKay and more recently to NHMTG.

If "Bernie's" gives you any static about a refund, dispute the charge with your credit card company.

What a bunch of cheating bastards!

Stick with the Equipment Exchange.

Unbelievable...

Maybe they're cheaper down here but the going rate for Colts are $40. NEVER buy anything from Colt unless you like wasting $$$ or are some sort of collector.

YYYYEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!
Man that sucks! Let us know how it turns out.

Are you ralking about the "Bernies" im Lilburn, Georgia?

Let me know, 'cause I live 5 minutes away from them, and might be able to help.

That's the Bernies. Not to worry though, I spoke with them and I'm sending them back for a refund. I just ordered from Steve and judging on the replies from everyone else about doing business with him, I should be more than happy. BTW, thanks Steve.

Hmmmm; that's kind of disturbing to those of us who live around here.  The only business I've ever done w/them was for some milsurp 5.56 ammo, and I did find a South African Galil sling for $6, which is 1/3 the usual price.  Well, guess I'll have to be careful if I do go in there for anything of substance.

Funny, this is the second gun dealer within 10 minutes of my house that I've seen poor feedback on from site members this week---and the other guy is located in Bernie's old (smaller) store.  Wierd[:D]

I was thinking the same thing.  I’ve given Bernie’s a good amount of business.  They have great prices on firearms, but I wouldn’t think of buying mags from them.  For some reason, they are usually very high on their mag prices.  Even Maria, Bernie’s daughter who works at the store, will tell you to buy mags on-line.  When I bought my DSA StG-58 from her I wanted some mags.  She told me to go to Tapco instead.

They’ll be at the gun show this weekend.  I’ll be sure to bring this up with them.  

Shamayim, I know the other guy in Bernie’s old place too.  The only dealing I had with him was trying to buy a RRA lower parts kit.  I called on a Thursday afternoon and was told they had “plenty” of [b]standard[/b] (I specifically said I did NOT want a National Match kit) RRA lower kits.  I drove to the shop in terrible traffic on Friday around lunchtime.  Because of the traffic, the round trip took me almost 2 hours.  When I got there the guy said all he had was NM kits.  When I reminded him of our earlier conversation he argued with me and said I never asked for a standard kit.  What an asshole.  Plus his entire store smells like the cheap cigarettes he chain-smokes.

That seems kinda weird that a gun shop would tell you to buy mags elsewhere when they are in the business of selling them and making money on them ?????? Maybe since you are a walk-in customer, they didnt want to screw you over with thier refinished rejects knowing that you live in the area ?

Hey, watch the cheap cigarette cracks.  I'm a smoker too, and that was one of the things I liked about the place[:D]

Seriously, though, I'm not sure Rock River even ships their complete rifles or lowers with anything but the match triggers, unless you special order one.  The complaint I saw posted was from an out of town person who had a credit card charged for an order that wasn't shipped, because he didn't have it in stock.

When you're at the show this weekend, look for a gray haired guy carrying too many pounds, wearing a tan bush hat with funny scribbling on the front brim. That'll be me [:D].  Hat was issued to me in 1956 and the "scribbling" is the Hebrew letters for IDF. Had it stored for 30+ years.  Found it whilst moving out during the end of a marriage, and reserve it for shooting sessions and gun shows[:D] If you spot me, come say Hi.  Always good to talk with another AR guy.

Like I said, I've given a lot of business to Maria at Bernie's.  I think Bernie would shit his pants if he heard Maria recommend picking up mags elsewhere.

Sorry.  I meant no harm.  My folks were both smokers when I was a kid and I had LOTS of breathing problems.  Back then no one really knew about second-hand smoke.  When I’m around it my breathing becomes very labored.  My father-in-law chain-smokes and as much as I love hunting with him it about kills me.  Literally.

I wasn’t trying to buy a lower receiver, just the parts kit.  I think I was more pissed off about the time it took me sitting in traffic than anything else.

BTW, that’s the same dealer from whom gilfrd bought his RRA and he got a really good deal on it.

I’ll look for ya at the show.  Take care.  [:D]  

This sounds a lot like the "DEMO mags" scam that was going around during the Y2K.

They took some old USGI mags and did a BAD refinish job and stuck some COLT baseplates on them and sold them over the internet as colt demo mags.

I only paid $35 each and I didn't get any cracked feed lips so I chalked it up to experience.

Dennis Jenkins

They're still out there. I was curious as to what they were demo'ing.

Cnninvestments advertises colt "demo" mags. I wonder if these are the same as you describe.

I've heard that about the DEMO mags sold by CDNN and others.

I got bit very early on.

Still not too happy about it.

Dennis Jenkins


This sounds a lot like the "DEMO mags" scam that was going around during the Y2K.

They took some old USGI mags and did a BAD refinish job and stuck some COLT baseplates on them and sold them over the internet as colt demo mags.

I only paid $35 each and I didn't get any cracked feed lips so I chalked it up to experience.
[/quote]

They're still out there. I was curious as to what they were demo'ing.[/quote]

Cnninvestments advertises colt "demo" mags. I wonder if these are the same as you describe.[/quote]