Illinois gun shops

[berkmberk1]

All you Illinois (and Missouri, and Indiana, Iowa) shooters.........any of you know of any knockout gun shops? You know, the ones with a GREAT selection of iron, a wide variety of reloading components (especially REAL black powder), and hopefully NO attitude problems......you know......like you ain't fit to walk in here and ask a question unless you have money sticking out of all your pockets.

The two BEST gun shops I've ever been in were McBrides in Austin, Texas, and Frankonia Jagd, in Darmstadt, Germany. (The little side street place in Odessa TX with the MP44s and Thompson M1928s on the wall for sale, wasn't bad either)

[Kraschenbirn]

I'm in the Champaign-Urbana area and, let me tell you, there ain't much over this way. Dave's Firearms outside of Urbana, is a pretty fair small shop and Dave, himself, is a good guy to do business with but he caters, mostly, to shotgunners and his reloading supplies run pretty much in that direction. Crazyhorse Guns & Archery in Paris, IL used to be a fairly decent shop but I haven't been down that way in several years.

When I'm in the Springfield area, I usually stop by Birds 'n Brooks on South 6th to browse and pick up any small quantity odds and ends that I might have on my shopping list. Also, you might try Merkel's in Quincy if you're over that way.

Bill

[218bee]

Two I go to..Simpsons LTD in Galesburg, IL has a humongous selection of firearms and many on floor for you to fondle. They have a website and specialize in Lugers but they must keep them in a backroom or something as I've never seen one in the store, good place to browse, prices seem ok though I've never bought anything there.
Carters in Shabbona, IL has a very nice selection of Winchesters (old) and other stuff, they can be snobby and all guns are behind a counter so you have to ask what they have and with maybe 30 Winchester lever actions its like do you have a 32/40? model? price? etc.. it would be nice to be able to peruse and then ask to see one that catches your interest. Prices are high in my opinion and they don't wheel and deal like I like but its worth a visit.

[berkmberk1]

Hi 218.

I know what you mean about Carter's:roll:. I used to live in DeKalb and Sycamore, and more than once did I meander down there a leave pools of drool on the floor! I haven't been there since the 80's even though I drive by there monthly to visit my mom in Sycamore. By what my son tells me, old man Carter isn't there (?) anymore. He wasn't the overtly jovial type but decent enough when you talked to him. They did mount a set of adjustable sights on a .45 ACP for me before I went overseas and did a decent job......not too much either if I remember. Now that I have my Curio & Relic license, I just might stop by and see what dust, musty pieces he has lying in the corner.

[boommer]

218bee I have to defend the boy's at carters THEY ARE NOT SNOBISH as you put it ! John and Dave just really not your typical sales people. both are not all that talkative might come off that way, but not. I have been going there for years bought a few pieces off them over the years and they are still not all that chatty.The reason the guns are behind the counter is alot of them are collectors and and you dont need a bunch of NIM-RODS banging them around or running the actions and pulling the triggers. But as far as price I dont know I feel they are fair some little high; some on money, some low. When I've bought guns off them if I thought a little high ask him if do a little better, if it's fair never ask. Bought a nice trapdoor of them Saturday and it was a fair price didn't ask,but john had work on a cap ball of mine gave to me NO CHARGE IT ALL WASHED OUT! John is a good smith and very reasonable.

[218bee]

Boomer, I go to Carters often as I live about 5 miles south of there and have had John build me a varmint rig in 222 Rem mag that shoots outstanding. I like John and Dave it's just that sometimes they act like old friends and other times as if they don't know ya.

[Onlymenotu]

Virden, has a small blackpower shop on the main highway it's open odd hours ... very very very little iron, a few cap's and primers... some substuite,,,,*and was going to handle a small amount if real black power*

Girard , has a small gun shop on the square * Fishman's they use to have a big store in Springfield years ago* and it to is open odd hours ..small to med amount of iron..... a small amount of ammo.... and no reloading stuff to speak of,,


Carlinville, has-had a small gun shop on they're circle:roll:-square...a small to med amount of iron , small amount of ammo,,, very little to no reloading stuff when i was in there the last time,,,,,,,,, my last trip down and around they square......it look deserted.. it may have closed dowm.... i'm not sure * i need to check it out closer*

[berkmberk1]

I almost went into Fishman's Saturday. My lady friend and I took some chairs to the Furniture Doctor next door. Wasn't quite sure what it was but we saw some fishing rods and what looked like holsters and belts hanging inside the window. I'm going to check it our when we go to retrieve the chairs in a few weeks.

The few Springfield stores carry a hodgpodge but not a great selection. The Bullet Stop, where I go to shoot, has quite a bit, guns, reloading stuff, etc but last time I was there they had no BP substitutes, little selection on caps, and he told me they don't carry black powder for insurance reasons!:(

My life would be nearly complete with a good dealer in the area and a great range to shoot all the stuff I buy.:Fire:

[Onlymenotu]

Like I said I go within a block of it everyday on the way home...is it open on Sat?* it use not to be*... I know I missed it yesterday* Sunday* by 2 hours,,,,,,,, the hours change often,,,,,

and like I said Neighbor's Blackpower in Virden was going to handle some Real Black *back when I talked to him...... he was just in the process if opening up,,,,and was going through all the redtape and prermits and his Real Black premit had not come in yet* you may stop by there on your way back to Springfield.....

[Bad Water Bill]

If you want to meet a real B P man go to Friendship Trading in Brookfield. Jerry has been shooting flinters and building them for OVER 50 years. BWB:castmine:

[MakeMineA10mm]

You guys should try Pekin Gun and Sporting Goods. It's on Derby St. in Pekin, and it is a VERY large store, as far as numbers of irons. Bigger than Simpsons, as far as numbers of guns in the racks and display cases.

They're reloading section has shrunk since a combination pawn shop/reloading shop opened down the street a few years ago. It's called Dave's Trading Post. They have a LOT of reloading supplies, and it's where I generally buy my supplies that I don't mail order.

If you combine stopping in both shops in one trip, it's a great combination of thousands of guns and plenty of powders to go through. Unfortunately, neither of them has much in the way of black powder....

I've been in Simpson's back room, and the display of Lugers is quite impressive. The room is built like a vault with carpet and panelling lining the entire inside, and the whole thing - nearly from floor to all the way to the ceiling inside the littel vault is nearly all Lugers of every variation. (There were a couple P-38s and Broomhandles in a corner the day I was allowed back into the back room.)

[berkmberk1]

Sounds good...........I'm trying to find a place a reasonable distance away, where I can go and stock up on things like bullets and powder......especially real black powder. It isn't readily available around here and I don't care to pay a 50% "surcharge" in the form of a hazardous materials charge to mail order any.

Thanks for the info.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Sounds good...........I'm trying to find a place a reasonable distance away, where I can go and stock up on things like bullets and powder......especially real black powder. It isn't readily available around here and I don't care to pay a 50% "surcharge" in the form of a hazardous materials charge to mail order any.

Thanks for the info.


Maybe we should do a "group buy" for Illinois Black Powder folks!!! :mrgreen: Pay one bulk shipping and haz-mat fee, and split on a large order. I might even talk to Dave and see if he could just add some BP on his order. He gets all of his stuff transported to him by semi-. Therefore, he pays freight shipping and no silly haz-mat fee.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Talked to one of the two shops (the one that handles the most reloading components). He said he doesn't have the license from the BATF for black powder, so he can't be a source for the group buy of a large quantity...

[Kraschenbirn]

FWIW - Was in Birds 'n Brooks in Springfield today. They maintain one of the best stocks of smokeless I've run across...no milsurps, though and not what you'd call "cheap" but they do sell some powders dispensed from bulk containers "by the pound." Also have a good assortment of JBs and milsurp ammo (including 7.62x54). Carry a few milsurp rifles (no Mosins in stock today) and a pretty decent selections new leverguns and single-actions.

Noticed that they seemed to have quite a bit more reloading and casting than I recalled from my last visit. Asked and found that they'd recently bought the entire inventory of a defunct reloading supply shop...quite a few moulds (both Lee and Lyman), mould handles, and even an old model (NIB) Lyman #55 powder measure. Was between business appointments and didn't have time to check out the whole pile but it looked like there might be some good stuff there.

Bill

[Boz330]

If you guys want to do a group buy on BP, I get mine from Deer Creek Products in
Waldron, IN. There prices are damned reasonable for 25lb lots. Might be worth while to make a road trip over there. Unfortunately for you guys it is almost to OH, just off of I-74. He doesn't have a web site so don't even try that. My buddy goes by there on business all the time so he just stops in when we need powder.

Bob

[Kraschenbirn]

Actually, Waldron, IN is only about 40 miles SE of Indianapolis on I-74...not quite "almost to OH"...which would make it around a 3-hour drive from where I'm sitting. I attend the big (1500 table) gun shows at the Indy State Fair grounds a couple times a year so it shouldn't be too much hassle to run down there while I'm in town. Would have to check on how much I could purchase over the counter without a Federal Explosives License, though.

Another possibility for an Illinois "group buy" might be Powder, Inc in Clarksville, AR. (http://www.powderinc.com). Prices per/lb appear fair when you consider they include HAZMAT and shipping to lower 48.

Bill

[Boz330]

Bill,
I think that you can get up to 50lbs legally. We normally get 25+ and that is no problem.
Not sure what his hours are or if he is open on the weekend so I would give a call first. It is primarily a mail order business. He used to manufacture the Mowery and Hopkins & Allen Rifle Kits right there but has sold that out. Still kicking myself for not getting one of the Mowery kits. I do have a H&A underhammer that I hunt with and it is a great shooter.
The phone number there is (765) 525-6181.

Bob

[MakeMineA10mm]

Bob,
Does he carry different brands of black powder, or does he stick to Goex? (I'd like to try some Swiss, is why I ask...)

I also wonder if he has the new Goex Cowboy-grade powder?



For everyone - I see that Graf & Sons has Goex black powder in stock, at a reasonable price too!

[Boz330]

Goex, Swiss, Shuetzen, & Lidu which is crap. In the latest Catalog I have, which is a couple years old, he lists Cartridge, but I would call and ask about the other stuff.
The only thing that I use Goex in anymore is my MLs. The Swiss is so much cleaner and consistant that it is worth the extra money. Goex Express is supposed to be equivalent to it but the price is a little higher and I already have plenty of Swiss and pretty decent loading data for what I shoot it in.

Bob

[Black Prince]

I once had a small gun and reloading shop back in the mid 1980's. I was forced to put all of my stuff behind the counter and into show cases because knuckleheads would abuse them and allow their children to abuse them. When you see some jerk break open a model 29 Smith and then slam the cylinder shut ala Jimmy Cagney ganster movie style, you know the stupid bassnerd doesn't know a dam thing about how that ( or any swing open) revolver works.

It's unfortunate, but you just can't let the public have access to anything anymore because most of them know absolutely NOTHING about firearms, particulary old firearms, or their value. (Or much about anything else either. Just watch one try to find and fix a simple problem under the car hood to know what I mean. Hell, watch one try to change a flat for that matter. They can't operate the dam jack!!!)

The same yahoos would go over to Wal-Mart and buy something and bring it over to me to install a scope or sight it whatever, and they'd want me to do it for 10 bucks. When I closed the gun shop, I would see these people all over town and they'd all say how much they missed coming in my place and sitting around and talking guns, or going out back to the shooting range that I provided free and shooting, and now there was no place to do that because the people at Wal-Mart didn't know anything and yada, yada, yada.

What those guys needed was a sympathetic bar tender--not a gun shop owner. Shop owners are in business to make money just like most other businesses. They have expenses that come due every Friday that they have to pay. You don't go to the grocery store and expect the check out person to listen to a long line of BS and how you always wanted to have a big t-bone steak . Why expect the gun shop guy to listen to your BS about why you always wanted a Winchester 73 with a big lever bow ever since you saw that John Wayne movie ?

If you walk into almost any gun shop and look on the rack and spot a rifle you want and ask the guy to let you look at it, he'll likely do it. If you ask how much and then pull out the cash or your check book, THEN he'll smile. Otherwise you are what we call "moan buys." You know, the guy who takes up an hour of your time with non-stop questions, then hands the rifle back to you and walks out saying "I moan buy me one of them someday." Moan buys don't pay the rent, or the insurance, or the power bill, or the water, or the employee FICA taxes, or anything else, yet they seem to think you owe them something simply because they did you a favor by wasting an hour of your time.

Most gun shop people behind the counter have a little game going about how to spot a "moan buy" when he walks in the place and it's many a free lunch I won spotting them. They have this "deer in the head lights look" about them and you just know they ain't coming in to buy anything. They are simply bored and want to BS with somebody. Like I said, your friendly neighborhood bar is the place for that. At least there, you order a cheap beer before you start in on the bar tender with BS.

[Boz330]

WOW! Now there is an idea, a GUN BAR, Nah, never catch on, everybody knows that shooters don't imbibe.

Bob

[Scrounger]

ATF used to have a rule about a gun dealer sharing premises with another business. A place that sold alcohol was on the no-no list.

[Black Prince]

ATF has more rules than Carter has Little Liver Pills, but they SELECT the ones they want to enforce on any given day. They are without doubt the single most worthless government agency we have and it has the biggest scum bags in it also. I kept a section of pine tree trunk in the shop. When the ATF would come marching in and demand that I provide my records for them to "inspect," they would always do it in front of my counter and block access to customers. So I moved the pine tree section that was mounted on a stand next to where the Sumbitches were "inspecting" and started throwing my tommyhawk across the shop and sticking it in that trunk section. They'd raise hell but I told them all the regulations said was that I had to let them see the records during "normal" business hours and the regs didn't say a thing about where I threw my dam tommyhawk in my own place of business. They knew I would shoot them in a heart beat and that it wouldn't take much for that to happen either. They came around sometimes when we'd be out back shooting and almost everyone back there could out shoot them. I just loved *ucking with the sorry sumbitches. I'd bet them that I could beat them in any way they wanted to shoot and the looser would have to stand in front of everybody and say he was a sorry sumbitch. They would never take me up on it, but we all knew they were sorry anyway.