What brand of gun does your LGS 'favor'?

[Captainkirk]

Yup, for like two-fitty an' change. Crazy, man!

[prof marvel]

It is my opinion, which belongs to me ( and is mine ) that The LGS
a) has to make a profit to stay open and can't better Cabelas
b) has no experts to tap
c) does not have accesss to the "hidden" BP market

Nobody can beat Cabelas pricing! Cabelas cranked down the screws, bought in huge volume,  and sells cheaper than Taylors and even Dixie.

the local stores might carry one "blister pack kit" since it's a "Complete BP Revolver Kit In  A Package" and a novelty eye-catcher
and they can sell it as "everthing you need" including the "comic book instructions" and youtube links  ( since no one can read these days).


Back In The Day ( before the interwebs and online Cabelas shopping) the only way to get stuff was by mailorder catalog from Dixie, then Dixon's and later Track of the Wolf. A lot of us paid hard cash just to get the catalog delivered! Then Some Folks bit the bullet, spent money on stock, and showed up at rondies.

During The Glory Days  the BP/ Mountain Man shops like "The Mountain Man" in Manitou Springs  and "Cache Le Poudre" in Fort Collins and the like opened up , and included all the trade goods: hawks, knives, parts, seed beads, pony beads, trade beads, blankets, tinware, trade cloth, candles, tea bricks, accoutrements and fooferaw.

Those folks were the quintiscential "walk into the past" storefront expereince of the Fur Trade Era!  It was like the Rondy Traders Row in a store!!! 

when Mike, the owner of Cache Le Poudre died it was the end of the store, he was the only driving force.

"The Mountain Man" in Manitou Springs changed with the times. Last time I was in there, maybe 25 years ago, it was like Fur Trade Museum that sold everything! Now they offer modern long guns and a LOT of hardware store items to stay in business. and Tourist Crap.

Once  the interweb selling started and economy tanked the game changed and those days are long gone.

Dixons and Track Of the Wolf, Taylors, Crazy Crow are still doing strong. River Junction,  Texas Jack, Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc.  and Hamilton Drygoods are still going. I don;t know how.

But they are few and far between.

It is like that old chinese "curse" : May You live in Interesting Times.

yhs
prof (opinionated) marvel

[Captainkirk]

Ugh. Those 'blister-packs' are such a turn-off. I was looking at one the other night, just to see what was in it. No caps, no powder (so much for "complete") and, get this...TWELVE...round balls of unspecified diameter. So much for "Readi-Pack"...
$269 for this? It's a brasser, for cryin' out loud! Maybe I wouldn't be so offended if they also offered the steel-version as well, but these plastic monstrosities have "SUCKER!" written all over them. That's why the auction sites are chock full of them for a hundred bucks, "unfired".

[Electric Miner]

None of my local gun stores stock new BP weapons. Sportsman's Warehouse has a few Traditions guns they carry. All 3 of the local shops I visit carry a selection of round ball, patches, and the usual black powder substitutes, as well as some accessories.

All 3 of them get used BP guns in for sale on occasion.

[G Dog]

It is like that old chinese "curse" : May You live in Interesting Times

yhs
prof (opinionated) marvel

That is invariably the closing comment on any political or social discussion around my house.

Fellers, as a whole, we are a dying breed overall with our particular interests.

In most of California there is little sense of community and the Local Gun Shops generally reflect that.  I asked about Dragoons at a shop in my area that is listed on the Uberti site as one of their authorized dealers.  They really didn’t know what I was talking about.  I explained.  They said ‘sorry, we don’t carry those’ with just a hint of a supercilious air.

My sons and nephews (mid-twenties to early-thirties) own and shoot them and their friends do too.  All that is required is exposure to black powder firearms and the genre sells itself.  In the case of these fellows I am pleased to take a certain degree of proselytizing credit.

[Hawg]

Every now and then you see a TC or CVA Hawken, very rarely do you see any handguns and they are priced way out of reality.

[mike116]

During The Glory Days  the BP/ Mountain Man shops like "The Mountain Man" in Manitou Springs  and "Cache Le Poudre" in Fort Collins and the like opened up , and included all the trade goods: hawks, knives, parts, seed beads, pony beads, trade beads, blankets, tinware, trade cloth, candles, tea bricks, accoutrements and fooferaw.

Those folks were the quintiscential "walk into the past" storefront expereince of the Fur Trade Era!  It was like the Rondy Traders Row in a store!!! 

when Mike, the owner of Cache Le Poudre died it was the end of the store, he was the only driving force.

"The Mountain Man" in Manitou Springs changed with the times. Last time I was in there, maybe 25 years ago, it was like Fur Trade Museum that sold everything! Now they offer modern long guns and a LOT of hardware store items to stay in business. and Tourist Crap.

I had forgotten about these two establishments until today.   The Mountain Man is still going I believe but not as fun as it once was.   Cache Le Poudre is just a memory from my youth.
I had no idea you used to haunt the same places I did in my younger years Professor Marvel.

[prof marvel]

I had forgotten about these two establishments until today.   The Mountain Man is still going I believe but not as fun as it once was.   Cache Le Poudre is just a memory from my youth.
I had no idea you used to haunt the same places I did in my younger years Professor Marvel.

Lawzy Lawzy, Mike -

Great Minds, Kindred Spirits, and other appropriate cliches 

We used to  Manitou Springs back when Rob Talltree had his jewelry shop - first the little dark one then the big one practically next to the Mountain Man...  Talltree sold me quite a few gifts for Mrs. Marvel there! We hit powows and ceremonies down there and the big powows up in Denver lol....

and there was the shop practically downtown denver that mainly had high quality single actions and lever guns that I couldn't afford, but he was happy to show them off to an appreciative affeccianado ( even when he knew a sale was not likely!) and educate me to boot!

Trips up to Ft Collins had to include Cache Le Poudre, and the really good India Restaurant. And the rock shops. I loved Cache & bought hides, antlers, and other fooferaw Mike had in Cache! Couldn't afford his guns either but lookin was still free   

For special, I would take Mrs Marvel down to "The Fort" for dinner, and now and then they had little "rondy" events there too.
I always had to try and show off at the hawk throws. Some went better thn others 

Didja ever get to College Mt Rondesvous, or the little Rondies at Fort Lupton?

yhs
prof marvel

[mike116]

I still go to the Ft Lupton "Trapper Days Rendezvous".   Used to belong to the Ft. Lupton Muzzle Loaders Club until it was taken over by a bunch commies last year.   
I made a double gun rig for the owner of the shop in Denver I think you are talking about... on Broadway St. just south of downtown.   Frontier Gallery is the name of the shop.   I have traded with Dave many times.   He sells some Original Colts and Winchesters.  Now he carries quite a few BP reproductions. 
Never di go to College Mt. Rendezvous,  was that the one up near Golden CO?

[prof marvel]

 Frontier Gallery - I think that's them!

I did the "fair-weather" events at Ft Lupton for a time, but never could bring myself to go to Frozen Toes in February...

College Mountain Rondy was always hed in South Park off 285 in the Natl Forrest. It was billed as the "educational" rondy lol ...

I shall have to start another thread with these topics, in the meantime I bring you back to
" What brand of gun does your LGS 'favor'? "

My favorite down here is Ron Petersen - I was amazed when I found that this shop was the one I always read about advertising in Shotgun News...

They don't carry much "new" since he doesn't pretend to compete with the mailorder monsters... BUT he has a separate case for used Single Actions and BP revelovers of all makes & models and he ALWAYS seems to have fun stuff to drool over. One year I went nuts down there and got
a used .36 Twister Turnbarrel (cheap) , an unfinished used CVA 1860 Colt kit (cheap) and a used cased slightly engraved Stainless Rem 1858 ( real cheap!) .   Mrs Marvel was all set for my presents that year. 

I almost got a pair of R&S from him but waited too long 

Ron also has a pre-1898 rack with numerous gorgeous rifles, and he lets me and Mrs Marvel INTO THE BACK to look at the sancto sanctorum of collector guns. The Good Stuff.

he has any number of collector grade trapdoors, sharps, rolling blocks, Arab Jezhails, wheellocks, and even a crazy Porter Percussion Turret Rifle



so I guess he specializes in "used C&B guns"  ... lol

yhs
prof ( brought it back on-topic!    ) marvel

[mike116]

The only store that carried BP guns in my area burnt down almost 2 years ago so now Cabelas and Sportsmans Warehouse are my choices.   As Prof Marvel mentioned "The Mountain Man" in Manitou Springs is too far for me to go to be a regular customer.   

[Krylandalian]

Yeah!  Dad gumm it!  What Y'All  said!

I m  gonna ask the hardware guy when was it that he last sold one of them there- Blister Pack Specials.