Gun shops...who measure up to the late Ray's Sport Shop

[ck279 0]

I didn't realize how good I had it until they were gone. Not only for firearms, but as a sportsman's superstore for everything!

 

 

For those who are familiar with the place (now closed)...can anyone tell me if there is anyplace in NJ that carries the sheer number of models/choices that Ray's offered (handguns).

 

I went to Bullet Hole a few weeks ago to shoot. It was perhaps the most depressing day I've had as a NJ gun owner. Impossibly small, shoulder to shoulder. Looked like a basic "hit or miss" on what pistols they were carrying at the moment. Never even shot as it required standing in the range for 2+ hours to wait my turn. Isn't having 16 people in ADDITION to all the shooters cramped shoulder to shoulder in a firing range against some code? Beyond the inconvenience it just felt downright unsafe.

 

Please tell me there is yet a shop in NJ that provides a real selection of arms. I can always go to PA for incredible selection...but its absurd to travel so far just to handle a few guns.

 

 

By the way...I'm specifically trying to get my hands on a Kahr CW9 / P9. If anyone has seen someplace stocking these I'd be much obliged.

 

 

Thanks so much!

 

Carl

[tbtrout 141]

Cheyenne Mountain Outfitters in Bordentown had a good selection of guns last time I was there.

[Maksim 1,504]

You are comparing apples and oranges. the times were different.

 

any shop 3 years ago would be able to have that many firearms.

 

most stores now, sell them within the month.

 

 

I am assuming you are a new shooter?

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&m ... 968b8509d2

Melg, a member here has put this map together. It has the ranges etc.

 

Be a part of the community, get together with folks for the group shoots, you will shoot all the firearms you want, and know what you want to buy. Only for a few months after getting FID I would go browse stores.... whats the point. lol. You have a great source for firearms here.

 

The closest to rays, btw... is Effingers.

[tbtrout 141]

Ooohhh, I forgot about Effingers. Been a while since I was up that way.

[Jon 264]

Efinger is good, minus the outrageous prices.

[Maksim 1,504]

Efinger is good, minus the outrageous prices.

 

 

Absolutely. Even for a brick and mortar... the prices are nuts.

 

surprisingly though.... ammo is fairly well priced. Bricks of 22 for $20 to $22 bucks. for good federal.

[Maksim 1,504]

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

[matt6669 71]

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

 

Where is this place you speak of, I haz never been

[Jon 264]

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

 

Soooooooo awesome! Those sharks are sweeeeet.

 

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

 

Where is this place you speak of, I haz never been

 

On rt 28 in Bridgewater. http://www.efingersports.com/

[Melgamatic 66]

You are comparing apples and oranges. the times were different.

 

any shop 3 years ago would be able to have that many firearms.

 

most stores now, sell them within the month.

 

I disagree. The difference is that you could actually put the combined square footage of half the gun stores in NJ into Rays rear gun room, and if you considered the entire store, probably all the gun stores in NJ.

 

Rays had 5 or 6 rows of double sided cases, 20' long, in the middle of the room. They had a 3-tier handgun display case that went around the entire room, probably 75' or more total length. Then all the long guns behind.

 

Rays also had enormously high prices most of the time, but they had a selection that few guns stores in all of the US have...

[lunker 274]

And apathetic/sarcastic d-bags working behind the gun counter at Rays. I know that they must have gotten tired of being muzzle swept by customers, but they were really awful. I put them in the same class as the Sayreville Sportsman. I would look over a gun there to get the feel of it, but would never buy anything there.

[Maksim 1,504]

You are comparing apples and oranges. the times were different.

 

any shop 3 years ago would be able to have that many firearms.

 

most stores now, sell them within the month.

 

I disagree. The difference is that you could actually put the combined square footage of half the gun stores in NJ into Rays rear gun room, and if you considered the entire store, probably all the gun stores in NJ.

 

Rays had 5 or 6 rows of double sided cases, 20' long, in the middle of the room. They had a 3-tier handgun display case that went around the entire room, probably 75' or more total length. Then all the long guns behind.

 

Rays also had enormously high prices most of the time, but they had a selection that few guns stores in all of the US have...

 

 

Oh I agree. i remember that case quite well.

[ck279 0]

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

 

Soooooooo awesome! Those sharks are sweeeeet.

 

now that I think about it.... everyone needs to visit Effingers. The shark tank is fuggin awesome!

 

Where is this place you speak of, I haz never been

 

On rt 28 in Bridgewater. http://www.efingersports.com/

 

Yes...definitely a good visit for the overall look and feel. Kind of feels like a micro mini Cabelas in their "homey" lodge approach. As a shooter though, don't go on account of their dogfish shark in said tank...you can browse their entire handgun offerings in about 30 seconds flat.

 

So Ray's was the last of its kind huh? My god...what a shame.

[rscalzo 3]

I was fortunate to know the family through my dealings with Ray's son-in-law. when I was shown what was behind the scenes in the gun safe I was amazed. A portion was actually on display but many more in the back room.

 

At one point Ray made an offer to buy S&W being one of the biggest S&W dealer in the country. But the need to display a huge variety is neither cost effective nor needed in todays market.

 

The internet can display a vast variety of firearms and the buyer can have it in his hands in most cases in a day or two. Dealers, especially the smaller one can't afford to lay out the enormous amount of funds to stock more than a few of the most popular. Manufacturers have too many variations and models compared to years back for even the wholesalers to keep in stock.

 

Ray's was far from the cheapest but no one could match the amount of items on hand in every area. for that convenience the customer must be willing to pay more. Yet on the other hand, I dealt mainly with them for my departmental needs and found them to be the cheapest with everything in stock for immediate shipment.

 

The closest I have ever seen to Ray's would be the Kittery Trading Post on the ME/NH border. the building is several times larger than Ray's and they started out as a trading post mainly for firearms. For anyone ever in the area it's a must see if for nothing else just to walk around and look.

[Greydaddy 2]

I haven't been to Cheyenne Mt. yet. Do they carry as much stuff as Harry's had?

[coldsolderjoint 84]

I haven't been to Cheyenne Mt. yet. Do they carry as much stuff as Harry's had?

 

Cheyenne Mountain is physically a separate store from Harry's now. They have a lot of hunting gear and a lot of handguns and a good selection of rifles. As far as their selection of shooting "accessories", i'd say they downsized somewhat, but still have the essentials.

 

Harry's is next door and seems to have most of the same stuff as far as clothing and pocket knifes and stuff like that, but in a newer layout.

[Greydaddy 2]

I knew they were separate stores now, but was wondering if carried as much accessories(?) and ammo, and reloading supplies, and all that "rot".

[Maksim 1,504]

cheyenne does have alot of firearms... last time I was there, all the counters were packed... and their guns are all on pegs, so they can fit like 20 across.

[Aleshka 0]

I would say New Jersey Firearms Guild in Rahway has a good selection.

[Melgamatic 66]

I would say New Jersey Firearms Guild in Rahway has a good selection.

 

As I mentioned in another thread, NJ Firearms Guild is expensive, but they have far more handguns than any of the other stores I've visited in NJ. They had 2-3x what Cheyenne has, a lot more than BH, etc.

 

They sell near MSRP, but they have a lot.

[ck279 0]

I would say New Jersey Firearms Guild in Rahway has a good selection.

 

As I mentioned in another thread, NJ Firearms Guild is expensive, but they have far more handguns than any of the other stores I've visited in NJ. They had 2-3x what Cheyenne has, a lot more than BH, etc.

 

They sell near MSRP, but they have a lot.

 

Thanks for this information. Time to pay this place a visit.

[BCeagle 12]

Cheyenne Mountain Outfitters in Bordentown had a good selection of guns last time I was there.

 

I waited 30 minutes for help once and there was only one other person in the store so that brought me down.

[PeteF 1,044]

If you are intereseted in a fairly large selection of handguns, Shoreshot has the most I've seen. They don't have a lot of room but each of the 4 display cases has at least 20 handguns in them. If you go to the vendors links, there is a Facebook link with pictures of the cases.

 

Firearms Guild in Rahway has a lot more display cases but only like 6 per case.

Cheyenne also packs a lot of handguns in to the 3 maybe 4 cases they have.

[Maksim 1,504]

If you are intereseted in a fairly large selection of handguns, Shoreshot has the most I've seen. They don't have a lot of room but each of the 4 display cases has at least 20 handguns in them. If you go to the vendors links, there is a Facebook link with pictures of the cases.

 

Firearms Guild in Rahway has a lot more display cases but only like 6 per case.

Cheyenne also packs a lot of handguns in to the 3 maybe 4 cases they have.

 

 

Cheyenne has at least 6 cases...

[shore_shot 26]

we dont compare ourselves to ray's because we are a totally different shop. first off we are small. but what we make up our size in is with our customer service and catering to get the right handgun in your hand. we do stock a ton of firearms and inventory changes everyday. another thing is we dont stock our shelves with anything, we only stock what we stand behind. so after you go out on the range you come back with a smile on your face not waving the gun at me yelling i sold you a POS! we also have range masters on stock all day everyday to insure a safe user environment. if you decide to come down we rent all our major big sellers and our range masters have the knowledge to help you with anyqustions. feel free to stop in we are also only 3.5% sales and we do gun transfers if you want to stick it to your local brick and mortar a little harder. check us out right off the parkway exit 89. contact info is below. and here is that link to our facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lakewood- ... 155?ref=ts

 

 

the pics of the cases are here

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 155&ref=mf

 

 

dont be afraid to ask questions down here! unlike rays we will answer them without making you feel like a retard for asking!

[Maksim 1,504]

+1

 

I have never heard of any bad complaints about people being talked down to at SS, or any range that is on our list.

[bbk 188]

I was at SS today (the guy who was firing the obnoxiously loud AR-- yes, with frangible rounds I purchased at the store), and I was pleasantly surprised with their selection of both handguns and long guns. I hadn't been there since maybe a year ago when the gun-craze was in full effect, so that might explain why I did not see that many rifles then. However, they had a generous amount on the wall today, and their selection of pistols was outstanding as usual.

 

I also stopped by Atlantic Tactical today with my buddy in Somerset. I've personally never shopped there, so I can't comment on prices or service. In the store, they had a small display of handguns and rifles-- all of which were directed towards the LEO types, which is expected. My friend who did buy from them said that if a person wanted something specific, they would most likely have to order it-- which he pointed out he didn't have any issues with the people at Atlantic Tactical. Obviously worked out for him.

 

As for Cheyenne, its my "home" shop considering its proximity. If I wanted to see a firearm in person, Cheyenne has always had it in stock so I could handle it and get a feel for it which is a plus. When they first opened after the move from the old Harry's location, it did take them awhile to get things in stock-- but there are no issues now really. I wouldn't recommend going on the weekends though because that place gets packed. I was there this past Saturday, and after standing around for a couple minutes and seeing how many people were trying to be helped, I gave up (there were four or five guys behind the counter). I wouldn't say that reflects poorly on Cheyenne at all as they had plenty of guys on deck to help-- just an overabundance of customers! As for other items, they have a good variety of firearms cleaning stuff, cases, holsters now, etc. They also have a decent amount of stuff for bows and crossbows (though I couldn't explain much since I have no knowledge in the field).

[John Fox 5]

I go to the Firearms Guild in Rahway often. Not far from the old Ray's. Good selection of guns new and used with a warrenty on used guns. They have a gunsmith there.

There are certainly more than six guns per case as someone here reported.

Service is very good.

See you there.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Cheyenne needs to learn how to display their handguns - that sticking them on a dowel in the case may make for great case density, but you can't tell what they are - even if you could get past the poor lighting and the reflection off the cases. It's called marketing! JMHO.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[rscalzo 3]

reflection off the cases

 

Every shop I've ever been in has the same problem. Low glare glass maybe? Most don't even bother with the dowel which I think is a better way to display the items.