doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Desperate times?

There's another dealer just 135 miles due west of SB on Hwy 82, in Mississippi also, that I am sure that just about everyone here knows about, and I have bought many guns from him, that's Thad Scott. I find his prices a lot more palatable than SB's, but I understand he has fallen on bad health...can anyone enlighten me on his situation?

binko

I had a good experience with Steve this year. Picked up a Walter Locke .410 Hammer gun. IMHO the more "full time" of a dealer you're dealing with the more of a hit and miss chance that you will have. They have to move the product through to eat. Also the slower the refund, they want to float that cash.

tim

What also turned me off is the fact that, SB wouldn't acknowledge the buyer. He didn't deal man to man but left it up to his secretary(or whoever). Didn't return phone or email? Thats just wrong!

That's my issue, too - the fact that he 'vanished'.

I bet he really "vanished' when he got caught trying to sell that seamlessly sleeved Purdey for original.

When I called Steve about possible issues with my gun, I got him very easily. But my gun had no flaws.

Three most recent experiences and why i'd rather rely on the hourly guy:

Am on the lower East coast and bought a pair of best English shotguns from a West coast dealer with a storeroom and internet presence. I'll never make it out there to see the firearms in person. Good price and a new discount that I jumped on. Three phone calls between myself and the partner/owner before I committed to purchase them. On two of the phone calls he broke the shotguns down and talked me through them, my asking every question i've heard or read or thought about. I was lied to about their condition; there was a bulge in a barrel, appeared to be a rib loose, and there was one non-firing trigger. Wall thicknesses were over-stated. And the original case was missing its original crystal oil bottle upon my receiving the shipment. I called back after receiving the guns and case and advised him of the issues; he said return them for a refund. That's nice, but it would cost me $300 in lost $$ for the shipping both ways. Ultimately I kept them and he gave me $100 check for the lost oil bottle. i won't buy from him again.

Telephonically talked over a nice pre-war commercial German mauser sporter rifle with a known midwest/West dealer, with a storeroom and internet presence. Good price. I'll never make it out there to see the firearm in person. Three phone calls with the owner, one phone call in which he pulled the action and barrel from the wood as per my request; i asked specifically about any cracking or chipping or migrating cracks etc in the interior of the stock and as well outside on top behind the action - was told none. When i got the rifle, the back top of the pistol grip right behind the action had an obvious near-chipout in a horshoe-like shape. So that was a lie. I called him about it and his only reply was that all Mausers of vintage have these cracks or what have you at the rear, so send it back if i'm not happy. I didn't, I chose to keep it. When i later broke the gun down completely, what did I find? yes, inside the stock there was through and through cracking of the wood in those inner channels. i won't buy from him again.

Last experience and only two weeks ago, major auction house (Rock Island Auction) ~ a pre-war mauser bolt action with a less than adequate photograph pictured on line. The college-age kid on the phone who called me back a day later with the condition report honestly answered every question i had, gun in hand, even to detail the degree of pitting on the detachable scope, its slight haziness, too and every minutia one could think of about the wood and metal. The rifle when received was in exactly or even better condition than described.

I've had similar experiences in the past wrt owner/employees and to me it seems that far better when purchasing something sight unseen is to catch an hourly employee on the phone to walk/talk you through a firearm because they seem to have less invested in it and seem to be more open and honest.

binko, I understand that Thad Scott has Lou Garrets disease. He basically liquidated his stock about one year ago. He is still in business, however, he only has about twenty guns in stock. I believe he was a mentor to SB. His gun dicriptions & photos were very limited for a reason. I bought & traded many guns with him over the years. Never with SB. Thad would never volunteer any information. In the past, I have traded guns to Thad Scott that ended up with SB at significantly higher prices. I believe that the number one priority with either one of these dealers is to sell guns. When you buy old guns, its a crap shoot. Thad was always willing to take anything back on trade at the price you paid, and I believe that gave him the edge over a lot of dealers. It kept me coming back.

Regards,

Max

Some here think that getting taken for shipping costs is the price you pay for dealing in the internet, that buyers on our level should either know better or take a road trip to see the gun in hand.

Two points come to mind. Buyers such as EDM and eightbore are more well known to sellers such as the one that are the reason for this thread. I submit that the seller in question might take a request for an accurate description differently if it came from EDM or eightbore than if it came from Recoil Rob or Sliver. A reputable dealer treats all customers well.

The second point addresses those that say we shouldn't be buying guns over the internet. Face it, this is the future, it's here and for some is the only choice. If it's not wise for us to buy over the internet why then is it acceptable for so-called reputable dealers to sell over it? They all have a web presence and while I would be careful about buying from individuals shouldn't one be as comfortable buying from a well known dealer over the web as in his shop? I agree there should be some personable responsibility but we're all not experts here, that's why we rely on reputable dealers.

In Slivers case, it just wasn't an oversight, at the least it was sloppy salesmanship.

Unknown stranger like Silver is good type to dump less desirable guns on. Billie and Eddie will always get the better ones. Life is not fair, and if Herr Silver grew up in socialist state he would have realized this by 5th grade, but in this society of "equality" they feed you this BS in high school.