Prairie Arms - Littleton

[InlineSIX24]

Not bike related, but enough people on here are into guns that it may help someone out. On June 28 I stopped by Prairie Arms’ shop in Littleton to talk about some pieces to put together my AR-15. I saw online that Olympic Arms lists them as their main/only Colorado dealer. I spoke with one of the guys there and settled on an Oly Arms upper. I placed the deposit and was getting ready to take off when he commented that I should check back within a couple of days to ‘make sure that order had been placed’. This should have been enough of a red flag for me to ask for the deposit back as I also do some sales and would never dream of asking my customers to remind me to place their order, but I like to support local shops and they seemed to have that ‘Mom & Pop’ feel, so I decided I was ok with it.

I called the middle of the next week to double check on the order. What order? They forgot to place with the manufacturer and said that they would for sure get it placed right away. Several days later I double checked the status and they reported that the order had been sent. I asked the woman who works there what the approximate wait would be and she reported that she didn’t know, but ‘would call me when they get it’. I asked if she could check with the mfg. and let me know an approximate date, and she said she would find out and call me back. No callback. Each time that I would call them for status (if they picked up the phone – seems that they do not much of the time) I was told that they didn’t know when the part would be in but they would call me. On one occasion I stopped by the shop to check on status in-person and stood in the shop for about 10 minutes before being greeted. The guy behind the counter had a couple of his shooting buddies in and was too busy chatting with them to help me. I decided to call Olympic Arms the mfg. and see what the story was. They told that they did have a couple in stock of that model at the time of my deposit, but then ran out of stock shortly after. I asked how long it would be before the next batch was machined and ready and their rep said that the longest wait time for that part was 4-6 weeks.

Fifteen weeks later I have not received any updates from Prairie and called to request my deposit to be refunded. The guy said that he could not refund it, but he would have the other guy who was able to refund take care of it and contact me… again no call. I finally decided that the only action to take was to file a chargeback on my credit card. I did learn that I will never put down a deposit for a significant amount like that in cash. Had I done that I would have been out of luck. Needless to say they will not get any more of my business. Unfortunate as they are in a prime location for the SW area.

[konichd]

Exact reason why I buy most of my ar parts through www.model1sales.com (http://www.model1sales.com)

Also Green Mountain Guns (Hampden & Wads) has lowers (stripped and built) and also 4 uppers. JustSomeDude and I were in there Saturday and it was packed, however the service couldn't have been better! Walked out with a Rock River lower and some new 30rd mags.

ARMAGEDON IS COMING NOVEMBER 4TH!

[Slo]

Good info, thanks for the heads up.

[InlineSIX24]

I have yet to stop by Green Mtn. but I have heard that they are worth checking out. I'm looking into a couple different uppers right now such as the White Oak. I haven't really heard too much about those E.R. Shaw uppers that Model1 sells but will have to check into them. I'm wanting either a 20" or 24" for a distance/target setup.

[konichd]

Over the years I've ordered 5 uppers from Model 1 and have been very happy with not only the price but quality. I've pinned them to DPMS, Bushmaster, and Styer lowers with no problems. Fit and finish are on par with DPMS/Bushmaster and no problems after 1,000's of rounds.

I ordered a custom built upper from them on a Monday and it showed up at my doorstep on a Thursday!

Also Prairie is the only listed AimDot dealers in Denver, but Green Mountain gets them on consignment.

[AshliRider44]

+1 on thumbs down for Prairie Arms, Hoopty had a bad time with them too.

[puckstr]

I hate when I have cash in hand and I get the brush off from the gun counter NAZI.
They are to busy yapping it up with there buddies to sell me a handgun.

I had that happen twice:
Gander Mnt (off of 225)
Bass Pro Shops

They will never get my business. Thanks on the heads up on Prairie Arms.

[PROFLYER]

Sorry to hear this. My company makes outdoor clothing and offers a very nice CCW line of products. I deal with smaller "mom and pop" shops mainly because the gander mountain and sportsmans type stores usually lack the customer service to effectively sell our high end (and expensive) gear.

That being said, Gunsmoke in Wheat Ridge carries our stuff and they have been a pleasure to work with. The owner Rich is a top notch guy who has a passion for guns, liberty and everything you can consider patriotic. Give them a try, I know they stock tons of stuff and can get just about anything. www.gunsmokeguns.com (http://www.gunsmokeguns.com) 303-456-4545.

I really hate to hear this about small shops, our dealer network is huge and when small shops get a rep. like this the end is usually near in my experience....

[InlineSIX24]

..I really hate to hear this about small shops, our dealer network is huge and when small shops get a rep. like this the end is usually near in my experience....

I'm not sure if the end is near for them, but I am shocked that they are still in business at all. The couple times that I asked about my order I was given the impression that I was inconveniencing them. Its possibly the worst customer service I've ever experienced - if not it sure ties it.

As for Olympic Arms I emailed one of the guys there and he got right back to me about ordering direct. His comment was:
"The fact that they are listed on our web site is not necessarily an endorsement"

My comment to him was that having them as the ONLY Colorado dealer listed makes them a pretty strong extension of their company in the consumer's mind even if indirectly.

[JohnEffinK]

+1 for Model 1 Sales. Just moved here from TX and they have a big following with a lot of good feedback.

Sorry to hear about your local experience. I love giving "Mom and Pop" places over box stores. But I expect some level of service and knowledge when I do so....

John

[Cars-R-Coffins]

I've had both good (25%) and bad (75%) experiences with Prairie Arms.

The owner, Mike (the BIG guy), is a pretty knowledgeable and friendly. The female in the shop is his wife. She answers the phone and does the book work. At least one their employees behind the counter is worthless (shaggy looking skinny fooker). The older guy that works on guns in the rear of the shop is knowledgeable.

The shop is always filled with smoke and smells like a cigar bar ...as does everything that comes out of it. I didn't know smoke could penetrate metal until I bought a gun from them! NASTY! If Big Mike is talking to one of his gun fanatic friends, forget it, you might as well walk out and come back another day because he'll be there forever.

That shop had a lot a potential because of its location but the customer service has been slipping over the years. My .02 :sniper:

[InlineSIX24]

Sounds like a few others on here may want to add their .02 and experience there to:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/383/RipOff0383267.htm

[MAZIN]

Man I hate to hear about a 15 week wait with no upper, when it comes to guns I want my bang right away.
I have had some luck with Sportsmans Warehouse and Gander (prices are a little inflated though. Have you tried to order direct and see if you could get a shop to do an ffl transfer? Sportsmans use to I dont Know about anyone else, it use to be common place but anymore I dont know. If you dont know what that is basicly you would find a shop that does ffl tranfers ( like when you buy a gun off gunbroker) and they send a copy of their ffl to the seller which in turns send the gun or upper in your case to the dealer with a copy of their ffl. Most I have ever paid was 30-50 bucks for the deal (of course you still have to fill out a 4473 aka cbi background check). Also Firing line on 210 s. potomic is a great shop nothing but A+ experinces with them!

[konichd]

You do not need a FFL for an AR-15 upper. The only portion you register is the lower reciever.

Inisxisxisisx try Model 1 those guys are great and can do any custom upper you can imagine.

[InlineSIX24]

Always helps when someone has had experience w/ someone. I'll give them a call.

[MAZIN]

Couldent remeber if uppers had a serial# I stand corrected

[Cars-R-Coffins]

Not trying to thread jack but... where do you guys find the least expensive FFL transfer fee?

[PROFLYER]

Not trying to thread jack but... where do you guys find the least expensive FFL transfer fee?

I used to do them for 25 bucks, but not anymore. It's a pain in the ass, you have to come in, fill all the paperwork out, get cleared and then I have to transfer the gun to you. I have to send stuff to the selling dealer before he can even ship it.

Then every now and then someone would get denied and I of course wouldn't pay to send the gun back so the customer would get pissed because they only get refunded the money minus the shipping and admin fees (I still got my 25 bucks).

Then on top of all of that, I have to keep the paperwork for 20+years in case its ever used in a robbery or whatever.

Bottom line, find a local dealer who will make you a good deal and provide service to boot. I can buy ANY gun wholesale and honestly Sportman's and some of the local shops I use are 10-20 bucks more then my wholesale so even though I have an FFL I just pretend like I'm a normal Joe the plumber, fill out the forms and buy locally. Plus, most gun shops will give you discounts on ammo, holsters etc. if you buy the gun from them. Find a good shop, tell them exactly what you want and have them order it.

[BeoBe]

its sad how many companies like this are out there and hose people left and right which is crap.. cash or not for a deposit i woulda gotten it back... maybe with a few broken bones and some jail time involved but hey lol..

But no seriously.. thats bullshit and thanks for the heads up