NSSF Fires Back at Chicago Police Superintendent Following Anti-Gun Diatribe | NSSF Blog

NSSF Fires Back at Chicago Police Superintendent Following Anti-Gun Diatribe | NSSF Blog

Recommended reading for freedom loving folks in Illinois. Chicago's new top cop didn't waste any time jumping in with the Chicago Political Machine.

Must be pretty popular

As many of you know, you can easily spend a fortune on an O/U shotgun. I'm not sure how I got on the list, but I regularly get emails about O/U shotguns for sale that are $5K to $50K or more! (Hey! There's one in this email for $1,799. How'd that get in there?) I'm not in that camp and even if someday I am...I don't think I could bring myself to acquire such a shotgun. No offense to the guys and gals who do, but I'd almost be afraid to shoot it.

So...my value buy, a Stoeger Condor (model 31030) is on back order. I'm told the next shipment of 250 Condors is due in soon, to the distributor. (Awe man!) But I may get one of them, depending on whether there's a credit hold on one of the other shops. (Woot?) Otherwise, it sounds like it's going to be another 6 weeks after that.

That being said, I have a friend who's been waiting for a hard chrome finished Kel-Tec PF9 for a few months now. (More on that later.) He's fifth on the list to receive one. At this point I may be better off than him.

I'm still hoping I'll have the Condor before I leave on vacation. There are a couple of clubs near some family vacation property that have regulation trap shoots on a regular basis where the cost is very reasonable even for non-members. I'd like to shoot it at least once before participating in regulation trap. We'll see.

The Condor must be popular. Russ w/Able Ammo said that 250 due in would fill the existing orders (which doesn't include mine). Hopefully one will come my way. I'm also hoping that I get a good one, although I would hope Stoeger, being part of Benelli (I love my Nova) and the Beretta family, is proud of what they sell.

Yes, I know the Condor is made in Brazil (many guns are) and I've read a wide variety of accounts from the barrels not being set on the same point-of-impact (POI), failure-to-fire (FTF), to a barrel catastrophically failing (see YouTube.com). I've also read accounts of them shooting at least as well as guns costing many, many times as much. I'm betting that mine will be among the many that shoot well and I will review the Condor soon after I get it.

As you know, Shootin' Ugli isn't about pretty, it's about the total value equation (I can get into the value equation if anyone would like me to) under a certain price point, which is the Cost to Acquire in the Value to the Customer equation. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Where can I get a Trius 1-Step Trap?

While reviewing my stats and search terms I noticed that some folks are trying to find where to purchase a Trius 1-Step trap. Mine was purchased from a local source for full price. However, I have done comparison shopping since and found the best price at Midsouth Shooters Supply.

The last time I checked (which was actually today) Midsouth had it for about $42 under list price at $78.36. I don't think you'll find a better price even at the big boys like BassPro or Cabela's. I was actually disappointed with their lack of competitive pricing and availability of such an awesome target thrower. At the time I checked BassPro I think they were a mere $0.05 below the list price of $120. I guess you can't be competitive on everything.

Honestly, the 1-Step is the only human powered target thrower Kari can operate for any length of time. We tried a Do-All once last winter and hand throwing them too and what a disaster. Targets refused to come out of the stiff and chilled hand thrower and the Do-All kept flipping itself over and playing dead until it finally flung a piece of itself into Kari's line-of-fire (we never did fnd that part) and the pull string inexplicably broke. Kari said she'd never seen a sorrier piece of...well...let's say machinery. It was kind of sad. The ladies on the box looked like they were having such fun using it. We didn't.

So, if you're in the market for a thrower loved and appreciated by all who use them, you can get a Trius 1-Step at Midsouth Shooters Supply.

Beretta Ladies Shooting Shirts: Look great/saves shoulders

I picked up a nice pink Beretta shooting polo for my wife. Partly (okay...mostly) because I knew she'd look great in it and it was on clearance at a substantial discount for $17.50. (There's the Shootin' Ugli creeping in.) I bought a polo (on clearance) for me too, but that's not important right now.

This ladies polo was specifically designed for shotgunning and has padding quilted into it for recoil protection. Kari loves shooting the H&R Pardner single-shot (which can really kick, just check YouTube.com), which she did this past weekend at (you know where) Silver Springs State Part. However, she failed to where her Beretta polo. After a box of clays between the two of us, she's got a nice tender bruise (ouch) on her shoulder that's at the "turning-green" stage right now. It'll probably still be tender the next time we head out.

The next time Kari will be wearing either her polo or a shooting vest or something with some padding. For all you ladies out there that enjoy shooting or want to try it, but are afraid, get a shooting shirt with some padding. Even as thin as it is, it works. And as a general rule, ladies shooting sports clothing can often be picked up cheap, either on clearance or on sale. Cheaper than what I can buy it for. (You'd almost think the industry is trying to encourage females to get involved in the sport. Hmmm.)

The shirts look great and the quilting works. As we learned, I encourage all you guys to protect your ladies with something flattering, and get a shooting shirt. Beretta makes some nice ones and I'm sure there are others out there.

I know something about service

I know something about service. Actually, that's an understatement. I spent five years with a retail service company studying service, working to change the culture, gathering and analyzing business insights,  and producing measurable results in a really, really tough business climate. I know something about service.

I mention this because I've been in the market for another shotgun. Staying true to the Shootin' Ugli mantra, they've all been O/U under $1,000 and in fact it's been tough for me to consider anything much over $500. (I know! It's tough criteria for an O/U.) 

I've looked at new and used and finally settled on a Stoeger Condor 12GA. The place I ordered it from...responded when I had a question. So what? Let me tell you, that would have made a big difference with some other folks.

As I said, I've been shopping at a few retail stores (unhelpful, not knowledgeable and unfriendly), haunting some online stores, and some auction sites. The retail stores and auction sites lost out, but I'm focusing on the auction sites today, specifically Gunbroker.com. 

Gunbroker.com has a feature where you can send questions to the seller and they recommend using it before bidding. I used it! I asked questions! "I live in the same state. Can I pick it up from you?" "Are the chokes compatible with steel shot?" "Is it a screw-in choke and how many come with the shotgun?" "Is there a crack in the fore-stock?" These and more, all simple, legitimate questions...unanswered. All lost out on a potential sale because they weren't listening and failed to interact with me, their customer to sell me something they want to sell and I want to buy! Something THEY WANT TO SELL AND I WANT TO BUY! Gunbroker.com even provided a feature to facilitate the interaction. I guess all the sellers were too busy to conduct business.

This is Service 101 folks. When the customer contacts you, listen and respond in a helpful and timely manner using the same method the customer used to contact you. If it was email, use email. If it was a phone call, call them back. If it was a letter, respond with a letter. (I won't go into why at this point.) Not one of the sellers on Gunbroker.com responded to my questions. The majority of those auctions closed without a sale. In my case it was a failure to communicate with a customer that was ready to buy.

This isn't a knock on Gunbroker.com, it's a wake-up call to the sellers on the site and maybe Gunbroker.com too. The sellers definitely need to sharpen their skills and pay attention to online customers. I also think that maybe Gunbroker.com needs to lead the charge here and not just provide the facility, but encourage and demonstrate to sellers how to successfully use it. I see a win-win here (and I'd love to help you do it if you'd like my help...since I know something about service I could help you make money).

In closing, as I mentioned I purchased a Stoeger Condor last night. Now I need to get it shipped to my FFL here in the grand state of Illinois. (Is there an emoticon for eye-rolling?) I had a few questions for the place I bought it from Ableammo.com. Ryan, w/Able's Internet Sales, got back to me right away and was friendly and helpful. See where I'm going with this?