nasty gun shop owners

[enfieldspares]

I had the true pleasure of sometimes visiting Bill Parr in Derbyshire. It was always an enjoyable visit and I remember in 1976 buying three hundred Kynoch (Made in England from Swedish Components - so Boxer primed made by Norma) .455 Webley cartridges. These were £20 a hundred! Cheap? Well the actual Webley Mk VI that they went through had cost me but £22 the month or so before from Belgrave Gun Company in Leicester. I also had from them at the same time a Colt 1911 commercial model made in about 1917 for £110. All gone now as centre fire pistols and revolvers were banned by in 1996 those true friends of shooting the Tory Party when in Government.

Edited November 9, 2023 by enfieldspares

[adzyvilla]

7 hours ago, marsh man said:

I am no doubt well out of touch with how gun shops treat there customers nowadays and for a good part of my life I have only used one and that was Richardsons of Halesworth , I have bought cartridges from others like Churchills at Dereham and Websters , Richardsons must be one of the best , if not the best in the country for treating there customers with respect , I have been in there and been offered a cup of tea or coffee , had a yarn with the two brothers for ages before they asked me what I wanted and they once put a new top lever spring in one of my guns for nothing as they waited a long while for the part , both of them and one of the sons who work in the shop are true gentlemen and by the sound of it they are a declining race .  MM

I think phillip Webster is a top bloke, I used to go to lings in Massingham but Phil gets all my business now. We do have a gun shop like the one in the OP just down the road from me, where he either likes you or he doesn't and nothing in between. I've not heard many have a good word to say about him.

[Gordon R]

The only gun shop I am aware of in Alfreton is Jim Neville's. Visited the once - good stock, dead straight, helpful lad and I would go back.

I would never return to the Countryman of Derby.

Edited November 10, 2023 by Gordon R

[TOPGUN749]

8 hours ago, marsh man said:

I am no doubt well out of touch with how gun shops treat there customers nowadays and for a good part of my life I have only used one and that was Richardsons of Halesworth , I have bought cartridges from others like Churchills at Dereham and Websters , Richardsons must be one of the best , if not the best in the country for treating there customers with respect , I have been in there and been offered a cup of tea or coffee , had a yarn with the two brothers for ages before they asked me what I wanted and they once put a new top lever spring in one of my guns for nothing as they waited a long while for the part , both of them and one of the sons who work in the shop are true gentlemen and by the sound of it they are a declining race .  MM

I bought my first shotgun from Richardson’s in 1972 for £13 Alan was in the shop then! I have called in buying various things over the years, not much changes except the prices. I believe both brothers are still working,Leon now 78,and Vere 74.

[marsh man]

16 minutes ago, TOPGUN749 said:

I bought my first shotgun from Richardson’s in 1972 for £13 Alan was in the shop then! I have called in buying various things over the years, not much changes except the prices. I believe both brothers are still working,Leon now 78,and Vere 74.

Good evening ... I knew Leon and Vere's father when he supplied the cartridges and clays at the Somerleyton gun club which must have been in the early 70s , when we had enough money we would ring him up from the public phone box as we were light years from having our own phone and ask him if he would bring us a slab of Style cartridges to the gun club as we only lived a few miles away , he would bring them down in his White Jensen Interceptor and we would pay for them at club prices which was £12.50.

He also had a nice Black Labrador and that made me buy my first Black Lab puppy and I have never been without a Black Lab since that day .

I was told he was a master gun stocker and it would take him 10 days from start to finish , now I dare say a lot of the work would be done on a machine .

Did you ever have any dealings with the ole Mr Tilney at Beccles ?

[TOPGUN749]

1 minute ago, marsh man said:

Good evening ... I knew Leon and Vere's father when he supplied the cartridges and clays at the Somerleyton gun club which must have been in the early 70s , when we had enough money we would ring him up from the public phone box as we were light years from having our own phone and ask him if he would bring us a slab of Style cartridges to the gun club as we only lived a few miles away , he would bring them down in his White Jensen Interceptor and we would pay for them at club prices which was £12.50.

He also had a nice Black Labrador and that made me buy my first Black Lab puppy and I have never been without a Black Lab since that day .

I was told he was a master gun stocker and it would take him 10 days from start to finish , now I dare say a lot of the work would be done on a machine .

Did you ever have any dealings with the ole Mr Tilney at Beccles ?

I was 15 in 1972 when I cycled from Ringsfield to Halesworth with my shotgun certificate and my Dad’s too,my first 12 bore was a used BSA Snipe which I put in a case over my shoulder and biked home about 8 miles! In 1972-73 I was buying their Style cartridges 30 gram loads for £1 exactly for 25, Eley were £1.15p 

Yes I remember old Lindsey Tilney,and in 1971 bought a second hand .22 Webley air rifle from him,£8.50.He used to shoot regularly at Redisham hall, passing our place in his Morris 1000 estate. I think he died in 1990 age 85. A gent,unlike his son who I knew at school,a big show off,and nasty at times!

[Dougy]

My 1st experience of a gun shop was in Hatton Derbyshire, i went in enquiring about shot guns, had a very off putting old chap that wasn't interested in offering any help at all. Years later i went into one shop with my ticket in hand ready to by a Sako 75 22.250 Laminate stock heavy fluted barrel, the advice from the old flatulence behind the counter told me i wanted the Rem 700 that he took from the rack, wiped the dust off before laying it on the counter. He actually ask me why i wanted one of those. 

Needless to say he lost a considerable amount of money from telling me i dont want what i had dreamt of owning one day.

It was like a sketch out of the "The Fast Show" 

Oooo, sir, you dont want one of those Sir, Oh no Sir, You want one of these Sir"

[marsh man]

58 minutes ago, TOPGUN749 said:

I was 15 in 1972 when I cycled from Ringsfield to Halesworth with my shotgun certificate and my Dad’s too,my first 12 bore was a used BSA Snipe which I put in a case over my shoulder and biked home about 8 miles! In 1972-73 I was buying their Style cartridges 30 gram loads for £1 exactly for 25, Eley were £1.15p 

Yes I remember old Lindsey Tilney,and in 1971 bought a second hand .22 Webley air rifle from him,£8.50.He used to shoot regularly at Redisham hall, passing our place in his Morris 1000 estate. I think he died in 1990 age 85. A gent,unlike his son who I knew at school,a big show off,and nasty at times!

The ole Mr Tilney once Blued my side by side , if I remember rightly it was alright but not that good , maybe he got his boy to do it ? , he was another dog man and our ole head keeper used to recon he was better at trialing his dogs than he was repairing guns 

[TOPGUN749]

45 minutes ago, marsh man said:

The ole Mr Tilney once Blued my side by side , if I remember rightly it was alright but not that good , maybe he got his boy to do it ? , he was another dog man and our ole head keeper used to recon he was better at trialing his dogs than he was repairing guns 

👍🤣

[holloway]

If the shop offers nothing for your guns turn them into the police who will dispose of them.

[bottletopbill]

Sad facts but gun shops South east London/Kent are having a lot of guns being handed in as ticket  holders giving up.

So pass it on yourself  and over time they might change and start paying for guns again.

Had a SXS given to me by a member who was leaving shooting but his  gun will continue to be used  (thanks  P )

[rbrowning2]

Some guns have little or no value now, you only have to look at the auction sites to see that, guess as has been said lots giving up, few starting up and long delays in getting a certificate then the potential lead ban must be having an impact.

[vmaxphil]

When I bought my CG recently I mentioned a trade in " as long as it's not a sxs " he said 😲

[dessyb]

16 hours ago, Gordon R said:

The only gun shop I am aware of in Alfreton is Jim Neville's. Visited the once - good stock, dead straight, helpful lad and I would go back.

I would never return to the Countryman of Derby.

yes one of our better shops very polite people the nevilles

[miki]

16 hours ago, Gordon R said:

The only gun shop I am aware of in Alfreton is Jim Neville's. Visited the once - good stock, dead straight, helpful lad and I would go back.

I agree, great wee shop.

[London Best]

The OP mentioned a gun shop in Nottinghamshire. 
A subsequent reply mentioned Nevilles in Alfreton. 
Alfreton is in Derbyshire. 
And yes, it is a decent shop. 
But I would not let them repair my guns.

[B725]

The "gunsmith " above Nevilles is independent of them, I've always had excellent service from Nevilles unlike another gun shop a few miles south of them.

[London Best]

17 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

I had the true pleasure of sometimes visiting Bill Parr in Derbyshire. It was always an enjoyable visit and I remember in 1976 buying three hundred Kynoch (Made in England from Swedish Components - so Boxer primed made by Norma) .455 Webley cartridges. These were £20 a hundred! Cheap? Well the actual Webley Mk VI that they went through had cost me but £22 the month or so before from Belgrave Gun Company in Leicester. I also had from them at the same time a Colt 1911 commercial model made in about 1917 for £110. All gone now as centre fire pistols and revolvers were banned by in 1996 those true friends of shooting the Tory Party when in Government.

I knew Bill Parr, nice chap. He only lived about six miles from me. He started dealing from home at the farm, then had a shop in Belper and finally a larger shop and pistol range at Via Gellia Mills. 
The shop closed when he got locked up for illegal gun running/international arms sales.

[B725]

5 minutes ago, London Best said:

I knew Bill Parr, nice chap. He only lived about six miles from me. He started dealing from home at the farm, then had a shop in Belper and finally a larger shop and pistol range at Via Gellia Mills. 
The shop closed when he got locked up for illegal gun running/international arms sales.

I always wondered why they stopped trading every day is a school day. 

[enfieldspares]

55 minutes ago, London Best said:

I knew Bill Parr, nice chap. He only lived about six miles from me. He started dealing from home at the farm, then had a shop in Belper and finally a larger shop and pistol range at Via Gellia Mills. 
The shop closed when he got locked up for illegal gun running/international arms sales.

Bill Parr? Locked up? I don't think he did. I am sure that he didn't. He died. All the pistols were in a back room in wooden shelf type pigeon hole arrangement I think.

[London Best]

3 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

Bill Parr? Locked up? I don't think he did. I am sure that he didn't. He died. All the pistols were in a back room in wooden shelf type pigeon hole arrangement I think.

You didn’t see the machine guns then? 
You are right, Bill is now deceased.

[morgan]

On 09/11/2023 at 17:49, Gordon R said:

The only gun shop I am aware of in Alfreton is Jim Neville's. Visited the once - good stock, dead straight, helpful lad and I would go back.

I would never return to the Countryman of Derby.

Its interesting how everyones experiences are different, I once travelled from mid wales to buy a rifle from The Countryman. Unfortunately in the advert he had made a mistake about the model. When I pointed this out, he apologised and immeadiately offered a large discount on the rifle, which I then bought. He told me he had sold the rifle to a customer, who had had a trigger job done, then shortly after retired from shooting and that it was a very accurate rifle. And indeed it was.

[Gordon R]

I visited the Countryman to buy a trap gun. I took a Classic Doubles (Winchester) to trade in. He snootily told me there was no demand for fixed choke guns. I looked at the chokes - which were clearly screw in - put the gun back in its slip and left. 

His manner left a lot to be desired.

[dessyb]

13 hours ago, Gordon R said:

I visited the Countryman to buy a trap gun. I took a Classic Doubles (Winchester) to trade in. He snootily told me there was no demand for fixed choke guns. I looked at the chokes - which were clearly screw in - put the gun back in its slip and left. 

His manner left a lot to be desired.

been once that was enough 👍

[Fargo]

Local shops to me in the south are hit and miss.

Few small ones left with knowledge and I try buy from them in cash as helps them out and once dead and gone won’t be reopened.

Worst ones in the south are a 3 branch outfit but naming no names. Majority of their salespeople have zero knowledge and just push what it the highest comission