http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzgkJl6Eekc

There’s a new show on the tube (TruTV to be exact) that attempts to combine the haggling excitement of Pawn Stars, the build challenges of American Guns and the drama of Sons of Guns. It already sounds like a concept that a TV executive concocted sitting at a boardroom table and then shoehorned into reality. And from the moment it starts you know for a fact that it’s going to be absolutely terrible. Let me go ahead and give you the highlights from just the pilot so I can save you the trouble of actually watching this thing . . .

The opening scene (video above) is these guys clearing the parking lot of their gun store/pawn shop “high speed low drag” style. Seriously, they were all tactical’ed up and doing their best Call of Duty imitation right there in the lot, in full view of the highway and assorted other stores. They tried to play it off like they do that every day because of the threat of robberies, but something tells me that waving rifles around and deliberately pointing them in directions where people probably are sounds like a Grade A case of brandishing.

I visibly cringed as I watched one of the macho guys slicing the pie around the parking lot and considered turning it off then and there, but I had to go on. I had to finish the episode. For science. For you. And so I could make fun of it on the internet later.

The first “segment” they came to was a plot line about making a rifle for a wounded vet. And in true Sons of Guns fashion, they just took a bunch of pre-made parts, slapped them together and claimed they “built” the rifle. No sir, you placed commercially available objects onto an existing factory fresh rifle. When the biggest tool used is an Allen wrench there’s no building involved.

Then the show moves into “Pawn Stars” rip-off mode. It’s pretty much shot for shot what Pawn Stars does — the customer comes in, quick shot of an interview outside the store, some brief discussion of price and then its done. The difference here is that there’s apparently a $500 cap per item on a pawn in their state so that puts a ceiling on the “excitement” level of any haggling. The guy who just pawned his loaded Springfield M1A and kitted out M4gery looked quite displeased that he only got around 1/6th the street value for his guns.

And then there’s insufferable customer #1. This girl waltzes in with a shotgun her grandfather gave her — a beautiful double barreled (SxS) shotgun — that she’s looking to sell because (and this is the greatest part) she wants to go and get really drunk on a cruise. She stops right before the word “wasted” comes out of her mouth, but you could tell it was right there on the tip of her tongue.

She then proceeds to be an absolutely miserable human being, cursing and insulting the store employee who’s about to offer her cash for the gun. Which was bad enough, until the guy behind the counter started cursing right back and made a statement to the effect that she probably has no friends, and any she may have are probably all strippers.

Yup, it’s a class operation.

Then we come to the big test-fire of the gun they “built” for the wounded vet. While I’m not the greatest shot in the world, I’m happy to say I can – at a bare minimum – put rounds through an index card at 20 yards with whatever you give me from any position. These guys, though, were struggling to keep their shots on paper on a large silhouette target using a scoped rifle and a bipod.

We’re talking about employees who implied that they’re former military and work at a gun store, and yet they couldn’t get anything better than a “minute of bad guy” out of a Leupold scope and an FNAR rifle. For reference, any new shooter (never fired a gun before) I take to the range leaves having shot a 2 MoA 3-round group within an hour of arriving. Yeah it was probably staged, but somehow it makes me feel better thinking that these are just actors brought in to play a role instead of real shop employees.

Next up was the requisite shop drama, and it was so obviously scripted that it was obvious to even me. I’m not even going to take any more time discussing it.

Finally, we come to the “reveal” of the rifle they “modified” for the wounded vet. And really the only thing they did was throw on a bipod and scope, which I guess is a modification in the literal sense of the word but compared to even the stuff Red Jacket usually is up to falls completely short of the mark for entertainment value.

So in short, what we have is a show that tried to combine elements from three rather successful television shows and fails completely in every way. The haggling is kneecapped by a cap on the amount you can get for pawning something, and the lackluster items combined with customers that lack the charm of those on Pawn Stars makes the whole thing fall flat on its face. The “customization” section ala American Guns was completely uninteresting — American Guns makes their own stuff from hand, but in this case the only labor that needs to be done is opening the bubble wrap. And the Sons of Guns esque shop drama is overblown and really just makes you hate everyone on the show.

There is not one single redeeming feature about this show. Sons of Guns at least had some comedic moments, some mechanical ingenuity and some charm to it. American Guns builds its own stuff and has tons of expertise to bring to bear for projects. And Pawn Stars is just great all around. Each of those shows, while not exactly portraying gun owners in exactly the light we would like, helps to promote the normality of firearms and makes gun owners seem like normal people. This show does the exact opposite, making gun owners seem like paranoid douchebags.

It’s like they found that one gun store (there’s one in every area) where the owner is a complete dick, rips everyone off and no semi-intelligent human would ever walk in the door more than once, and then put them on TV. Its actively hurting our image as responsible gun owners.

As the show came to an end, I was praying that a merciful God would see what was going on and nuke the store from orbit. None of the main characters had a single redeeming value to them, and there really was no compelling reason to watch another episode. Ever. It was the worst show I had ever seen, and I’ve seen every episode of the Jersey Shore.

So now you know.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

80 COMMENTS

  1. “…I’ve seen every episode of the Jersey Shore.”
    ——
    Wait, what?! Nick, you may have just lost a little bit of the great amount of respect I have for you. 😉

    • I’m from Jersey and even I don’t watch that crap. Nick, do you hate yourself or something?

  2. Obviously staged TV shows… Oops, I mean “Reality” TV shows… Are ruining television, seriously everything that has come out lately is a reality show and it makes me sick!

    Not so sure about that ridiculous parking lot clearing either. I can understand being careful and whatnot in a business like that, but that was a bit much.

  4. As far as the parking lot antics go, they are beyond stupid. You’re clearing the parking lot all tactical-like while your buddy opens the door, but for the rest of the day, you let just anyone walk right in… riiiiiight, that’s logical. That said, at least in the clips I saw, they never lasered the highway while “clearing.” Whenever you saw the road it was over the shoulder of the “operative,” while their guns were pointed at the building or the woods beyond.

    As far as the $500 limit per pawn ticket… You might actually get to see some haggling if they do any buying guns outright, instead of just pawning them. As far as the soldier in the clip specifically, I would have taken the Leupold off the DPMS and pawned it separately, thus resulting in another $500 pawn ticket.

    • As staged as the parking lot clearing was, it isn’t that far from the truth. Guns Plus is known around here (I live in Fayetteville) for having pretty quality equipment, but it’s expensive as hell. Not long after they filmed this episode, someone waited outside until closing, burst in the door, and took a bunch of equipment.

      • Quality? They are selling shit you could buy direct from manufacturers. Of course you’re paying more if you’re dumb enough to go there. As far as them clearing the parking lot, this is the dumbest thing I have EVER seen. I would love to be in the area when they open and drive my car through their parking lot and right through their formation drinking a slushy. If you shop at GunsPlus then you’re a fucking idiot and you probably also believe everything on FOX News. Combat Pawn is the shittiest show ever and it represents Fayetteville like the lump of shit it is.

      • They are personnel friends of mine. I lived accost the street and its a dangerous area so they do clear the take the highest precautions. They have been robbed by someone driving a forklift through the front door so if the trash talkers owned their own store what would they do? If someone offered you a show they would not try? The staff were former SWAT cop, marine, LRS, 3Bat Ranger and the armorer was with several SF Groups and the co-inventor of the 6.8 round, a little more than your local gun store hillbilly’s.

        It surprises me how many haters there are now, and the internet makes everyone act ten feet tall and ten years old. Yes the show was not a hit and they did one season, Oh Well, your going to say no to free PR? And what most people would not know is because of Ft.Bragg this may be one of the biggest on the east coast. I can tell you being the only gun store on on the north side of Ft.Bragg (where all the tier one units are). Most those guys like to stop in and touch some guns before they go home to the screaming kids. For a retailer there may not be another gun store in the country that has as much foot traffic of high speed guys. But punks who have never been to Bragg would never know that.

  5. I watched a great show on History Channel last night about tugboats on the the Great lakes-informative,tense,and I got the feeling nothing was staged-what they do is hard and dangerous on a routine basis.No stupid drama either-people made mistakes,as people will do and there were consequences-mature,serious stuff.

  6. Thanks Nick, for nothing.

    Never had any idea of the show before, just saw it listed and never bothered. Now I just have to try to watch one episode.

  8. At least NC doesn’t have a “brandishing” law, just “Going armed to the terror of the public” which apparently has to occur on a public road. I was going to try watching this, and now like a train wreck I feel I must. Sad for the Tar Heel State

  9. this is why i don’t have cable or satellite. i have tons of dvd’s, none of which is pure shit like we see on the tube these days.

  10. I’m calling BS on opening the store every day they way they claim. That was the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever seen on TV. Bunch of special ops wannabees. Who are they trying to impress?

  13. Seriously, Jersey Shore? I had enough of the Jersey Shore in my misspent yute to last me a lifetime (of course it wasn’t misspent fun). You must be a glutton for punishment, plus why watch this craptacular program? You are part of the problem giving these idiots, ratings. STOP watching!!!! Of course I remember when MTV would play music videos.

    Now as far as this show goes, thanks for the info. I’ll pass, as I pass on all the other gun shows.

  15. Why the heck didn’t that guy take all the accessories off those rifles if he was only going to get a $500 pawn loan for each? Heck, he could have taken off the scopes and pawned them seperately to up his loan to $2000 if he was thinking straight. My guess is he isn’t one of the SF guys over there at Bragg …

  17. This shop is local to me and I can confirm that the employees are not actors but are complete assbags. They are known for being one of the highest priced shops and the staff are a bunch of know-it-alls. The show is 99% scripted and from the reports of others that watched the taping said that the woman with the shotgun was actually given the shotgun right off the store’s floor rack by a producer, walked outside and was coached on what to say to create drama.

    The guy with the Desert Eagle didn’t really sell his pistol despite being led to believe that he did. Also the employees don’t haggle on a price to buy. What they do is pul out a wholesale catalog and then give a single price based off what they can get the same gun for…take it or leave it and they always lowball what you have.

    The rifle “build”…wow was that a fail and I’m willing to bet that the vet never purchased the rifle. I’m thinking that it was a used rifle that was “built up” as a display. Notice first that the “gunsmith” installed a Zeiss Conquest scope but he is so dumb that he can’t figure out how to work the turrets (try looking at the manual…) but you are lead to believe that he somehow worked it out in the end. But if you look closer when the vet is shooting, not only is there a different (and more expensive) scope on the rifle, but the scope mount is different AND there is now a Trijicon RMR on a canted mount on the left side of the scope mount. There is no way that the vet would authorize such an expensive upgrade just because the “gunsmith” can’t figure out a Zeiss scope.

    The show is completely gay with poor acting and portraying gun owners as paranoid tactical tools. The only thing that is real is that the manager is a complete asshat, everything else is fiction.

    • Matt is a former employ who was fired.
      Take anything he says with a grain of salt.
      We know for a fact that he called a false OSHA report on the shop days before the show premiered even though he has not been in the store for over two years.
      I have no issue with anyone who does not like the show.
      Free country and its only entertainment.
      Issue I have is with, to use Matt’s own words, an “assbag” we pretends to know anything about what goes on in that store.

    • Matt,
      I can understand if you don’t like the show. No problems with that.
      Your comments seem to be more of a personal attack, seems more like a FLAME than an actual review of the show.
      Funny how friendly you were with Bernard and I when we last saw you at the shooting match. Yet a few day later you started your campaign of slander on any web site that you could join.
      Hate the show, we don’t care. But please grow up and stop the unfounded personal attacks. We get it, your angry about being let go. Move on.

      • Wow, that’s the first time I heard about a OSHA report that I never filed. No, I’m not angry or bitter about not working there from what…4 years ago? Did you the manager fire me? No. Did the owner Chris fire me? No. He said he was letting me go because of the economy…but I find the timing of my dismissal ironic because the time before I was in the shop I called out Chris about why he was calling my wife and asking her not to tell me about it which I found pretty disrespectful to do to a friend. My wife was also extremely uncomfortable when Chris bought her a Victoria’s Secret gift card and a bath robe. That is pretty creepy.

        I haven’t made any personal attacks, just observations and unless you are blind my comments are in line with pretty much everyone else so if you can stomach them then mine shouldn’t even phase you. I was nice to Bernard @ Range 37 because I truly like Bernard and I still do. I have a feeling that he is only doing the show for the money…and you did say that you received your first check for doing some episodes.

        If you believe that your “show” is any better than the other crap that is out there (American Guns, Sons of Guns, Pawn Stars, etc.) Then you have some sort of delusion. They are all fake garbage and my opinion is the same for them despite not being employed by any of them (btw working at GP isn’t all that). If you’re going to publicly put yourself out there then be prepared for some critism.

        • You sir are full of it.
          You have made personal attacks on me yet will not say them to my face.
          You are a coward.
          You have been the band leader on every web site that will have you to try to discredit the shop. This did not happen starting with the show. You have been at it for a long time.
          Get over it already. Do you realy think that you are blowing the lid off of something by telling folks that a “reality” show isn’t real? Wow what a shock!
          You forget to mention that Chris, the owner paid for your divorce when you couldnt afford it to help you out.
          Chris bought all the women connected to the shop the same gifts. As did a few of us. Sarha has gottten a mint worth of gift certs. from the same shop.
          Try to get over your self. No one wants to steal your wife away from you.
          This just shows your insecturities. It is just plain sad. Time to move on with your life.

        • If you don’t like reality shows why do you spend so much time talking about them?
          That doen’t realy make much sence.
          No one at the shop ever made the statement that our show was any better than any other. Another case of hearing (making things up) what you want.
          And yes, we are getting paid, does this shock you some how? Do you realy think any one does a TV show for free? Realy?
          And, the owner is running a BUISNESS, you know that thing that is supposed to make MONEY.
          Real shock there.
          Dude, give it a rest. Realy you are way past the point of being creepy with your opsetion with us and the store.

    • I just watched 5 episodes. It was a bit out there in the first episode, but decided to give it a chance. The clincher was the guy who walked in with a mint WWII vintage 1919 Browning machine gun and sold it for $500.00 because it didn’t work. Then the owner bitched out the employee for paying way too much money for a “Paper Weight”. Then they said if they could fix it it would sell for $2,500.00. The last 1919 Browning MG I saw sell, sold for $23,500.00.

      That was when I knew for sure this show was an embarrassment to gun owners. And is a definite embarrassment to the shop that’s featured.

  18. I go by that area sometimes. Might have to swing by and see if the douchebaggery is as strong with them as it seems to be. Sweet Moses, that’s awful.

      • Matt has not been in the shop for a few years.
        Feel free to come and check us out.
        We are not as bad as the show. Promise

        Take “Reality” tv with a grain of salt. Remember it is tv.
        We would be happy to talk with you when you come by.
        If you google search you will see that Matt has hit any site that will allow him on.
        He has now hit Master Troll level.

  19. Having spent almost 6 years at Bragg I had to click on the video. The first thing I saw was “Spring Lake.” 😀

    OK, you guys who have never been to Bragg might not get the joke, but I was LMAO. Spring Lake is the run-down camp town just outside the Northeast gates of Bragg, a place that is known for trailer parks, pawn shops, strip joints, rent-t0-own furniture places and not much else. Seriously, even people from Fayetteville (a/k/a Fayett-Nam) look down their nose at Spring Lake. When I was stationed at Bragg in the 90’s “Trailer park in Spring Lake” was our way of saying “Van down by the river” as in “If you don’t get your shit together, you’re going to find yourself living in a trailer park in Spring Lake.”

    I was thinking maybe this was set at Jim’s Gun and Pawn shop down on Yadkin Road, which was a legendary pawn shop in Fayetteville at the time I was there. I heard later that the shop got into some trouble with the ATF over gun sales – depending on who you talk to they were either a dirty shop or they got on the ATF shit-list and were the victim of a dirty sting.

    • Your description of Spring Lake is how I usually think of Fayetteville in general. 😉

    • Jim’s really got a bad rap with their trouble with the ATF.
      As another local vendor, it seemed that the Feds were hoping to make an example of a large successful shop.
      Being a former manager with those folks, I can’t believe that they would be involved in any criminal activity.
      People can say what they want about Jim’s but their business is all above-board.

    • When I was stationed at Bragg, fayetteville was fayetteville. I agree with Gyufgy, their are some nice areas and bad ones like any city in the USA. To isolate one section of the city to base your overall opinion of fayetteville is kind of childish and immature. Their are strip joints, trailer parks, pawn shops and rent to own stores throughout the city, I can tell from Martins comment that he really doesn’t get out of the house much.

  20. Well my brain hurts after watching that parking lot clearing, mall ninja bullshit. They went full retard.

  21. That store opening scene can not be justified under any school of thought. Even the National Academy of Deep is going “WTF???”

  22. Hey, no picking on Nick for the Jersey Shore. It’s the human watch-the-bloody-car-wreck instinct. I was obligated to check it out just to see how far my people had devolved in the half-a-century since I migrated west. (Mostly I don’t get the tanning. Sicilians are naturally dark enough to get racially profiled in AZ–I know from personal experience.)

    As for the glut of reality shows, it’s like a sad game. Let’s play: mix in any way you want Repo, Bounty Hunter, Pawn, Auction, Diggers, Pickers, Gearheads, Storage Sheds, Rednecks, Bayou, Swamp, Teen Mom, Jail, Mob Wife, Guns, Ghosts, Conspiracies, Big Foot, Fishermen, Loggers… (What did I miss?) Throw in some Springer-level drama and script to make Americans look like uneducated (sometimes unwashed) violent trash. Okay, now go sell a show! (And cut me in when you get rich.)

  23. Just remember “any publicity is good publicity.” Lets try to not ever mention this show again.

    Holy #$%&, that opening scene really pissed me off.

  26. You know that TruTV makes completely fake shows right? They are designed for morons who feed off drama/dysfunction — they’re the only people that believe this stuff is real.

    If you have any friends that watch that channel — now you know who to stay away from.

  27. It was “lame” alright.

    Sidenote – It seems to me this show and “American Guns” are really anti-gun shows in disguise whose real purpose is to discourage new gun owners by quoting ridiculously high prices on guns to purchase. (LOL)

    I can’t believe what some people pay on American Guns for their gun, although I assume the TV show is somewhere supporting the customer to pay these prices. Otherwise, As W.C Fields said, there’s a sucker born every minute.

  28. Wow, that clip blew me away… and here is why.

    I’ve dealt with this store on multiple occasions for multiple purposes. I gifted my self a springfield operator TRP after graduation from here. The price was fair and in line with market value at the time. I have also purchased a glock 23 and transfered a kahr MK9 (my hot weather EDC) from gunboker through them . The prices for all were fair, and they were very quick on notification when my weapon arrived for transfer.

    They treat all customers with respect but can come of a little haughty. Military personnel are always treated in high regard there. Watching them interact with individuals with minimal experience in guns is always interesting, and I’ve seen them pitch weapons for home defense that were not suited for the situation (a low end 380 pocket pistol for HD vs CCW? My thought at the time was he was trying to make a sale based on what the person was likely to spend).

    The above being said, the video is immensely disappointing. My base opinion is that these guys are generally professional and polite, but willing to make a quick sale. I can only imagine that they got starry eyed with the prospect of a reality tv show all of their own, and completely sold out on the prospect of fame and $$. After watching the shenanigans in the parking lot, I have to re-evaluate ever going there again. These guys are right out from the gate of the most elite units in the world, and they just completely embarrassed themselves and most likely removed themselves from the market of some of the most professional soldiers around who won’t wan’t to be associated with such ridiculousness. A pity they let the camera’s affect their customer base… knuckle heads.

    • I agree with you and many others in here 18 Series. I did see some interesting guns come in, and that’s always fun to see new and different stuff. I watched two episodes and instead of educating and gaining acceptance of guns, it seemed they could potentially have the opposite effect to the novice. I thought the idea was to encourage all Americans who can to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Anyways, ditch the drama guys. The last thing any of us needs are some guys at a gun shop wanting to fight each other. If you don’t have the temperament, try a new career.

      Moving on, if you guys want to get to a great shop, The Outpost Armory south of Nashville, TN in Chistiana. It’s the Barrett factory store because it’s right there by the factory, and we are talking about a Willy Wonka type candy store of fine firearms and accessories. Great folks who are eagar to help and great to talk to, with great stories. Reload supplies are fairly priced, and they have Luper brass and .50 Cal brass. I’ve been told you can get a tour of the Barrett factory when you are there but not sure of that. Now be prepared, they have expensive firearms, lots of custom stuff like Les Baer and STI (Fell in love with 10mm versions that I got to handle from both manufacturers), high end hunting rifles, and any optics you would want. Their prices are high, but they may negotiate, not sure. As far as gun stores go, this is a must stop at store for the serious arms afficianado.

  29. Do these clowns run through the full mall ninja routine every time they open for business, or that just for the camera crew?

  30. I wasn’t going to comment on this until I watched the parking lot clearing video. Just WOW! I can’t imagine what happens to some poor soul that shows up early before opening in hopes of getting in and out quickly.

  31. i havn’t been to nc for about 20 yrs but when the vet came into the gun shop with his friends and they were all decked out like PMC in baghdad i had to wonder , since they acted like clearing the parking lot was waiting for a full on attack how would you let customers come in the store ready for battle

  32. I have known these guys for 9 years and yes they do clear the parking lot every day in a tactically correct way, because the store has been robbed before.
    Patrick Walker

  33. Well Martin, for whatever reason that I can’t reply to your “comment” I am responding here do dispell your mistruths. First off I am no “band leader” to any internet conspiracy against the shop. GP had a questionable reputation even when I was working there and contrary to what you are saying that I’m joining every message board that will allow me is just false. I post and/or read 6-8 boards & blogs regularly, hardly the whole internet.

    Now what is really creepy is that you, Martin, has basically cyber-stalked me on no less than 3 different forums now and only reply to my comments and MINE alone. Obvoiusly you haven’t read the review on this very site or read any other comments. Why haven’t you replied to anyone else? Why does only my opinion matter?

    You seem to know a lot of what Chris has done (ex. my divorce) considering he asked me to not talk about it for fear of favoritism so I can assume that Chris is in on this as well. Chris paid for my divorce not because he wanted to be a nice guy…he did it as an investment in me so that I would continue to work there and start the manufacturing side of the business with him, and that was even discussed not less than 2 weeks before I was let go so getting “fired” just doesn’t make any logical sense. I was let go for personal reasons not for anything performance based.

    The show is shit and no one can tell me to not watch it and express my opinions and not have to be presented with any form of intimidation. Following me around message forums and accusing me of making false reports and making statements that I’m NOT a disabled veteran not only fits intimidation but libel as well. My opinion that you are an assbag is my opinion, but for you to say something that I’m not is libel.

    The only coward is you for doing your little pop in and out only commenting at me. You chose to sell out and be in a crappy show and if it was Jim’s, Shooters, Minuteman, et al. I would say the same things so get off your high horse thinking I have something personal against the shop. I would’ve had to quit within 6 months of me retiring anyway so I have nothing to be bitter about something that happened almost 4 years ago.

    • /popcorn

      Matt: Not that I want to in any way encourage the spat you two have going on, but just for your information…

      The comments have a max depth of “4,” which is why martin‘s comments have no Reply link after them. If you hit the Reply link at the bottom of your post of 7/23/12 at 10:14, whatever you write will nest in behind martin‘s two posts at 21:55 and 22:18, which I think is what you intended.

      • Matt, thanks for the info and is noted if Mr. Sensitive replies. If anyone hasn’t noticed, his TV persona is just like how he is in real life. I’m just now waiting for him to say that my friends are all strippers or something equally stupid.

    • In my search for “combat pawn” you are the one constant on every forum hit that comes up. I have found sites where you only have 2 posts and they are both about us.
      Your own statements disprove most of your points. If you actual read ANY posts on this forum other than yours, you would see that I have actually commented on several comments.
      As always your arguments are weak and self contradicting. I really expected no less. Any one with a search engine can see that you statements are false.
      I stand by my statement that you are a troll and a coward that will do nothing more than hide behind your key board and rant. You had neither the stomic or courage to say anything to a person when face to face.
      Feel free to hate the show, that is anyones right.
      But anyone with a google can see your motivations behind your rants.
      So feel free to troll on!
      I’m kinda flattered that our shop has its own stalker.

      • Oh boy…I know there are more than 6-8 gun and tv forums that have negatively commented on the show that I had no part of. I never posted on glocktalk, XDforum, Indiana gun owners, Texas gun owners, Calguns.com etc. Etc. Etc so once again Martin is wrong. Notice how Martin only replied to my comments…I wonder why? So I’m supposed to drive 40 minutes just to tell to your face the show sucks and you’re an assbag? I’m no stalker of the “show” but you, Martin, have been stalking me and unless you reply to the other critics then it does prove my point. Is there anything else I should be blamed for…because you know for a fact? Unbelieveable paranoia.

      • Martin are you one of the guys on the show? Listen, I want to like this show, but I have a question. That guy that brought in an HK G36 – You gave him $5k for that gun, over the counter transfer. That gun is post 86 and cannot be transferred as a full auto to a civilian. Now, a post 86 dealer sample is no where near $5k. WTF is going on with that? You either took in a contraband rifle from an illegal owner and paid way too much for it, or you overpaid like $3,500 for a post dealer sample, from another dealer of course, not some dude off the street.

        Look, TrueTV has to be a bit more “True”. Like I said, I want to like your show, personalities aside, you have trick gear on t.v. and that’s good for m e. But you are so far from reality on it I am offended. Please, in the future, (if I can drop a suggestion in the suggestion box) at least keep the “reality” portion within the realm of sanity as to keep viewer’s who have any clue at least entertained….

  34. It’s real sad when an internet blog comment section has more drama and is more interesting than a TV show. Anyway, if anyone wants to research Martin’s claim that I’m trolling/spamming every single thread about “Combat Pawn” my screen names are either “Matt”, “Mattitude” or “TSgt_Matt” and see what is true and what is fiction (besides the show…it’s all fiction except for Martin’s personality, it’s really like that). I’m really surprised that he has stuck around this long, but at least I’m getting a good laugh out of it.

  35. I spend alot of time at this shop and live less than 5 miles from it. Yes i believe the parking lot clearing is fake, yes their prices are inflated, yes their customer service is questionable sometimes. But I am military and can relate to these guys in everything they do. Josh is the man to talk to if you need anything 1911 related, I came in with a hammer strut pin that i couldnt get out. He told me exactly step by step how to do it and they were the only shop in town that had a replacement.

    Ethan is probably my favorite guy. He seems to be the most down to earth individual in the shop.

    That being said, I went to their range maybe 3 times. Each and everytime there were at least 2 brand new shooters with no coach or range safety officer.

    The second time i got a loaded ar15 pointed at me (no muzzle awareness) and the third and final time i watched a guy nearly blow his foot off with a glock because he pulled the trigger while trying to practice his front of the pants draw technique.

  37. I’ve been a customer at this store for 10 years, and I’ve never had a problem with them, but the show is a little disappointing. In 10 years I had never once seen the owner(Chris) until the show started filming, and I had never seen any of the staff ever yell at a customer, no matter how rude the customer happened to be. The staff aren’t as bad as the show makes them out to be, and I find it sad that they portray them that way, but Guns Plus is a fantastic establishment.

    • Martin are you one of the guys on the show? Listen, I want to like this show, but I have a question. That guy that brought in an HK G36 – You gave him $5k for that gun, over the counter transfer. That gun is post 86 and cannot be transferred as a full auto to a civilian. Now, a post 86 dealer sample is like $750- no where near $5k. WTF is going on with that? You either took in a contraband rifle from an illegal owner and paid way too much for it, or you overpaid like $4,500 for a post dealer sample, from another dealer of course, not some dude off the street.

      Look, TrueTV has to be a bit more “True”. Like I said, I want to like your show, personalities aside, you have trick gear on t.v. and that’s good for m e. But you are so far from reality on it I am offended. Please, in the future, (if I can drop a suggestion in the suggestion box) at least keep the “reality” portion within the realm of sanity as to keep viewer’s who have any clue at least entertained….

      • There’s lots of WTF going on in this show.
        tonite 8/5/12
        Old man points his palm pistol directly at an employee…..and an employee points a handgun at a customer proving a point. This kindle crap and unsafe behavior needs to be removed from tv!!!! Not normal! I

  38. I think that everyone (well…besides the producers & Guns Plus people) who knew about this show before it aired was going to be a spectacular train wreck and the show didn’t disappoint. Terrible acting, unreasonable prices, fake stories & unsafe practices abound. Anyone notice that there isn’t the standard “these are professionals so don’t attempt this at home” disclaimer like on AG, SoG, Top Shot, etc. at the beginning of the show?? I wonder why that is.

  39. I know these guys and I stop going into the store after watching them degrade customers. They will price hike in a heartbeat ad well. They are knowledge of there products and they have a great tactical knive selection. The parking lot clearing is completely fluff. This shop is located on a major traffic artery and firing high power rifles in the parking lot will cost the owner the shop if ever happens. The owner was a person when he was in the smaller shop…

  40. These guys are asshats, end of story. I live in spring lake less them 5 mins for this place. If you want a good gun store go to Shooters, smaller selection but the customer service is ten times better and they’ll order any thing you need at a better price then guns plus.

  42. I have an issue with that portrayal of a ” Browning Machine gun that didnt work” you should have stated that it was a semi-auto 1919, and the poor guy that sold it for $500 cuz it didnt function due to an ammo link being in the feed tray obviously should not own a belt fed knowing nothing about how it functions. You guys totally used smoke and mirrors to show it firing in full auto, when in fact it did not. unless you had a crank on it that you did not show.

  43. The parking lot clearing (as ridiculous as it seems) is very real. The risk involved in running a firearms dealer/pawn shop in the Spring Lake/Fayetteville area is a dangerous trade and requires a bit of careful considerations when opening/closing shop. It was highly exaggerated for entertainment value on the show however. I live in Fayetteville just outside Ft. Bragg, and I have been to Guns Plus many times (just for the indoor range). They do indeed have a very nice selection and variety of firearms. Probably the best within 80 miles. And as for the
    “paid actors” rant, that is true because the employees are compensated obviously, but the majority of the employees on the show are and have been actual Guns Plus employees long before the show was produced. I am not in any way arguing the horribly overacted drama or the obviously scripted sales and deals, but 90% of the deals and builds are actual customers who are just briefed and such before the “deal” is filmed (the deal is made before the filming takes place…). In fact, the episode there they sell a machine gun to a local band member (Chad Blanton) is very real. Chad is a friend of mine and has been a guitarist for multiple bands in the Fayetteville area for years. All-in-all I would say that this show is what should be expected from TruTV. But it is not all BS as most believe.

    • PK, Thank you for standing up for them. There are way to many people downing the show in which I liked. I just talked to one of them on the phone (I think it was Martin) and was very upset to find out that they were cancelled. For whatever reason is still unclear to me. I was very much looking forward to watching the show again…. some good things do come to an end. Bernard and Josh were my favorites.

  44. Stopped in to the shop 10/19/13. Nice store, lot cool stuff in stock. Prices were kinda high but not ridiculous like Gander Mountain. I visited 6 gun stores in the Bragg area and all had loots of cool stuff. I’m sure proximity to lots of real operators helps business. I saw active duty personnel in every store I visited. There are no good reality shows, but the guns tore was cool and the staff was quite friendly.

  45. @PK – wait, youre saying they sold a gun to a convicted child sex offender!? That definitely doesn’t make the business sound better!

  46. They are personnel friends of mine. I lived accost the street and its a dangerous area so yes, they do clear the parking lot faithfully every day and take the highest precautions because the crack heads there will kill people. Just like stand-to in the military or at shift change is when you are vulnerable and make the bad guys aware of it. There is a SOP, sectors of fire and weapons placed to defend the store during business hours too, what is so surprising to everyone about that? They have only been robbed by someone driving a forklift through the front door. If the trash talkers owned their own store what would they do? Or if someone offered them a TV show because you had training and were different they would not try it? The staff has former SWAT cop, marine, LRS, 3Bat Ranger and the armorer was with several SF Groups and the co-inventor of the 6.8 round, a little more than your local gun store hillbilly’s.

    But do people hear themselves, like the comment that you can buy their stuff from the manufacturer. No kidding genius, show me one brick and mortar shop that doesn’t, its impulse buying that keeps shops in business . It surprises me how many haters there are now, and the internet makes everyone act ten feet tall and ten years old. Yes the show was not a hit and they did one season, Oh Well, your going to say no to free PR? Yes prices can be high because everyone there is coming home from deployment to a divorce and a wad of discretionary cash.

    And what most people would not know is because of Ft.Bragg, GUNS PLUS may be one of the biggest gun shops on the east coast. I can tell you being the only gun store on on the north side of Ft.Bragg (where all the tier one units are). Most those guys like to stop in and touch some guns and decompress before they go home to the screaming kids. For a retailer there may not be another gun store in the country that has as much foot traffic of high speed guys. But trash talking internet punks who have not worked at Bragg would never know that.

Comments are closed.