View Full Version : Wal-Mart and firearms
Every so often I'll read or hear "Don't buy a Colt/Savage/Remington/etc. al Wal-Mart. They're factory seconds picked up cheap by Wal-Mart".
Obviously I can't prove or disprove this claim. But why would a manufacturer want to risk damaging their reputation by selling seconds (at the world's largest retailer). Doesn't really make sense to me.
MountainRaven
10-13-14, 15:17
Sounds like hogwash to me.
But I wouldn't bother buying a firearm from them based off of horror stories I've heard (from guys who were there) about how they weren't allowed to confirm or inspect the actual firearm they were acquiring until they left the store - and ended up with the wrong firearm. At which point in time, Wal-Mart's (totally understandable and completely defensible) No Returns policy on firearms kicks in.
thopkins22
10-13-14, 15:32
It's certainly not true about the Colts. A 6920 is a 6920 is a 6920. If the model number is the same, then it will be the same.
I'm always curious where rumors like this start. Here's my guess. Walmart DOES have(or at least has occasionally had) some firearms that are made a bit cheaper than the standard offerings. You just have to pay attention to the model number. The Ruger 10/22 comes to mind as it's my understanding that at least at one point there was a Walmart exclusive offering just like larger distributers often have made(sometimes cheaper than standard, sometimes more expensive.) But as I mentioned, those will have different model numbers. If you want a 1753B(or whatever I just made that up) and it looks the same but says 1758...then it either isn't the same or the company in question has changed their model number. I refuse to shop without an iPhone in my pocket because it makes checking things like that so easy.
Averageman
10-13-14, 15:56
I dropped it while installing the barrel.
That's okay just send it to WalMart.
Total BS.
Wasn't there already a big thread about this? I wanna say it ended up locked by IG. I'll see if I can find it but I vaguely remember that, like HMAC said, it's BS.
It's certainly not true about the Colts. A 6920 is a 6920 is a 6920. If the model number is the same, then it will be the same.
I'm always curious where rumors like this start. Here's my guess. Walmart DOES have(or at least has occasionally had) some firearms that are made a bit cheaper than the standard offerings. You just have to pay attention to the model number. The Ruger 10/22 comes to mind as it's my understanding that at least at one point there was a Walmart exclusive offering just like larger distributers often have made(sometimes cheaper than standard, sometimes more expensive.) But as I mentioned, those will have different model numbers. If you want a 1753B(or whatever I just made that up) and it looks the same but says 1758...then it either isn't the same or the company in question has changed their model number. I refuse to shop without an iPhone in my pocket because it makes checking things like that so easy.
Sometimes a model might get stripped down to hit a price point for a given retailer if they have enough economic power, but the quality of the engineering, construction, and components isn't skimped on, just the accessories. The "Walmart 10-22" might not have a checkered stock, for example. You'll see model numbers of refrigerators and TVs varying by retailer too, but that happens just to muddle comparison shopping from retailer to retailer, not because one retailer has better quality than the others.
Even today, there are a lot of people that are convinced that GMC Sierras are GMC's "premium" line and somehow superior to Chevrolet's Silverado :rolleyes: .
If memory serves, Beretta made a special run of their 390 shotgun just for Wal-Mart. Not sure what the difference was, though.
Crow Hunter
10-13-14, 17:37
If memory serves, Beretta made a special run of their 390 shotgun just for Wal-Mart. Not sure what the difference was, though.
Yes. They actually kept making them for Wal-mart for a while after they dropped the model from regular production if memory serves.
Wal-mart will often buy special runs that are made specifically for them, kind of like Lipsey's or one of the other distributors and sometimes they are built specifically to hit a price point but if you are buying a "normal" gun it is just that a "normal" model.
Of course I try to not buy guns at Wal-mart because I want to support my local shop and I hate dealing with the crazy rules for buying a gun at Wal-mart. I tried to buy a no J-key Remington 870 from them years ago that had been sitting in their rack for a couple of years at least. They couldn't figure out how to do it because someone had put it on layway 2 years before but never bought it. I finally gave up and said "Never mind". It is probably still on the rack. :rolleyes:
.46caliber
10-13-14, 18:03
Wal Mart, as a retailer, carries both products spec'd by them as well as items from a given vendor's normal line up. This applies to firearms, electronics even toys. This happens with many large retailers that purchase in volume from manufacturers.
Weatherby had a line of WalMart exclusives. Bushmaster and DPMS have both produced Cabela's exclusives if memory serves.
If you cant find a particular model available at WalMart but not on the vendor site or you're unsure call the manufacturer.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Moose-Knuckle
10-14-14, 18:52
Sounds like rumors started by online firearm retailers who can't compete with Wal-Mart's pricing.
GMC Sierras are GMC's "premium" line and somehow superior to Chevrolet's Silverado :rolleyes: .
When I was looking at them several years ago with my father the GMC's did have a higher trim level(just below a Denali) than Chevy did, again at the time, this was 2007. The truck itself(running gear) was 100% the same obviously, but the Sierra had a step higher trim level. The Denali is also a GMC product and I dont think Chevy sells a model trimmed that high, but again, the bones are the same(sort of, Denali's, at least the Suburban based one has, or had, a 2500 frame and running gear vs. the regular 1500 stuff in the regular Yukon XL, same with the Escalade having a 2500 frame and running gear). There are differences, or at least there where, just not in the actual truck construction. I think they are even built on the same exact line.
When I was looking at them several years ago with my father the GMC's did have a higher trim level(just below a Denali) than Chevy did, again at the time, this was 2007.
My son is a GM mechanic, works for a Chevy dealer. I own a 2007 GMC Sierra. There are some differences in the way the option packages are put together between the Sierra and Sliverado lines, but the top of the line Sierra has the same options as the top of the line Silverado. As to the current Denalis, they're equipped the same as the current LTZ lineup. Only differences are little cosmetic details like badges, painted bumpers, fake wood grain dash inserts. Mechanically, the vehicles are identical (despite legend to the contrary).
My son is a GM mechanic, works for a Chevy dealer. I own a 2007 GMC Sierra. There are some differences in the way the option packages are put together between the Sierra and Sliverado lines, but the top of the line Sierra has the same options as the top of the line Silverado. As to the current Denalis, they're equipped the same as the current LTZ lineup. Only differences are little cosmetic details like badges, painted bumpers, fake wood grain dash inserts. Mechanically, the vehicles are identical (despite legend to the contrary).
I could have sworn the Denali XL had the 2500 frame. Did the slightly older(last model before the changeover) have it? My sisters boyfriend was going back and forth between that and an Escalade to do a duramax swap into. Must be nice to have money and buy a 70k+ vehicle only to spend another 20k to get a Duramax/Allison/beef axles swapped in.
Older Denalis had no Chevy equivalent. I had a 2003 Denali. It had a 6 liter engine, 2500 frame, and 4-wheel steering.
Older Denalis had no Chevy equivalent. I had a 2003 Denali. It had a 6 liter engine, 2500 frame, and 4-wheel steering.
He was looking at a 13 or a 14, whatever the last year was before the switch to the current(new) body style. It wasnt any older than that, maybe he looked at some used 2012's.
I wish Chevy would just put the damn Duramax into the 2500 Suburban's, they would sell like fricken hot cakes.
Oh and sorry for the thread drift.
HackerF15E
10-14-14, 20:36
Every so often I'll read or hear "Don't buy a Colt/Savage/Remington/etc. al Wal-Mart. They're factory seconds picked up cheap by Wal-Mart".
Obviously I can't prove or disprove this claim. But why would a manufacturer want to risk damaging their reputation by selling seconds (at the world's largest retailer). Doesn't really make sense to me.
Plainly, no.
There may be special models that are run for WalMart, but you can be certain that guns of a particular model number (e.g. a Colt 6920) is the same at WM as it is at any other vendor.
alienb1212
10-14-14, 21:27
Got a Colt 6920 for my dad for Christmas the day Sandy Hook happened.
Same gun as as the other 6920's I've ever seen.
wildcard600
10-14-14, 21:57
i would not buy there just because its WM and they are not exactly stewards of the second amendment. nor ethical business practices.
YMMV
Years ago Sears, Montgomery Wards, Penneys, and maybe one or two more chains sold firearms stamped with their own brand, but of course they were made by High Standard, Mossberg, Savage, or Stevens or maybe a few others. Some store brands were "Ted Williams", "J.C. Higgins", "Hawthorne", and "Revelation". I'm sure there were a few more. Cosmetically, these guns were made to the manufacturers' specs. Maybe the one action bar Mossberg pump was made for chains even after Mossberg switched to twin bars. I doubt it, though. About 40 years ago famous gun smith Roy Dunlop wrote in his how to book that some companies made cheaper versions for discount stores. He implied that if you bought a Win 94 from a discount store, then it would turn to shit, whereas the local gun shops had the real deal.
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