M & C Army Surplus Store

M & C Army Surplus is a fantastic locally owned business here in Gainesville! So much more than army surplus. They have a great selection of guns, holsters, boots, military and tactical gear, and camping supplies! I came in to buy a gun, which they didn’t have in stock but gladly ordered for me at a great price. No hassle, just easy.
They know about their products and are willing to help. I would highly recommend M&C. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much they have in the store. It is so neat and organized, easy to find all you need! Always very helpful and professional!

Have had good experiences in the past but can’t say that about my last 2 visits.
Visit 1:
Went to buy another pair of work boots, as I have done many times in the past, and the assistance from staff was virtually nonexistent but I got what I needed and left. No problem until less than 3 months later the boots started to fall apart.
Visit 2:
I thought no problem I will just stop back by and show them. I had my receipt and the original packaging but when I showed them the boots they said there was NOTHING THEY could do for me. It was the customers responsibility to get with the manufacturer and deal with them for an exchange or refund. WHAT!!!
They offered no assistance on how to facilitate this other than tell me to go to the manufacturers web site and find out how to deal with the problem. The store had several of the same boots in my size on the shelf and could have easily exchanged them and dealt with the supplier but refused to do so. I asked to speak with a manager and was told they weren’t in at the moment. I left my name and number and asked that they have the manager call me. That never happened and as a result I will not shop there again and do not recommend them to anyone and I tell them why. This store was a favorite of mine but no longer. The customer doesn’t seem to mean anything to them, no follow up when they are asked and no customer service if you have a problem so buyer beware if you decide to shop there.

I went here because my friend recommended it. We’re both gun enthusiasts and he has made almost all of his firearms purchases here. I was in the market for a pistol on this day. Here are my impressions:
Building/​Location– not hard to find but the parking lot is smallish, not unusual for Gainesville though (I recommend backing in if possible). The inside is clean and well lit with an open floor plan. Not a big place, but typical within this industry.
Selection/​Prices– there is a decent selection of interesting military items ranging from boots and bags to BDUs and tactical/​mollie vests. They also have a decent selection of pistol holsters that should fit most models; most are from reputable brands like GALCO. Also if you are interested in military novelties, you should find a few goodies like navigation aids and waterproof notepads (my friend purchased a surplus gas-​mask sans the filter element).
As far as firearms selection is concerned don’t get yourself all worked up expecting an armory because this isn’t it. What you will find is a 25′ counter filled with handguns and the wall behind it displaying long guns. They also sell a variety of ammunition as well.
The handguns are organized according to style (1911s, polymer wonders, subcompacts, derringers, etc), and the selection is good IMO. I will talk a bit more about brands when I get to price.
I didn’t go in looking for a long gun but I glanced through the selection while my paperwork was being gathered and processed. This isn’t a selection geared towards hunters, mainly for social work, so if you were looking for a bolt gun or sporting shotgun you will be disappointed. What you will see are tactical shotguns (pistol grip style) and the dreaded «assault» rifles, along with a couple compacts.
There were several AKs, many ARs, and I even spotted a SCAR in OD among them, so not bad.
Price/​Staff– this seems to be the main gripe my fellow posters have, and the reviews almost persuaded me to not go here. Honestly I feel that they are wrong about the prices being real high. This isn’t a used gun store, and they carry quality hardware.
Don’t bother going here if you want a $ 3 – 400 pistol because your selection will limited to the small stuff. I would say the selection is geared towards the middle to high end. No custom 1911s but you will find SIG, Glock, HK, S&W, FN, and so on.
I think this is the reason why some feel that the prices are high. People we live in FL, in a time when there is a gun buying frenzy, and are shopping in a store that deals in high end guns. Guns are a big investment and you get what you pay for. I payed within $ 20 of the manufacturers suggested retail, and I think that was fair.
Yeah you can shop online and see these same guns for $ 100 less and think wow that’s a better deal! But consider that you also have to go through the hassle of finding the gun, ordering it, having it shipped to an FFL, and paying the FFLs fees. That’s not worth it for a hundred bucks if you ask me.
You go here and get to actually HANDLE the gun before you drop the big bucks. That’s important folks. You need to try the gun in your hand before you buy it instead of getting one a few dollars cheaper and deciding later on down the road that you may have got the wrong gun.
This is also where the staff comes into play. I came in wanting a particular gun and while they didn’t have the exact finish I wanted, I was able to handle it, rack the slide, and basically do the things you do at a gun store. By the way one fellow who was there was reminded by the staff to not sweep the barrel of the gun he was looking at. Not being rude, just reminding him that nobody likes to be looking down the barrel of a 12 guage.
So I tell the clerk what I want and explain the features I’m interested in and he gives me several options. I took the one I originally wanted and held it at the same time with some others. The man was very accommodating and friendly with me during this process and I actually ended up buying a different gun than I set out to because it just felt so much better in my hand (it was an HK, if you were curious lol).
After that the paperwork and background check proceeded smoothly and I paid for my purchase and left. Overall I had a positive experience and was satisfied with my visit.
Sorry for the long post. :-)

Expensive. Perused the selection and saw some stuff that I liked, but I passed for the moment due to funds.
They also carried a limited supply of Airsoft, but the prices are hilariously out of range for what they are. I bought some BBs, but even those were more than what I wanted to spend. Looked at their firearms. Looked like a good selection, didn’t browse too heavily into them. I might go back and do an update later on, but I gotta save some money. this place is EXPENSIVE.

I agree with the previous rater that this is not a real surplus store. They don’t sell military surplus they sell Chinese made junk at full retail prices.
Decent selection of firearms. Semi-​snooty staff. No bargains in the price department.
Its the only place like it in town and its been around for a while. Nevertheless, you’d be better off shopping online if you have the time or try a place with quality merchandise like Alachua Farm and Lumber

I am not a fan of M&C.
I have in the past been a customer at M&C. Ive bought everything from guns to camo. I have not been there for a few years and will not return
for probably a few more years.
Bottom line its not a «surplus store». They sell brand new camo fatigues, guns ammo and outdoor stuff. They also carry a small amount of law enforcement equipment. Anything from duty belts to badge wallets.
here are the things I don’t like about M&C.
1)Prices– they are HIGH. Guns are overpriced by far. do yourself a favor and go to another place if your looking to buy a gun. guarantee you will find it cheaper after calling around. As for anything else they sell in the store, it can be found cheaper on line.
2)The employee’s– Not social, not polite at all. I am pretty knowledgeable of firearms. I enjoy shopping around and just checking out new guns. Well it seems like to me that if you don’t intend on buying the gun then and there they don’t want to deal with it.
3)parking– AHHHH!!! i drive a big truck. a 99 dodge with 36inch tires. I realize that Most other people will not experience the same degree of difficulty with there parking lot but i think even in a small car i would have issues.
If I were to say one good thing it would be that there new location is loads better than there previous location on university ave. Its a better bigger building, and that’s about it.
Unless you need some piece of equipment in a hurry shop around and you will save money.

I feel a bit uneasy writing a review for M&C on the one hand because I’ve not been over there for some time, but on the other hand, I saw no one else had reviewed this store and feel like they do deserve a review. After all, they are really the only store of their kind in town and have been here since at least the later part of the 1980s. They moved to their current location on 13^th Street in the Fall of 2005, if memory serves correctly, and before that were on University Ave for years.
M&C carries items I would fit into three different catagories: they sell firearms and knives (and have one of the best selections of both in the region), they carry gear for law enforcement and emergency medical folks, and they have general army surplus goods and camping/​outdoors stuff. Given that a good Glock pistol goes for over $ 600 these days, there’s little wonder in them devoting a good share of space and effort to the firearms as that’s where the cash is, but their selection of army surplus items (BDUs, other clothing, mess kits and the like) is good also and a lot of fun to look through.
The selection of gear for law enforcement is also very impressive and what’s even more impressive is the attention the staff provides. All the folks working here seem to have some level of military or police experience so not only do they know their products, they can talk about what is better for a certain customer. In example, I was looking for a good tactical fixed-​blade knife for camping and though I know a lot about knives myself, they pointed me towards a less-​expensive but very high-​quality option I was not aware of otherwise. These people are interested in building up a relationship with customers over time, not just selling you something expensive because they can. They know their stuff, but are also very respectful of their customer: to wit, I recall talking with one of the owners about handguns and we both learned a bit from each other.
Due to their pragmatic, concerned, approach and their longstanding presence in the local community, M&C has become something of a legend in the local law enforcement and military subcultures. And justly so: while I’ve heard some people say they’re «expensive» I’ve found M&C to be on par with online dealers of things like BDUs, tactical flashlights, and knives once you account for paying shipping from an online dealer. What is more, a couple times the owner has in fact given me things for free when it was apt, such as when I bought an expensive knife and was unhappy with the sheath it sold with, I was given another sheath for free. This is not to say you should expect freebies, but it shows that they’re very dedicated to pleasing the customer. I’ve never asked an honest question here that they didn’t try to answer, even if it meant calling a manufacturer for a couple weeks until an answer was provided. These folks will go to bat for you.
I will update this review once I visit them again, which should be soon, but I fear I will buy something that’s cool but I don’t need like a $ 180 flashlight if I walk into M&C again!