Gander Mountain – West Mifflin

Everything is overpriced in the store. Whatever shooting supplies you find at gander mountain you can find cheaper at «Guns priced right» down the road or on Amazon. Any firearms or ammo here can be found cheaper at Field & Stream in Washington or Cabelas in Wheeling.

I just purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P shield 9 mm this past Wednesday. The salesman in the gun department was a great guy. Very knowledgeable and very personable. His name was Cameron he’s a big bear looking guy. I suggest asking for him if he’s working. My brother said if he decides to buy a gun he won’t buy one unless Cameron is working

Gander Mountain is one of the big outdoorsman retail presences in this area, and the only one of the lot (Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.) that sells handguns. I must admit that my interest in Gander Mountain is limited to firearms: I am not much of an outdoorsman, I abhor recreational hunting (although I will defend to the death your right to hunt), I’m useless with a bow, and I’m even more useless with a fishing rod. Therefore, this is not a comprehensive review of this store — please do not take it as such.
Handgun selection at Gander Mountain leaves a lot to be desired. I think this may have to do with (a) the fact that since this is a hunting-​focused establishment, long guns are bound to be more emphasized and (b) the anti-​gun sentiment in Washington, DC and the ensuing spike in demand for handguns at this point in time. Gun prices run closer to MSRP than elsewhere, meaning that you’ll pay more for the same gun here as you would if you skipped over to, say, Guns Priced Right or Anthony Arms. Gander Mountain does run a used gun purchasing expo during the first weekend of every month; I’ve never been to one, so I can’t comment on what those are like.
On the other hand, the long gun selection is quite good … as long as you’re not looking for «modern sporting”/“assault» rifles. Those are in short supply no matter where you look, and you’re not likely to find one easily here or anywhere else. As long as you’re looking for more «traditional» rifles and shotguns, you’ll find something to suit your fancy here. Again, as with handguns, Gander Mountain does choose to price its long guns nearer to MSRP than elsewhere, meaning that prices are more expensive here than elsewhere.
This particular location does seem to have a good supply of ammunition, although again it’s pricier than it perhaps should be. There’s a decent selection of accessories for long gunners and handgunners alike — I picked up a set of A-​Zoom .38 Special snap caps from here, for instance. The gun vault selection is decent. As for education: while Gander Mountain does offer classes courtesy of Legal Heat to those who want to obtain a Utah non-​resident CCW permit, it does not have any introductory courses for novice shooters (or, for that matter, a firing range as some Gander Mountain locations do).
Finally, the service is par for the course for big chains — impersonal, but usually not offensively so. The gun guys there do a lot of assuming about who is a customer and who isn’t — I once went there with my young son, patiently took a ticket and stood in line, and never got called up or even acknowledged. Too bad, as Gander Mountain lost a gun purchase from me thanks to that experience. Your mileage may vary.