ORIGINAL: Maine Shooter
Wow! Here we go again...
Do you really think the manufacturers would chnace the liability of roducing a lesser grade firearm just for one particular chain? With the exception of thier "exclusives" Walmart gets thier firearms from the same distributors the local gunshop does. They simply have the price point worked out better because of thir volume buying.
If a company puts their name on a product, they'd better be ready to stand behind it. Especially if it's sold in WalMart, since they're going to be spreading them far & wide with their distribution.
That being said, you will find suits at WalMart, but you won't find an Armani. You will findcookware at WalMart, but you won't findCalphalon,Viking, Wustoff, or Henckels. You will find dress shoes at WalMart, but you won't find $500 Italianhand-sewn leather ones.
When acompany's credo is, "We sell for LESS!", then you won't expect to find the top-end of any product line there. So while you'll find the SPS models of the Remington 700, you're less likely to find theCDL models, because they cost much more. And while you'll find the < $50 Bushnell scopes there, they don't often carry the 4200 Elite models.
So, if you like the model that WalMart has in stock, and it meets your needs, and you have some trust in the manufacturer, then go ahead & buy it. But if you'd like to compare WalMart's offerings against the manufactuers higher-end models, you'll have to go somewhere else.
I've bought a gun from WalMart
once. I like the gun - it works great. But now I prefer to buy elsewhere.