RE: walmart guns
Gotta agree with Sott_II & RonM!!!
Also gotta agree with BarnesX.308. My philosophy is that I'll support a good gunshop if their price is at least competitive with Walmart, but I'll be darned if I'll pay $200 more for a used gun over an identical new model at Walmart just because the expensive one is at a "gunshop"! I see it all the time! Hey I'll gladly get my other components from Midway, Midsouth, or a local gunshop or two to "spread the wealth".
This spring I saved more than $200 when I bought my new Win 70 stainless/ synthetic .375 H&H from Walmart over the half a dozen "gunshops" I priced first and that I would have gladly supported. I did get similiar treatment that Mark C. Kimmel got when I picked my gun up though. They had 2 managers and 2 staff asking questions and triple checking paperwork along with my own personal ****** on the way out. I kind of felt "special"! I'm sure that has a lot to do with having a BIG target on their back by being successful and greedy people only seeing $$$ signs. (Had a great gunshop shut down while I lived in TN due to a lawsuit over paperwork.)
What Pharoah 2 said about the staff at Walmart is true. I'm thinking of 2 local Walmarts. The one in my local town 10 miles from here has a poorly stocked "sporting goods" selection and grouchy staff while 20 miles from here (and on my way to & from work), and in a town of identical size, the Walmart is run by a "gun nut" who has a fabulously stocked and staffed sporting goods selection! Even a bunch of reloading components!