Gun Shops, of Days Gone By...

[sparkyfender]

Southern IN.

Years ago, my Dad used to take me to a gun shop on the main drag in Orleans, IN. My Dad was mainly a "tire kicker" when it came to guns. He always admired the S&W revolvers, but was usually too tight to buy one. It was presided over by a heavy set gentleman, I think he smoked a stogie..... I remember it was called "Evans OK Gun Shop."

It's been gone for years, but I don't remember when it closed. ???

 

[PGRChaplain]

Tillmans Gun Shop on Maumee Ave. in Ft Wayne. I remember going in there with my dad over 50 years ago. Berle Tillman was the Proprietor Closed early 70's when Berle retired. Bought a lot of hunting stuff there.

 

[traderdan]

I miss my visits with G.W Starr in Cloverdale. His shop was fun to look through. Full of all kinds of odd & ends. He also had some good stories to tell. A good man. 'Shoes gun rack' on 10th street was a nice shop as well.

As I recall, Mr Starr had a son that was quite a good competition handgunner. He dressed like an English gentleman. I think G.W. was robbed once and he was set up and kinda hoping someone would try it again... Middle 80s.

 

[indyk]

There was one I grew up with in Grensburg Indiana,

"GUNS and TACKLE" on Main St
R.I.P

Then when I moved to Indy it was PlainFields Galyan's on W U.S 40

 

[BoilerWes]

Ramrod in New Castle. I would usually stop in on my way to Ludco to see if they happen to have what I was looking for close to home. Not even one time did they have it, lol.

 

[indykid]

Hard to believe how many gun stores there used to be. I remember being in awe at the firearm section of Sears. Montgomery Ward had a nice firearm selection, as did JC Penny. I enjoyed going into Ace Hardware to get nails, bolts and the like, which gave me an excuse to look at their selection of firearms. Seems there was a time when you could buy a firearm just about anywhere.

 

[indyk]

Yeahh remember K-mart had a bad ass firearms section, pistols, optics, rifles, and you could even get your bowling ball drilled while you have new tires put on your car by competent mechanics!!

 

[traderdan]

Hard to believe how many gun stores there used to be. I remember being in awe at the firearm section of Sears. Montgomery Ward had a nice firearm selection, as did JC Penny. I enjoyed going into Ace Hardware to get nails, bolts and the like, which gave me an excuse to look at their selection of firearms. Seems there was a time when you could buy a firearm just about anywhere.

SOOO much less crime these days huh?? Now that firearms are so much more regulated.

 

[semperfi211]

I miss Jim Shema's gun shop in Merrillville. Family owned and run , nice guy.

 

[Mark 1911]

Firearms Unlimited, Hammond
This is where I bought my first high power rifle, a Ruger M77 in 7mm Remington Magnum paid for by my parents, my graduation present from high school. The shop was run by Frank and Delores Freund, very nice people. They loved to talk guns and always had a pot of coffee going. Tragically, Delores was murdered in the store during a robbery in October, 1992. Her husband Frank continued to run the store until he was also murdered in the store during a robbery in March, 2000.

I remember driving past the store the night that Frank was shot to death. The police cars were parked out front with the red and blues flashing. It gave me a sick feeling in my gut to think what might be happening inside, and the news on TV the next day confirmed the worst.

Hansen's, Griffith
Not sure when Hansen's closed it doors but it has been a long time. The main thing I remember about Hansen's is the indoor gun range.

 

[BGDave]

The Gun Room also located in Beech Grove. As a teenager, my dad and I shot on a PPC league there. It was an indoor range.
It was owned by Gary Reed, I'm not sure why or how it went out of business, but it did none the less.

The gun room used to sell "Reed Loads". I have a box around here somewhere.
Dave's tubs and guns. An unusual pairing.
The Bullet Hole. The Shirley (?) brothers. With the lion cub.
Albro's. Scott throwing people out for abusing his inventory.
S&T Hardware in Greenwood.
Beech Grove hardware. Bought a Marlin M-39a there. Last firearm he had.
A to Z reloading in Bellville. Had mystery hours.
Miles Wyatt in Cicero. He used the buy his used guns from Albro's. By the laundry basket load. You definitely wanted to get there before him.
Shoe's Gun Rack. Bought things from him when he operated out of his garage. He also had a bluing set-up for awhile. Another story.

 

[Bigtanker]

Plinkers on Old US 20 on the west side of Elkhart. They had good prices and John the owner was a great guy.

 

[DRob]

I'm going way back. Got my first .22 when I was around 12 and could buy a box of .22 ammo for a quarter at Swinford's Texaco or Lapo's Hardware on Michigan Rd NW of Indy. You could buy shotguns, rifles, and ammo at every hardware store and many gas stations back then. The Plainfield store was the only Galyan's there was and they had hundreds of guns. The used guns stood in racks on the floor where you could handle any of them. Downtown Indy, at 200 W. Washington St. was Em-Roe Sporting Goods. They had lots of guns also and I always wanted to look at the Weatherbys which were the most expensive guns around at the time. In about 1968, I bought a 10/22 and a Marlin 39M at Central Hardware at 38th & Lafayette Rd. Every place I've mentioned is now out of business except Em-Roe which only sells school athletic team uniforms now. Their website has an interesting bit on the company history. https://www.em-roe.com/

 

[fastwally]

Buck's Bait on 124 east side of Peru. Bought so many guns from Max in the 60's/70's and 80's I can't remember them all, wish I had them all back. Wish Max was still here.

 

[shanksinator]

There used to be a place in the strip mall at 116th and Allisonville in Fishers, near the Marsh, early to mid 90's. Can't remember what it was called, but my Dad bought several firearms there as well as reloading equipment. I drive by there a couple of times a month, and I always look that way in case I've missed seeing it.

 

[chef larry]

I miss Jim Shema's gun shop in Merrillville. Family owned and run , nice guy.

Jim and Cathy Shema had the shop on Broadway just north of 73rd street in Merrillville. The old timers would tell me not to talk to Cathy about cooking in their gun shop. Miss the place, wonder how they are doing? Spent a lot of time and money in there.

 

[Winamac]

Another place I really used to enjoy that is now gone was in Winamac Indiana. the Coast to Coast hardware store there used to have a nice gun and gun accessories section. used to stop there on my way to the Winamac FWA gun range. The hardware store is still there and open, but the guns and accessories were removed? To bad. I wonder why?

 

[partyboy6686]

I really miss Albros in Beech Grove. That was where I purchased my first handgun. A Taurus 24/7 9mm first gen. Taurus had just released the 24/7 when I bought mine. I also bought a H&K USP 40 and H&K P2000SK 40 from Albros. I traded my Taurus 24/7 in on a Khar MK9. Randy was always prices right and more then fair when I sold or traded a gun in. Randy always took care of me and my older brother. His downfall came when he relocated the shop down the road in the strip mall behind K-mart.

 

[grassman]

Coxys Gun Shop
Not sure about spelling. He was south of North Webster on highway 13 . Lived in half the house other half was the shop. Very good old guy started buying from in the early 70s
Had a layaway plan 5 or 10 dollars down and as much as you could afford a month. Bought a S&W model 28 on that plan still have it today.

 

[sharkey]

Galyan's Trading Post in Plainfield, IN was always a favorite of mine. Then DICKs bought them and closed it down.

There used to be a general store in Belleville,IN that had a guns and ammo when I was little growing up in Clayton. I got my first gun from there......a little .410 single shotgun that I got when I was about 10 years old. I still have one. Not the same one, but it's still fun to shoot and doesn't kick the wife's shoulder like a mule.

The Lafayette Sq, Castleton and the Westfield stores were better than Dick's too. Bought my first .45 ACP in the Castleton store and my first 1911 at the Lafayette Sq. store.