Magnum Shooting Center :(

So, anyone here a member of Magnum Shooting Center in CO Springs? When I joined last month, they had a promotion going (through 2/28/18) where for a $349 new member fee plus a $32/month commitment for a year they would give you a free DPMS Oracle 5.56 rifle. I know it's a low-end AR, but I have a DPMS lower and a 6.8 SPCII upper, and they are okay products.

So I keep asking when I am going to get the rifle, and I keep getting put off and they tell me "soon" and "next week" etc. I get a voicemail from the owner, Todd yesterday, and when I call back today, I get his wife on the line, and she says she is sorry, but because Remington filed bankruptcy, they cannot get DPMS rifles anymore, and they will give me store credit for what I have paid?

Feeling kinda screwed over here. The main reason I joined was to get the rifle. Now they are waiving the membership fee for first responders, which I qualify for. So there are no DPMS rifles out there anymore? There are plenty on GB and other sites. How about a swap for a S&W or another brand? I'd be okay with that. I guess if I owned the place, I would try to honor my written commitments in this sort of situation. I'd take a hit in the wallet, but I'd have a satisfied customer and range member and likely a firearms buyer.

As it stands now, I'll probably drop the membership and ask for a refund, not store credit. Too bad, because the range was pretty good. As far as the gunsmith goes--I'm going to have to look elsewhere, too. I have a 870 Police Magnum that needed a new firing pin spring and to have a shell latch staked. He said he wouldn't even look at it for 3 weeks minimum. Any recommendations for a good 'smith in the Springs?

If it’s a nice range and you will use it, I would take the store credit and stick w the membership. Quite possibly their supplier for the rifles can’t get them to the shop. Did you really really want a dpms rifle? You may find something you want more and can use the store credit.

I would say them giving you store credit to apply towards a more expensive rifle is a fair solution if they can't get the exact model they promised. I would see that as honoring their commitments. They may already be taking a hit if they had them on a special buy price. I don't think they are obligated to give you a more expensive rifle. It's not just you, it's everyone who signed up. I do think that it was a calculated risk not having in stock what they planned to offer as an incentive, but the overhead they would have laid out would have been huge.

I don't know all the details, but it sounds like they acted in good faith to me.

Good answers all. I probably wouldn't have gone for the membership had it not been for the rifle offer, and if I joined today, I wouldn't have to pay any initial membership fee, so I'm thinking of just asking for a refund and trying out Whistling Pines. I've heard good things about them.

Whispering Pines is a better option that actually employs knowledgeable persons and supports local competition.

I did the math when I lived in CO and with the mil discount, it didn't make sense for me to pony up for the membership, assuming I used the range twice a month. Of all the indoor ranges I've been to, Magnum is by far the nicest. I've used their 100yd range numerous times, each time I've paid for the hour but shot way longer.

More to the story here--DPMS IS NOT shutting down production--here's what they said to me in an email:

"Good afternoon, No sir. We are still in business making new guns every day. We might just be in between a production run of the oracle. The Remington bankruptcy is a Chapter 11 which is restricting debt and is not affecting day to day operations."

I'll see what MSC has to say about that now.

It is an odd "explanation"....

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Originally Posted by esaabye

Whispering Pines is a better option that actually employs knowledgeable persons and supports local competition.

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+1

O2

sounds like you're being scammed by the range.

Sounds like it was a convenient excuse to use.

With the current state of affairs, AR style rifles, especially budget price point ones are hard to get right now.

Or maybe they stopped using their distributor that carried DPMS.

Or...they sold too many of the promo and ran out of the rifles that they were planning to use. (Cost averaging the rifles through a manufacturer promo. Currently, DPMS Oracles are around $435 dealer cost which is higher than the value of their membership.)

There could be lots of legitimate reasons why they can't get DPMS rifles.

But, like you found out, it's not the truth.

In any case, I would get them to own up to it. Their solution is to provide you with a credit...what's the credit amount? If they're only offering you $349, I would push to get a rifle since the current dealer cost is higher. You're not going to find an AR for $350...

Agree^^^

Went in today to drop my membership, get a refund and pick up the broken shotgun they have had for 2 weeks but "haven't had time to look at yet". As I waited for them to retrieve the shotgun, I walked around and looked at all the AR's on the shelves. Hmmm...guess what?--there was a DPMS Oracle on display for $799.00! I guess it was more profitable to sell one at that price than to give it to someone who had signed up for the membership promotion? [fail]

So, did you ask them for the DPMS then and there?

Nope, I was pretty well done with them by then. No trust left.

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Originally Posted by Del_Gue

Agree^^^

Went in today to drop my membership, get a refund and pick up the broken shotgun they have had for 2 weeks but "haven't had time to look at yet". As I waited for them to retrieve the shotgun, I walked around and looked at all the AR's on the shelves. Hmmm...guess what?--there was a DPMS Oracle on display for $799.00! I guess it was more profitable to sell one at that price than to give it to someone who had signed up for the membership promotion? [fail]

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Contact the AG's office and make a complaint. sounds like a bait and switch scam to me.


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I went in there once to zero a scope for a match the next day about 45 min before they closed. Not being a member they wouldn't rent me a lane because apparently the last hour of the day is reserved for members only? Even though there was 2 people on the range and I was the only other person there they still wouldn't help me. I never went back after that.

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Originally Posted by CoGirl303

Contact the AG's office and make a complaint. sounds like a bait and switch scam to me.


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Screw that. he received a refund and going to another range. Based on past interaction with the AG's office (doesn't matter what political party they were) Unless there's HEADLINE BREAKING NEWS, that will get them political voter points, . you're wasting your time.

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

Screw that. he received a refund and going to another range. Based on past interaction with the AG's office (doesn't matter what political party they were) Unless there's HEADLINE BREAKING NEWS, that will get them political voter points, . you're wasting your time.

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Agreed. If we asked the gov to solve our problems at lot less often, we'd all be better off.

Bummer the OP didn't get the good deal. But, in the end, no money lost so time to move on and find a new place to shoot. Good choice OP.

Thanks, Hollohas and everyone else for your comments. When I signed up for the free DPMS Oracle A-15 membership promotion, I thought “this deal is too good to be true”, and I was right!

Treat me right, and you’ll have a customer for life (just ask Cabelas), and I’ll let all my friends know how good you are. Screw me over, and I’ll let everyone know about it.

So they are waiving your membership fee and you're still moving on? I don't get it. You shoot for free but because you don't get a free Oracle you're going elsewhere? Shoot for free for a year, take them up on their credit, and then move on.

In today's environment, I'm not about to say anything bad about any range or club unless there's solid proof of an out-and-out scam. In this case, Magnum couldn't make good on the offer and gave the OP a refund. It's too bad he didn't get a slamming deal but it's good that they dealt with the situation. I wouldn't want them to go out of business just to honor a promotion but I would want them to offer refunds in the case they couldn't honor the promotion and it appears this is what they did.

In case it matters to anyone, I'm not a member of MSC although I've shot there a few times to support the Boy Scouts. My membership is at WPGC.

Just be glad you didn’t get saddled with a crap rifle. DPMS AR’s are best used as Police Buy Back Guns to get the $500 grocery store gift cards.


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Originally Posted by MOLON LABE

Just be glad you didn’t get saddled with a crap rifle. DPMS AR’s are best used as Police Buy Back Guns to get the $500 grocery store gift cards.


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Good to know. I'll let my factory DPMS SBR i've had for 14 years aware of that. .

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

Good to know. I'll let my factory DPMS SBR i've had for 14 years aware of that. .

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Someone has been hanging out over on M4C too much, I'm guessing if it ain't BCM he wants nothing to do with it.

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Originally Posted by kidicarus13

So they are waiving your membership fee and you're still moving on? I don't get it. You shoot for free but because you don't get a free Oracle you're going elsewhere? Shoot for free for a year, take them up on their credit, and then move on.

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Not the case--I would have still been on the hook for the $32.00/month membership fee, so not free shooting for a year, more like another $384 to continue as a member.

I guess I'd put it this way--if I was running a business and I did a promotion like this, I would have made sure I had the goods to cover the promotion (which was time-limited, as it only ran through Feb 28th)--that's just customer service 101. If you bought a new truck and were promised lifetime oil changes and after a year were told, sorry, the price of oil went up, so now you have to pay 1/2 of the cost, you'd probably be pissed.

I don't know what their issue is, but I got 3 different stories about when I would get it, why it was delayed and then why they couldn't do it, and all the explanations ended up being false. Of course they had to give me my money back because they didn't deliver, and it shouldn't have taken me driving up there to get it taken care of when their original offer was only store credit. I don't know about you, but if there is a gun-related business out there that is pulling this kind of stunt, I would appreciate knowing about it from fellow CO AR-15 members. I have avoided some people/businesses over the past 7 years as a CO-AR-15 member because of these tips.

During the 90s (?) there was a SCUBA franchise here in Colorado Springs and the greater Denver area called "High Country Divers". Their business model was simple: Whenever they needed an infusion of cash, they'd bring on another investor. This worked right up to the point where a new investor's share was so diluted they couldn't attract any more investors, at which point the business imploded.

From what I've heard, Magnum's business model is similar. But I admit that this is hearsay.

O2

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Originally Posted by Del_Gue

I don't know about you, but if there is a gun-related business out there that is pulling this kind of stunt, I would appreciate knowing about it from fellow CO AR-15 members. I have avoided some people/businesses over the past 7 years as a CO-AR-15 member because of these tips.

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I definitely appreciate the heads up and the info. Glad it worked out for you.

I appreciate the information, OP.
To me, lying about the situation is worse than not following through with the original offer.
I was looking to give a range membership as a gift, and now I know which range to avoid.

I have been a member of Magnum going on two years and have shot there since they opened. It is an excellent range and well managed. The initiation fee kept me from joining when they first opened but one of their previous specials that basically waived most of the registration fee got me over the hump. I have probably bought a handful of guns from them over the years when the price was right and found the folks to be very knowledgeable. They do have some that should be sweeping floors and not behind the gun counters helping customers, but vast majority speak from experience and knowledge, not just spouting marketing material. My most recent purchase was a Sig 226RX, which was cheaper than anything I could get online even with the tax.

I've also used their Gunsmithing services and have been generally pleased rebarreling a Model 7 and removing some stripped screws out of a scope base on another rifle. They also did some trigger work on a Ruger revolver that smoothed out the action nicely. One negative was when I asked them to rechamber a Model 97 in 6.5BRM to 260 Rem. There were some liability concerns but couldn't get them to commit and ended up taking the rifle back. They aren't fast but not any worse than other smiths I've used like TJ's.

That said, it doesn't excuse their handling of the agreement they had with the OP. Overall I still think highly of them and will continue to be a member but will keep both eyes open.

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Originally Posted by Del_Gue

I don't know what their issue is, but I got 3 different stories about when I would get it, why it was delayed and then why they couldn't do it, and all the explanations ended up being false. Of course they had to give me my money back because they didn't deliver, and it shouldn't have taken me driving up there to get it taken care of when their original offer was only store credit. I don't know about you, but if there is a gun-related business out there that is pulling this kind of stunt, I would appreciate knowing about it from fellow CO AR-15 members. I have avoided some people/businesses over the past 7 years as a CO-AR-15 member because of these tips.

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If you're not talking directly with the owner and GM, at the same time, you're wasting your time.

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

If you're not talking directly with the owner and GM, at the same time, you're wasting your time.

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Agree completely ^^^. I’ve been dealing with the owner.

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Originally Posted by hurley842002

Someone has been hanging out over on M4C too much, I'm guessing if it ain't BCM he wants nothing to do with it.

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Well your guess is worth about what the going rates for guesses are.

Lots of great companies putting Rifles together. DPMS isn’t one of them. I have spent some time browsing on M4C, groupthink over there is Colt 6920 or bust.

I want something that can make it through a 500 round count class without dying, and something that works out of the box, not something you have to re - barrel, and rebuild to get it running. I’m not a brand whore. If something works, it works. If you own the anomaly that works out of countless others from the same manufacturer that don’t but get upset that your brand has a bad rep, then I don’t know what to tell that you.

I’m sure somewhere there’s someone with 600k miles on a Ford Pinto, doesn’t mean the Pinto is the car model to rule them all.

Companies QC/QA can change mid shift, overnight, week to week, yearly, or every decade. Kimber used to be THE 1911 company to start off with to get a great custom 1911...in the 1990s. Stuff changes. If Century Arms buys out a company like Aero Precision, BCM, SOLGW, or KAC and runs the quality into the ground it doesn’t negate older guns that still work, but there’s no reason to keep pretending company X is still producing a top shelf item either.


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