Pekin Gun & Sporting Goods Inc. — Local services in Pekin

Best gun shop that I can find available in Central Illinois.

The volume of inventory that passes through this shop in a day, let alone a weekend, is astonishing. If you see something you've always wanted from your wishlist, you'd best buy it that day, because it could be gone in a matter of minutes or the next day. Didn't see anything that grabbed your immediate attention go back the next weekend. Inventory rivals what the big box retailers usually carry if not more and the prices are nearly unbeatable. They do carry a wider variety of firearms than retail stores and items that are tougher to come by due to popularity or collectability. If they do not have a firearm you are looking for they will order the item, granted it will cost you MSRP most of the time as opposed to if it was already in stock. Most of the time firearms are grouped by brand, but if you don’t see something you want, you need only to ask one of the staff members if it is available, a lot of times there isn’t enough room to showcase every item and they may have it in the stockroom. They have a very good assortment of knives, airsoft rifles and movie/fantasy/replica (swords/knives) if that is your thing. Military surplus ranging from gear bags, boots, packs, camping gear, MRE’s, etc. They carry some reloading equipment, brass and such, not a huge inventory but some. Cleaning supplies, holsters and targets along with safes and other accessories such as magazines, speedloaders and optics are also available.

As other folks have commented, yes this place is busy, yes you may have to wait in line (heaven forbid), but you know that's the difference between McDonald's and a burger from the grill at a family barbecue. The business seems short staffed at times when a rush occurs, but everyone has a function and a great deal of knowledge about what it is they are selling, you won't find your average high schooler working part-time starring into a corner and ignoring you on purpose. When you have their attention, it is yours, for as long as you need it and they can move onto the next customer.

Prices are hard to beat on firearms. Every once in awhile you may run across a weekly ad flyer with sales from the retail chains, which puts it about evenly priced with Pekin Gun Shop. I’ve been hard-pressed though to find someone who is lower on prices and has the firearm in-stock, from retail stores to online store fronts. They accept all major credit cards with the exception of Mastercard. They do have a 90 day lay-away program available which you usually won’t find any where else also.

The store itself is a bit cramped when busy due to constraints from the size of the building and with all they are trying to sell it is understandable, it probably is past time for a revamp of the floor layout, but with as busy as they stay and the steady income they are already producing on a daily basis, probably far from consideration. If it isn’t broke, why fix it? The building is handicap accessible and the aisles are large enough to...

For starters finding items is a pain. If you ask for help they are very rude. It's like it is an inconvenience for them to help customers. If their store was more organized maybe people would not have to ask. 2nd guns are just stacked on top of each other not taken care of. They showed me a used lc9s and it looked like it had never been cleaned since the first owner. Atleast take the time to check and clean the gun before reselling it. 3rd if you have a firearm question prepare for a smug attitude. I have bought multiple firearms from this store and this has been my experience everytime except when speaking with the younger gentleman which I think is the owner I believe his name is Dan. The main reason I went there is because of their low prices which is the only benefit to going there as I have found out the hard way. I will no longer be going there after my last purchase experience of my lc9s. I waited patiently for my turn to be helped. I proceeded to give my information to pick up my new firearm. During the exchange I asked if they had any extra mags for the firearm I was picking up. The man helping me said they had the extended and the short. After he came back with them I asked if I could put the extended in the gun before I bought it so I could see how it fit in my hand before purchasing the extra mag. He then proceeded to tell me with a very rude tone and a head shake how it was rediculous because he was going to have to ring it up twice because he was not going to bring out the firearm until I finished paying for it first. All I wanted to do was make sure it fit in hand and was comfortable and I had to explain that after an argument before he would allow it. That to me was very unprofessional and made me angry as well as feeling disrespected and not a satisfied costomer. The whole reason I was there was to pick up the gun so of course I'm gunna pay for it. I can not understand how letting me see how the mag fit my hand was worth loosing a customer but they will no longer be getting my money and support. I will be persuading people from going there...

4/5 stars for the following reasons: Like mentioned by a few people below, wait times can exceed 30 minutes. If you have a decent commute, get there when they open. Again like someone else mentioned, while they do have a vast selection of firearms, militaria, accessories etc. it can be nearly impossible to locate what you are looking for. Stuff is on the wall, in boxes, in bins, under shelves etc. To the guy who said bring a pair of knee pads and a flashlight - spot on observation haha. Additionally, most if not all the ammunition is behind the counter so it can be hard to tell what they have. There could be more staff and a better way to check people out. The front of the store can become crowded. Okay now for something that isn't negative. Pekin has the best selection in the area, and usually the best prices. In terms of militaria, only Simpsons Ltd. in Galesburg rivals Pekin. In terms of regular weaponry, Pekin is unmatched. Most of the staff is highly knowledgable on the products they carry. Finally, I feel very confident in buying a firearm from this store (and have bought many). I know that if something were to be wrong, they would right it.

To the owner, here is my .02 for what it is worth. I understand that your store has an established location, but you guys need a larger store. You also need more staff. You guys have a great selection and good prices, but it is crammed and it can take awhile to get help. In that time, I can order the same rifle online for most likely cheaper even after the FFL fee. I really like doing business at this store, but I hate seeing the inefficiency and there seems to be a common theme throughout...