Ann Arbor Arms — Local services in Scio Township

It's great that AA finally has a gun store to call its own. AAA has a new, clean, well stocked facility with high end items that are catered more towards the "tactical" shooting community. Hunters and Fudds probably won't find much that will interest them, however. This isn't your grandpa's hole in the wall gun shop with cigar smoking curmudgeons behind the counter. Most of the staff are in their 30s or younger. They also offer classes beyond the typical basic gun safety/handling courses. With all that being said, there are a few sticking points that prevent a 4 or 5 star rating.

Service - Inconsistent. It seems like staff were more helpful when the store first opened at its old location. I had one excellent experience back then when a very helpful employee (can't remember his name, and he doesn't work there anymore) gladly swapped out sights on a pistol for under $20, and even offered to adjust them for free the next day (which he did) if they weren't to POA. I recently inquired about sight installation again, and the employee behind the counter behaved as if he didn't have the time to even talk to me about that. He also quoted something outrageous like $40 to install them - $40 to use a sight pusher (which itself would have only cost $100, and is the route I ended up going to do the sight swap myself AND save $40 each subsequent time) which would have taken him less than 15 minutes to change out a set of sights. Needless to say I said no thanks and left. In a separate interaction, I ended up leaving with a sour taste after a younger employee responded in a somewhat condescending manner after I asked if they carried a certain item which didn't happen to be of a brand that all the tacticool kids were using. A simple, sorry, we don't stock that, would have sufficed. Generally most staff there seem friendly enough, but I’ve gotten a sense of elitism from some employees on more than one occasion. During busy, peak hours, expect to be thoroughly ignored (sometimes upwards of 20+ minutes without even an acknowledgement) while you wait for a sales associate to become available.

Pricing - Quite high. It's a brick and mortar store, yes, I understand that pricing will be higher, but many items are close to if not right at MSRP. They do not post prices for static items or services (eg hourly rates for minor armorer services, FFL transfers, or cleaning services) on their website which leaves the potential for being quoted differing costs by different employees. Hourly range fees are within reason for a new facility ($20/hr for pistol), but their membership fees and structure leave something to be desired. While their cheapest non-LEO/MIL membership starts at only $250/year, it hardly buys you anything useful except a modest 10% discount on the $20/hr range fee and on gun rentals. You're probably better off just walking in and paying full price for range time as a non-member from that perspective. If you're paying $2000/year for a "Platinum" membership, the least you'd expect is having the hourly range fee waived, but alas, $2000 a year only gets you a 50% discount. There are other perks with the $2000 membership, but not worth the exorbitant cost in my opinion. The only compelling reason I see for buying any membership there is for the option of seeing if you qualify for their "Elite qualification" drills where you are permitted to draw from the holster/shoot on the move, etc. But if you're willing to look, there are local area outdoor ranges that will allow this as well.

Overall a mixed bag. 3 stars, mainly because of my experiences when they first opened. Without those taken into...

One of the best gun shops in Michigan- Visiting Ann Arbor Arms has been one of the best experiences I have had at any gun shop. The shop itself is very clean and well organized, with a great selection. The selection of firearms can best be described as mid-to-high grade, with inventory geared towards the serious or professional shooter. Nearly everything is duty-grade, which is a rarity in most smaller or chain shops. Outside their firearm selection, they carry a wide range of useful and quality accessories, knives, clothing, tactical gear, and medical equipment. As with firearms, nearly everything is of good quality and practical purpose. What really makes this shop shine, however, is the people. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly. My first visit here, I dealt primarily with Aaron and Ethan. Both were extremely helpful in helping me trial a Hudson H9 (one of the few Michigan ranges that have on for rent, by the way) on the range, guiding me to one they had in stock, and working with me to set up a payment plan. I was also able to fire a BG Defense AR rifle, again, one of the few Michigan ranges that have these for rent. Aaron and Ethan were both extremely professional, personable, and helpful in making my experience a good one. Most recently, I came here with my wife to try their monthly special, a S&W M&P 22. We dealt primarily with Tim. Tim was extremely helpful in walking my wife, who is new to handguns, through the controls of the firearm, proper stance, and proper trigger manipulation. Through his coaching, my wife was able to shoot the best she has ever shot with a handgun before. Even though the store was busy, the staff still took time to work with us and allow here to handle several models of handguns to fit her need. As we were leaving, she remarked how "everyone seemed happy to work there and help their customers." Bad customer service has killed many gun store experiences for me, and I will avoid many solely on that aspect. Ann Arbor Arms excels in this department, and provides my needs for professional-grade firearms, first-aid supplies, and tactical gear. Furthermore, they offer a network of respected instructors who host training events through their classrooms and ranges. This is truly an excellent staff, facility, and business who has earned my trust and business. Well done, and keep up...

I want to say things about the store as a whole and also specifically about the basic pistol class I just took. Ann Arbor Arms itself is full of friendly, knowledgeable, honest, helpful, kind people. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I have taken classes there. I have bought and sold firearms there. I did my CPL training and qualification there. When I ask for advice they tell me what I need to know and without bias.

Now my pistol class. It was taught by Mitchell, who was knowledgeable, skilled, experienced, and understood how to communicate. We had classroom time and range time. Mitchell made the effort to watch every student shoot and give them the personal guidance they needed. I was very happy I attended this class and I will be back for intermediate.

Update: I don't see how to add a new review, so editing my existing review will have to do. I'm trying to be the best shooter I can be, in knowledge, in skill, in safety, in handling, in discipline. I'm not worried about being better or worse than others. I just want to be the best that I can be. I have weaknesses. One of them is that I'm fine and accurate when everything is working correctly. But my weakness is: what to do when problems occur? How to handle malfunctions. There is no specific class for this. What Ann Arbor Arms does, though, is whatever you need to know or learn to achieve your goals --- they will help you. They have the same level of goals for themselves and for those who want to learn as I hold for myself. They offered me a specific one-on-one session in how to handle malfunctions and my choice of instructors. Everyone at Ann Arbor Arms is knowledgeable, and good. For this instruction I went with the first person on the list of recommendations. Seth. Seth spent personal time with me, one-on-one, both completely dry outside the bay; and then once I understood the fundamentals, live fire in the bay. This was absolutely a hole in my training to date, and Seth totally raised by game. I know more, I understand more, I have practical experience, and now I know what I need to practice. A big step for me. Another credit to the people, knowledge, and service at...