Colchester Shooting Centre

What an individual!!!! Do not know what is wrong with this ***@@%$##@#$$ but showing the doors to a client with intention to buy and just asking for the best price is just not acceptable this days. I understand his days in the business are numbered but this attitude is just wrong and insulting. Avoid at all costs. You can get better service EVERYWHERE.

I have been going to this shop periodically for years and have bought a number of guns and ammunition. The proprietor has always been most helpful. He has a unique character that I personally enjoy and as others have stated he is a wealth of knowledge once he warms to you. This is a unique gun shop and an opportunity to visit should not be missed !!

If I could rate this place a 0 I would. We rang up this place for some advice and all he said was of course I sell them pellets I'm a gun shop you know" we then went to the shop hoping he could land us in the right direction. The attitude that came from his was disgusting. He gave us no help at all and the prices he was saying was way to much. I advice people to go to K D Radcliffe which is 10 mins away from this one. He left us to shop and gave us much more respect them this one."

After reading reviews I thought I’d give this place the benefit of the doubt. Do not do that!I went in with my finest pleasantries at hand and a shopping list of required items along with some questions that someone with shooting knowledge may be able to help with.What I was met with was a condescending attitude and no help whatsoever. I have no idea how he stays in business so I wish him a speedy closure and lonely existence!

Please don’t waste your time trying this place. The store is a dusty smelly dive overseen by a thoroughly unpleasant & equally dusty & smelly individual who didn’t seem to have a grasp on reality. He didn’t know what day of the week it was, how to use his own credit card machine or how complete his own paperwork. How this guy is a Registered Firearms Dealer simply beggars belief.

Having explained what i was looking for (+£1500 airgun + scope) the owner suggested that i go to the airgun centre! The owner lacks in any customer service skills, and probably shouldn't be working in retail in my opinion - Its 30 mins of my life i'll never get back!In fairness to the shop, if he has the exact gun you want listed on the website some of the prices are very keen - go and buy it.If he hasn't.....I recommend Ratcliffes the other side of town!

Ok there are a lot of negative reviews here but you have to appreciate this shop for what it is. The prices are VERY keen. You can pick up a real bargain here. I’m an air gun customer so can’t vouch for shotguns. As far as air guns go the prices are great. There is very little in display and most things are in boxes. He has printed price lists and if it’s not on display it will be in a box so ask to see it - expect a sigh- but you will get to see the gun. Just persist. Don’t expect smiles. I can also suggest visiting a few times so the chap gets to know you. As far as knowledge goes he really knows his stuff - as far as firearms and scopes etc go - not so much air guns. There is a small selection of 2nd hand air guns that changes regularly. I have had some excellent bargains from this. He also carries a good range of pellets and sells JSB’s. Go visit, and work with it. Highly recommended.

Phoned an asked if the rifle was the standard length or carbine all I got was how the hell do I know it's in a box" if you like being spoken to like that then shop there. I spent money elsewhere"

Who dares, wins, or runs away!This establishment is not for idiots that managed to get a gun license. If you want to waste people’s time, window shop, poke about, not put things back exactly as your found them, be buttered up by a sales person, then go up the hill to Culver square shopping centre. If you know what you want, can speak coherently, and need some gun supplies at fairly competitive prices, then this shooting store is fine. If not, better to visit Radcliffes on the other side of town who are way more patient.Colchester Shooting Centre is worth a visit though, just for the experience of meeting the proprietor, a master in patronising the fools that walk amongst us. It’s worth the challenge just to earn his respect, and have him talking to you as an equal. This way you learn a valuable life lesson not to meander through life wasting your time, and others. He’s the Basil Fawlty of the gun shop world. Be warned if you are not prepared and ask stupid questions, waffle, stutter, be vague, fiddle with his inventory, or do not listen to him carefully, he will make you aware of it. I’ve seen men that walked in, walk out like boys leaving the headmaster’s office!We are used to a retail world where 'the customer is always right', so it will be a shock to walk into a place where the initial perception is 'the customer is a putz until proven otherwise'! Approach this place like a works stores, managed by a Windsor Davies character, not an open shop to do what you like in it. John has a military background and it still runs deep in his veins. Be assured he won't try to sell you something he’s trying to get rid off, he's no salesman. He'll only sell what YOU decided, you really need. Before you enter for the first time, know what you need, prepare what you want to ask and have a backup defence of why you are asking the question. If you are unsure, be honest and clear about that with him. He will respect you for that. He’ll lower his shoulders and then spend time sharing his knowledge and insights with you. Years of artillary has given him impaired hearing so speak up and expect him to do the same. Over a few visits once you get to know him, and he does you, then you’ll be glad you persevered with this ‘Dirty Harry’ character who tells it how it is, not how the sales rep has influence the shop staff how they want it to be.

I found the owner very helpful. He really knows his stuff. While the store isn't as big as some, I like its compactness. The owner was also one of the few gunsmiths to stock the particular ammo I need. For airguns, he also has - and fills - air tanks, which is extremely useful. As for the owner, I'd call what he has character.