Gun Connection Gun Store, Taylor TX

Recently we were on the hunt for some .22 wmr and were having horrible luck finding any. A good friend of ours told us that we should check out a new gun store in Taylor, TX since he has picked up some there before. We called them up and sure enough, they had some! From where we live it is a nice little trek to get there but we needed the ammo for the next day. After about a 45 minute drive we arrived at a small, but nice strip mall on the side of the highway. At first glance the store did not look that big but then we quickly realized that it was wider than we initially thought. As we approached the door we were buzzed in and you could hear the locking mechanism release. I said to Christy, "They must have some good stuff inside!". She just giggled [it's the small things in life that please us].

As we walked in the door we were immediately greeted by a warm, welcoming female voice. As we glanced around to get our bearings we saw two employees. One was helping customers at the gun counter and the other was accessorizing a new AR purchase for a couple in the store. This is the first time I had ever walked into a gun store and the first thing you see is a gunsmithing area right up front but I must say, I was impressed by this. I could tell by the grin on Christy's face that she was also. The store is very clean and well laid out. You are met with a nice selection of firearms accessories as soon as you walk into the door.

They have a great variety of firearm accessories at the front of the store including holsters, slings, plenty of AR furniture, mags and tactical gear. Like most people, we glanced at some of the prices to know if we could even afford to shop here and we were pleasantly surprised since there was no price gouging going on! So far so good! I really liked their range of accessories as it was stuff that I would carry if I had my own store. I HATE to order anything!

Next we moved onto the cleaning supplies and I was not disappointed, at all. My pet peeve is going into a gun store and seeing one shelf dedicated to cleaning supplies. These stores have 100 guns, accessories out the wazoo but then they only carry 2 types of cleaner, a jag/brush combo and some one size fits all cleaning patches. I don't know about the rest of you but I take cleaning our firearms as seriously as I do shooting them and I like finding everything I need in one place. I have to say, this is the place! This is the same gun store that I purchased the SLIP 2000 Carbon Killer from that I just wrote a review on.

Now, no visit to a gun store is complete without looking at their selection of firearms. They have a decent amount of pistols that are very well displayed and they actually have price tags on them. The pistols are displayed in cases along a long gun counter. Behind the gun counter there was a generous amount of shotguns, long rifles and AR's that were also well displayed. There were a couple of custom .308 AR platforms that we had our eyes on since we are looking to get Christy a long range rifle soon.

Now, if we did decide to buy one of these rifles for her we would not have to look any further to accessorize it. They carry everything we need to make the rifle long range ready including bipods, scopes and mounts. Now, if I didn't want to do the work myself they would install the accessories for us and set up the scope so there is very little sighting-in that we need to do at the range. They had a nice selection of Leupold and Vortex scopes along with every mount that you may need. They also have a nice variety of red dots as well.

As we were walking around the store I was watching the gunsmith not only mounting the accessories on a AR for the couple I mentioned earlier, but he was also educating them on how to optimize the use of the accessories as well as how to care for the rifle as well. That was nice to see since you don't usually see that kind of service. As soon as Dan was done helping his customers, Christy started talking to him about her AR. The next thing we know he is showing us a wide variety of handguards for her gun. As soon as he mentioned that he can get a ALG Defense handguard in purple, she was convinced she needed one! I was also convinced since he said he would install it for her. We went home later that afternoon, pulled out her AR and then tried to decide what length handguard to order. Christy decided on a 13" handguard in purple and she ordered it a few days later.

The handguard was taking longer than normal to get in but Dan kept us informed along the way. Once the handguard came in Dan gave us a call and we headed up there on a Saturday afternoon. As promised, Dan installed the handguard for her but also educated her on the intricacies of her rifle and how to maintain it. Christy was glued to the front counter watching him install her new handguard. If only I could get her to pay attention to me like that when I am trying to show her how to clean it! haha  Aside from installing the new handguard, Dan went over her rifle to make sure everything was in good working order. I kept trying to get Christy to get a new trigger on her gun and Dan was there helping me to encourage her to do so. He said, "If you buy it, I'll install it!". She put up a good fight and we quickly lost that battle!

ALG Defense also sent Dan three of their new Sidewinder muzzle brakes in the box with the handguard we ordered. Dan said that he was not that familiar with the new brake and asked Christy if she would evaluate one for him. After a brief moment [as what he said sank in] her eyes lit up and she said, "YES!". Dan then installed the brake for her which complimented her new handguard very well. We will be reviewing the muzzle brake soon but until then I will sum it up in one word, "AMAZING!". Not to be outdone, I bought a Lantac Dragon muzzle brake for my rifle and Dan quickly installed it on my gun. It makes a huge difference on my rifle compared to the muzzle brake that I had.

To sum things up, we feel blessed that we found this great gun store and even more blessed to meet a wonderful couple like Shawn and Dan. We always love meeting other couples that are involved in and are passionate about the shooting industry. Not only do they run an amazing store, they are also a couple that shoots together just like us!