Indy Gun stores from the 80s and 90s.

[pjcalla]

There used to be one in Carmel, I believe. 136th and Rangeline on the north west corner. Right across from the laser disc store, hahaha.

 

[Simon6101]

Gun Room

Now I remember, that place at 465 and Emerson had a range didn't it

I think that one was called the Gun Room. The building is still there. Now it is a remodeling business

 

[TopDog]

I can remember 10-12 places in town plus you could buy long guns at K-mart & Woolco (bought my 10-22 at K-mart and a buddy bought a Winchester 94 at a Woolco) the 3 em-roes then as they closed Don had 3 at one time. Yea I'd say there were more back in the day.

If you asked this back in 2000, I would say YES quicker then anything.

However, there have been new places opening up since then. I don't think we are back where we were, but we are probably one or two stores from it.

Thanks for the responses gentlemen. I don't know what the stores were like back then but we have some darn good ones now. I bet places like PSS were around back then as well.

 

[DRob]

Memories

EmRoes had a shop at Lafayette Rd & Georgetown Rd in a strip mall on the west side of G'town. I bought a couple of revolvers from them. The original EmRoe store was on Washington St downtown. Two stories and tons of guns. The pawn shop in downtown Indy was Dock Brothers Loan, I think. There were rumors of many machine guns in the basement but that was in the 60s & 70s.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Galyan's. Hasn't been that long ago they shut down but I remember going to the Galyan's in Plainfield 50+ years ago. They had hundreds of used guns.

The first Marlin M39 I had was bought at Central Hardware, 38th & Lafayette Rd.

Most of the hardware stores and even some gas stations sold guns and ammo when I was a kid but that predates the OP and the majority of the INGO members, I'm sure.

Don's first shop was at 96th & Keystone. Mysterious burglary happened shortly after it opened. Rumor was somebody forgot to set the alarm system and forgot to put the machine guns in the safe. Coincidence?????

 

[indykid]

Ace Hardware, Value City, Sear, JC Penny's, K-mart, Montgomery Ward, and a friend of mine had a firearms, jewelry and coin store in Castleton Square Mall.

 

[edporch]

Fishers Trading Company in Fishers at 116th and Allisonville.
In the same shotgun mall as Marsh.
Bought many guns there, Jerry was a good guy.

Then they went out of business and PopGuns was in there for awhile.

 

[DanVoils]

EmRoes had a shop at Lafayette Rd & Georgetown Rd in a strip mall on the west side of G'town. I bought a couple of revolvers from them. The original EmRoe store was on Washington St downtown. Two stories and tons of guns. The pawn shop in downtown Indy was Dock Brothers Loan, I think. There were rumors of many machine guns in the basement but that was in the 60s & 70s.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Galyan's. Hasn't been that long ago they shut down but I remember going to the Galyan's in Plainfield 50+ years ago. They had hundreds of used guns.

The first Marlin M39 I had was bought at Central Hardware, 38th & Lafayette Rd.

Most of the hardware stores and even some gas stations sold guns and ammo when I was a kid but that predates the OP and the majority of the INGO members, I'm sure.

Don's first shop was at 96th & Keystone. Mysterious burglary happened shortly after it opened. Rumor was somebody forgot to set the alarm system and forgot to put the machine guns in the safe. Coincidence?????

I mentioned Galyans earlier. I also remember Central Hardware having guns and ammo. Deep Rock gas station at 86th and Lafayette road sold .22's and .410 shells. I used to ride my bicycle there and buy them for rabbit season.

 

[Barry in IN]

I bought my first Shotgun News at an EmRoes. Maybe 1981. I think it was near Lafayette Square, close to Don Sisk Pontiac. And 500 guns, Shoe's, and whatcha call it...the one near Girls School rd and 10th, they were regular stops.

Outside of Indianapolis...
Plainfield always had at least one. Galyans of course, although they went in and out of the gun business. The Powder Keg was in "downtown" Plainfield in the early to mid 70s- I still have the 1973 Colt catalog I got there when I was eight. There was another close to it for a short time, across the street and west of the stoplight.

Mooresville had a bait/gun shop for a long time. I remember the place- on the curve near Automotive Armature- but can't remember the name.
Another one operated in the building that used to be Kelly's restaurant.

I bought a bunch of stuff from Have Guns Will Trade in Greencastle. A better crop of BSers to fill the liars bench would be hard to find. Kenny, the owner, is still around the last I knew.
Some other gun shops came and went there.

I used to go to Sports Unlimited in Brazil some. There was another shop in downtown Brazil. I remember being there and them test firing a pistol out the back door into a phone pole. That would be national news today.

It seems like there were Sports Unlimited chain stores here and there.

Didn't Rick Mount Sport Shop in Lebanon have guns?

Where I really liked going when I was a kid was Bloomington. Kinda hard to imagine now. They had Stewart's, Schmalz's, and usually another smaller one. The sporting goods stores on the square sold BB guns. Dad was from Elletsville and had family around there and Bloomington, so we were there now and then. Three gun shops in one town! Dad and Joanne Stewart knew a lot of the same people, so she and dad would talk about these old timers, which let me look around more than in most shops where dad was ready to go before we got there. I bought my first couple of guns there, including my old childhood friend- the S&W 77A pellet rifle. That was in the store that was above the stinking pet shop. Maybe before she had the VW Thing.
Schmalz's...you have to remember this was through a ten year old's eyes- seemed huge. I can only imagine what Abercrombie & Fitch was like in the 50s, but it is about how Schmalz's looked to me at that my young age. A standing mounted bear? That's big time stuff.

Oh, here's one:
Does anyone remember the indoor range and gun shop in Danville?
Westrange. It was operating maybe 1979-80 in the old supermarket building (Kroger ?) across from Ellis Park.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

What about Daves Guns and Tubs?

 

[snuffy33]

Don's first shop was at 96th & Keystone. Mysterious burglary happened shortly after it opened. Rumor was somebody forgot to set the alarm system and forgot to put the machine guns in the safe. Coincidence?????

Methinks Don's first shop was in Greenwood on County Line Road, next to where Kopetsky's car wash is now.

 

[jzwhts]

Nobody mentions Bradis. Of course back then you could buy a lawn mower and a new chain saw from them.

 

[Pinchaser]

Older than most of you but...there was a great gun store in Greenwood on Madison Ave. across from the Greenwood PD (where it was in the 70's) in the Walker Plaza. I'll be damned if I can remember the name but I bought a lot of guns there. Large store, lots of guns. The way gun stores used to be back in the day.

 

[shooter521]

When I was a kid, there was a cutlery shop in the Greenwood Park Mall that carried a few pistols. I thought it was super cool to go to the mall and see guns.

 

[Snizz1911]

Not in Indy, but Scoobys up in Wabash was a nice shop. Got my first gun from there (mossberg 500)

 

[K_W]

Shoes gun rack in speedway, Pop Guns West at 56/Georgetown, Dons guns Greenwood and Castleton, those are the ones that come to mind for me....

Dons was 96th and Keystone Indy/Carmel, not Castleton.

Also there was a gun store in Broad Ripple.

 

[public servant]

I also remember Central Hardware having guns and ammo.

In 1975 my brother and I went to Central Hardware at US31/Shelby St. and bought our dad a Marlin 60 for Father's Day. I still have it. We also used to ride our bikes there and buy bricks of .22LR for $4.00.

There was also the Bullet Hole in Southport on Madison Ave.

 

[GunSlinger]

I think that one was called the Gun Room. The building is still there. Now it is a remodeling business

The Gun Room was one of Indy's first indoor ranges open to the public. I knew Gary (don't remember his last name) before he opened and was there on opening day. I was a member there until he closed...a real shame.

 

[BGDave]

Gun shop in Greenwood

Older than most of you but...there was a great gun store in Greenwood on Madison Ave. across from the Greenwood PD (where it was in the 70's) in the Walker Plaza. I'll be damned if I can remember the name but I bought a lot of guns there. Large store, lots of guns. The way gun stores used to be back in the day.

Could be wrong, but believe it was called S&T Hardware. Also remember when Shoes store was in his garage.
Bought my first reloading press at Sports Headquarters. Just north of 10th and Arlington.
Lot of good times messing with Scott at Albro's.

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

Yes I believe the shop in Greenwood across from police station was S & T hardware. Owned by Jim Sayer. Great to trade with, this was in the late 60's early 70's. All these replys bring back a lot of good memories and remind me how old I am.

 

[FFJakeT]

Indiana Sports Headquarters

There were 3 Em Roe stores, one downtown indy, one in Southern Plaza, where I bought my first handgun, and I can't remember where thw other one was. Also, Sports Headquarters, at 12th and Arlington...

My grandfather owned Indiana Sports HQ. wish it was still open! It closed when I was a baby in '89. Before they closed they moved right next door to PT's in Lawrence. My dad worked in there a lot .