Hoffman’s Guns for the Good Guys - Newington, Connecticut

Robert

Went in for trade for my s&w 600 with some enhancements that blows away stock. Some 90 year old sales person with 0 personality already made me want to leave. Took over hour for him to get me a price of measly $600. They sell for $1500. I understand having to make a profit reselling. A bit ridiculous. Mind you he tells me couldn’t find one used on line. Also a trade value for my brand new in box Glock 19 gen 5 9mm. Offered $250. Wow, I honestly had no confidence in this old man ability. He looked so not happy to be there. Grumpy dushe. Not to mention they don’t even sell the ct compliant lowers. Really. The most popular lower. The Firelite scr. Cmon all other places sell. They are loosing sales just on that alone. I ended up going to another gun store where they had. I’m done with this place. Update. Found a place locally that gave me $900. Not to mention they force u to buy there ammo if u want to shoot there. Overpriced ammo. Just buy locally at TARGETSPORTSUSA.com. There in Cheshire. Wholesale prices. Actually where this place buys and resells. At target sports is $10 for 9mm. Hoffmans over $17 Def not recommending them to friends.

Melissa P.

Excellent customer service. This was my first time purchasing a firearm so I was starting from scratch. Felix was extremely helpful. He guided me into finding what I wanted and took the time to help me in the gun range. He was very knowledgeable and spent a lot of time with me, everything clearly. Overall, Hoffman’s was the perfect choice for me.

Michael W.

Hoffman’s is quirky. You can have your best day there or your worst. Some of the sales folks are friendly and make you want to come back all the time. Then there are a select few who act as if living itself is a nuisance and you’re somehow making it worse. You can get whiplash depending on what day of the week you go.

They have this ticket system to look at guns like the DMV. Now, monday thru friday you can be in there and wonder why you need to have a number because its you and three other people. But then saturday and sunday roll around and…. Well, the DMV is exactly comparable to the experience. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Hours. It takes a while to fill out several forms and then they have to contact the State for authorization and compete against other dealers doing the same. Plus, regular working folks only show up on the weekend. So its either a quiet and peaceful place or hell on earth. Whoever you get as a sales person can truly make the experience even better or… tragically awful.

They have plentiful option of pistols, neatly organized by manufacturers and a large helping of used, too.

They sell a lot of accessories though i will say a lot of it is your more basic choices. You’re not going to find “higher end” range bags, edc belts, cases, cleaning supplies or other items but you will definitely have choices if the brand isnt important.

Special orders are an adventure but the people running it are friendly and responsive, always. Be respectful and you’re respected.

The range is great when it isnt the middle of summer. The air system needs improvements. Plain and simple. But 75 feet of range and a dedicated lane is nice. The range folks are generally friendly and always professional until you aren’t. Don’t cross those fellas, they’re all awesome. Just listen to the rules. These are guns, after all. Take it that seriously, get over your pride if you make a mistake and abide by what they say.

They have a huge array of the most commonly used pistols available for rent. Haven’t bothered with them.

You can take the CT Pistol Permit class there though i do not know how that goes. I did observe a private training lesson at the range and the guy doing it was extremely professional and patient with the person who was learning to shoot. Really good to see that.

I did end up purchasing a range membership at a holiday discount which ends up being much cheaper than other ranges in the area. Its indoors which has its drawbacks such as more sound exposure, but for the weather dreary days, you cant beat it. Targets are very cheap. The rentals are free with a Gold membership. Unlimited time during the weekdays is wonderful. 1 hour blocks reserved during the busy weekend is nice but i’ll never go for that. I’m lucky to have a schedule that allows me weekday time.

The missing star:

The occasional asshole sale person who is that way for no particular reason.

The restriction of ammo is flat out stupid for the range. I will not sugarcoat it. Requiring ONLY ammo bought from there is a garbage cash grab tactic and its cci blazer. If you’re shooting comp or ported guns, this could be a potential problem as it says on the cci blazer box. Its not the range folks who dictate this but Hoffman’s itself. If there is one thing i would hope they change, it would be this. I would be okay with paying a little more for Winchester 124 NATO or PMC. I understand the purpose to make money but come on. Be friendlier to options. I intend to pass this on to the owners if i ever get a chance to.

So all in all. Hoffman’s gets a lot of hate from the Connecticut gun community. Some of it is indeed deserved. But the majority of it are single experiences by individuals so it may seem worse than it is. If it wasn’t a popular place, the weekends would not be the literal zoo that it turns into. If you’re shopping for a firearm, its an easy place to go get eyes on, especially during weekdays. Go or don’t, they don’t care, because someone else will, lol

Jeff S.

I'm not a guy that takes the time to write reviews for anything but felt compelled to write a review about the Hoffman experience. I'm not local so although I've bought products and used the range, it's only been about a dozen times. I had bought a gift certificate for my daughter for a lesson since she had showed to me interest. Since that lesson, together we have visited the range three times and enjoyed some quality time there together. She, as a 21 year old, leaves Hoffmans with a smile on her face and comments on how safety oriented and respectful the staff watching over us is. I feel the same and can't say enough about the staff there. Thumbs up Hoffmans

Aidan G.

Save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else. Has to be one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had. If you plan on using the range, don’t. They fail to mention anywhere on the website that they make you purchase their ammo to use their range. Practically $70 dollars to shoot 100 rounds for 1/2 hour. Most places charge $18 to $25 and let you bring your own ammo. Avoid.

Joshua K.

I worked with Luis Montero multiple times in the last two weeks. I have had nothing but positive things to say about him and his customer accommodation.
There was a snag that had come up at one point with one of my transactions and he went above and beyond not only making calls to the state on my behalf but also offering to come in on a day of which he was not scheduled to help to rectify the situation.
He represents this business well and also helped me to figure out a separate issue with my 1911 that I could not figure out.
With his expertise on many areas of firearms and his attempts to go above and beyond I could recommend working with him to anyone.

April M.

Went today for the first time purchase Felix was so awesome and patient he helped us from start to finish . He took us in the range and made us feel comfortable ! Such a nice man ! Thank you !

Bill B.

Bill in the sales department is an absolute asset to Hoffman's. Knowledgeable and so easy to work with. 2 thumbs up 👍 👍