This place is awesome! If you are one of those guys who only wants to see Glocks and ARs this place isn't for you. You can find that at just about every other store so don't go complaining that this one isn't boring enough for you. A while back I saw they had a few 1891 Mosin Magnets, very hard to find these WW1 relics, the ones I usually see these days are the dragoon variant with cut down barrels. They currently have a few M1 Garands that look really nice and at a price that is more than fair. They also had a DWM Luger P-08 dated 1914. I could not believe the low price for it, I've wanted one for over 20 years and now it's mine. I never thought I would get to own such a piece of functional art and history. These guys know their stuff and take good care of their customers. This place is about an hour from me but I'll be visiting more often. read more

Old West Gun Room - IT'S MINE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I OWN ONE - Guns & Ammo Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I've always wanted to learn how to properly handle a firearm and learn the basics of it. My partner suggested I get my firearm safety certificate then head to a shooting range to learn. The Big 5 near my place doesn't offer the FSC anymore so I did a Google search and came across Old West Gun Room. They do not take walk-ins for the safety test so you need to book online trough their website. The booking process was a breeze. You just enter your information, select the appointment time, and pay the fee ($25). On the test date, parking was a bit difficult to find. You can either park in the Pete's Coffee parking lot or there's street parking and it's just a short walk to Old West. Upon arrival to their building, you'll need to be buzzed in. They give you the paper test and direct you to sit in the corner with a small desk. If passed, they'll ask for your ID and then have the option of purchasing a firearm. It's pretty straight forward. read more

Made a appointment for a PPT. Walked in on time and soon as I show my NON COMPLETED fully Legally owned lower receiver he says "no ars " he starts talking about how it isn't compliant because it didn't have a fixed mag and a fin grip . Which Dosnt make sense at all because 1 it's not complete 2 it dosnt even have pins for a trigger 3 no upper receiver. I stated those facts and he said well your gonna put a short barrel on it. I'm looking at him perplexed as to why would you assume the buyer is gonna do something illegal. He then states he did ar lower ppts in the past and that the people got in trouble for having a short barrel. I clearly told him it's registered as a long rifle . He then says no no. Personally I felt he looked at us as two Mexicans up to no good. Maybe if I was lighter skin tone he would have helped me out. Don't come here unless you want a shotgun or old school guns anything else your just a criminal to him. Never had a interaction at a gun store like this. Why have a ffl if you can't even do your job? May god bless him. read more

Great shop. Owner Bob is a fount of knowledge, as is his colleague Dan. Highly recommended!!!

It's a good shop. Below average rates on gun transfers, no minimum fee for ammo transfers. Despite what some reviews say I think the people that work there are nice. I have received good service every time I have called or gone in. They have some cool old guns too. read more

They were nice to me. Explained the process. (I'm a non-gun owner). Can make an appointment on their website to both 1) take the CA test and 2) buy a gun. Several old dudes talking about guns and whatnot. Was entirely what I expected. Rather amusing. They don't have a massive selection of new handguns. They have a lot of used rifles and shotguns. If you are looking for something specific it's worth stopping in and chatting. Buy your ammo in Nevada. Much cheaper. read more

Love the cozy vibe of the shop and the staff were nice- snarky, but in a fun way you'd expect a gun shop ran by old timers in the Bay Area to be. I unfortunately had to get a refund and shop elsewhere because the owner had let his license-to-sell expire and was not clear at all to me what the longer than 30 day delay was. He initially made it seem as though it was complications with my paperwork, which was also frustrating. Regardless, I'm sure I'll return one day. read more

*Old school gun room, no frills. Not really a big selection of firearms for sale. Mostly old school riffles and collectors items. *Appointments only for PPT (private party transfer) available online or by calling. *Very knowledgeable staff. read more

Ya know I honestly thought this place was going to be pretty cool. Called the store to ask for some 38 ammo for my girlfriend, for one I'm not buying it she needed it, has a license and everything. As soon as we walk in she showed her ID and license. As soon as she showed the gentleman behind the counter, he immediately assumed that we were illegals!! When I called asking, the man on the phone could have said, "if your buying ammo, please bring your passport, birth certificate, or green card". This place literally racially profiled her because she's brown. Most likely NEVER going back here read more

The place is a very old school log cabin looking place. But the knowledge that's inside is what you're looking for. These guys wouldn't have been around forever unless they knew what they were doing and they were competent to handle the sales and repair of pair of firearms.. I get great customer service in there. The guys listen to what my needs are and tell me what I need to know not a lot of small talk. There aren't many places like this around and I might even go as far as to say like this around anywhere.. This is very old school. I highly recommend this place. And they do have some wonderful collectible pieces in there too. read more

Even got the privilege of overhearing a racist joke while I was in the store for all of 45 seconds. Not the place for a first-time gun buyer. Unfriendly and unwelcoming staff. Tiny selection. I remember calling this place and getting the same feeling from the person on the phone, so I thought I would stop by and visit in person. Big mistake. read more

Old West Gun Room - Guns & Ammo Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Did my FSC here - went fine. Did an PPT here - went fine. My big issue is with the FFL process. I called Old West about a receiver - they confirmed it'd be processed without issue. I go there and Ed tells me that they do not process AR receivers because "You might be the next big school shooter." ....What? Then don't confirm that you'll process them. Ed is an idiot, and outdated. Skip this place and go literally anywhere else. read more

First time coming to this store and will definitely be back again. The owner Bob was friendly and personable. Staff was friendly, welcoming, helpful, patient with any questions we had, and knowledgeable. Super easy and convenient to book appointments on their website if you want to take the FSC certificate test. read more

I booked an appointment to write my FSC test. Bob administered the test with John Wayne looking over my shoulder proctoring my exam. After the test, since there wasn't an overload of people in the store, they let me stick around and look at some firearms, and chew the fat a bit about the difference between the Canadian PAL and the Californian FSC. I enjoyed the conversation and they let me try some handguns out and take pictures of ones I was interested in. So all in all a very positive experience, esp where we have fewer and fewer local stores to patronize. Having read the reviews before I arrived I genuinely wasn't sure what to expect - but now I have a feeling *some* people might leave bad reviews to sort of tease Bob - almost as a meme. He's great, good dry sense of humour, and perhaps doesn't suffer fools gladly. Not a reason to stay away! One of his assistants (whose name fails me at the moment) also gave me a lot of good info on local gun clubs and ranges. I'll be returning to patronize the store in the future! read more

I was looking for a perfect gift for my Fiancé on his birthday. I always seem to overlooked this place every time I pass by it and thought to myself: " It's really beautiful and rustic outside, I wonder how it looks inside?" Yet never have the time until I suggested to him that I'll give them a call. They only accept appointments which makes sense for their protocol as a gun store. We get there and we had to ring the doorbell. As we got buzzed in, the place was what I expected to be. Very vintage atmosphere with rustic architectures and we were helped by a very nice and soft spoken gentleman. He was very helpful and knowledgeable of all the guns that's in their shop. Thank you so much for your wonderful service! read more

My father has been going for decades and I finally tagged along. Clearly I have been missing out. First off, the place has a cozy feel. It's not like some big box store or a sporting goods department. It's more like stepping into a mechanic's workshop. I was impressed by the well-curated selection of interesting collectables, but there were useful modern arms as well. Bob, the proprietor, was friendly and knowledgable. He had put aside a classic High Standard for dad, and helped my old man strip it to inspect the rifling. It was a basic model in nice condition at a very fair price. I saw some recent additions to the handgun roster, of which they had plenty. We jawed about some local gunsmiths, and how different Bay Area counties and local PDs are handling CCWs. The shop is just an all-around great resource. Well worth a visit. read more

I went in for firearm certification and to pick up a gun. Great service, good selection, nice guys!

Great old school gun room. Well stocked and the man that runs it is knowledgeable and personable. Highly recommend

They're not much on social skills as far as supposedly owning a business and selling merchandise. You'd think that they would be more friendly and want your business so they can stay open. First thing out of this main guy's mouth is,"Do you have an appointment?" Not so much as a "Howdy do?" Since I didn't see a sign to that effect, I told him I didn't think I needed one. From his attitude and the looks of his place, didn't seem like he has sold anything in awhile. Mostly old guns and stuff. read more

I made a purchase at this place today, everything went so great. Bob was helping me through the entire transaction while Russ was there as well. It is my first time here and first firearm, they treated me nicely and answered all my questions. One reason i like to have business with them is that they charge their price fair, while other gun stores will charge you $300-600 dollars more due to the gun shortage. I will definitely come back for more purchases and recommend this place to all my friends. read more

After reading a few reviews and logically this is close to where I live. I went there to purchase a firearm. First words as soon as I entered, "do you have an appointment". Well, no where did I see by appointment only. The old man said all stores are doing appointment only and at that point I knew he was full of it. I gave him two examples of stores that weren't and walked out. First and last time I will ever patronize this store. If you read this don't go it's a waste of time. read more

This is nice n nostalgic. i've browsed his cases n prefer the east counter. bought a little oil/rag cleaning kit. one of the last outposts on the left coast. Very friendly bunch. I was impressed years ago when I lived in El Cerrito and first walked in. I'll stop when I'm in town and see whats in the cases. Always some gem in the used one. If you want to see some history on the north wall and are polite you might get an idea whats happened in evolution. read more

Gun buyers beware! The owner does not keep his word and does not do what was agreed upon.

Oh my gawd ! "I went in to purchase some ammo and I was looking to purchase something in a WWII handgun. Maybe a luger or a nice .45 "Bob", who Im sure is the owner was busy making small talk with his buddies so when he finally got around to me his greeting was "You need something?" ..... he said this in the rudest most condescending way possible. I simply stared him down for a three count, then I told him "No, and you should not be working with the public asshole" as I turned to walk out he cursed me up and to my back ! Im 60 years of age and I have never been treated like that. Its like he thinks hes a cop and his customers are prisoners. NEVER EVER GO HERE read more

Followed the Old West Gun rooms procedures and made an appointment to purchase a bull pup shotgun and do a CMP transfer. Showed up with paperwork and checkbook on time. Yes, I got appointment. You want a plastic bull pup shotgun, it's junk? OK. I stopped giving out my FFL for CMP, give them my name, tell them it's on file, OK. WOW, a gun shop that does not want to sell guns or understand customer service. I walked out wondering what just happened, I wanted to purchase, no sale. read more

I have always liked the Old West Gun Room . The building looks like an old Fort and when you walk inside its like walking into a time capsule. There's tons of History there as well as a lot of Vintage guns and accessories. I like to roll there once in a while to look at the Guns that are for sale there . There is always something interesting . A while back he had something I was interested in and Bob was very nice and knowledgable about the item . He was very professionable during the transaction. I would shop there again. read more

I read other reviews and then called to schedule an appointment, but they are booked solid for about the next two months. I shopped around and got a gun elsewhere, but then I had a problem getting ammo. I called the Old West Gun Room and was able to get some ammo from them without an appointment- but then I ran into a paperwork issue which caused me to leave with no ammo, but the staff were very awesome in helping me identify the problem rather than just writing down a reference number that would lead me to a vague description of why I was rejected on a DOJ website- thank you i was able to return and get ammo. I think OW Gun Room is a great place with great staff and that some of their recent unfavorable reviews are just a combination of social distancing, a small & busy shop, they have extremely dry sense of humor, and it is a gun shop, after all, not a Chuck E Cheese and they're definitely not smiling baristas at a coffeehouse The visit reminded me of when I returned to Philly and took my kids to Koch's Deli in West Philly and my son was horrified as the deli owner was adamant that there was no sharing samples and bargained with me that the food was free if we left our kids to work in the kitchen for the weekend There is something I love about doing business with real people who operate outside of the corporate HR business model with platitudes and insincerities... Of course, I was disappointed that they didn't offer me free ammo in exchange for the labor of my longsuffering children- but maybe next time read more

Besides having an unusually small supply of inventory, a store that hasn't been cleaned in at least a decade, and strict entry rules...the owner is extremely cantankerous. I've purchased 2 guns from this shop and regret both purchases. You'll save 10-20% and have a more enjoyable customer service experience at most other stores - especially 30-75 min to the East. read more

I went into the old west gun room today to take the test for my FSC, and I had a pleasant experience. I read the reviews talking about how rude the owner is and I have to disagree with them. You can tell Bob is more of the serious type but he was friendly and helpful. I recommend giving this place a chance. I hope to do more business with them in the future. read more

I really like calling and asking if they sold ammo - just to be hung up on. Twice. Guy is a Richard Cranium.

We came in today to get some ammo for a pistol we recently purchased & I have to say that Bob was a delight. Unlike other reviewers, we found him to be helpful, extremely knowledgeable & funny. read more

Well I didn't read the reviews until today but my friend and I went to take the safety test and the tension was thick from the beginning, we was first asked did we have a appointment on which we did and one of the men said "both of you" umm yes, so we took the test according to the git who graded it I passed with only getting 7 wrong then the older guy came from around the register and said that can't be right and marked another one wrong bringing my total to a failing 8. He then went on to say well maybe don't smoke weed the next time you guys come (I don't smoke at all) my friend said she hadn't yet but it was on her person. What did that have to do with anything? after their heated exchange I told him that we will be back the following day to retake the test in which he asked what time I told him what time I thought it was he continued to be a jerk and tell me that I booked the wrong time that time is designated for transfers, I said well that's the time I got. I've studied all night to go in there and prove my point but I think I should just stay away. read more

Bought a lot of old long guns from this owner; he can be gruff but he is a walking encyclopedia on old guns. If you can get by his personality, you can learn a lot from him. He sort of reminds me of my Chemistry 1A, 1B instructor... Gruff but learned a lot from him.... (did well in Organic and Biochemistry because of him!!!). August 21, 2019 Bob is the sort of guy who knows a lot about small arms. I have purchased lots of weapons from him in the past (I collect old military small arms) and learned a lot about the arms I purchased in the process. If you go into his store thinking you know more than Bob about a particular weapon, act like a smart-Alec, a smart-ass, or don't know the first thing about the proper-safe handling of a weapon, you are likely to suffer the "Wrath of Bob!!!" Otherwise, Bob knows what he is talking about. Bob is not rude or curt; he is very direct and not politically correct!!! This is very good place to buy some nice old military arms and learn about guns. If you are a thin-skinned lefty-liberal dumb ass, you best keep your opinions to yourself!!! read more

Felt very uncomfortable being here. No one said a thing to me, a bunch of old men chatted in the corner. I was obviously interested in purchasing something and the staff couldn't be bothered. I was the only customer in there for 5 minutes and might as well been invisible. No thanks. read more

I'm a gun newbie, purchased my first handgun here. The owner Bob is very friendly and so are all the other staff. If you say "I'm a newbie I am not really sure what I am looking for, I am confused by all the videos I watched on youtube" they'll help you and give you advice. Whether it's about the gun or whether it's about how to become a better shooter, tips for good grip and stance, the basics, recommendations for trainers. You have to book an appointment online in advance but that is easy. read more

This is my first time to enter a gun shop, and I do not feel like I had any of the issues that some negative reviews stated. There were plus me two Asians and an African American, and the owner treated all of us just fine. The owner is definitely not the kind of person will actively come and chat with you. But if you know what you want and ask, you will get all the answer you want, straight to the point. The rifles they have are interesting as well, you can find some interesting old guns. Although the price might not be the most competitive. I ended up just getting my FSC and not buying anything, but this is for sure a good place to check out, even if you are a first timer as I was. read more

you are choosing to buy a GUN in CALIFORNIA! I've bought most of my guns here over the last 10 years or so, and I will say it's totally a good old boys club. A bunch of old white guys that don't actually work there sitting around the shop and often times answering the phone... sure. i went in today to take my firearms safety test and to order a fire arm, the service was fast and to the point. While filling out the paper work one of the good old boys referred to Asian people as "Orientals" but i wasn't there for a cultural exchange or to fix the problems with our society I was there to purchase a gun. and if that's what you want to do this is the place for you. and unfortunately because of the racism in involved in CA gun laws if you want to by a gun you've go to go to a Good Old Boy... Bobs Your uncle, get 'er done. do your research, don't waste anybody's time. read more

Old West is one of the last remaining FFLs in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Pricing for services are pretty fair and everything usually happens pretty quickly. Bob, the owner is super laid back and has a healthy sense of sarcasm and seems pretty direct and matter of fact. It's easy to see why some folks consider him rude. The shop itself is pretty interesting, there is a lot of old west memorabilia hanging from the wall and some cool non operating firearms nailed around the place. In terms of firearms, the selection of new handguns here is a bit smaller than average. Pricing is a bit on the high side. There are quite a few consignment handguns at what appears to be reasonable prices. There are quite a few military surplus rifles on the rack if thats your thing. My favorite part is that theres always a group of people hanging out and shooting the shit which is IMHO, what a LGS should be like. read more

This is in response to some other reviews containing remarks which amount to personal attacks on the owner. Most of these reviewers don't bother to explain how they've arrived at their opinions. This is a problem with yelp: anonymous, disgruntled people rushing to publish their instant judgments. People who, for all we know, may 'have an axe to grind' or who might be 'off their meds'. Apparently it's yelp's policy never to edit or filter reviews for vulgar or abusive language. I'm inclined to discount any review (of this or any other establishment) that starts off with "this guy is an asshole". I think it's probably more likely that the reviewers have some issues. Could it be that their behavior was somehow objectionable or offensive? Might they have been rude or impatient? Rudeness often begets rudeness. I've made several purchases here; I'm glad to support a local gun shop. OWGR's prices are higher than on the internet? OMG! (LOL). I'll also second the sentiment expressed elsewhere that it can't be easy running a firearms business here in the East Bay. Between the mistrust of 'guns in the wrong hands' among the ruling elite and the glorification of violence by some segments of our population, Bob must find himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Retail is stressful enough; I'm amazed that he's able to stay open in this hostile environment. That Bob has been the intended victim of more than one robbery gives him the right to be wary and distrustful - although I'd call it sensibly prudent. If you need your ego stroked you could go to Big 5 or Walmart. There you can probably get some poor soul working for minimum wage in trouble with their supervisor. Lastly, I'll make the observation that if you can't write clearly or communicate verbally without resorting to profanity, aren't you perhaps the one whose communication and people skills are lacking? Maybe it's an attention deficit disorder - in which case you won't have read all the way through this review. read more

I had a positive experience there. Bob the owner patiently answered all my questions as well as showing me guns I may consider. I highly recommend the place! read more