Great experience at Solar Tactical. I stopped by because I was having an issue with my P365, and Ben immediately helped me figure it out and fix it. Everyone was super nice, patient, and really knowledgeable. I felt welcomed the whole time. Highly recommend this shop if you need help or just want a reliable place to go. read more

Great selection of tools and even better staff 10 out of 10 FFL in the bay area. *****

Great shop, staff are super helpful and knowledgeable, I worked with Justin, Jesus and Benjamin and they were all awesome to deal with and make the process painless. Shop was busy, but the line moved really quick. Couldn't recommend them more, way better than the big stores where you'll wait for hours. read more

Always a great experience here. Ben is especially helpful. This is my favorite local store with competitive pricing.

Staff was helpful and informative. They were patient with us when trying different selections. Definitely will come back for my next purchase. read more

Ben was very helpful and professional and helped walk me through all the various processes. I expect to do business with them in the future. read more

Overpriced experience by people who don't know how to operate a customer driven business. I went there trying to support a local business and left because of the nickel and diming. read more

It's always cool to stop into this local spot and support them! Everyone here is chill and helpful.

Actually I never been there but I am going to give them a 5 star rating. They answer my email to them in a day good people I could never get anybody to order a gun for me they offered that do in my books these guys are the real deal they just got a new customer read more

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Requires ID to enter. I presented my dmv application id. They still reject it. Can't even check out new rostered guns without being blocked. Go to elite armory. Better service and friendlier staff. Less fuddy read more

Took my fire arm exam here and after the cool off period I was able to pick up my Glock 17. All with the help and guidance of Hesus, he's the man to talk to. I was just starting out and he gave great recommendations and upon my pick up made sure I know the basics. Awesome dude! Also the shop is like a candy shop for home protection armory, love the rifles they from small budget to advanced. Will definitely go back and highly recommended read more

Friendly service. No hassle. Parking lot. Fair prices. Best gun store in Castro Valley.

Went to do a Private Party Transfer on a Saturday a couple hours before they close. Was told that they only do PPTs from 10-11 on Saturdays, so they turned us away. I get that a gun store doesn't want to take time away from real potential sales to do a minimal-revenue PPT, especially on a busy weekend day. But when I looked over the employee's shoulder (they keep the outside door locked and only answer when you knock), the sum total of people inside were two employees and zero customers. So they turned down my PPT (with the possibilities of gaining add-on sales or developing customer loyalty) so they could go back to doing basically nothing. Because they do have a formal policy, I won't give them just one star. But they don't get more than two stars because using that policy as an excuse to ignore smart customer service and future sales potential when your store is completely empty is just silly. read more

Great service, very helpful and awesome staff!!! I'll be back when I'm ready to purchase another firearm!

Very knowledgeable personnel. Well worth their weight in gold. I would highly recommend Solar Tactical for any firearm needs.

Picked up my brand new Gloc 17 yesterday. I should have checked the pistol before leaving the shop but i got distracted. When i got home, the slide was off color than the handle and there was scratches up top. Not how i remembered when i checked on their display. I Called them back and they told me to bring it over so they can clean it. They said it's common from the manufacturer. They wiped it with anti rust oil. Scratch was still there but unnoticeable. Now the gun looks how it should be brand new when you hand it over to the customer. They gave me a box of ammo too for the inconvenience! Sweet! Thanks Solar Tactical! One star off tho coz' they should have checked the gun free from any blemishes before handing it over to the customer...But i'll be back! Oh that Asian guy from the store was very helpful! read more

It's been a while, but I have purchased free firearms from them. I have always follow them to be knowledgeable and helpful and prices were reasonable. read more

Dump. Besides their prices being ridiculous, this place has the worst customer service ever. Please drive 20 min away to J&R in Livermore and see what a real gun store should look like. Came here for a PPT. Said they only do private party transactions the first hour. So we get there half hour before opening, second in line. Guys in front of us also doing a transfer. He takes them, then skips us and says "only one ppt at a time", ok no problem. Half hour goes by, the first guys are long gone, but he keeps skipping us, saying "as soon as he computer frees up". Eventually sends his youngest employee out at 12:01 (they open at 11) and says "too late now, only the first hour managed says". We plead our case, to no resolve. Will never come back. They only get a star because of yelp! read more

One of the best gun stores in the Bay Area. Knowledgeable on fire arms as well. They also do gun smithing

Great customer service ! Best armory store in the bay ! Came in and Ben took care of me Great guy ! Way better than elite armory !

Not much of a choice, but needed 9mm ammo and they're charging $50 for a box of 50 rounds. I understand businesses need to make money but this is a bit over the line. Not coming back to support this local business ever again. read more

Dogshit customer service, went there 3 times workers have a personality of a rock. Hang up on the phone when trying to put a deposit on guns in stock. I live 5 minutes away but travel to the Livermore location instead to not deal with these people. And the parking lot is a complete gangbang Ffest read more

very unprofessional store, said i smell weed so i cant sell u anything & told him i don't smoke i didn't even smell like weed it was the 2 white guys next to me an they sold him stuff with no id this store need to be shut down or they need to be fired asap read more

Well I had a interesting experience with solar , their quite a shop , I bought a one of kind but did not found what u was looking for the shop gets a plus from , along with arms they have survival equipment. read more

Veteran owned and operated, best deals around on bulk ammo and they can get you all the fun toys that just are't available anywhere else in Cali. Plus, they're right next door to some of the best ph'n burritos I've ever tried at El Rancho's store~ ! What more can you ask for? read more

Called 2 separate times about doing a PPT for a rare off-roster, and both times had an employee confirm they would handle the transaction. I was driving over 1 hour for this sale, and the other person over 7 hours, so we wanted to have everything planned out. When we arrived we discovered their DROS system was down. The reason I'm writing this review isn't because of the DROS system though - we understand things sometimes happen - it's because the manager Les had nothing but a bad attitude from the moment we walked in, and said even if their system was working he wouldn't do the transfer anyway because "it's too much gray area", despite the fact everything was documented and prepped in Cal-legal format. When I said he might want to clear that kind of thing up with his employees because we drove a long way and called 2 separate times to confirm they would handle the PPT, Les responded by saying he was already having a bad day, didn't want to argue, and I could take my business somewhere else. Well alrighty then. I get that DROS being down is frustrating, but don't take your personal grief out on me. Went to J&R Sports Supply in Livermore instead, and everything went smooth as butter. As a final note, I ended up talking about it to Mike (the owner) at Solar Tactical in Livermore, and had nothing but a fantastic experience dealing with him and the guys there. I'd recommend their services to anyone (left a 5 star review for them), but as for the location here in Castro Valley, if it means having anything to do with Les, I'd pass and drive the extra 20 minutes to Livermore. read more

Staff at Solar Tactical in Castro Valley are very helpful and they have a lot of good selection of guns and ammo. If you are looking to buy a good firearm, they will have it. However, their prices are extremely high. It is close to more than double than other gun shops outside of the Bay Area like Stockton, Fairfield or Brentwood. It isn't fair to judge a gun shop by price only because inventory for reliable firearms are hard to get since the pandemic. So, if you are really in need for one for a good peace of mind or it makes you go to sleep better during this time, then it is ok to pay such price. If you don't need it right away, then wait it out or drive a few hours away from the Bay Area to save some money, but other shops may not even have what you are looking for, so do your research before the long drive. I bought one of my pistols at Solar Tactical before and I received very good customer service. I knew the expensive price tag on the pistol before I paid, so there was no cheating or scam involved. Yes, I paid almost double the MSRP for it, but this is the principle of supply and demand all about. If the price is too high for you, just walk away and go some place else. I blamed myself for waited too long to buy, not the shop. The negative is the parking. It is between a grocery store and a laundromat, so it is hard to find a parking space during some hours. They also charge $50 for background check & Dealer Record of Sale (DROS). It should be only $37.19 by laws and that's all other gun shops charge in CA. read more

3rd time I make the drive from Hayward to get an order ready for pick-up. They left me a voicemail too saying that's is ready to be pick up. But the place is close!! WTH read more

This place is a hit or miss for me, as of lately it's been mostly a miss. My party called in twice prior to our meet up here to confirm if a particular PPT was okay. They gave him the okay twice. When we arrived and proceeded, the worker checked with the guy in the back and I guess they didn't want to do it for personal reasons... Drove over to elite armory across the street and they were super friendly and had no issues doing business with us. If you ever plan on doing PPTs here just save yourself some time and move on to the next store that will be happy to take your business. read more

Will not help with a private party transfer after 12pm...there was no one else in the store and they did not care. Been here and bought a few things before but will never after this experience. read more

Came here to take my FSC test and finished within 10 minutes. Ben was very knowledgeable about their products while I was browsing. Very good customer service! read more

Was in search of a local gun store near me in San Jose to support, and Solar Tactical doesn't know what LEOSA credentials are. Stating they can't confirm who if we have all the required training, that the card itself states... then how would credential holders have the card? It's the same as police Officer and his Creds. Short story, they won't honor your LEOSA, so stay clear from this one. read more

Lots of great options for California gun owners including IWI Galil Ace/Tavor, Caz Bren, AKs and many AR-15 options.

I was afraid as an older woman to go but Ben was patient with me as I am looking to upgrade my firearm. I had several questions and in the end he provided the business card of a local firearms trainer recommend! read more

Had a very specific question. Talked to a guy, I think his name is Les. He interrupted me before I could even finish the question, very rudely. Basically told me that I did not know what I was talking about. Horrible customer service. I may have very well been wrong, but there was no reason for him to treat me in the manner that he did. The reason people ask questions is to get answers. this guy really struck a nerve. Their selection is fantastic and they have a lot of really cool stuff which I would love to purchase, but after that interaction, they could have guns that shoot gold bricks and I still would never give them my money. Sent my brother there before this interaction. He is LEO. Looking for a new off duty carry gun. He also reported a similar interaction. If you want to be treated like crap, this is your place! read more

Bought my first 2 firearms (Glock 19 and 26) here with a gentlemen named Ben. He was very professional and patiently answered all my newbie questions. Been back several times for ammo and Ben has always given me reasonable prices..even bulk discounts which i appreciated. In fact, the last time I was there Ben offered to unload a P226 Mk25 which I opted to think over the weekend. By the time Tuesday rolled around it was already sold. Looked online and it was at least a couple hundred dollars higher!!! Looking forward to going back for a rifle as soon as these darn 30 day waiting periods expire . Thank you Ben and Solar Tacticle read more

Did a PPT here and it was flawless. Picked up some ammo and dummy caps to give them some paying business as they literally make nothing on these PPTs. (Actually they said with everything that goes into it, they lose $ on them- which I absolutely believe.) Happy to support the LGS. For the initial paperwork I talked to one guy and he was thorough but fast, and took the time to point out my 10 day waiting period pickup time was close to their early Saturday closing time. When I came in for pickup it was a different guy and I got the same helpful service. Given some of the other "rude" reviews here on Yelp, I feel the need to point out that it wasn't my impression at all. Maybe it's my East Coast sensibility, but I find the no-nonsense and to-the-point service to be refreshing. I packed up my stuff and got a handshake and a thank you on the way out. I'll shop here again. read more

This gun store has an excellent selection of rifles to look at. They have unique and high quality type rifles. I was impressed that I saw at least two belt fed weapons & Desert Tech rifles. The service was extremely friendly and they were very helpful explaining the ins and outs of the communist CA gun laws. I didn't buy anything this time but I will definitely be back after researching what exactly I want. They will special order specific colors. read more

I have no respect for gun shops like this, that price gouge the community during troubling times like these. I would highly recommend doing your homework on what these pistols actually cost. 1100 dollars for a Glock is disgraceful. You people should be ashamed of yourselves. read more

Terrible customer service. Gave me the run around not only once but three times.. Could not pick up iteam because address change. And was not explained this until first pick up date so they gave me what I needed to bring so and paid money to get update. Then they said no they need other paperwork So I did again then they said no they needed something else. So I ask for refund and they hit me with a restocking fee... $100 wow. Do u want me to pay u 100 to get my money back wow. Terrible customer service and not clear al all on what they tell you from the start. Will never buy here ever again. Stay away. They dont give you all the info you need . read more