SIA Firearms

Top Tier gallery. The place is a hollowed out bank and has a good layout to allow for all of the finest defense gear. VERY reasonable pricing and assortment of the best makes and models. The staff and owners are kind, easy to talk to and go out of their way to assist and inform. The classes offered are well taught and enlightening. I highly recommend this establishment.

I recently had two separate experiences at SIA: purchasing of a handgun, and trading in a used handgun to help in the purchase of another.During my first visit, I was greeted upon entering and allowed to browse their impressive inventory of new and used guns for a bit before being asked if I needed help. I prefer this versus being immediately approached by a pushy salesman, as it gives me time to decide what to have pulled out from behind the counter, while at the same time acknowledging my presence there. I ended up selecting a hard to find Sig model at a good price from their used handgun section. The associate handed me the typical federal background form to fill out, as well as an in-house waiver about their used handguns (they informed me they do a basic function check, but do not test fire their used guns). Since then, I've put 200 rounds through the handgun with no FTF, FTE, or general function issues.Having had a pleasant first experience, I brought in a used handgun to trade in. I was greeted by an unoccupied associate as soon as I walked up to the counter. The trade in process took less than 15 minutes. It seems like the female associate in the store (owner or manager, I'm guessing) had the final say in the trade in value for my handgun -- which turned out to be very competitive in terms of $'s when compared to othe shops in/around Knoxville. In addition to the forms I mentioned previously, they also provided me with a bill of sale/trade for my records (upon request). I have not had a chance to test the second handgun I purchased, but will update the review if I encounter any issues.One suggestion I have for the shop is to have some kind of live online inventory/database to browse (something as simple as a Google spreadsheet would suffice). The website shows pictures of some of their new and used stock, but the best way to find out what they have is to call/go in, which can be somewhat time consuming if you have several guns in mind.Too long; didn't read (TLDR): You can do business at SIA with confidence. They have courteous staff, and impressive inventory for a smaller gun shop. If you're looking to trade-in a firearm, they'll give you a fair and competitive value towards the purchase of another firearm. If you're looking for a firearm, it's best to call or visit the shop.

Just finished my carry permit class. Steve Bean was my instructor. Excellent class and experience.

Friendly and very knowledgeable staff. Their prices make them hard to be beat

The shop is well stocked and staff is friendly. My biggest gripe is the inflated price for transferring a Class III item (suppressor). Most shops charge about $100 for transferring a suppressor and filling out the Form 4 for the end user. SIA states $100 fee for transferring a Class III item which is pretty in line with other shops. However, if you are already a SilencerShop online customer and have already had your photo and fingerprints taken, then SIA being a SilencerShop affiliated dealer can file your Form 4 electronically through SilencerShop which means you dont need to go through the hassle of filling out paperwork or getting fingerprinted again.From the SIA side of business, this means that they simply punch in the model number and serial number of the suppressor and attach it to your SilencerShop account and SilencerShop does the rest. Heres the kicker. SIA charges you as the customer another $40 for the privilege of this service. So, you as the customer pay $140 to transfer a Class III item through SIA even if you never even lay a finger on the SilencerShop kiosk they have in the store.SIA states that SilencerShop charges them $40 to use the service. However, from a customer point of view, thats double dipping. The fact is, since SilencerShop is doing all the paperwork including submitting the paperwork and your fingerprints to the ATF, SIA is doing nothing more than punching in a few numbers in their computer and holding your item in the back.SIA should be charging $100 total for the service. If you use SilencerShop, theyre doing pretty much all of the work for $40 which means SIA should be content with the $60 remaining for sitting on your item until it clears. To state it another way, if I chose to go the standard route, SIA would have to fill out all the paperwork, get the fingerprints, and mail all that off to the ATF for $100. Instead, for $140, they do almost nothing and get paid the same amount. Since SilencerShop is doing the majority of the work, SIA should not be charging the same as if SIA was doing all the work. It isnt fair to the customer and its overcharging for less work.Lastly, Ive transferred two suppressors through SIA. The first was a direct purchase from SilencerShop. When I took the suppressor apart after getting it home, it had obviously been used as there was carbon residue and lead in it (rimfire suppressor). Im not sure who along the line used the suppressor, but Ive transferred suppressors through other dealers and had some that were pristine and obviously never been used and others that were obviously used. This leads me to believe that some dealers are trying out your suppressor during the 10 months that theyre holding onto it which is unethical.