We visited Red Dot Arms to get a gift for my son. The staff were so friendly and helpful. They also pointed us to the many professional training courses that they have for first time firearm owners. So far my son and I have attended an NRA certified gun safety class, a riflery lesson and are signed up for a pistols for beginners class. I have enjoyed working with everyone at Red Dot Arms. read more

I've tried to give this company an opportunity to earn my business. I have reached out multiple times over the last few years on price quotes and ordering information and ultimately have received no response. No follow up calls. No emails. Nothing. Thankfully there are other options in the area, though I would have liked to support a company in the town in which I live. read more

I've been a customer of RED Dot for the past six years. I've purchased several firearms, ammo, accessories and ever taken classes. The staff couldn't be more helpful. Bought a new Glock a couple of months ago and found the site was damaged. They had it swapped out with a new one in 10 minutes. read more

I purchased my first gun online and selected Red Dot Arms from a dealer network list Being a first time buyer, I really appreciated how informative they are with each step. I stopped in to fill out the necessary paperwork, and even though I arrived a couple minutes after closing, they stayed open to help me so I would not have to come all the way back the next day. I was also able to email them a bill of sale instead of having to print and come in for another visit. From start to finish they made the whole buying experience easy, they are super friendly and went above and beyond to make my life easier. I will definitely be returning! read more

The Red Dot Arms training team is one that I trust to gain the necessary skills to safely handle my firearms. I've attended many of their courses and leave each time with additional skills that increase my confidence level, improve my aim, draw and overall technique. Steve and Mike are thorough and keep it real - which is exactly what you want in firearm instruction. Thanks guys; see you on the range again soon. read more

Mike is extremely knowledgeable and qualified. He provides excellent practical instruction and training, including access to an outdoor range. I've taken numerous classes and have been impressed, particularly with the emphasis on safety. read more

They may be small in size, but they're big and service, quality and knowledge. RDA has become my go to place for my firearms needs. As an experienced shooter, I highly recommend RDA. They're experienced staff will spend as much time as necessary with you to insure you're firearm purchase makes sense for you're firearm need. Fantastic number of class offerings to continue your firearm training. I used they're gumsmith services and the service is stellar. Competitvely priced. Mike, Steve, Max and Andrew know the firearm industry. Highly recommend. read more

Red Dot Arms? I will never go back to that place again. On Sunday, January 25, 2015 I stopped at Red Dot Arms late morning. I specificaly stopped to see one of the employees by the name of Mike Harmon. When I entered the store I was greeted by an armed young man. I asked for Mike Harmon and was told he was helping a customer in the back. I then said I don't see Mike's truck out front and the counter man looked saying that he must be parked in the center. I said let me wait until Mike is finished. After a 15 minute wait I said that I had to go but I would stop by again. When I got home I looked up Mike's cell phone number and called him. Mike Harmon has been living and working in North Carolina since October, 2014. IN OTHER WORDS I WAS LIED TO AND WAISTED 15 MINUTES OF MY TIME WAITING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT BEEN THERE FOR 4 MONTHS. If this is the way that Red Dot handles their business, I WILL NEVER GO BACK AND I SUGGEST THAT NO ONE ELSE DOES EITHER. read more

Small store but they do have a very good selection of firearms in the back part of the store. You just need to show them your FOID card and they'll let you in their showroom in the back. When you walk in the showroom the rifles and shotguns are openly displayed. You can just pick one up off the wall to try it out. Pistols are on display in glass cases that they'll more than be happy to show it to you. Entire staff is very friendly, courteous and knowledgeable. Just good people. If there is a particular firearm you were looking for and they don't have it in stock or carry it, they will work with other dealers and try to get it in for you. Emails are responded to very quickly by Steve. He has helped me several times and worked with me to get in a rifle & pistol that I wanted. Thanks Steve!!! Lastly, prices on firearms are equal too if not better than many other local shops, big box stores and ranges. Many times even better than what you would find online. This is my go to store for firearms and hanging out with like minded people. read more

Red Dot Arms - Front of store. - Guns & Ammo Near Me - Lake Villa, Illinois

I've been there a couple times, never purchased any firearm from there since I am a Wisconsin resident and it would have to be transferred to a Wisconsin FFL dealer, I just go to the store in Paddock Lake, which is closer to me anyway. But everytime I've been at red dot arms the guys there were friendly, they have a neat selection to choose from. They first asked me to show them a FOID card before they let you in, I told them that I didn't have one, but I have a Wisconsin driver's license, they said "that's even better" and they let me in. Lol read more

I have purchased quite a few guns from this establishment, and was looking to add a SIG P320 to my collection, and a few other items. I was first greeted and then buzzed to the back, while waiting I was never once approached even within the 15 minutes that I was there. I was surprised because I've never had a issue here prior to today. I've have now come to realize that one of the staff a tall white gentleman always has this stank ass attitude when I come in. Lesson learned never come when he's there come during the week, and two he needs to be retrained on his customer service skills! read more

My first experience with Red Dot was the purchase of a Ruger Mini 14 ranch rifle with wood stock. After calling lots of area gun dealers, Red Dot was the only one who had it in stock, they were willing to hold it for me, and their price was way better than what I was quoted from the dealers that didn't even have it. When I arrived to fill out paperwork I was impressed by the operation and the staff. Their ammo prices for factory reloads are great, and the ammunition functions perfectly. Great prices, excellent staff and superior service. Even though it's nearly an hour away it's my gun store of choice. read more

This is a full service firearms store. I have purchased a firearm and taken a concealed carry class. They re very knowledgeable and they make you feel welcome. read more

Great place, great people and awesome selection of firearms and accessories! The Guy's and Gal's working here are ALL knowledgeable professionals. I like that they Open Carry a fully loaded firearm on their hip and are providing Training Classes for all kinds of cool stuff! I have had my Wife and Daughters attend a class there and they gave it two thumbs UP! read more

This place is awesome when it comes to having great customer service & a decent size of inventory. I purchased my 1st gun here (Glock 17) & I can honestly say they made the process of buying a gun very simple by answering all my questions with no hesitations. The only downside about this place is that they do NOT have their gun range open to the public. With that said I will definitely go back later in the future to purchase another gun. read more

The guns smith is polite, professional and knowledgeable. Does great work! I recommend him highly. The Management is possibly the worst I have done buisness with in a long time. Quickly, I traded in a rifle and a Glock and was quoted $400 combined for both in trade. I expressed that I would like $50 more in total. They did a great job installing a mount and sight for the new Glock and when I came to pick it up I asked for the addl $50 for the trades. The owner, manager (?) said NO, I expressed that I didn't even ask for a a discount on the new purchase and $25 per trade was I thought reasonable. He said NO WAY. Now everyone needs to make a profit. $50 is not going to make or break me. It was the way the NO was said and the NO WAY was reinforced. No explanation no ( I'm SORY but that's all I can do) just NO. NO WAY. Very rude. I will never step back in the store. I did call the gun smith and express if he ever goes anywhere else please keep my number but Red Dot is a Black Spot in the town of Lake Villa. JC read more

Referred to Red Dot by my friend who is ex Navy. New to guns so I was happy to have someone direct me to a reputable shop. Have purchased 3 guns in the last several months at Red Dot including ammo. During this time I had 2 separate sales associates help me with my sections - no complaints with either of them - both extremely helpful and knowledgeable. read more

Im a very hard person to please, and have a short and hot temper. This got me in trouble with red dot arms and caused quite a stir. All the classes I took were beyond the point of good. They pretty much gave as much information a human could take. I went to the classes and messed up with not handling my firearm safely, and was told several times to adhere to the rules. I was denied my concealed carry permit due to Mike didnt want to be responsible for just giving a permit out like candy. I had a hair up my Xvegi, and was on a rampage. I disrespected all his employee's including Mike. The next day I was sorry for having said what I said and appologized. A couple days later Mike called me up on his own, and told me if I could be safe and take two more classes I would be able to qualify again. I did this and was given a certification. This company went way over the norms and gave me a chance when they didnt have to. This is an outstanding company. They put the customer ahead of themselves, even when the customer is an ass. To this day I am using them for several issues, and they still give me respect. I want to say whoever is reading this, should try this place out. They will go beyond on whatever you choose read more

Knowledgeable and friendly staff, awesome selection. If they don't have it, they'll order it. This is not your average "know-it-all" gun shop. read more

This has what I consider an acceptable ending, but there were a few bumps along the way. I was not familiar with this shop, and found them on Armslist.com. Found the gun I wanted in one of their listings, for $660. I went to their store and was impressed. Ken took good care of me, and showed me many different guns to compare. I decided to go with my original choice of a Armscor/Rock Island M1911-A2 2011 HighCap Tactical 45 ACP. Exact text from their ad. I put down a deposit of the requested amount to start the 3 day wait period. I received a receipt for my deposit, but did not notice at the time it was not itemized. Just showed the amount of the deposit. I returned 3 days later to pick it up. I brought cash for the balance. The final payment was more than $70 higher than expected. I questioned it, and was told the gun was $729, not the $660 their ad depicted. The gentleman working the counter (not Ken, but did not get his name) showed me the price on their own website of $729. He refused to go to the Armslist website, so I brought in my laptop from my car with the page already opened. He studied the ad, checked the links in it, and finally agreed it was the same gun. He then insisted it was the wrong price, and that they would not make any money on it at the $660 advertised price. At this point a few more customers came in, some to shop, others to pick up purchases. Our conversation did not get loud at any point, but the area just inside their front door (not the showroom) is rather small. Obviously everyone was hearing this. After checking the computer again, and talking to someone in the backroom, he finally agreed to the advertised price of $660. He gave me back $70 plus whatever in taxes. This part is only my opinion, and was not said by him, but I feel if there were no other customers in the store at the time of this conversation, I would have been stuck with the $729 price. I'm sure not actually walking out the door with it yet probably helped. Here's the reason I wrote this review. This happened over 3 weeks ago, and the exact same ad is still on armslist has been relisted numerous times, and as of this writing, still says $660. Giving the benefit of the doubt that this could have been all innocent mistakes, I gave 3 stars. I did finally get the gun I wanted, at the price I wanted. But I shouldn't have had to jump through the hoops I did. What also didn't help was I inquired before leaving the store about buying extra magazines, I was told to call back in a few weeks because they were too busy. Bum's rush? Most certainly. read more

Just finished my CCW classes at RedDot Arms on 4-2 & 3-16. Classroom sizes are small,15 and coed, which will help me get my wife to sign up now. The instructors we had, Ken and Anthony were very knowledgeable, professional and provided us the required information in a way that the 8 hour classes went by quickly and safely. I highly recommend taking your classes here. They're not intimidating and the students ranged from novice to experienced gun enthusiasts. The whole staff at Red Dot was very kind and courteous. I rate them A+ Willie read more

I was very happy with red dot arms. They are very helpful and are willing to answer any and all questions you may have. Their pricing is competitive to the area. Staff is friendly. I have bought parts and ammo from them and have used them as a ffl. Always a pleasure going in. I wish other places were more like this. read more

So I live in Southern Cali the land of liberal gun haters and I found Red Dot on the net. Not only were they the best price I could find on the handgun I was looking for but the customer service I got was outstanding! I had some questions about the purchase and ffl transfers after I had purchased from their website so I wrote their cs department an email. I received a call within 5 minutes even though I contacted them outside of normal business hours! Max is the person who called me back; Max was friendly and answered my questions stating that he called me back right away as he knew how frustrating it can be to have to wait til the weekend is over when you have a concern. What a company! You don't find firearm dealers like this....period....max and RDA have my business for life now. Thanks again guys read more

Very knowledgable. Had an issue with the initial purchase but Mike worked hard to fix it. Very satisfied with the experience.

Great firearm purchase. Have to say Ken is just great. Pointed out much to consider, answered all my questions,and offered up classes to increase my skills and knowledge. All in all very educational visit. Going back to have sites added with a great discount offered. Will look for Ken each time I go. Great guy! read more

Recently I've been using them for transfers, and you can't find anyone better. Eric is the best. They get the guns out fast, and supply you with all the tracking info. My buyers have been very happy with the speed and professional packaging of the shipments. read more

I went to RDA in late July, and met Mike the owner, who was a very helpful guy. Even though I hadn't yet received my FOID card yet (I have it now), Mike gave the tour of the showroom, which was pretty amazing! We talked about my desires ( a .38 acp ) and he made an excellent case for moving up to a 9 mm. In other words, Mike was the model of excellent customer service, I will be back with money to spend! read more

Very knowledgeable staff members and they helped me purchase my new Springfield XDS a couple of days ago and today I picked it up. The staff members were very polite and knew exactly what they were doing unlike the other gun stores around the area, including bass pro. Yeah some of the prices might be a little higher than other places but with the excellent customer service and the professionalism they provide, it's well worth it. read more

Great store! I've taken classes with Red Dot and have used them for FFL transfers, you couldn't ask for better customer service. The guys are always pleasant and talkative, make you feel at home. I've never been talked down to or treated like I'm wasting their time like some other stores I've visited. Go see them, you won't be sorry! read more

Love this gun store and frequently go back have bought plenty of ammo and a couple guns from them

Max and the staff at Red Dot Arms are the best in all of Northern Illinois. They are friendly, very knowledgeable, and always happy to help and answer questions. When you go to a big box shop or a place like Gat Guns, it feels like you are a burden when your asking questions or trying to buy any sort of firearm. At Red Dot its the complete opposite, they take time with everyone of their customers, they answer all your questions and even if you don't buy anything that same day, they treat you with respect and like a friend. Along with their great service, if you can't find what you want at Red Dot, they can either order it for you, or you can buy it online and do a FFL transfer right on their website. If you are new to buying firearms or a Veteran, this is the place you should start shopping! read more

Not a very inviting shopping experience. Communications non existent, and probably would not return. You don't get any extra tries once I'm disappointed. Fair selection of guns but there are other place that sell firearms. read more

I have done many purchases at Red Dot as well as used their shop for FFL transfer and not had 1 issue at all. Their prices are good and all my guns love their target ammo. I see posts here that don't make sense. Like " they bad because they did not offer me top price for my used gun " really ? Shops (in case you did not know) are in the business to make some money to pay bills, staff and keep the doors open. If they see something they going to struggle to sell sure they not going to pay top $ ... no brainer there. Anyway all I can say is they have been really great, I support the small business owner. They have always found what I was looking for and gave me a good price. For those of you complaining about nothing, Bass Pro will take your money. read more

I made my first visit to their store after hearing such good things from other people. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in the selection. After being told that they do not stock what I was looking for I asked if they could order it. The person I spoke with went to the computer and quoted me a price. I then asked about another pistol they did not have and I was told to go to their website and enter the information of what I was looking for in order to get a quote. That left a bad taste in my mouth for two reasons: 1) I am a business owner myself, when someone is interested in buying from you, you should give them every opportunity to do just that. (Close the sale) 2) it says to your potential customer "We don't have time for you" or "I don't want to put forth any effort" Maybe he thought I was not serious about making a purchase, but I guess he will never know as he seemed very quick to dismiss me and my potential purchase. That doesn't seem to make any business sense. I could purchase/ order from any number of retailers or online vendors (which I have done many times), but I thought I would support a local small business. It is unfortunate that I wasn't able to do so. read more

Recently took CCL class and purchased a firearm. Entire staff and course instructors are very friendly and have a wealth of knowledge. Many classes are offered to help gun enthusiasts. Great place to go! read more

Spoke with the Owner/manager of Red Dot. He has offered to talk through our experience and invited us to come back in. We will update the review after going back in. Like I said in the original review I really want to love this place! read more

Will never do business with dealer again. Counter staff are rude and arrogant. Gun smiths could not do something as simple as bore sight a rifle scope. After first attempt all the screws on the clamp rings were left loose. After the second attempt to bore sight the rifle I was barely on the paper at 15 yards. Recently had them do a gun transfer for me, I was not allowed to handle or inspect the firearm (which was a police trade in). Will never set foot in the place again. read more

I made a half dozen phone calls to various gun shops, trying to find someone to appraise the large gun collection of a deceased family member. I was fortunate that Max R. of Red Dot Arms answered the phone when I called, and was willing to come to where the guns were stored to appraise them one by one, at a price we could afford. The other appraisers wanted me to bring the guns to them and leave them for a week or two, for a price we could not afford. Max was at all times polite, patient and professional -- in short, a pleasure to work with. After examining each gun over a 3-day period, Max emailed me detailed appraisal lists with current market values based not upon Blue Book estimates but upon sales that had taken place within the last 1-3 months of identical or highly similar guns on the internet. read more