R&M Arms in Minco a friendly source for firepower

R&M Arms in Minco started as a hobby for Mindy and Ronnie Porter in August of 2020. After opening their first storefront in Minco, business was booming, and they were able to move to a bigger and better location at 208 West Main Street in Minco.

Mindy spoke Monday morning about how the business came to fruition just about the time Ronnie was let go from a career in the oilfield.

“We were going to do it as a hobby, and just go to gun shows on the weekends,” Mindy explained. “We sent off for our license on August 7, and Ronnie got laid off on August 10. Then, we decided we would just do it full-time.”

“I was a Regional Manager,” Ronnie said, “covering Wyoming to New Mexico. In 2019, I spent 200 nights in a hotel. I didn’t have a hard job. I just had a lot of meetings and I traveled all the time. I was actually kind of relieved.”

Mindy and Ronnie have a real passion for what they do, and for doing it together. Since they were 16 years old, the couple has spent many weekends going on dates to gun shows. Now, with decades of experience, they are operating their own store, and trying to treat people they way they would want to be treated.

“We’ve had a lot of bad experiences in gun stores personally,” Mindy said. “I’ve had them continuously ignore me, and go after Ronnie. I’ve had to tell them I wanted to buy something and that I had my own money.”

“We try to be different than other gun stores,” Ronnie said. “We greet everybody who walks in the door. Most gun stores don’t do that. I think we make people feel welcome, because we really appreciate that they’re here. We’re happy for every customer who comes in here, whether they decide to buy something or not. We’re happy that people come in and just look. If they don’t buy something, maybe they’ll tell a friend about something we have. I figure if we just treat people the way we want to be treated, then it’ll work out for us.

“I told a guy I wanted a Smith & Wesson one time and he kept trying to sell me a Glock 17. He told me it was better, but the Smith & Wesson had just come out. I asked him how he knew it was better, since it was brand new. I had to tell the guy I already had four of those (Glock 17s), and either sell it (S&W) to me or I’d go somewhere else. If somebody comes in here and they’re asking about a certain gun, we show them that gun, and that gun only, unless they ask for recommendations.

“Every gun store we’ve ever gone to, they tried to push us in one direction or another. Whatever you want to buy, whether we’re going to make more money on it or not, if you know what you want, we’re going to make sure that’s what you get.”

R&M Arms has more than 500 firearms, from ARs, 30-30s, loads of pistols both clip-fed and revolvers, and there’s a strong chance they have just what you’re looking for, and that includes ammunition.

“We have more ammo than just about anyone in the state of Oklahoma, including 6.5mm Creedmoor and 30-30,” Ronnnie said. “It’s crazy that 30-30 is hard to get, but they’re not producing as much anymore. It’s not a popular rifle anymore. It’s not the trend, but we do get a lot of phone calls about it, and we actually have some.”

For more information about R&M Arms, go online to randmarms.com.