By Celeste McLaughlin
For the past seven months, Jeffrey Webb has operated Wesley Chapel’s only gun shop and it since has become a popular destination for local residents looking for firearms, firearm repair and accessories.
Grey Wolf Armory opened on July 1 of last year, just north of S.R. 54 and west Morris Bridge Rd., next to Wendy’s in the shopping center in front of Home Depot.
“There is quite a lot of demand,” says Jeffrey. “There are no other gun shops in Wesley Chapel and I’m the only certified gunsmith in the area, so (we get) a lot of traffic.”
Jeffrey says that opening the store was a natural extension of something he’s enjoyed since childhood.
“I’ve been involved with firearms since I was a kid,” he says. “My dad was in the U.S. Secret Service and a deputy sheriff, so I’ve been trained in firearms and firearm safety all of my life.” Jeffrey adds that he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol in high school, which is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. In fact, he says he was only 14 when he did his first “trigger job,” or repairing a firearm to make its trigger operate better.
But, it was always just a hobby for him, as he spent the last 23 years of his professional life working in information technology. Jeffrey has lived in Wesley Chapel with his wife Nicole and eight-year-old daughter Rachael since 2008.
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“But, I wanted to work for myself for a long time,” says Jeffrey. “So, when the opportunity (to open the store) presented itself, I jumped in.”
Since opening Grey Wolf Armory, Jeffrey has become a certified professional gunsmith, as he completed a master gunsmithing course from the online American Gunsmithing Institute in 2014, earning certifications in the repair of many different types of firearms.
“This training helped me formalize the knowledge I had from years of working on firearms, and also expanded my knowledge of different types of firearms,” says Jeffrey, who says he emphasizes safety at every opportunity. “I take every firearm I repair out to the range (Note-Grey Wolf does not have a firing range on-site) to test it to be sure it’s repaired correctly and is safe to use,” he says.
In fact, he says, it’s not just the firearms he repairs that he will test for safety.
“If anyone has any questions about whether or not their firearm is safe, I will safety check it for free,” says Jeffrey. “I’m building relationships with people. That’s one reason why I’m so concerned about firearm safety.”
He says he looks for any problems with the action of the gun. For example, in a revolver, does it line up properly? Is there a failure to feed or failure to eject? Does a rifle go off when it’s bumped? Are there problems due to after-market modifications? What kind of wear and tear does the firearm have? Since every gunshot is an explosion, he says, eventually the metal will get “fatigued.”
And, he says he always takes time with each customer who wants to purchase a gun to figure out which firearm is best for them.
“I want my customers to become repeat customers,” says Jeffrey. “I want to make sure that they always get the right firearm for their needs so they will come back.”
He also explains that there are many different reasons people are interested in his merchandise.
“For many people, this is their hobby, too,” he says. “They like to tinker with guns, and firearms are recreation for them. In addition, customers purchase firearms for self-defense, for hunting and even for pest control.” He says some customers come in because they are in a new situation that requires them to think about self-defense, whether it’s a couple sending their daughter off to college, a newly single mom or a truck driver who has to haul valuable items through seedy areas. “I help them find exactly what they need for their purpose,” he says.
“We carry a wide variety of firearms in the store, and you also can order almost any brand and type of firearm through our distributor,” Jeffrey says. Customers can come into the store or shop online (at GreyWolfArmory.com), pay a deposit online, and pick up their firearm in the store two days later.
Jeffrey explains that to purchase any firearm from Grey Wolf Armory, you have to pass a background check. Pasco County has no waiting period for rifles or shotguns. For handguns, there is no waiting period if you have a Florida concealed carry permit. However, if you do not have a permit, you may still purchase a firearm, but have to wait three business days before you can receive it from the store. Without the concealed carry permit, you can use a handgun for home defense, but he encourages all gun owners to obtain the permit.
“It authorizes you to have a concealed weapon and can keep you out of all kinds of trouble,” he says. The first step to obtaining a permit is usually to take a class (prior members of the military or law enforcement can skip this step, as can those who have taken a hunting safety class). Although concealed weapons classes are not available at the store, Grey Wolf Armory sells the classes at a discount, to be taken at the Indoor Shooting Company on E. Fowler Ave. in Thonotosassa (just east of Temple Terrace).
Jeffrey says another major benefit of purchasing a firearm from him is that all new guns come with a lifetime, transferrable warranty. He says that if something goes wrong with any firearm purchased at Grey Wolf Armory, the customer pays a $10 shipping charge and the distributor replaces the firearm within a few days.
“You don’t have to mess with the manufacturer, which is a huge advantage,” he says. “If you have to ship (a weapon) directly to a manufacturer (yourself), it can take 12 weeks before they repair or replace it for you.”
Joe Mora lives in Land O’Lakes and is the commander of the Civil Air Patrol unit at MacDill Air Force Base in South Tampa. He says he’d rather deal with Jeffrey than any big box store. “Jeff is honest and straightforward,” Joe says. “He offers a wide range of firearms, and he doesn’t try to sell you the most expensive one. He’s interested in what’s best for you.”
Tony Griffin, a Lutz resident who frequents Grey Wolf Armory, agrees. “I am a firearms collector,” Tony says. “I like to customize firearms and make them my own, and I was very pleased to find a gunsmith who can help me with these things. (Jeffrey) seems to have a broad knowledge about a wide variety of firearms.”
As for Grey Wolf’s prices, Tony says, “I’ve also found his repair prices reasonable. It’s not like some other places that charge you a lot for minor repairs. And his prices on firearms are reasonable, too. I shop the Internet and find him to be very competitive.”
And, Jeffrey says he plans to add even more services. “We’ve been successful and are now looking to expand,” says Jeffrey. “I am hoping to soon have on-site machine shop services to expand my repair services and even be able to offer custom handguns and rifles.”
Grey Wolf Armory is involved in the community, too. Jeffrey gives discounts to all active first responders, including police, fire and emergency medical services. He also recently worked in partnership with a nearby business, Vapor Unlimited, to sell raffle tickets to benefit the Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club, which in turn supports many nonprofit organizations. The raffled firearms were valued at more than $1,500, which raised several thousand dollars to help pay for the club’s fourth humanitarian trip to Trojes, Honduras, next month.
See ad on page 8 for valuable coupons, including a discounted personal protection package and $40 off any Springfield XD or XDm handgun. Jeffrey says this brand is a customer favorite, and the one he personally carries. “It’s an extremely popular brand, and very durable,” he says. “There are documented cases where the XD has been fired 3,000 to 4,000 rounds without even being cleaned, and it’s still firing just fine.”
Grey Wolf Armory is located at 32733 Eiland Blvd., #104, near Wendy’s, in the separate plaza next to Home Depot. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. For additional information, visit GreyWolfArmory.com or call the store at 782-4624.
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