Rifle Scopes For Alaskans, WWG

[SavageStag]

I'm sure you all know how unprofessional Ken is from WWG. I was on the AK outdoor forum where someone asked if the SWFA SS was any good. He was spouting off at the mouth about them being junk, so I challenged him on it and he didn't like it. Here's his true un-professionalism:

ME:
"You claiming it is junk in the manner you have, just confirms my suspicion that you are a true unprofessional, and that you spout off B.S. on the internet without any first hand knowledge."

Ken at WWG:
Really? How do you know what my level of knowledge is, sport? How many Super Snipers you ever played with? Ever watch any scope being constructed? Know how or where the SS is made? Know what coatings they use on their lenses? Ever compare your fav SS to say a Leu VX-I? If you ever did, did you notice that the edge distortion in the SS is worse, the VX-I is brighter, the adjustment ring turns smoother in the VX-I...and thats what, a $200 SCOPE?

Take a Tasco, dress it up and shill it to folks. Rosie O'Donnel. And whats the reply: Waaaah, your ignorant. Waaaah your unprofessional. Waaaaaaaaaaaah yoo a big old meany and Im not coming to your shop anymore.

"Im not there to be a whore for companies just to shill a buck. Im there to make sure my peeps GET VALUE for their dollar, and if that offends the fanboys, so be it. I dont tell folks what they WANT to hear, I tell them what they NEED to hear, and if that pisses folks off, ce la vie, I get more that appreciate honesty

YMMV. Have a greay day."


Original Post

 

[45.308]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Have you shopped with Ken? Once and I was basically asked to leave if I was not going to buy something. If you ask around you will find most will not go back, he does have his following mostly on that web page, not with the gun users of Alaska.

I do not want to tell all on the interweb as I am more professional than that.....

 

[Cegorach]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Good to know, I will be wary of dealing with them.

On another note, for someone new to the Fairbanks and occasionally Anchorage area do you have any suggestions for local shops that you would recommend doing business with?

 

[partisan1911]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I went to WWG once with the intent to purchase a 1911 and had similar experiences with their customer service. I have been told their work is good but I will never go back so I will never know. WWG is probably no better than any other reputable gun shop so when their customer service sucks they offer nothing better than their competitors. I am no professional so I told Ken to pound sand and took my money somewhere else.

In Fairbanks you are generally out of luck. Gary at Arctic Gunworks has good days and bad days. Depending on how he is feeling that day is how your work will turn out. I own a rifle built by him so I know he can do good work but I have also had a few small jobs done by him that turned out like crap. Ken Corchran lives in N. Pole and can do small work but with his equipment I wouldn't want him to build anything for me.

Alaska Custom Firearms in Anchorage is working on a .243 for me right now. I talked to him once and told him what I was looking for, checked back two months later and told him my first name and where I was calling from and he immediately recalled what he was building for me. So far so good for customer service. I can't wait to get the rifle finished.

For full auto and other toys I go to "Afternoons and Evenings Chiropractor", phone number in the yellow pages. He keeps a pretty good supply of all the major brands.

 

[SavageStag]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Yeah Gary is a grouchy old coot. He did a good job bedding rifle, but he sure isn't friendly.

 

[Scottmilk9]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I should move back up there and take my business with me. Customer Service is a make or break in business. I've never been to the shop in question, but i moved to AZ 10 years ago but visit a couple times a year.
Good luck gentlemen.

 

[SavageStag]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Do it!! We need a good shop up here!

 

[SPAK]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I called WWG once to ask about their .30-06 lapua brass prices. They advertise themselves as a lapua brass dealer. I was told "We don't have any and lapua doesn't even make .30-06 brass".

I said that's funny, because I've got a few boxes sitting right here in front of me...

 

[45.308]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

The best gun shop was Howards. Just superb service, prices and inventory.

From there I went to Mountain View until they went poor and are not in Mountain View. A good family business but too much family in the bizz lately, all their money is not in their gun hunting shop but in tourist shop inside Capt Cook Patagonia shop.

Traded with Great Northern for years but Og over there is just got pure obnoxious. Then I did a gun trade and got took and lied to so never went back.

Traded at Longs until bye bye.

Traded at West until bye bye.

Trade at Pick & Save until bye bye.

I did most of my trading over the last few years with Northern Security, the Cop Shop. Dan lives up the street from the house. I was well treated and got a respectable discount that I never asked for on XD45. My only complaint is asking one ol boy about +p ammo recoil and I got a smart ass remark about his 357. Every time I went back I side stepped him.

Chimos in the valley has some questionable ethics.

Boondocks is the new Mountain View, good prices and inventory but cash only.

Ken always is talking smack about his great inventory and low prices on the web until you go there. Never went in there due to the horror stories I heard but one day just stopped in to see his prices and inventory, very high and not much there. Asked if I needed help or to find something, I said looking and wanted to see what 45 ammo, hodge podge crap over priced, I said is that it, yes, I got back if you do not like what we have or want to buy it, I got other things to do, so I said fine will never be back and walked out.

Now that Marlin produces the SBL, no real need to trade with WWG.

For a smith, Stan Jackson has done some superb work. He is very slow and high priced. One of his 700 was pure work and his trigger work put a huge smile on my face.

Cant think of the Alaska Custom name at this moment but I am fairly sure he worked for WWG as the best smith there and opened his own taking customers. Seen a little but heard good things.

 

[BCP]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Sounds like the gunshops I find in Cali. For some reason the AZ gun shop guys are a lot nicer.

One place I went to I really wanted a sig p226 in 9mm, I think it was 769$ and I had the cash. The owner ripped me a new one for wanting a 9mm & said something like "if someone comes in your house and kills you because that's all you got I ain't gonna be held responsible". Another place wouldn't sell me CLP because it's the "wrong kind, you need hoppes or your gun'll rust." And when I told him it was for an AR-15 and I've found it works best, he told me to "get out of my shop with that illegal talk."

I can understand if they are paranoid about california laws but refusing to sell me what I want? I mean wtf?

 

[partisan1911]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Fairbanks also has Bill at Protec. The prices aren't the best but he has a decent selection and good customer service. He has his own pistol range and sets up some fun IDPA matches now and then. If nothing else you can go in there and b.s. and not worry about being pissed off when you leave.

 

[Cegorach]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Good to know. I really appreciate the tips, thanks guys.

 

[50-140]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

WWG is an shop that I will never use again.

I've sent guns outside for work rather than deal with them.

 

[Metalhead0483]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Scottmilk9</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I should move back up there and take my business with me. </div></div>

Do it! Do it now!!

I've never actually been to WWG, but I called them up once about two years ago asking about having some shop work done on one of my rifles. The guy was a real a-hole. condescending and rude (oh, and don't forget highly overpriced). I won't be dealing with them again...

 

[1975CJ5]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I'm the one that posted the thread about the SS scopes on the Alaska Outdoors directory forum. I'll never walk into Wild West Guns again. They are a bunch of smart asses and snobs to say the least. I shop at Sportsman's Warehouse, Chimo Guns (Wasilla), Boondocks (Eagle River) and Great Northern Guns (Anchorage). I still use my smith in Delta Junction (Tim Tesch) if ya need a good smith up north, Tell em Billy from Kodiak w/ the sawed off Guide Gun sent ya. WWG also only offers military discount to the Army, trust me I know, me and a fellow Coast Guard buddy asked if they offered military discount and they asked what branch, upon revieling Coast Guard, the owner stated that they only offer it to active duty Army and that is all! Hope they lose alot of business

 

[SavageStag]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Only the Army? what a fucktard!

 

[45.308]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I have heard that but never confirmed but with his prices, buy from any one else and still save coin even if they do not offer military discount. And besides, he probably raise's his price for military so he can give a discount, I found this out about a car repair shop I was using with discount for military.

I have become suspect of Great Norhern too. I did a fair about of trading with them once Howards closed. But they snaked me on a consignment, so I cannot give them any love. Asking around, this seems to happen quite frequently.

Howards was the best, superb guy and prices, wife bought me a MarkV 300Wby in 79, told him it was anniversary present for me and he picked out the best grain wood with her, he laid them all out going over each one with her. Absolutely beautiful wood.

 

[Zhurh]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I'll second Bill & his wife Kathy (Pro Tec) over on Van Horne in Fairbanks; good people. We live rural, so I'll order guns or scopes during winter and can't pick them up until Spring when our road opens; he works with me every time.

He has all the scopes I never see anywheres else and lets me check them all out. Never have I gotten a bad feeling like you do in some shops. His prices are fair, everybody got to stay in business. I've bought 3 AR's and an acog from him and he always treats me fair. He fixed an old pre ban that I had taken into several shops and they couldn't figure problem out; Bill did, ha.

Over the years, I bought guns from Wild WEst, Chimo, ect. I know what you all mean too; never bought more than one gun from those guys.

Over in Tok, use to be Bullshooter, now run by this young guy named Bo; called Three Bears Outpost. All kinds of guns, low prices, you all will just luv this place. That Bo will have ya laughing, tellin lies, and checking out guns; real sales man for sure. His ammo prices are super cheap too and mainly he has the stuff I can never find in Fairbanks. Be sure to stop in that place when driving through TOK.

 

[Metalhead0483]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Zhurh</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Be sure to stop in that place when driving through TOK. </div></div>

That's good to know. I'm planning on making a road trip up to Anchorage before christmas (my first time in the interior if you can balieve it) and I'll make sure to stop in there. I'm always up for BSing good gunshops...

 

[Zhurh]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Ya, that gun place in TOK is right across the highway from Fast Eddies (eats), maybe 50 yards up the road. I bought a VX3L 4X14X50 Illuminated reticle from him this fall. I checked price with a buddy back east and Bo only charged me like 75 bucks over his cost & shipping; more than fair I'd say. I couldn't have bought it by mail any cheaper.

Wife & I taught at Mentasta (Indian Village 40 miles east of Tok) about 10 years back. Around mid dec, always all kinds of caribou all over the road through that section. I had a dog team and them dogs would open up, I'd turn on outside spot light and there'd be 10-20 caribou in the yard between the door and dog lot. It was funny so many bou and them Indians didn't eat caribou, they only ate moose in that village. The wolves done well though.

 

[Bosshoff]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

I've never been to Alaska, but I have bought three Colts from WWG. The prices and service (shipping costs and shipping times) were great, and I would do business with them again in a second. YMMV.

 

[45.308]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

You do find a few satisfied customers, he has a small loyal following, more so outside than Alaskans who visit his business and I am glad you have a happy trade with him to tell. But.....if you ever go inside his building, I would say 99% guarantee you would not go back.

If you asked 100 Alaskans who have actually been inside his business, 99 would say they will never go back. That is why customers from outside have no complaints.

Like I said, I really do no want to tell all on the interweb, I have more professionalism than that.

 

[SavageStag]

Re: For Alaskans, WWG

Trust 45, he has some stories.