Dixi Gun Works Disappoints.

[nit wit]

I visited years ago when Hunter was still alive. He couldn't even take the time to speak to me. I haven't bought from them in years!
Nit Wit

 

[John Spartan]

I am now (as of two weeks ago) on the “no shop at DGW” bandwagon.
Ordered a lock which the website said was in stock but it turns out it wasn’t. After waiting for it to ship I contacted them and was told the lock was not in stock but they had ordered some and that it would be in stock “soon.” I agreed.
After 30 days of nothing I cancelled the order and they had the gall to charge me the $7.50 shipping on a item that did not ship due to their error.
To add salt to my wound I had ordered a $4.95 vent sleeve as part of that order (which was in-stock and shipped) that they charged $7.50 for shipping again - but at least it shipped! So out $22 for a $4.95 vent sleeve.
Email complaint but nothing but they have lost a customer who had literally spent several thousand dollars with them over the years.

 

[sheriff john]

Early 70's, once a year pilgrimage to DGW w/ three friends - 6 hour drive. None of us had serious $ - college students mostly. Mr. Kirkland treated us kindly. There were lots of parts & things not in the catalogue to pick through, so the trunk of my '64 Falcon was always pretty full. Went back a few years ago, folks were nice enough, but they weren't Turner Kirkland. I still buy a few things ..new catalog mostly. Wish I'd bought a cannon when they were cheap.

 

[hanshi]

While I haven't ordered anything from DGW in years I did enjoy getting those big catalogs and scanning through pages and pages of stuff. I started ordering from them in the 1960s, mostly small things, molds, rods and other things but never a gun. I was always a satisfied customer and it's sad that it is now only a shadow of what it was in its heyday.

 

[Pete G]

I can say that I have never been disappointed by any transaction at DGW for over 50 years now.

 

[2 shots]

just recently placed an order, got one wrong part. i called and spoke to a nice lady who sent out the right part and said just keep the other one. the wrong part was considerably more $ than the one i had ordered. [ original hard to find small parts]

 

[vince-m]

I think they’re fine …..

 

[Joemolf]

Dixie Gun Works one was a great company. They appear to have fallen to the way side.

Tough times in this United States; I personally have never had a problem with anything I ordered. Though I take heed in what has been said here. I know I can’t save them but I will continue to look to them for things I might need. I hope they can be saved.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I'm pretty lucky in that a local gun shop still has a very nice section devoted to traditional muzzleloaders. When I order anything on-line, I tend to use Track of the Wolf or October Country. My last two experiences with DGW were my final.

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

I do want to add that I'm 100% happy with the Gun!

 

[Old Grunt]

I have no complaints with Dixie ,I've never had any problems with them but I never have ordered anything but basic shooting supplies or basic gun kits.

 

[Mulebrain]

Didn't ya know? It's the so called new standard

Expect Less! Then you won't be disappointed

 

[Willy]

Back during the pandemic, I wasn't getting out much and not even going close to Dixie for the foreseeable future and I was needing a new ramrod for my ol' 12 ga double. So, I ordered a new hickory blank, tips and screw on accessories with the idea of making the fanciest ramrod I ever had for it. It came in a timely manner and in the box with the hickory rod was a 1x1" fancy maple square rod. One of my other hobbies is making cigar box guitars and the first thing I thought when I saw that stick of maple was "New bridge material for my CBG doings!"

Win! Win!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Track of the wolf is good to go.

Track rocks!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Sounds like the writing is on the wall.

Not necessarily. There have been issues from the early days with Turner Kirkland. But, then, he was pretty much the only show in town and he had nearly everything. But, his business practices were questionable. Somehow, they have stayed around based on early reputation as the 'go-to' ml supplier. I haven't ordered from them since about 1980.

 

[springfield art]

When I was 13 years old (1971) my father had Ralph L. Hooker make a copy of his Daniel Boone rifle for me... Afterward.. he drove me halfway across Tennessee to visit Dixie Gun Works to buy a bullet mold and other supplies... It was a wonderland for me... I really loved the antique car museum... (Years later I would own several Model T Fords and early Dodge Brothers cars) I clearly remember talking to Turner Kirkland... Wow.. all those original longrifles..! I wore out several Dixie catalogs in my youth like another generation would have a Sears & Roebuck 'wish book'...

So many great institutions of my youth have.. or are fading away.. so sad...

Great memory!

 

[springfield art]

Their catalog always stated that they have a selection of long rifles available for sale; I wonder if that's true anymore, where you could go in and peruse used or new custom guns....

 

[tom mesa]

Their catalog always stated that they have a selection of long rifles available for sale; I wonder if that's true anymore, where you could go in and peruse used or new custom guns....

I bought my first flintlock from Turner Kirkland . He waited on me and showed me their collection of original firearms. He showed me some of their consignment rifles and suggested one made by Freddie Harrison. It was a beautiful 45cal flintlock. Years later I returned to look through the consignment rifles again. I picked out two one 45cal percussion built by John Bergmann and Freddie Harrison. The second one was a 50cal flintlock made by John Bergmann. I was offered a price on the pair and several other necessary items . I have never had a problem with Dixie ,but I usually deal directly with the store. I never had a bad experience with the people who work there . I'm sorry some of you have had "bad" experience with them. I'll still do business with them and have nothing bad to say about them.

 

[maillemaker]

I visited the actual store a couple of years ago as it was only an hour away from an N-SSA skirmish. You could tell the place had seen better days. While the front of the store is kind of cool from an antiques perspective the store really has the aura of a junk store. Turner Kirkland died in 1997 and the store looks like not much has been done with it since then. Most things that are labeled still have labels that were obviously typed out on a typewriter. Very little modern inventory is on display for customers. I don't know what the back-end operations look like.

The old car museum was kind of neat (and the reconstructed gunsmith shop) but clearly this is something that someone set up decades ago and now it's just been sitting with little attention.

I had only known of DGW from their huge catalog in the past, so I was kind of shocked when I saw it in person. I was expecting a more modern, kept-up store.

I don't really blame the store; I think this hobby is fading and it's hard for vendors to keep afloat. Seems like not a single store anywhere has a full inventory of reproduction arms available anymore. Try to find any store that carries a full like of Civil War reproduction guns anymore. Nobody has them. I heard Chiappa won't do less than a 300-piece run. What vendor can afford that anymore?

 

[vintovka]

I visited years ago when Hunter was still alive. He couldn't even take the time to speak to me. I haven't bought from them in years!
Nit Wit

Sad to hear he has passed. I spoke with him several times at SHOT shows long ago about when the DGW Jaeger came out. Each time he did not want to hear any suggestions on how it could be improved. May be he was not well even then.