Smith's Gun Shop

Smith's Gun Shop

I keep writing blogs that I do not post. They tend to be more about moral issues than knives and swords. I have bought several knives since my last review of cutlery but my mind keeps gravitating back to other topics. One reader suggested I was too blunt and he was probably right. So I will try to remain on track with this review.

Yesterday I went wandering in a Mall in Corpus Christi, Texas. I happened to be here for work and in my spare time I have tried to hit all of the gun and knife shops. A long drive to a shop called "Mac’s Knife and Gun" was fruitless. Despite a lot of signs on the highway, when I knocked on the door, there was no sign of Mac.

By accident I found Smith’s Gunshop located right in the Padre/Staples Mall. Phil Smith is a very pleasant man originally from Pennsylvania and he has a shop full of rifles. Weatherbys, Remingtons, and Rugers line his gun cases along with numerous handguns. I was amazed to see several shelves stocked with Weatherby ammo. At $50 a box you don’t normally find a shop that keeps a lot of it on hand. When I mentioned how surprised I was to find a gun shop in a mall he said he was told they might be the only one left in the nation. The walls are lined with beautiful mounts of deer, antelope, gazelle, and a full mount of a cougar. Phil said he had hunted all over the world. In one case Phil has a large selection of antique Winchester lever guns. There were also several display cases with knives of various makes. We talked for a while and I bought a Glock 17 magazine. I also decided to buy a Benchmade 710 McHenry & Williams folder he had. This is one of my favorite Benchmade knives and my old one is getting pretty weary. I looked at the price tag of $165 and immediately wondered what it would sell for on the internet. Just as quickly, his comment, "the only one left in the nation" ran through my mind. I cannot imagine the cost of store rent and insurance in a mall. I might have bought this same knife for less on the WWW. Maybe my purchase will not make any difference in paying Phil’s rent because he seems to be doing a good business. But you know what, I walked out with the knife in my hand and I felt better about the purchase. I am not even going to look at what I might have saved. I’m happy with my knife and the fact that I met and spent time with Phil Smith in Corpus Christi, Texas. If you ever get down this way stop in and see him. Spend some time talking old guns, history, or Revolutionary War with him. If you’re looking for a top of the line hunting rifle or a quality knife spend some money with him too. I bet you walk out feeling better for it. Maybe the next time I have to come to Corpus Christi I won't complain as much.

New Web Site

Check it Out

http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/

I have written several new blogs but before I post them I want to tell all of our regular friends and new visitors to the blog about our exciting news. We have our website up and running. There are some things we will be changing and improving but basically it is functional and ready to serve your needs.

We will be offering several services as our business gets established.

As always we are blade focused and offer our books and mini-manuals for sale. We have a diverse selection of swords and knives for sale. Need training in the use of a katana or a fighting knife, knife defense or offense? We can help you out there as well. Gwynne has nearly completed her training with ESI and is looking for work in the field of Executive Protection. Do you have concerns about violence in your work environment or your site security plan? Contact us for a review of your site, facilities, and procedures. Then there is our service called blade search.

If you are tired of waiting a week for an auction to close and then getting sniped just four seconds from the end, so are we! Come look at our site. If you’re tired of putting in a high bid and then wondering if you’re bidding against the seller or one of his friends, come see what we might have that interests you. Check out the knives and swords we have listed, if you like something buy it without the waiting and the angst of bidding and losing. Your purchase ships USPS in the next day or two. Its that simple. If you need better photos email us and we’ll oblige. In the end you know what you’re getting and exactly how much you’re paying with no nasty surprises. Remember the last auction when your bid rocketed from something comfortable to the max in seconds.

Another thing, we will always tell you where a product is made! For example, we are trying to limit our purchases and sales of Chinese goods but if we find something of truly excellent value for your dollar, like the Hanwei Forge Paul Chen swords, then we carry and sell them at prices well below full retail.

Also check out our new page dedicated to high quality Indonesian knives. Still can’t find exactly what you want, ask us to find it for you. Our finder’s fee is a modest 10% over our actual costs, plus shipping.
If you are on active duty or an affiliate of ESI ask us about a discount. While you are on our website please follow some of the links to our friends whose products we endorse. Remember, if you don't see what you're looking for let us know how we may be of service to you. This is not just a business, it’s also our passion. http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/

Customer Service?

Customer Service?

Commitment to quality and customer satisfaction are paramount. These are grand sounding precepts, but are they hollow words? I mentioned on a recent blog that I had renewed my interest in target and tactical shooting. As part of that effort I decided to make the investment and buy a really good spotting scope. My old Tasco scope is good out to about 75 yards and then begins to get fuzzy. Given that it was purchased for under $40 I cannot really badmouth it. Now that I am looking to shoot out to 400 yards I needed something better.

Searching around I decided on a new "in the plastic‘ American Made spotting scope for a mere $245. Now this was a huge jump compared to the Tasco and what I consider a major investment for something used to look at bullet holes is paper. The scope is from a very renowned maker, in the business for over a hundred years. How could I go wrong? When the box arrived (undamaged, no dents, or dings) I tore it open and found inside a very nice hard shell case surrounded by styrofoam. The case was factory sealed in a clear plastic. Once I had removed the plastic and removed the scope I anxiously set it up on the tripod and removed the front lens cover. I unscrewed the rear eyepiece cover and, and, and the damned thing would not come off. It just spun around and round but would not come off. I called the customer service number and asked the man on the other end whether there was some secret to removing the hard plastic cover. I could tell by his response that he figured I was an idiot. No there was no secret. He said to send it back and they would check it out.

Off to the post office I go with the box, styrofoam packing, nice hard shell case, and my new spotting scope. Remember this is only an hour after it had arrived. No shooting today. Instead I pay the postal clerk almost $30 to insure and ship my new scope back to the maker, clear across the continent. A week goes by and I call to see if it had been received. No one had any idea what I was talking about. I had emailed a scanned copy of the postal receipt and requested reimbursement for the shipping. No scope, no one knew who I was, or what my problem was. I waited about four more days and called again. Still no sign of my scope. About two and a half weeks go by and the scope shows back up at my door with the simple notation enclosed, "repaired broken eyepiece." Now this scope was inside a soft cover, packed in the hardshell case, surrounded by closed cell foam, and packed in a cardboard box protected by styrofoam. There were no marks on the plastic protective cover. The eyepiece had to be broken before it was ever placed in the soft case. Also included was a short questionnaire about my satisfaction with the service, which I politely filled out and returned with the still new warranty card. When I sent follow-up emails about the shipping I was contacted by someone who said they had no record of this problem. Once that disconnect was resolved the company representative offered to substitute an item for my shipping expenses. Well there is almost nothing available from this company that fits in the "Under $30" category. So I finally said please just send me the money. No can do! It seems their commitment to customer satisfaction hit a major bump in the road. Cash refunds are not part of their policy. I wish I had known about their aversion to cash when I bought the scope. I might have offered a litter of kittens, several nice sized goldfish, or maybe even a polished rock that I picked up in Scotland in lieu of cash payment. You know, I could get into this barter system.

Well I do have the scope back and if it ever breaks I will probably chuck it in the river and buy a cheap Japanese or Chinese import to replace it. I am sure their customer service would be better. Sure is a nice hard shell case though. I might keep the case and keep my polished rock in there. If you want to know who provided this great service drop me an email, or better yet, offer me a litter of kittens, or a polished rock. I might be in the mood to trade. ghdave2@hotmail.com