May 21, 2021
Join me as we travel to Sante Fe, Tennessee to Dan LaFond’s farm where we talk all things Upland Gun Company. Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the outdoors was an integral part of Dan’s upbringing. It is no wonder that he ended up working in a sport shop where he caught his first break in the industry. Dan went on to build a career in the outdoor industry starting in sales and eventually moving to repping. Dan would later build his own rep business working with brands like Colt and Leupold. His career took him around middle America but eventually, he would land in the hills south of Nashville.
I caught up with Dan to talk about his latest venture, the Upland Gun Company. Dan and his partner are importing Italian-made, RFM Shotguns under the UGC label. The most unique thing about these guns is that they can be built to order, custom to your specifications, and delivered in 3 to 4 months, an unprecedented short turnaround for such custom work. A visit to their website will reveal a ‘gun builder’ where the prospective buyer can select all options on the gun. Once you have built up your perfect side by side, you submit your quote and a representative from UGC (perhaps even Dan) will call you to go over the order and ensure that you are getting what you want.
The process doesn’t stop there. If you are getting a custom gun made, you will need to have a gun fit and be properly measured for your new shotgun. Just like a custom suit or tailored dress, a gun made to your dimensions will fit better and take the guesswork out of gun mount. With dimensions in, the next step is choosing your wood blank, which is also unique to this process and allows a customer to select exactly the style walnut they prefer. Knowing you have had control of the entire gun build is certainly a value add to the customer because you get exactly what you want. And let’s face it; it’s downright fun to be involved in the process of building your next legacy shotgun.