Dan LaFond and Upland Gun Company – #009 of the Gun Room Podcast
In a small pocket of Tennessee south of Nashville, Italian-made custom shotguns are imported to give hunters an opportunity to create a new legacy
Join me as we travel to Sante Fe, Tenn., 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 sports 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, and would later build his own rep business working with brands like Colt and CVA/Bergara. His career took him around middle America but eventually, he would land in the hills south of Nashville.
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LaFond’s latest venture
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 3-4 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.
Custom guns don’t stop at the internals
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 the 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 of 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.
Thanks for stopping by the Gun Room. See you soon.
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The Gun Room Podcast is presented by Upland Gun Company
Thank you for the very informative interview with Dan LaFond. His rendition of his background in the gun industry gives him great credibility to the new venture, Upland Gun Company. I know most avid hunters spend a considerable amount of their entertainment finances toward providing a successful hunt. A successful hunt being seeing birds, watching a good dog work, and harvesting some birds. I am also sure that the third most important aspect in their pursuit, harvesting birds, is neglected because of the previous cost of getting a shotgun that fits them. Mr. LaFond analogy with the F 150’s cost and useful life of that product compared to a bespoke fitted shotgun is right on. I anticipate listening to your future episodes.