Big Woods Goods

Reviews 4

CH

Charles Thomas

I have always had a very good experience at this facility, the people are nice and know what they are talking about, well tonight 10-29-2012 I attendened the weeky Bowling pin shoot........ I have been a shooter for most of my life and was taught by the best, my Father, just as I have carried on the tradition in my family. I say again, I have always had a very good experience at Big Woods and I have brought some of my children and my wife to this facility for this reason. I carry a Springfield Armory 1911-A1, when I am done shooting the second round. I show the range master my empty weapon and holster it, put the safety on, I am very big on the safety. With this particular weapon, you have to cock it and then turn on the safety.... Well a lady that works there approached me and asked me if my gun was loaded, (the same range master I might add.) I responded no it isnt. She said that the hammer has to be down, I responded with, well I cant have my safety on if I decock it. Well to avoid anything further I turned off the safety decocked it and she was happy with me walking around the range with a .45 auto with the safety off. Heres the thing, the more I thought about it the madder I got about this. What does this say about gun safety? Yes she knew that it was unloaded but what if someone else walked in and knew nothing about our conversation and knew how a 1911 operates, what would they think? Which brings me to another thought, when I started shooting at this place I had to sign a paper saying I understood the range rules..............rule #2 by the way is "know your weapon and how it operates"......well I do know how it operates, I know what I have to do to turn on the safety and I explained this but was told that I had to turn off the safety, then I have to ask myself, I wonder what they would tell my wife or my daughter about this gun if I sent them to the gun safety course at Big Woods............Well I wont have to wonder what would be said because them or myself will never shoot here again because of this. ALWAYS BE SURE YOUR SAFETY IS ON!!!! FACT: In accidental shootings more unloaded guns kill people than loaded guns. FACT: I always use my safety, I instruct my kids and my wife to use the safety, or they dont shoot..........for that reason, I have shot my last bullet at this range.

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FR

Fred Sands

So three years ago I wrote a glowing review of BWGs. My how things have changed. Lets start with the shooting range. Yes, its still one of the best light and ventilated ranges in Cherokee County. But its become one of the least enjoyable to shoot at. The rules/restrictions/fartwinds of the owner change daily. They advertise that they allow everything up to (but not including) .50 caliber, but in reality the answer is "No" unless youre shooting .223 or smaller (rifle) or .45 (non-magnum) or smaller (handgun). A sampling of what Ive been told? "We dont allow larger than .223 on weekends cause there are families here". "You need to ask the people on both sides of you if you can shoot .357 Magnum." ".303 Brit/7.62 NATO/30.06/.308" is NOT allowed." "We need to check EVERY SINGLE ROUND of your .223 because its SPARKING differently on the backstop with your Galil." Oh, the not allowing anything larger than .223 on weekends? During the week they have leagues so you cant shoot then either. Nice. And one more thing. If you purchase a range membership that gives you "front of the line" privilege, IT WILL NOT BE HONORED. "We cant do that when the lines are so long." <- This it literally what they told me! So rant off. As far as being a gun store: their prices are still OK. But they are no longer the low price leader in Cherokee County. That title belongs to Cherokee Gun and Pawn. (Not that far away.) Go there first. A decent selection of NIB firearms, but still at higher prices than other shops. Used/collectible/vintage firearms? Nothing to speak of. In summary: The shooting range has been "ruled" into the toilet. I have not been to the other range less than a mile away, but Ive heard good things about it (fewer rules, less BS, rapid fire OK, full auto not only OK but for rent), The other range also has a better selection of used/vintage guns. No real reason to go to BWG anymore.

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KY

Kyle Jaacks

Great local gun and archery shop! We have been going to Big Woods Goods for many years. This has always been a great place to buy guns, ammunition and shooting supplies. Their gun range is well ventilated and well lit. There is usually not a problem getting onto the range due to the number of lanes that they offer. However, they do get busy sometimes and you may have to look around the shop for a while. My daughter and I have recently begun archery classes. Their instructor, Sarah, is a great teacher and great with instructing the kids. My daughter is 5 and has been shooting for almost a year now. Sarah has been able to teach her about archery and keep her attention through varied and exciting classes. Their bow tech, Shawn, has been an excellent resource for making bow and accessory purchases and for maintaining our equipment. He is always friendly and professional. Recently the shop updated the archery range. The indoor range has been cleaned up and painted and looks great. The open and clean space is a great place to take classes or spend an afternoon shooting. This has been a great improvement. The archery section of the shop as made a tremendous advancement over the year that we have been shooting. They have begun to carry a wide variety of archery bows and accessories for both the hunter and the target shooter. This is the only shop in the area that we have found that carries any target archery bows or accessories. The expansion of the archery section has been a great addition to Big Woods Goods. If you are looking to get into archery this is a professional and friendly place to begin. Sarah and Shawn will help you get the right equipment and skills for whatever type of archery that you are interested in. This is a great shop and continues to get better!

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J.

J. Hudson

My wife gave me a gift of "Five All Day Archery Range Passes" which she purchased from livingsocial, which is good for about 4 months. I showed up last Saturday, after about a 30 minute drive, to shoot my bow at the range, and was told the range was closed due to a birthday party. I would have to wait an hour and a half to shoot. I complained that their hours of operation on their web site didnt say anything about this type of thing, and the guy said that the event is posted on their calendar on their web site (I found out later that the calendar is listed under their News and Events link; evidently new customers are supposed to know to check under News and Events before they go out there; but I couldnt have known that). I asked for a refund of the five passes, but was told I would need to go through livingsocial. The guy did not offer anything for my trouble, even after he knew I was seeking a refund. In addition, the passes I got are "all day" passes, but it would be extremely difficult trying to find a day when you can use the range all day. As it turns out, the range was closed to the public on Saturday three different times, each time for a period of two hours. On Sunday, it was again closed three times; the store was open for six hours, but the range was closed for 4 1/2 of those hours. Monday it was closed most of the time after from mid-afternoon until closing, and then it was closed twice again on Tuesday afternoon. I think they should have a caveat listed with their hours, stating to check their calender under News and Events. How many people would normally look under News and Events before going somewhere?

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