UNDERSTANDING
Who We Are…
Our backyard, the Bitterroot mountain range
Northwest Magnum has dual roots that have been grafted together over a period that dates back several decades. The owner, Bill Elder, is a California transplant, having left (fled) there in 1992. Life had to be better somewhere else, despite the pleasant climate in the Hollywood area, and he found it to be so in Salmon, Idaho. Bill's professional background is in high-end cabinet making. High enough, for just one example, to have re-cabineted a home built for legendary director Cecil B. DeMille. But, while he was doing those kinds of things, he was also taking every free moment to engage in informal rifle shooting. Somewhat earlier than that, back in the 1960s, Northwest Magnum's future rifle specialist, Jack Cherry, was already in the business of supplying the local varmint and bench rest shooters in Iowa with upscale equipment. In later years, Bench Number One (the former shop) was closed in favor of a shop that catered to a broader group of rifle shooters, Midwest Magnum. Iowa is a shooting state, even though the vast majority of it is covered with corn and soy beans; but Jack had already been visiting Salmon since 1959, and he also knew it would be a better place to enjoy shooting. About a decade ago, when Jack was building a vacation home in Salmon, he and Bill crossed paths for the first time. Bill created the interior of the home, and the rest of the time the two were up at the rifle range. In 2013, Jack closed Midwest Magnum and Bill opened Northwest Magnum.
Northwest Magnum is starting small, which seems like the right thing to do. Salmon has a population of about 3000 residents, and county population is about 8000, so the potential customer base just isn't there to initially support a large operation. Over time, it is expected that the product line will expand insofar as accessories are concerned. The rifle situation is already well covered. Relations have been established with Cooper Firearms, Montana Rifle Company, and the Remington Custom Shop, and are in process with others. Accounts have been established with some of the nation's top distributors, so we have been able to acquire disproportionate amounts of ammunition and reloading supplies during these times of shortages. And, foremost, we know a little something about conventional rifles, which is far more than what can be said of many places that sell guns.
We're opinionated. We think there's a lot more pleasure in deliberate shooting at a specific target than there is in slapping a high-capacity magazine into a semi-automatic this or that and pretending that an impending battle is about to take place. We believe in high standards of behavior and one well-placed shot at a time. If anyone reading this becomes offended, we suggest that you move on to another site that better suits your interests. We're opinionated about a lot of things, and cartridges are certainly among them. Magazines about guns often blather about and compare one cartridge with another. We suspect that we've shot more rifles in a wider variety of chambers than most all of the gun writers put together. Jack, alone, has owned more than 900 rifles over a period of 60-plus years. He believes that negative gun writers who knew little about anything have spoiled the sales of rifles chambered for more good cartridges than you can shake a barrel at, and we're about to start posting these opinions, a cartridge or two at a time, on this site. Keep watching.
Another thing Northwest Magnum will be doing is developing an inventory listing, posting perhaps a dozen or so rifles at a time which will be for sale and transfer through a properly licensed FFL anywhere in the country that the firearm is legal. For better-quality rifles, we will be able to be your personal gun broker. Can't find it somewhere else? Try us. We've already had customers from as far away as the east coast. Guns made in America? If that's your choice, it works here. Although we carry many fine rifles made in top factories in Europe and Japan, most of them are made in the U.S.A. Custom guns? No problem for us, if you don't mind the wait. Custom guns often take up to a year; so, to shorten that down to immediate, we carry a fair selection of some of the most sought-after rifles on the planet, such as the Remington 40-XB.
We look forward to being of service to you. Our style is informal and comfortable. Please don't be hesitant to call on us, because we truly believe there are no "dumb" questions. Put it on us. We'll always do our best to help you in any way we can.
