hooahmedic
New Member
I don't know if this is the appropriate place to post this and mod's if it needs to be moved, please do.
A vetted member at Lightfighter.net has requested a wide broadcast. Read on!
Since this situation has been concluded by no action on the part of TGI, Henderson Defense Industries has stepped up to the plate when they didn't have to
and in which they will lose money but gain a whole new battalion of supporters and probably customers. If you guys want an AK, save your dimes and buy right the first time. Henderson Defense Industries is the schizel!!
A few words about Tennessee Guns International, ‘TGI’ http://www.tnguns.com/shop/
This is a long post: if you want a simple summary, I received FOUR inoperative or nearly inoperative rifles from TGI, experienced absolutely miserable customer service, and ended up expending about $250 above and beyond the cost of the rifles to ship them back for replacement and pay FFL fees. That’s right, I bought ONE rifle to begin with, and here I am on the FOURTH rifle, and I still don’t have one that works right.
The details:
TGI provides AK style rifles for AIM Surplus: In February, I purchased one of those rifles, the Bulgarian SSR-85C, for about $550. The rifle that arrived was functional, but had serious problems:
-the barrel was seriously warped to the right, dramatically affecting accuracy
-the front sight post was severely canted
-both trunions seemed to be installed at an angle, meaning the rear sight was also
rotated and warped oddly, and the stock was at an angle
Essentially, the rifle curved in a sort of parentheses or crescent shape. While it functioned, it could not be zeroed to shoot true (in terms of windage) at different ranges (you could zero it temporarily for a set range, of course).
I attempted to return this rifle to AIM for a replacement but they were out of stock: AIM didn’t do anything wrong in this transaction, as I elected to return it through TGI directly.
I promptly contacted TGI and, per their instructions, wrote a letter to send with the rifle. I sent the rifle at my own expense, and a few weeks went by: I had to repeatedly contact TGI in order to receive a response, which was, ‘we are out of that rifle: would you like this wood-stocked version?” I did not want the wooden stocked version, and was told it would be another few days. Again, I waited for some time, and had to contact TGI again.
Meanwhile, I decided I might try a Saiga conversion instead, and purchased one from AIM. Unfortunately, this conversion turns out to have been done by… you guessed it, TGI. I opened the box of this rifle in my dealer’s store, cleared it and function checked it ONCE, at which point it went SPROING! The pin the hammer pivots on came loose of the frame, and the hammer and trigger mechanisms rotated inside the frame, locking up the action. This was the FIRST time I had ever touched this rifle, the first time the action had ever been operated, literally, standing in the store.
That rifle went back to AIM, who replaced it with another Saiga conversion by TGI. THAT rifle would not feed ball or JHP ammunition, both of which hung up on a rudimentary bevel on the breech. Either the magazine well was machined in to low when TGI did the conversion, or the rifle needs a cartridge guide. After this rifle failed to feed any ammunition I offered it, I returned it to AIM for a refund. I communicated these events and my concerns to TGI while awaiting my replacement rifle from them, and asked for a hand-picked rifle.
TGI finally (after I began contacting numerous staff members) agreed to send my rifle back TO ME DIRECTLY, having me fill out some form authorizing them to do so, which would save me another FFL fee. Then, after another week or two, they sent it to my dealer, instead.
THAT rifle, (this is the FOURTH, remember) had a bent rear sight leaf, canted front sight base, and an extremely worn finish: it was provided filthy and had the appearance of being quite well-used. It pitched the slant muzzle brake down range on the 10th shot I fired: I discovered that the barrel’s threading was worn entirely down and the muzzle device had been tack-welded in place. The tack weld snapped in half.
I sent the following email to TGI on 13 JUN 08: it is the most exasperated communication I had with them, after many emails and phone calls politely expressing my disappointments and asking for their assistance:
Mr. Bill XXXXX and Mr. Ryan XXXX,
I am writing to you as an extraordinarily dissatisfied customer. To date, I have had 4 (four) TGI AK rifles not operate to an absolute minimum standard, or fail to operate entirely. I will summarize these purchases and the problems I had with each; also attached are the more detailed letters I wrote with the 3 returns thus far. This is a lengthy email: I sincerely hope you will devote the time to read it through.
In February of this year, I determined to purchase two 7.62 AK rifles, and bought the Bulgarian model your company provides to AIM Surplus. This rifle had a severe cant to the front sight base and a warped barrel; it would not shoot to point of aim despite sight corrections. As AIM was out of the rifle at that time, I contacted TGI in April to request a replacement (see rifle letter.doc). I received this replacement in mid May, after the email trail below and several calls. I paid for both shipping back to TGI and the two FFL transfer fees from my dealer, a total sum approximately $100.
(continued in next post)
A vetted member at Lightfighter.net has requested a wide broadcast. Read on!
Since this situation has been concluded by no action on the part of TGI, Henderson Defense Industries has stepped up to the plate when they didn't have to
and in which they will lose money but gain a whole new battalion of supporters and probably customers. If you guys want an AK, save your dimes and buy right the first time. Henderson Defense Industries is the schizel!!
A few words about Tennessee Guns International, ‘TGI’ http://www.tnguns.com/shop/
This is a long post: if you want a simple summary, I received FOUR inoperative or nearly inoperative rifles from TGI, experienced absolutely miserable customer service, and ended up expending about $250 above and beyond the cost of the rifles to ship them back for replacement and pay FFL fees. That’s right, I bought ONE rifle to begin with, and here I am on the FOURTH rifle, and I still don’t have one that works right.
The details:
TGI provides AK style rifles for AIM Surplus: In February, I purchased one of those rifles, the Bulgarian SSR-85C, for about $550. The rifle that arrived was functional, but had serious problems:
-the barrel was seriously warped to the right, dramatically affecting accuracy
-the front sight post was severely canted
-both trunions seemed to be installed at an angle, meaning the rear sight was also
rotated and warped oddly, and the stock was at an angle
Essentially, the rifle curved in a sort of parentheses or crescent shape. While it functioned, it could not be zeroed to shoot true (in terms of windage) at different ranges (you could zero it temporarily for a set range, of course).
I attempted to return this rifle to AIM for a replacement but they were out of stock: AIM didn’t do anything wrong in this transaction, as I elected to return it through TGI directly.
I promptly contacted TGI and, per their instructions, wrote a letter to send with the rifle. I sent the rifle at my own expense, and a few weeks went by: I had to repeatedly contact TGI in order to receive a response, which was, ‘we are out of that rifle: would you like this wood-stocked version?” I did not want the wooden stocked version, and was told it would be another few days. Again, I waited for some time, and had to contact TGI again.
Meanwhile, I decided I might try a Saiga conversion instead, and purchased one from AIM. Unfortunately, this conversion turns out to have been done by… you guessed it, TGI. I opened the box of this rifle in my dealer’s store, cleared it and function checked it ONCE, at which point it went SPROING! The pin the hammer pivots on came loose of the frame, and the hammer and trigger mechanisms rotated inside the frame, locking up the action. This was the FIRST time I had ever touched this rifle, the first time the action had ever been operated, literally, standing in the store.
That rifle went back to AIM, who replaced it with another Saiga conversion by TGI. THAT rifle would not feed ball or JHP ammunition, both of which hung up on a rudimentary bevel on the breech. Either the magazine well was machined in to low when TGI did the conversion, or the rifle needs a cartridge guide. After this rifle failed to feed any ammunition I offered it, I returned it to AIM for a refund. I communicated these events and my concerns to TGI while awaiting my replacement rifle from them, and asked for a hand-picked rifle.
TGI finally (after I began contacting numerous staff members) agreed to send my rifle back TO ME DIRECTLY, having me fill out some form authorizing them to do so, which would save me another FFL fee. Then, after another week or two, they sent it to my dealer, instead.
THAT rifle, (this is the FOURTH, remember) had a bent rear sight leaf, canted front sight base, and an extremely worn finish: it was provided filthy and had the appearance of being quite well-used. It pitched the slant muzzle brake down range on the 10th shot I fired: I discovered that the barrel’s threading was worn entirely down and the muzzle device had been tack-welded in place. The tack weld snapped in half.
I sent the following email to TGI on 13 JUN 08: it is the most exasperated communication I had with them, after many emails and phone calls politely expressing my disappointments and asking for their assistance:
Mr. Bill XXXXX and Mr. Ryan XXXX,
I am writing to you as an extraordinarily dissatisfied customer. To date, I have had 4 (four) TGI AK rifles not operate to an absolute minimum standard, or fail to operate entirely. I will summarize these purchases and the problems I had with each; also attached are the more detailed letters I wrote with the 3 returns thus far. This is a lengthy email: I sincerely hope you will devote the time to read it through.
In February of this year, I determined to purchase two 7.62 AK rifles, and bought the Bulgarian model your company provides to AIM Surplus. This rifle had a severe cant to the front sight base and a warped barrel; it would not shoot to point of aim despite sight corrections. As AIM was out of the rifle at that time, I contacted TGI in April to request a replacement (see rifle letter.doc). I received this replacement in mid May, after the email trail below and several calls. I paid for both shipping back to TGI and the two FFL transfer fees from my dealer, a total sum approximately $100.
(continued in next post)
