It's been quite a few months since Remington's bankruptcy proceedings and its impact on Dakota. I've heard that they will be "coming back" but only to build out previous orders having deposits on-hand and then sell-off the remaining inventory, misc. parts and tooling. Does anyone know if this is really correct or what the true status is? Thanks...

Where did you get your info?Or is it just internet jive?

From a former Dakota dealer but more to the point, do you have anything factual to add?

I would love to see them come back. But sorry, nothing to add.

Well, Remington is gone as I understand it, so they cannot offer it for sale. Was it VISTA that got Dakota? Can't remember now.

It looks like maybe Roundhill Group:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news...-in-bankruptcy-court

Roundhill got Dakota along with Remington. I got into it at one point, situation is very messy. I seriously doubt there will ever be another Dakota rifle

From what I've heard Dakota has relocated in the newer building west across the street and north of the old building. I've heard there will be an addition to this building.
This building has been the machine shop since the Kokesh era.
Apparently the Dakota Arms trade name is no longer available to them.
I've heard there is another trade name in the works. I haven't heard anything in regards to designs.

It would seem getting back to the basics of the lines would make the most sense, however market saturation is going to be a huge challenge, there's a lot of options available to the hunter/shooter/collector these days.

Just look at the market support for anything Rem.700 or clone. It totally kills all else.
Mcmillan will not inlet anything but a Rem. Or Rem. Clone at this point. What this says is very low demand for anything not Rem. 700

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:
They need to sell their actions at a price point where people will want to buy them to make their own custom rifles. In other words, let people dictate what they want at the cost they want to pay rather than dictate what the customer gets at the cost they want the customer to pay. Otherwise they will never bring that business back.

(and maybe make the action more like a mauser

Unbelievable
I wanted to quote this before it went away.
So Kevin, you want to tell somebody what to make and how much you are going to pay for it.

What a great business model.

Why didn't I think of that.

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:
They need to sell their actions at a price point where people will want to buy them to make their own custom rifles. In other words, let people dictate what they want at the cost they want to pay rather than dictate what the customer gets at the cost they want the customer to pay. Otherwise they will never bring that business back.

(and maybe make the action more like a mauser

Ah, no.

It almost reminds me of the turbulent history of Kimber:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...acturing?wprov=sfti1

quote:

Originally posted by gunmaker:

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:
They need to sell their actions at a price point where people will want to buy them to make their own custom rifles. In other words, let people dictate what they want at the cost they want to pay rather than dictate what the customer gets at the cost they want the customer to pay. Otherwise they will never bring that business back.

(and maybe make the action more like a mauser

Unbelievable
I wanted to quote this before it went away.
So Kevin, you want to tell somebody what to make and how much you are going to pay for it.

What a great business model.

Why didn't I think of that.

This is the American business model. Your customers dictate what you build and what you charge. No?

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:
They need to sell their actions at a price point where people will want to buy them to make their own custom rifles. In other words, let people dictate what they want at the cost they want to pay rather than dictate what the customer gets at the cost they want the customer to pay. Otherwise they will never bring that business back.

(and maybe make the action more like a mauser

I don't know you Mr Pan, but learned a lot about you from some of your post.

"I want the 'best', I want it now, and I don't want to pay for its value."

Next time I go to a steak house I'm going to tell them I want a kobe beef ribeye medium rare in 5 minutes and I'm not spending more than $7.50 for it.

After all, hamburger can be found on sale for under $4.00 so $7.50 is a reasonable price.

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:

Lots of high dollar restaurants have closed where I live!

We don't seem to have that same problem here in South Dakota. Wonder why?

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:

quote:

Originally posted by gunmaker:
Next time I go to a steak house I'm going to tell them I want a kobe beef ribeye medium rare in 5 minutes and I'm not spending more than $7.50 for it.

After all, hamburger can be found on sale for under $4.00 so $7.50 is a reasonable price.

Their business model worked but didn't sustain itself. Otherwise they would probably be operating during bankruptcy proceedings. Something has to change or they will never come back. If its not price then what? Value -YES. What is one getting for the money? The market has seemed to have said "not enough!"

Lots of high dollar restaurants have closed where I live!

Dakota was owned by the Freedom Group, which also owned the 'old' Remington Arms Company. The Freedom Group/Remington went bankrupt. That ment Dakota stopped operating, too. And then sold, just as the Remington Arms Companies and others owned by the Freedom Group were. Dakota had a niche market, but not enough to support the rest of Remington Arms and the Freedom Groups debts and keep the rest of them out of bankruptcy. Now, if they made $279 rifles , like, Stevens does.... But the Stevens $279 bolt action rifle is no Dakota, value wise. And just as a reference, there seems to be several custom action makers with offerings that can be used to build a fine custom rifle.

Here's the newest version of "formerly known as Dak Arms".
https://www.parkwestarms.com/
NO clue who/why/what about the name.

Hmmm....they must be making black powder shotguns..Ever see much smoke? Obviously the photo op is some bean counter that doesn't know a damn thing about firearms.

A condition not unknown

Marketing gone mad. Think they OD’d on the dry ice.

as an old friend of pete grisel i hate to see how low dakota has sunk..the shotgun pictured looks like am low end south american or real low end turkish product!!!...hopefully, i'm wrong about what i see....

Pete got out when getting out was gpod

I'm thinking they're just starting to build the site, and that's just a stock photo the web designer threw in. Kind of like the stock text on the about us page "FIREARMS CRAFTED WITH THE SUPREME QUALITY & PRECISION THE PARKWEST NAME WAS BUILT ON." With a name nobody's heard of yet, that's kind of a funny statement.

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Pete got out when getting out was gpod

I knew Pete rather well. Had several of his own Mauser Kurtz actions and several rifles.
Actually Pete got out “when the getting was getting bad”.
Lots of drama at DA with each chapter of new ownership. Have used their actions over several decades.....I like their actions.

semantics...Pete got out when it was good for HIM

We used Pete's action on the Number 1 Guild rifle, and he contributed greatly to the DAkota action refinements

Pete told me he got out because nobody could tell him where the money was. He thought he was getting .... Well you know. He had to sign a non compete clause where he couldn't do what he loved and was quite proficient at.

Yes but the no compete was only for five years and Don and Norma had to pay Pete 50k a year for every one of the those five years.
Obviously his buy out was 250k.

I hope they honored the agreement

I quit doing business with DA when Don Allen’s wife Norma pretty much took over the reins, even when Don was still alive. Pete and Norma would not even speak to one another at the end. Norma blocked clients from speaking to Pete. She and Don made PETE’s life miserable and pretty much ran him off.I had several quality control issues and Norma Allen had no clue what customer service was. Several times she demanded money for warranty issues. I always found a way to get through to Pete. Don was actually pretty good to deal with one on one when Norma wasn’t around. That is the time frame when Pete shared with me he had enough. Not much longer after that he exited , not necessarily on his own accord.

holy crap!
Not many clients have spilled the HONEST beans like this.

Too many around here have an inflated opinion of DArms.

Dakota did produce quite a number of great rifles not without plenty of drama behind the scenes.

I just wanted to reach out and let everyone know that Dakota Arms is now Parkwest Arms. Due to how the bankruptcy was settled the name went to Vista but everything else was sold separately. Parkwest is building the same rifles under a new name but with the same quality and design by the same people that have been building them for years. The website is under constant construction but please visit it at www.parkwestarms.com and reach out with any questions.

In the nineties I ordered several rifles from over a period of several years. I got what I ordered, but had to deal with Norma. I referred to as the woman who would eat her own.

I spoke to Ward Dobler, who took all of my orders at the ‘old’ Dakota company last week. He is still heading up the operation in Sturgis, at the same location, with the same crew, making the same rifles, just renamed ParkWest. As soon as he returns from the safari shows in a few weeks, he said he would call me so I can place my order for the next rifle I want these guys to make for me. I own (11) Dakota rifles and I’ll be adding some new calibers in the ParkWest name. I think my first will be a Classic Deluxe in 280 Rem. I am anxious to look over the wood blanks and make my selection.

Anyone remembers the gentleman who owned them before Remington?

He came to Dubai years ago, and we met in my house.

Had dinner with him and friends from Zimbabwe.

Charles Kokesh!

Didn’t Kokesh do time for defrauding investors in his fund relating to Dakota Arms?

When the RMEF convention was in Denver (2000?). I really wanted to check out Dakota’s wares and possibly order a 76 while at the show. My dad was ready to do the same. Norma Allen cured us of wanting any Dakota product within 5 minutes of stepping in their booth. She has to be one of the most unpleasant human beings I’ve ever come across...

quote:

Originally posted by DavidReed:
Didn’t Kokesh do time for defrauding investors in his fund relating to Dakota Arms?

When the RMEF convention was in Denver (2000?). I really wanted to check out Dakota’s wares and possibly order a 76 while at the show. My dad was ready to do the same. Norma Allen cured us of wanting any Dakota product within 5 minutes of stepping in their booth. She has to be one of the most unpleasant human beings I’ve ever come across...

That is awful!

I did hear that Kokesh was involved in some shady deals, and people involved with him have not been very happy at all.

I think he was also a liberal

quote:

She has to be one of the most unpleasant human beings I’ve ever come across...

I wonder what happened that she became that way. She was a very nice lady way back when they had their store in Northfield Minnesota. Many times she let me roam around their building where they stored all of their nice wood, and also sold a gun for me on consignment and didn't charge much at all to do so. Always pleasant everytime I went there. Also very nice when I visited the Dakota plant in Sturgis soon after they moved there from NOrthfield.

quote:

Originally posted by Kolo-Pan:

quote:

She has to be one of the most unpleasant human beings I’ve ever come across...

I wonder what happened that she became that way. She was a very nice lady way back when they had their store in Northfield Minnesota. Many times she let me roam around their building where they stored all of their nice wood, and also sold a gun for me on consignment and didn't charge much at all to do so. Always pleasant everytime I went there. Also very nice when I visited the Dakota plant in Sturgis soon after they moved there from NOrthfield.

She probably got real tired of dealing with unreasonable, demanding cheap skates who thought they should work for peanuts. Wonder why some (many) gunsmiths develop an attitude? Some should just look in the mirror! Pull up to the shop in a new $80,000 pick-up, proclaim "I've been lookin' for someone that can do that for at least 15yrs" , then figure they deserve a 'discount' on your labor!