Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Great Northern Gun going out of business

Don’t know if anyone is aware or not, but Great Northern Guns will be closing shop soon. I asked why and was told the 3 acres they sit on is too valuable. Sales on just about everything in the store.

It is a shame, but Joe gave it all for many years. Last time I was in there was just before spring bear and it was obvious that things were winding down.

Schitt........... That sucks. I bought a .22 pistol from them last fall. I'd planned on going in this fall and crossing something else off the list.

Where Yog going to work at now? Cabelas? Bass pro?

Joe is in his mid 80s and ex wife is deceased. They had a hell of a run!

I was in there a month ago and there were some nice lever guns and Stevens single shots as well as a couple M12s.

It's a shame. There are no more good gun shops like GNG. Joe knew his stuff and wasn't afraid to deal with collectables and used guns. They will certainly be missed and won't ever be replaced. Joe is one of the first guys I met when I moved to Anchorage in Jan 1981. We grew to be good friends. He had his own struggle with cancer. This is the first I'd heard about Anita passing. She knew business and Joe knew the guns.

Anita knew guns.......She had likely the largest collection of "Stevens" firearms. When they first had concealed carry permits in Alaska, Anita and myself and all the employees, we all did our shooting qualification together with 50 caliber revolver and 50 caliber auto. That way we were legal to carry any handgun.

Knowledgeable gun store employees are a rarity but GNG workers knew their stuff. I used to visit the store at least once a month just to see what odd ball left handed rifles might appear and usually found one that followed me home.
Donuts, decent coffee, 3-4 old timers sitting around shooting the breeze. Just a classic style of old time customer service. Had to be careful where you parked otherwise the snow/ice would slide off the roof onto your vehicle.

Through the years I bought two Parker shotguns there and always drooled over the high-end bolt guns and collectible lever guns in the racks. I'm sad to hear about it closing.

Anyone remember "Bill Morrow" who worked at GNG, and the guy who shot the big moose two days before the season opened.......(insert DRUM ROLL) in the parking lot of ABC TV station, a block from GNG right on Tudor Road....???

The guy had just arrived in Alaska to hunt moose, walked into GNG just as they opened, and asked if they knew where he might see a "big" moose. Bill said, I just seen one a few minutes ago, standing on the sidewalk a block that way, in front of the TV station. Bill thought he was a tourist just wanting to see a Alaska moose. Guy leaves GNG, gets his rifle, walks around the corner, and "blasts" the moose, right in the center of the parking lot. Cops came in the store all pissed'off at Bill. It really was a large trophy moose. Needless to say, it was "all over" the evening news. And front page of both news papers.

Great northern guns was my favorite. I guess my last purchase was a few weeks ago and the shelves were bare. They had a box of 338 RCM reloading brass.

I didn't know they were closing but thanked them for many of the interesting guns I got to experience because of their diverse offerings. They always had ammo for all sorts of uncommon rifle cartridges

They would kick rude people right out of the store too, they liked the place to be polite and upbeat. Always did like talking guns with those old retired gun loiterers that sat there.

Damn ! sad news, gonna miss it, Joe ordered me the very first of eleven 300 RUM Rem 700's to hit Alaska back when it first appeared, along with two boxes of ammo ... Nobody in Alaska had heard of the cartridge yet but Joe got on it and made it happen quickly

last year I'd looked virtually all over the world for 350 Rem Mag brass with no luck, walked into GNG for a 20 moa Nightforce rail for my long range rifle and jokinly asked if they had 350 Rem Mag brass, guy points to shelf with 3 boxes of Nosler brass on it

Damn it. That was a great shop. I always liked visiting when I was in Anchorage...

That's too bad, they were a good shop.

Sad. The great, old-school gunshops we grew up with are becoming a relic of the past.
And the knowledgeable old guys in flannel shirts have been replaced with young spandex "Team Glock" shirt-wearing wannabe's who are all about tactical shooting, but know next to nothing about hunting rifles and shotguns. I'm uncomfortable around them.

Anyone know if they have actually closed yet........???

Curious who (if anyone) carries blackpowder anymore in south central... I got my last few lbs there.

I was in around Sep 10th, they said the 15th would be the last.

I don't know if Great Northern was there in the 60's and 70's. When I came to town to blow off steam and see the bright lights, I went on to Seattle not loving Anchorage much, the first stop was at Sea First to cash the paychecks, the barber shop, and then the great Warshall's Sporting Goods and buy a gun. That way when I left Seattle to go back in, I had something to show for it besides the hangover.
Eddie Bauer was too pretentious and hoity toity, pawn stores too junky, Warshall's was a gun looney's mecca.

Thanks.....was the store pretty well empty of inventory........???

They still had about 1/4-1/2 of firearms and at least 3/4 of their accessory inventory, marked only about 10-25% off. It seemed to me that they had another shop lined up to buy whatever was remaining.

THANK YOU........Someone might purchase the "Name: Great Northern Guns" and the remaining inventory, and open GNG in a new location. The problem is that existing location was/is "Grandfathered" for R-3 zoning, as long as the original owners, at the time of the zoning change continued business in that location.

[quote=flintlocke]I don't know if Great Northern was there in the 60's and 70's. When I came to town to blow off steam and see the bright lights, I went on to Seattle not loving Anchorage much, the first stop was at Sea First to cash the paychecks, the barber shop, and then the great Warshall's Sporting Goods and buy a gun. That way when I left Seattle to go back in, I had something to show for it besides the hangover.
Eddie Bauer was too pretentious and hoity toity, pawn stores too junky, Warshall's was a gun looney's mecca.

Warshalls was a great store back in the day. I loved going in there and looking around back in the 80's

First gun I bought there was in '77, but I believe I remember it in the '60s. I do remember Turpin in '66.

Just a heads up, I don't know if they got bought out or what, but they're still open. I just got off the phone with someone over there and he said, " Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated." So there you go.

Thanks for the update.

I remember the Turpin store. I bought a sported Swede Mauser there in the 80s which I still own.

That’s a surprise! I wonder if there was a change of heart at the last minute?

masochistic. Qualifying with 50 cal. Not quite sure thats anything I'd want to do but is what it is.

Open untill 6 PM

New owners.

They had to wait for new licensing but they are open and in business.

Fully stocked, lots of new/used guns and the guys that know them.

I picked up a Japanese Type 95 NCO sword there, and am pretty freekin' happy with it.

I saw some nice things there, when I bought the sword , but held my further buying untill after the Wasilla Gun show.

A couple days later, we caught a ride out to Anch from Palmer, and left my wallet......and figured that out when we parked there.....no wallet means no Money and no ID, so we just left......nothing like embarrassing your self LOL!!

Thanks for the information Caribou! I will have to hit them up one day soon.