Coonan firearms fiasco

jpm said:
That was a literal blast to shoot and very pleasant too! I'm glad I had the chance before it broke Andrew. I almost bought one after trying yours!
Click to expand...
Haha sure was. Everyone I let shoot it, never complained and always had a nice smile on their face after lol.
 
It's interesting that their web page is still up and running.

www.coonaninc.com

Coonan Inc

Coonan Inc. wants to reach out to our loyal customers and dealers… Coonan Inc. is NOT GONE! Due to contractual obligations, we have been unable to discuss the big changes that are happening. We sincerely apologize for the lack of communication. This process has taken far longer than we had
www.coonaninc.com www.coonaninc.com
 
Glockster30 said:
It's interesting that their web page is still up and running.

www.coonaninc.com

Coonan Inc

Coonan Inc. wants to reach out to our loyal customers and dealers… Coonan Inc. is NOT GONE! Due to contractual obligations, we have been unable to discuss the big changes that are happening. We sincerely apologize for the lack of communication. This process has taken far longer than we had
www.coonaninc.com www.coonaninc.com
Click to expand...
Very likely that they either a) retained possession b) paid in 6mo or 1yr blocks or c) just forgot to cancel
 
andrew1220 said:
It appears the assets of Coonan are being auctioned off next month. What a shame. Very fortunate I got my money back on that preorder.

Coonan, Inc.

Hoff Online Auctions specializes in machinery auctions, used machinery, appraisals and liquidations
www.hoffonlineauctions.com
Click to expand...

I didnt read the entire thread, only the first 2 pages and this one. Did your bank end up working with you?
 
Broccoli Iglesias said:
I didnt read the entire thread, only the first 2 pages and this one. Did your bank end up working with you?
Click to expand...
Yup they did. It was a fair amount of paperwork - mainly documentation that I got screwed. I think what helped me was that all contact with Coonan was done via email. So BOA was able to see the laundry list of excuses from Coonan that occurred over a 6+ month period.

There were many others that only contacted them via phone so there was no documentation.
 
andrew1220 said:
Yup they did. It was a fair amount of paperwork - mainly documentation that I got screwed. I think what helped me was that all contact with Coonan was done via email. So BOA was able to see the laundry list of excuses from Coonan that occurred over a 6+ month period.

There were many others that only contacted them via phone so there was no documentation.
Click to expand...

You can document that you made calls and if you take down notes, that'll help. But I absolutely love the paper trail created by email.
 
sucks to see them take out buyers like that, i love my b, and glad i grabbed some more mags for it when they produced them again.
 
andrew1220 said:
**UPDATE** Bank of America refunded me the money today. That's a big relief.

So I’ll try to avoid turning this into a novel where no one wants to read the OP.

Long story short I placed an order with Coonan directly for one of their new satin finish 357 mag 1911’s back in early March. Was quoted 8-10 weeks for a build time...

Here it is October and I still haven’t received it.

Between March and August (last email response I received) I’ve been given all kinds of excuses. Behind on orders, received bad parts from an outsourced vendor, employees and vendors on vacation, we’re a small company etc

In June I received a phone call from Dan Coonan (president of Coonan) telling me they’re behind due to bad parts and my pistol won’t ship until September....

Since August 30th no one has answered the phones and no one responds to emails. Including when I called Dan Coonan on his cell - voicemail is full. Their last Facebook post was on 9/27.

I got in contact with fellow frustrated customers through the Coonan reviews section on their FB page. Seems like I’m not alone. They’ve all been fed the same bs and are out a lot of money like me.

So my question is, what can I or should I do??? Already contacted Bank of America to see if they could do a chargeback but they denied that since it was so old (greater than 60 days). Other customers are contacting the Minnesota attorney general as well as the BBB. One guy even called the ATF! They quickly told him they can’t help...

Really friggin sucks. I bought a new coonan in 2015 (from a dealer not direct from Coonan) and sold it earlier this year and then decided I want their new model (bad idea). They had always been good to me in the past and always responded to emails etc. So I didn’t hesitate to buy another one.

Is there much I can do at this point?? I have no idea if they’re going out of business and that’s why they’re not responding to calls and emails?
Click to expand...
This is one of those live in learn moments. I have been a Coonan enthusiasts since the early 80s. Yes they did exist way back then. The company has been bought and sold and been in and out of production for quite a few years. I have had a personal relationship with a few of the Coonan staff through the years. I own 10 Coonan 1911s from the years past all with very low or limited serial numbers. Some models 3 of 3 or 1 of 150 etc. I never would have expected Dan to bail on us like this without notice and like I said I've known and trusted him for years. I have not heard from him since Mar. 2018 or had any response from him or Christy.
Back to live and learn moment. Putting your trust in someone even though you have known them for 40 years is not the way to do business these days. Their are too many scammers out there ready to "Take the money and run". I guess Coonan fell off the high horse and fell in shit. Without serious documentation on prepaid items, I now do business COD or I don't do it. Show me the product and I'll show you the money.
My advice to you would be to not bother suing Coonan. It will go no where since the are bankrupt. Chock it up as a lesson well learn as far as purchases from here forward.
P.S. Coonan still owes me 1 45 acp and 2 MOT 10s and 10 magazines. Good luck.
 
Badax said:
This is one of those live in learn moments. I have been a Coonan enthusiasts since the early 80s. Yes they did exist way back then. The company has been bought and sold and been in and out of production for quite a few years. I have had a personal relationship with a few of the Coonan staff through the years. I own 10 Coonan 1911s from the years past all with very low or limited serial numbers. Some models 3 of 3 or 1 of 150 etc. I never would have expected Dan to bail on us like this without notice and like I said I've known and trusted him for years. I have not heard from him since Mar. 2018 or had any response from him or Christy.
Back to live and learn moment. Putting your trust in someone even though you have known them for 40 years is not the way to do business these days. Their are too many scammers out there ready to "Take the money and run". I guess Coonan fell off the high horse and fell in shit. Without serious documentation on prepaid items, I now do business COD or I don't do it. Show me the product and I'll show you the money.
My advice to you would be to not bother suing Coonan. It will go no where since the are bankrupt. Chock it up as a lesson well learn as far as purchases from here forward.
P.S. Coonan still owes me 1 45 acp and 2 MOT 10s and 10 magazines. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Ya this was a great lesson on putting up substantial money to prepay for an item. Never again.
I’m done with Coonan and have no plans to sue as I was able to get my money back. I was EXTREMELY lucky as I know plenty of others who are out thousands and their credit card companies were no help. I was fortunate I documented everything with Coonan via email.

Sorry to hear you’re out a good chunk of money. Very frustrating to hear that.
 
andrew1220 said:
Shit maybe I should have held onto my Coonan🤣 Just saw one in the classifieds for almost 5 grand (bunch of mags though)
Good luck finding a buyer
Click to expand...
i have been watching GB and laughing, crazy prices. its the one gun i would probably never sell, way too much fun. he is not alone, there is the same model with 2 mags on GB for 5k, and a few completed auctions that sold support that price, holy crap!
 
Last edited:
andrew1220 said:
Shit maybe I should have held onto my Coonan🤣 Just saw one in the classifieds for almost 5 grand (bunch of mags though)
Good luck finding a buyer
Click to expand...

Quite_Exasperated said:
I wonder if some manufacturer will by their IP And start producing them?
Click to expand...
at that price someone should be able to turn a profit manufacturing them again, as long as they are Andrew1220 proof!
 
Pricing for IP on a defunct gun company is tricky - it is not like they are selling a viable business with established machinery, distribution channels, customers, etc. Plus there is an expectation if you take over the name you will support pre-buyout customers.

BoMar went out of business and tried to sell their name. I don't know if they ever managed, but word was the price was high enough that potential buyers preferred to continue with their own design and brand.
 
The Anchor said:
i have been watching GB and laughing, crazy prices. its the one gun i would probably never sell, way too much fun. he is not alone, there is the same model with 2 mags on GB for 5k, and a few completed auctions that sold support that price, holy crap!
Click to expand...

Honestly no bleepin way... if i had one of those things I'd take the money and run. Not exactly a high endurance design. It ain't like a 1911 where you can go 3rd party and fix the problem. Or like an HK MK23 where the gun will probably outlast its owner. A coonan is more like a DE** or one of those other guns that "will break if you shoot it enough" etc. Def in the "It sounds kind of cool but actually it sucks..... a lot"* category.


*shamelessly stolen from xray arms girl song

** the reason MRI is still in business and coonan isn't is because they actually can support the product. Even if it isn’t insanely durable owners get support....
 
andrew1220 said:
Shit maybe I should have held onto my Coonan🤣 Just saw one in the classifieds for almost 5 grand (bunch of mags though)
Good luck finding a buyer
Click to expand...

Are mags really 200-300 each for that? That’s beyond 2011 mag insanity.
Makes me not so upset with paying for MBX mags now.
 
Just get a DE L5 357. It's a slightly smaller design than the regular DE. Probably is more like the Coonan in size and weight. I have an LAR Grizzly 50 AE. Now that is a large gun. Years ago I wasn't looking for one but got a good deal and preferred the 50 over the 45 win mag. These are all large collector type guns at the end of the day. If you are a true operator, then as Mike says you'd just get a MK23.
 
LittleCalm said:
Just get a DE L5 357. It's a slightly smaller design than the regular DE. Probably is more like the Coonan in size and weight. I have an LAR Grizzly 50 AE. Now that is a large gun. Years ago I wasn't looking for one but got a good deal and preferred the 50 over the 45 win mag. These are all large collector type guns at the end of the day. If you are a true operator, then as Mike says you'd just get a MK23.
Click to expand...
357 DEs don’t cycle reliably even with the recommended ammo. I wouldn’t touch one of those.
 
Agreed. Mine would function without problems using Winchester Win Clean. Sadly Win Clean has been discontinued and I have not been able to shoot a mag through it trying multiple manufacturers. One of these days I'll begin reloading. In the meantime it's Automag II or IV if I want to scratch the big bore handgun itch.
 
CrackPot said:
357 DEs don’t cycle reliably even with the recommended ammo. I wouldn’t touch one of those.
Click to expand...
My Deagle works without a hicup. Mine is a 44 mag. I did buy the upgrade kit for the 50AE. Neither give me issues. I also shoot my reloads in 44 mag without issue. I am using Berry's plated stuff. Not getting any bad build up. Not sure why.

You really would think there would be some recourse on getting money back. Short of suing and spending more money.
 
Hailstorm said:
My Deagle works without a hicup. Mine is a 44 mag. I did buy the upgrade kit for the 50AE. Neither give me issues. I also shoot my reloads in 44 mag without issue. I am using Berry's plated stuff. Not getting any bad build up. Not sure why.

You really would think there would be some recourse on getting money back. Short of suing and spending more money.
Click to expand...
44 and 50 work great. It’s the 357 that are a problem. They have a list of ammo that should work but I’ve seen too many guns that won’t cycle anything reliably.
 
Hailstorm said:
I also shoot my reloads in 44 mag without issue. I am using Berry's plated stuff. Not getting any bad build up. Not sure why.
Click to expand...
I also reload plated bullets for my 44 mag DE without issue. I believe it's the polygonal rifling that doesn't strip off the plating and cause a leading issue.
See my post in this thread
www.northeastshooters.com

Desert Eagle 44. Unique rifling???

Hey guys and gals, I was watching a show on Investigation Discovery Channel, about a murder that involved gunshot wounds. One of the Investigators mentioned that 44 shell casings were found nearby, and that (I disclose, these are probably not his exact words, but) "the bullets exhibited a unique...
www.northeastshooters.com www.northeastshooters.com
 
The way the gas system works is. There is the port at the breech. The problem is having bullet material plugging up the passage. The way I understand it
 

Similar threads

B Kings Firearms Ohio
Replies
4
Views
309
Da_lucche
Da_lucche
What are your silliest, most useless firearms.
4 5 6
Replies
177
Views
4K
Marty McFly
Marty McFly
Bergen County Firearms lawyer
Replies
4
Views
261
GaryO
GaryO
Interesting Article on the "Notching" of Firearms to Keep Track of "Kills"
Replies
8
Views
382
clampett
clampett
Colorado Democrats Pushing 11% Excise Firearms Tax, Other California Gun Controls
Replies
6
Views
195
SpaceCritter
SpaceCritter
Back
Top Bottom