We didn ' t want to be a typical gun store where you walked in and everything was behind glass, and you had to stand there or wait in line for somebody to come up and open a case for you so you could look at a gun.
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We didn ' t want to be a typical gun store where you walked in and everything was behind glass, and you had to stand there or wait in line for somebody to come up and open a case for you so you could look at a gun.
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Jim Lyon and Ty Edgar
After five years serving the Custer community, Sawmill Arms has moved to a new location on Sturgis Road in Rapid City. This compact gun shop boasts an impressive inventory and variety of offered services, including fulltime in-house gunsmithing, cleaning and diagnostics, Cerakote application, suppressor sales, and custom builds, with knowledgeable firearms enthusiasts who are determined to educate their customers and meet their specific needs.
Sawmill Arms got its start in 2020, when owner Jim Lyon, a competition pistol shooter, was traveling for competitions and rubbing shoulders with others in the sport who are now a good part of his clientele.
“ I was looking for certain firearms and that was about the time the Covid era started and everything was in short supply, including ammunition and gun parts. So, I was looking at getting parts, and manufacturing and putting together my own competition-type pistols. So that kind of started me into it,” he said. He obtained his Federal Firearms License, which is what facilitates the legal transfer of firearms.
“ That ' s kind of what I started out as, just doing firearm transfers. Then I opened up in the front of my shop in Custer a little retail store, and started adding firearms for sale that people could come in and look at,” Jim explained.
In 2024, Jim brought on Ty Edgar as a business partner, originally from Custer and now a Rapid City resident and businessman. They had met in 2013 when Ty was recovering from a failed business venture and Jim was a commercial lender at Dacotah Bank. Ty was trying to start a construction company and, although the bank wouldn’ t finance him, Jim saw something in Ty and helped him get off the ground. They kept in touch over the years, and Ty’ s hard work resulted in several successful businesses.
“ It was just one of those things,” Ty said.“ I was buying a bunch of guns from Jim. And he said, kind of joking,‘ We
should partner.’ And I was like, yeah, I don ' t really have time, and I probably wouldn ' t make a good partner. And then I bought a bunch more guns,” he said, laughing.“ And he brought it up again. And I was like, wow, you know, I kind of like the idea of that.”
A conversation over lunch at the Colonial House and a handshake later, and that was that, Ty said.“ It was a done deal. We got this building last year, remodeled it, moved everything up here, and have been adding as much as possible. It’ s a process. We have a long way to go.”
The new store opened January 1 and the move has been a good one, Jim said. The store, a black-painted brick building, is a sportsman’ s paradise, with floor-to-ceiling displays of guns, ammunition, and other equipment, from sights to targets to ear protection and more, truly a one-stop shop. One of Ty’ s hunting trophies, a bear, greets customers at the door, and a massive. 50 caliber rifle is on prominent display. Kyle, their inhouse gunsmith, works meticulously over a dismantled firearm, and a steady stream of customers trickles in and out, visiting with Ty, Jim, and the others. From their personal experience and expertise, to their passion for the sport and skill of shooting, their enthusiasm for their work is infectious.
“ We have a vast variety of guns, and we ' re not really brandspecific. We have new guns, used guns, and we also do consignments,” Jim said, and they work hard to provide for their diverse client base.
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It would be sportsmen. It would be hunters. It would be anybody that wants personal protection or is carrying a handgun. We have ladies that come in to buy handguns for personal protection. We have hunters come in for hunting rifles. We have precision rifle shooters. We have competition pistol and shotgun shooters. Just pretty much everybody. myblackshillscountry. com Down Country Roads
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