Our Story “Are you ready?”
A Glock 34 frame, a charity auction and a question from his boss in San Diego. The story of Shogun Customs, told by its founder, Will Hernandez.
- San Diego
- Glock 34
- Founded in Utah, 2021
Chapter 1 Gunfighter Tactical
San Diego
Before I started Shogun Customs, I worked at Gunfighter Tactical, a custom shop in San Diego. I started on the retail side, which definitely wasn’t as fun as custom work.
I’d always wanted to learn how to stipple, so my boss let me take home a bunch of A2 grips to practice on. After about a month I had the basic principles down, but I had no clue how to do borders, or where to learn which bits to use. Our shop’s bread and butter was gunsmithing and Cerakoting, so I couldn’t find answers there.
“So I basically just gave up.”
Chapter 2 About three months later
The turning point
“My boss walked up to me with a Glock 34 frame in his hand and said, ‘Are you ready?’”
We were donating the gun to a charity event, and he needed me to stipple it while the slide was getting Cerakoted. I told him I hadn’t practiced in months and it would probably come out looking terrible. He told me not to worry about it and just keep it simple.
I didn’t even know how to burn a border in, so I just picked up the Waffle tip and went to work. In the end I was so proud of myself, and that gun was auctioned off for $3,000.
Chapter 3 Days off
The workshop at home
This was the start of my love for frame work. My boss was happy to hand that position over to me, and as I got better we restructured the pricing and did more stipple jobs than ever. I bought my own materials and set up a workshop at home, where I’d hone my skills on my days off.
“My happiest moments there were seeing the look on customers’ faces when they picked up their frame.”
Chapter 4 Today
Shogun Customs
Gunfighter Tactical closed in 2020. Will moved to Utah and founded Shogun Customs there in 2021. He runs it on his own.
I’m deeply grateful to my two bosses back in San Diego for giving me a platform to develop a skill and turn it into a career.
“Without them, Shogun Customs wouldn’t be here.”
Why “Shogun”
The name comes from Shogun Assassin, one of Will’s favorite movies, and from his longstanding interest in Eastern culture.
The code
Built on a code
“I’ve been a student of martial arts my whole life, and because of that, I’ve grown very fond of Eastern culture and philosophy. We as warriors and human beings should live by a code. In Japanese culture, this code is known as Bushido.”
The Shogun brand was built on these virtues, in Will’s words:
- Courage in taking risk with design concepts.
- Respect for those who came before me, as well as the power these weapons hold.
- Politeness to those I interact with.
- Integrity in how I treat my customers.
- Mastery Striving for mastery of my craft so that I can better serve others.
- Self control by listening when I’d rather speak.
In customers’ words
“His craftsmanship, attention to detail, and vision really helps define your build.”
“Great communication with Will, I wanted a rear sights forward on my slide and he went above and beyond to get it done.”
“I was a little nervous to order at first and it took me awhile to decide on Shogun. However, I won’t ever hesitate on any of their products.”
Every frame
See the Build Archive“My wish is that when a customer gets their frame back, they are filled with a feeling they can’t even explain.”