Sports Publications

Handgun accessories that sell: every customer wants you to carry his must-have add-ons, but what products are really selling?

Shooting Industry, Feb, 2004 by Massad Ayoob

There are a lot of new handgun accessory introductions this year, continuing an established trend. However, this segment of the market is notoriously fickle. What looks great on manufacturer and distributor flyers and slick ads can languish on your display shelves.

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So, what's really selling? Here's a look at the handgun accessories dealers around the country can't keep in stock.

Big-Bore Sport Gun Kit

Smith & Wesson is selling all the big boomers they introduced last year as fast as they can be made. Heading the fast movers is the huge Model 500 X-frame revolver firing the mighty .500 S & W Magnum, a cartridge that delivers ballistics like a .45/70 buffalo rifle. Also an impressive seller is the Model 329 PD, a Scandium-frame super-light .44 Magnum that kicks even harder than the .500.

The Model 500 comes with Hogue Rubber Energy Absorbing Grips. That's a hint on what grips work with big boomers. Think soft, recoil absorbing. The biggest, cushiest Hogue Monogrip is an excellent choice. So is the Pachmayr Decelerator. Also stock shooting gloves with built in recoil reduction features. The PAST brand and those from Uncle Mike's work well.

Another shooting glove to seriously consider is the latest "close combat" gloves from Blackhawk. Heavily advertised in publications for your tactically oriented customer, these affordable gloves give tremendous sensitivity and control, though they're not built to provide recoil absorption. They're ideal for your hard-core enthusiast who likes to shoot even in inclement weather. One dealer reports the gloves are the single fastest item in the whole rapid-moving Blackhawk array of tactical gear.

Don't neglect holsters for the big boomers. An ordinary scabbard for a 4-inch N-frame revolver is fine for the Smith & Wesson Model 329, but the huge Model 500 is almost like carrying a rifle on your hip. A chest holster from Gene DeSantis, the Terminator, looks like the best bet, along with Uncle Mike's Sidekick Bandolier Holsters.