No season on sales: create momentum for year-round long-gun sales

Shooting Industry, August, 2007 by John Morrison

"For a few firearms, like slug shotguns, there's a definite sales season," Steve Shipley of Ohio Valley Trading Company told Shooting Industry. "But if you carry the right stuff, you can sell long guns year-round and keep the momentum going."

The question is, "What is the right stuff?" Our interviews with several dealers indicate many retailers tend to stick with certain lineups of long guns, whether they move quickly off the shelves or gather dust. Sometimes, too, given the enormous array of rifles, shotguns and carbines available today, the choices are just too many and too varied for a busy dealer to study.

To help, we tapped the knowledge of four successful dealers serving very different mixes of consumers. They provided a number of keen sales tips and a look at what's "the right stuff' in their comers of the marketplace.

Emphasize Quality, Knowledge

Gateway Outfitters in Saint Charles, Mo., serves serious sporting shotgunners and Bob Sebring reports, "I can sell as many CZ shotguns as I can get. We haven't been carrying them very long, but they're already a significant part of our business."

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Sebring named the Canvasback, Redhead and Woodcock over-and-under models as the most popular.

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The Canvasback features a black chrome finish, the Redhead has a silver coin finished receiver and the top-of-the-line Woodcock offers color case-hardening. All have single selective triggers and ventilated ribs.

"You would expect to pay a lot more for this kind of quality," Sebring said. "The Woodcock, in particular, is really elegant and buyers are surprised at the price. The 12 and 20 gauges are the most popular, but sales of .410s and 28s are coming on strong. CZ does a great job of advertising and many buyers say they've seen the CZ shotguns on sporting shows on TV or in national magazines. That makes our job much easier."

Sebring buys direct from CZ-USA and says the company's dealer support is "a class act all the way. They're very responsive and they ship fast." He also reports strong and growing sales of CZ rifles, especially the Models 452 and 453 American rimfire models in .22 LR and .17 HMR, and the Model 527 in .204 Ruger.

"I bought two 527s in .204 Ruger myself," Sebring said. "That should tell you how good they are."

Sebring said sales of ARs are steady, with Rock River Arms taking the lead, and cowboy-action shooters like the Uberti 1875 Lightning pump rifle in .45 Long Colt.

There has also been a recent surge in interest in .50 BMG rifles.

"The numbers aren't significant yet," Sebring reports, "but they're growing. We've sold ArmaLite AR-50s and we've ordered some from Barrett and can't wait to get them in."

Sebring says Gateway benefits from having a sales staff who are all active shooters.

"We network that aspect," Sebring said. "A customer can ask about almost any firearm or any caliber and we've got someone with in-depth personal experience, from sporting clays to big-game hunting. It's our knowledge that makes the difference."

No Sales Pitch Needed

Steve Shipley is the firearm buyer for the four regional outlets of Ohio Valley Trading Co., based in Nelsonville, Ohio. His big surprise in sales over the past two or three years has been in 9mm and .40 S & W carbines from Hi-Point Firearms.

"We've sold about 600 or 700. The demand just keeps getting stronger and word-of-mouth from so many happy customers does all the advertising for us," Shipley said. "The price-point is super low, they've proven to be extremely reliable, and now, with so many Hi-Point owners out there, we're picking up some great sales in accessories for them."

Shipley says that most of their Hi-Point carbine customers are recreational shooters, although some buy for home defense, and over half of first-time Hi-Point buyers walk in and ask for the firearm, specifically.

"The 9mm model is the most popular. Ammo is cheap and it's an easy, fun gun to shoot," Shipley said.

He adds that the carbines can be ordered with black or camo furniture and factory-equipped with a 4x scope, red-dot scope or laser sight. Popular accessories are extra magazines and the ProPack buttstock magazine pouch. A new thumbhole "bullpup" replacement stock from Advanced Technology is becoming a fast mover.

"Dealers should know, too, that Hi-Point really cares about you. They ship whatever you need fast and stand behind their warranty without question," Shipley said.

In more traditional rifles, Shipley said Savage sales are booming, with every variant in the Model 10s and 12s in all calibers offered.

"The Savage AccuTrigger is fantastic. Overall, accuracy and quality are outstanding for the money. In ARs, we're getting a lot of demand for Smith & Wesson's M & P15 and the ArmaLite M15 A2 with green forend and collapsible stock," Shipley said.

During September, with the beginning of the slug-gun season, Shipley said Remington's 870 Express and the Mossberg 500 are proven sellers in 12 gauge, with sales of 20 gauge increasing steadily. In addition, bargain-hunting customers are asking for the New England Firearms Pardner Pump 12 gauge.