SI takes a look at gun racks; one way to rack up sales

Shooting Industry, Dec, 1989 by Barbara Elliott, Brooks Elliott

SI Takes A Look At

GUN

RACKS

Who says "you can't take it with you?" When it comes to guns and bows, shooters are taking it with them all over the country - in cars, trucks, boats, ATVs, and, in growing numbers, mountain bikes.

For the savvy gun dealer, this means increased sales of portable gun racks. The trick is to learn where your customer's head is at, regarding how he carries his long guns around, and sell him an appropriate vehicle mounted rack.

Take the matter of hanging guns in the rear window of a pickup truck. Most authorities stress the stupidity of such a move. Might as well hang out a sign saying, "steal me!"

But the fact remains. Numerous shooters and hunters do, indeed, display their guns just that way. As long as there are big numbers of shooters who will put their guns in the window, then it behooves you to stock, and sell, the racks that make it possible. At the same time, when a customer does come into purchase a window rack, you should point out that there are other choices.

Portable gun racks should perform a number of functions. First and foremost, of course, is to hold the firearm or bow securely while underway. No matter what sort of bumps and grinds the vehicle goes through, the sport weapon should remain secure in the rack.

By the same token, the gun should be easily accessible when needed. One of the reason window mounted racks are so popular is the ease of gun access. The shooter need merely reach back, pop the gun out of its spring clips, and he's on his way.

Most of these racks are built essentially the same. Steel posts mount on the window - either by special quick mounts, or by screwing. To these posts are bolted or welded rubber-coated spring steel clips. The firearm or bow is slipped into these clips for transporting.

San Angelo offers the largest selection of spring-clip racks, with about seven models that mount in windows, some of which have additional cables for locking guns in place. In addition, the company has versions for floor mounting of rifles (the firearms stand in a vertical position).

Gee-Lox also offers similar spring-clip racks for window mounting, but was unable to provide us with information on its full line-up.

Any of these window-mounted racks, incidentally, can be wall mounted as well. This makes them useful for hunting camps and cabins, where customers may not want to drop a lot of money for a gun cabinet, but still needs a place to hang his guns while in camp. San Angelo has a four-gun model specifically for this purpose, but virtually any of the vertical mount racks will serve.

More and more shooters are recognizing the futility of window-mounted racks. Even more aware are that their insurance companies, which for obvious reasons, are especially down on these devices. In addition, many towns and counties have "attractive nuisance" laws. In these states that certain classes of merchandise - guns included - are inherently attractive to thieves. If you put them on open display, you have contributed to the theft, and may be liable to prosecution. How's that for a kick in the head. You lose your guns, the insurance company doesn't pay, and you may go to jail or pay a fine as well.

Thus, it's no surprise that there are many racks that hold guns securely, but which keep them hidden from sight.

Using the same spring clip system as its window racks, San Angelo has quite a few models here, offering varying degrees of protection. These range from racks that mount at the base of a bench seat, to racks designed for mounting inside the car trunk, to those that hang between the seat and the cab all of a pickup truck. These are definitely a step in the right direction, and you should tout them to your customers as an alternative to window-mounting.

Spring clips are not the only approach, though. The past few years, especially, have seen the development of portable gun racks. Designed to securely hold firearms and bows, they also keep them out of sight.

Big Sky Racks, for instance, are made of tubular steel, closed-cell foam, and Velcro closure straps. While they can be mounted in the window, if the shooter so desires, they are designed so that they can be also mounted horizontally on the roof. Putting one of these on the roof of the cab, for instance, keeps the guns just as accessible as a window rack, but a bit less obvious. Even better, is to go the route we took. The Big Sky Racks we have are mounted to the inside roof of our camper cab - totally out of sight. But the guns are available when we need them.

Big Sky offers four models of its rack - a single gun version that mounts within horizontally or vertically, the same rack with a special lock, a two-gun vertical mount, and a two-gun horizontal mount. This last is the one that's so effective for roof mounting.

While designed to hold guns that are not cased, we've found the Big Sky more than capable of holding guns inside soft cases. This can be a definite plus.

As company vice president Ted Morford notes, the Big Sky Rack is a good alternative for the gun dealer, because it "doesn't compete against the discount houses." He may have a good point. With a $40 suggested retail price, it is high enough to keep the price shoppers away, but low enough for the specialty shop to sell.