Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. So, is it “all over but the shouting” for sales of self-defense guns and gear? Not by a long shot, say industry experts. Manufacturers have ramped up production to fill towering stacks of backorders and to meet an anticipated and perhaps even greater demand for guns and gear less likely to be targeted by new laws. All objective signs indicate demand for self-defense products will continue to grow, and you could be ringing up those receipts just by following some time-proven strategies. To maximize self-defense firearm sales, consider offering “dual-duty” models for sporting and defense. Firearms that don’t normally fit into the “tactical” category present greater market flexibility. Consider Taurus’ Judge, a mega-best seller for the company. For 2009, the unique handgun is issuing a “stiffer sentence” as it handles .410 bore 3" Magnum and 2 1/2" shotshells, plus .45 Colt. Ruger LCP, voted by dealers in a Shooting Industry Internet poll as the best 2008 new product, continues to garner remarkable sales numbers. Springfield’s 9mm XDM joins the already best-selling .40 XDM, both sold in a (M)ulti-use carrying case, which is packed with added value. Cobra Firearms is establishing a solid reputation, this year introducing The Shadow in .38+P, with three color options. Charter Arms has seen tremendous growth in recent years, and sparked the “colored-gun” trend last year. Remember when women didn’t want a “pink” gun? No more. Pink and other colored guns are high on dealers’ top-selling lists. The sales of Smith & Wesson M&P pistols remain impressive, with S&W reporting a 45-percent increase in sales during the second quarter of 2008, compared to the same 2007 quarter. If you’re looking for a hot law-enforcement connection, the M&P is it. S&W says the pistol has been selected by 465 law-enforcement agencies. FNH-USA’s FN-45 is attracting a following, along with the company’s other handguns. As a bonus, FNH-USA has launched its 2009 FNH USA Pistol Pack Promotion for dealers. Call (703) 288- 1292 for details. Sig Sauer’s P250, with its multiple size, calibers and other options, is registering great attention. In rifles, DPMS’ Sportical packs plenty of features with a low MSRP. For those customers who want an AR but are “blackrifle challenged,” show them Remington’s R-15 all-camo rifles. Smith & Wesson’s M&P15 rifles are registering blistering sales, with the company reporting a 308-percent increase during its second quarter. S&W reports that 204 law enforcement agencies now use the M&P 15. Rock River’s Entry Tactical, with a 16" chrome moly R-4 barrel, has become a favorite with customers. Para has joined the AR market with its new Tactical Target Rifle, as has Charles Daly with its Rock River offers a number of self-defense rifles, including the Entry Tactical, which has a 16" barrel. new “Defense” line. FNH USA has an impressive stable of tactical rifles, includ- forcement agencies. Another long-established tactical and ing the new FNAR. And for solid sellers, don’t forget the offerings from ArmaLite home-defense shotgun is the Remington Model 870 pump. For 2009, Remington and Colt. has two new offerings, the Model 870 ExDual Duty, Full Tactical press Tactical with gray powder coat finish While there are plenty of tactical and the Model 870 Express Tactical with shotguns available, don’t overlook more XS Ghost Ring Sights. “standard” offerings, like Stoeger’s Condor over-and-under and the side-by-side Sell The Best The selection of self-defense and perCondor Coach Gun, both value-priced and sonal-protection ammo is vast, with Black effective home-defense designs. Beretta, Benelli, Browning, Reming- Hills, Cor-Bon, Extreme Shock, Federal, ton, Ruger and Savage offer a huge inven- Hornady, Remington and Winchester oftory of less-tactical-looking shotguns that fering premium loads. Most of the major companies offer fit into the dual-duty category. For those customers wanting full- law-enforcement-only ammo, with some fledged tactical shotguns, Mossberg designing similar rounds for the buying is making select models of its 590A1 public. Such is the case with Winchester’s 12-gauge pump guns available to the gen- new Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1. This eral public. The shotguns have long been FBI primary service round is now availused by U.S. military forces and law-en- able for commercial sale. Plenty Of Features Self-Defense Firearms New for 2009, the Mossberg 590A1SPX nine-shot 12 gauge has a 20" barrel and synthetic stock. www.shootingindustry.com FEBRUARY 2009 29