To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Dealers Key To Voter Education — page 22 Dealers Pick Ruger LCP As Best 2008 New Product un dealers selected the Ruger LCP as the best 2008 new product on Shooting Industry’s Web site blog in April. The much-praised pistol captured 17.5 percent of dealers’ “votes,” overwhelmingly outdistancing all other products in this first-ever, Shooting Industry-sponsored blog. “In our April issue, we featured ‘Dealers’ Picks,’ a report on what dealers considered the best new products at the SHOT Show. With our blog, we opened up the selection process to dealers throughout the nation. And dealers had strong opinions,” said Russ Thurman, SI’s editor. “Sturm, Ruger & Co. has successfully entered the small-gun market with a superb product, the Ruger LCP. This excellently appointed and designed firearm is filling a very strong niche in our inventories at Myrtle Beach Indoor Shooting Range (MBISR) in sunny South Carolina. The price-points are good and the quality is excellent,” said Ted L. Gragg, CEO MBISR. Dealers selected Taurus’ The Judge .45/.410 as the second-best new product for 2008, netting 8.73 percent of the votes. Remington’s 2008 new products were cited by a number of dealers as the best, with voting spread among 11 products. “The Remington 700 VTR is definitely one of the best products of 2008 with its unique triangular, ported barrel,” wrote a dealer. The Model 700 VTR was the most- G mentioned Remington product, followed by the Model R15 and Model 11-87 ShurShot series. Smith & Wesson’s .357 Night Guard and M&P .45 were selected by a number of dealers as “the best” for 2008. “The price-points are good and the quality is excellent.” Ruger also scored high with dealers with its Charger .22. “The Charger is high on the fun factor, and with the high prices of ammunition these days, it’s a cheap date to shoot,” read the blog entry from Wrenco Arms LLC. During the month-long blog, dealers mentioned 81 products from 48 companies. Dealers selected products from virtually every product category: firearms, ammunition, optics, high-tech, accessories, knives and airguns. In some cases, dealers selected a product type as best sellers, including one who wrote, “The best new product is anything pink for the ladies. I can’t keep them in stock.” The blog also provided dealers an opportunity to voice an ongoing concern. Ted Gragg, of MBISR, while highly complimentary of the Ruger LCP, also wrote, “The only drawback is an extremely limited product supply. Hopefully, this will change soon.” Other dealers were more blunt. “I hope the manufacturers read this blog. I get so discouraged because they advertise six months before production of a firearm and then dole out six to 10 guns to the wholesalers,” a dealer wrote. “Firearm manufacturers don’t realize how bad they look when a dealer has to tell the consumer the item has been on backorder for three months.” With the success of the “Dealers’ Picks” blog, SI is considering additional Web-site surveys. “We’re especially interested in what dealers think,” Thurman said. “Yes, we address the entire industry; however, it’s the independent dealer who must ‘live with’ all the innovation, promotions and grand, sweeping programs. That’s why we asked gun dealers, ‘What are the best new products for 2008 — and why?’ We appreciate their input.” Visit www.shootingindustry.com. S Hunters, Target Shooters Name Top Brands Top-Selling Brands — 2007 Category Brand Handgun Smith & Wesson Rifle Remington Shotgun Mossberg Muzzleloader Thompson/Center Rifle Ammunition Remington Handgun Ammunition Winchester Shotgun Ammunition Winchester Knife Buck Firearm Scope Bushnell Binocular Bushnell * For the complete chart of 15 categories, visit www.shootingindustry.com. mith & Wesson, Remington and Mossberg were the top-selling firearm brands in 2007, according to Southwick Associates. Remington was also named the best-selling rifle ammunition, while Winchester Ammunition ranked the highest in handgun and shotgun ammunition. Southwick reports the data was compiled from the 19,288 surveys hunters and target shooters completed last year on the Web sites: www.HunterSurvey.com and www.TargetshootingSurvey.com. The Web sites, launched in 2006, ask hunters and target shooters a variety of monthly questions, which Southwick Associates assembles into a number of reports. For more information on Southwick’s data services, contact Rob Southwick via e-mail at: rob@southwickassociates.com. % 1 7.6 1 4.1 27.5 29.7 32.7 26.2 33.0 24.3 23.7 24.5 10 JULY 2008 www.shootingindustry.com