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. Get a Grip, And Keep Sights In Sight! “H andgun grips are by far the most popular add-on accessory,” said Raj Singh, owner of Eagle Grips. “And they can also be your easiest accessory sale.” Singh is the second-generation owner of family-operated Eagle Grips, with 35 years of retail and wholesale experience. “Grips enhance both the appearance and ergonomics of a handgun, and they’re one of the few accessories a buyer can install at home with a screwdriver in two minutes. But they won’t sell themselves,” Singh warned. “Grips have great visual appeal, especially the exotics like sambar stag, buffalo horn and mother of pearl. To maximize that appeal, display them right alongside your handguns where buyers can easily visualize them on their own guns,” Singh said. Eagle Grips’ Buffalo Horn grips are “Also, knowing your customers is key. popular with single-action customers. Cowboy-action shooters are very enthusiastic grip buyers, sometimes owning multiple sets of grips for the same gun. They’ll change them to complement their colorful period costumes. That’s why we offer our CASS- and CMSA-approved gunfighter and cowboy-action grips in so many materials and colors,” Singh said. “When a handgunner comes in wearing a cap or other garment indicating they’re a veteran, a patriotic citizen or a Second Amendment supporter, all it may take is saying, ‘Let me show you these Patriot grips,’ to pick up a quick sale,” Singh said. Steve Hines, president of Ergo Grips, says grips can help you move used guns. “Tactical and defensive pistols tend New sights, such as these from Advantage Tactical, to have flat, non-reflective finishes — are best sold when mounted on a handgun. not very eye-catching. With hard use, they’re even less attractive, and cracked or worn original grips almost guarantee a gun will gather dust, not make you money,” Hines said. “Put a new set of contrasting Ergo XTRs and a GRIPITS frontstrap in coyote brown or foliage green on that veteran Beretta, and you’ve renewed about 50 percent of the pistol, given it a great new feel, and increased its perceived value far beyond your investment.” Hines recommends another add-on. “About the only thing you could add to make it look even better is a new set of sights,” Hines said. “That’s true,” said Richard Nasef, president of WrenTech Industries and the inventor of Advantage Tactical Sights. “Dingy, banged-up sights are a major turn-off for buyers. Highly visible new sights coupled with new grips make for terrific appeal.” Nasef says that one of the best things a dealer can do to sell sights is to create a small area dedicated to aftermarket sights. “Call it ‘Sight Central’ or whatever you like, but clearly state ‘Competition — Tactical — Self-Defense: We Have Your Sights!’ or something similar,” Nasef said. “On four handguns, you could mount one set of quality microadjustable target sights, like LPAs from Precision Sights International, two guns with popular tritium-lit sights like Trijicon or Meprolight, and how about a set of my Advantage Tactical Sights?” Nasef has one final sales tip. “The best sights won’t sell just sitting in a box. Invite customers to pick up those guns and sight in! Nothing beats having a customer actually sighting down them,” Nasef said. Accessorizing Glocks I t’s almost unbelievable that Lone Wolf Distributors, the world’s largest source of Glock aftermarket parts and accessories, carries over 1,500 SKUs for a pistol with only 32 parts. Lone Wolf’s founder, J.R. Shepard, surveyed his dealer sales sheets and told us what the top performers are. “Sights are always strong,” Shepard said, naming AmeriGlo and XS 24/7 sights as frontrunners, with Advantage Tactical Sights coming on fast. “Stainless steel replacements for OEM plastic guide rods and our drop-in improved trigger and spring systems are hot. But the real sizzlers — and best moneymakers — are our drop-in caliber conversion sets!” JUNE 2008 Shepard emphasized that these are true drop-ins. “No gunsmithing required, and they’re spreading like wildfire with competitive shooters, hunters and plinkers — .40 Smith & Wesson to 9mm and .357 SIG, .357 SIG to the hot rod 9x25 Dillon,” Shepard said. “And the top dog is the 10mm Glock 20, which converts to any of those four calibers. These have enormous appeal and nice margins. Dealers should look at every Glock pistol out there as a source of potential accessory profits. Those who do are making good money.” Lone Wolf Distributors offers hot-selling Glock drop-in caliber conversion sets. www.shootingindustry.com 30