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. Massad Ayoob Cash In On L.E./Tactical Trends ealers attending the SHOT Show the past few years know the fastestgrowing segment of the event is the Law Enforcement (L.E.) & Tactical Gear section. It’s invaluable to know what the law enforcement preferences in guns and ammunition are, since they often translate into civilian demand. Older dealers recall that when most cops carried revolvers, most private citizens with concealed carry permits did, also. The service-size wheel gun or the snub revolver likewise dominated the home-protection handgun market. While private citizens were ahead of cops in semiauto pistols for concealed carry and home defense, autoloaders didn’t approach dominance in the private sector until the late ’80s, when law enforcement D agencies began to switch en masse from the service revolver to the service pistol. Those influences continue today, which is why it’s important to know what trends the L.E./tactical market is creating. At SHOT Show 2008, the L.E. section looked like the Internet forum AR15.com come to life. Black rifles were everywhere, with the overwhelming majority in the AR15 or M4 format, plus, of course, the occasional green rifle. Even Remington, in a project with Bushmaster, has an AR Rock River’s new Entry Tactical has a 16" chrome moly R-4 barrel, tactical carry handle and RRA two-stage match trigger. Black Rifle Market line, a trio of full-camo R-15s marketed to varmint hunters. Dealers can select high-end, top-quality AR15s from Rock River, Sabre Defence, DPMS, Wilson Combat, Ed Brown and, of course, Colt. Mainstream pricing is available from many makers. Very reliable, good-quality AR15s at the lowest Calibers, Size Drive Handguns F or cops and civilians, caliber is the major driving force in handguns. We’ve seen a few police departments go from .40 or .45 back to 9mm, usually for reliability reasons, and we’re seeing more civilians trading in their larger caliber pistols for 9mms, with different motivation. The ammo cost crunch has hit shooters big time and 9mm is less expensive for training. According to Denny Reese, CEO of Springfield Armory, until last year, sales of .40 and .45 Springfield XDs were neck-in-neck in popularity, with 9mm behind them. But, in the past few months, demand for the smaller caliber has increased so much that 9mm, .40 and .45 XD pistols are selling in about equal volume. The .357 SIG version, the fourth caliber offered in the XD line, accounts for about 5 percent of sales, Reese said. Visit www.springfield-armory.com. Look for this trend to continue, since it’s not likely ammo will be getting cheaper in the foreseeable future. Adjust inventory orders accordingly, and make sure you have a good selection of 9mm pistols in stock. Even so, don’t neglect revolvers. Dealers across the country tell me that snub-nose .38 revolvers, especially the lightweights, are steady sellers. Cops like them for backup because their rounded “handles” allow for a quicker draw from deep concealment, such as ankle, pocket or vest holsters. New shooters like them for their simplicity. Concealed carry civilian customers often go through stages. Many dealers tell me the first-time permit holder often buys a fullsize handgun, but quickly tires of the unaccustomed weight. He or she then visits the gun shop to buy a lightweight snub so they can be armed more comfortably. Smith & Wessons, particularly the Airweights, and TauMAY 2008 rus revolvers seem to be the best sellers. With the little five-shot Smiths, the all-steel models get a bit heavy in the pocket, while the Scandium Taurus’ Model 605 .357 and Titanium super-light Magnum has fixed sights, models have a relatively single/double-action trigger high price-point due to and a transfer bar. the rare and costly metals used in their construction. The aluminum-frame Airweights split the difference in heft, and are seen by many as the most cost-effective choice. Visit www.smith-wesson.com and www.taurususa.com. In new Rugers, the little LCP polymer-frame pocket .380 is drawing far more interest than the new .327 Magnum revolver. Limited ammo availability for the latter, at this writing, is not helping the new caliber’s cause. I’ve found the LCP .380 quite comfortable to shoot and quite reliable, and the price will be very attractive to a broad range of purchasers. It’s very similar to the Kel-Tec P3AT in the same caliber, which has proven most desirable to CCW folks and off-duty cops alike because it’s so light, flat and small. You definitely want some in stock. It won’t hurt to have a Kel-Tec P3AT or two in the showcase. Early P3AT problems seem to have been squared away, and the KelTecs are coming through nicer now. Visit www.kel-tec-cnc.com. www.shootingindustry.com 16