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 Selling The Staples Just Makes Sense A s I travel around the country, I outselling the other calibers,” said Bolton. or firearms. Staples sell. make it a point to visit as many “In revolvers, it’s Smith & Wesson, So it is with products such as the Glock gun shops as possible. One ques- particularly the J-frames,” added Gunn. and the Smith & Wesson lines. Each, right tion I always ask is, “What’s selling best That is par for the course. Dealers men- now, is the brand leader in their field. for you on the defenseFor several years, the gun side of the market?” folks at Glock said their The answers differ, de.40 and 9mms were about pending on the region neck-and-neck in sales. and changing economic However, Glock now says factors. the 9mm has become the In the past few years, clear sales leader nationnation I’ve heard more and more ally in the private sector, dealers saying, “Springreflecting what the folks field Armory XD.” A few at Nichols are experiencexperienc have told me, “Rugers.” ing. Skyrocketing ammo One dealer in Cook prices, which have dramadrama County, Ill., told me, “I’m tized the cost difference selling more secondhand between 9mm and .40 revolvers than anything S&W ammunition, seem else.” Go figure. to be the driving factor in Recently, I passed this shift in the most poppop through Rock Hill, S.C., ular Glock seller. and stopped at Nichols Smith & Wesson also Store. The back layout confirms what Nichols of this large operation Nichols Store salesman Shannon Gun (center) and manager Jeff Bolton (right) and the other shops have is devoted to hunting explain the features of a Glock and S&W J-frame to customer Jonathan Martin. reported: The J-frames garb, treestands and arare the largest-selling chery. The front of the product line of the largstore is a well-stocked gun shop. tion these two perennial best-sellers often est U.S. revolver manufacturer. Two of Nichols’ knowledgeable staff, — evidence enough that no matter the In both cases, two things are going appropriately named firearm salesman number of new products introduced, of- for these products. They have the mix of Shannon Gunn and manager Jeff Bolton, fering firearm staples is good business. features that a large number of customers answered my usual question. It’s the same in any industry, whether want, and they bring with them sterling “In pistols, definitely Glock, with 9mm it’s automobiles, soft drinks, fishing tackle reputations for quality and reliability. Glock Covers Semiauto Market et’s look at what Glock offers. Their little 3.6" barrel subcompacts hold lots of ammo for their size and will work with the magazines of larger models in the same calibers. The 4" barrel compacts are intermediate in size, big enough that in 9mm they’re the most popular NYPD uniform service pistol, but small enough that they’re very popular for concealed carry. The Glock 4.5" barrel service-size guns are still concealable. (New York State Police issues its plainclothes detectives the same full-size Glock 37 in caliber .45 GAP as uniformed troopers carry.) All these sizes are available in four calibers: 9mm Parabellum, .40 Smith & Wesson, .357 SIG and .45 GAP (Glock Auto Pistol). Glock also has a 5.3" barrel Tactical/Practical model, with the same grip length as the service-size gun, available in 9mm and .40, and will occasionally do a production run of 6" barrel target guns in The Glock 30, an 11-shot the same two calibers. .45 ACP compact, is a Add to that the larger-frame models, full size or compact, in best buy. This is the SF .45 ACP and 10mm Auto, and you can see that the Glock catalog model with reduced grip pretty much covers the waterfront for centerfire semiauto pistols. dimensions. 18 OCTOBER 2008 www.shootingindustry.com L