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. LONG GUNS Not If You Give Customers What They Want! Mark KAyser DAG? T here’s plenty of doom-and-gloom (DAG) about the economy and how it impacts sales at gun shops. In long guns, it’s difficult to determine how the roller coaster economy is affecting sales. Generally, reports across the industry indicate black rifles are up and shotguns are down. Yet, there are exceptions to this “general” report, so don’t have a fire sale on your long-gun inventory. Despite all the DAG, dealers report good long-gun sales in their sales territories. It’s Been A Good Year ark Starr, the store manager for Total Firearms in Mason, Mich., saw increased firearm sales in early 2008, with an emphasis on long guns. Located south of the capital of Lansing, Total Firearms caters to customers in wildly differing occupations and the diversity has had a positive impact on the store’s bottom line. “We cater to a mixed bag of customers in the store,” Starr said. “There is a large farming industry in the surrounding countryside, in addition to the state workers and faculty and students at Michigan State University. Plus, there are office and factory workings, including General Motor employees and numerous small factories that feed off GM.” Despite consumers feeling the fuel crunch, Starr wasn’t experiencing lower sales earlier this year. “When you compare our profits from this same time period last year, we’re up more than $39,000. It’s been a good year so far and I describe it as being very, very busy,” Starr said. Total Firearms, a 13,000-square-foot store, has 1,500 to 2,000 firearms on hand. It has been in business since the Weatherby 12-gauge PA-09 Knoxx HD www.shootingindustry.com www.shootingindustry. AUGUST M early 1970s and, with a watchful eye on firearm and economic trends, Starr is relying on traditional buying habits to drive long-gun sales for the rest of the year. As manufacturers introduce new calibers, Starr reviews them and gauges their demand, but few have reached best-seller status. One exception he notes is the 3 1/2" 12-gauge. Starr says the shotshell has taken off, because hunters can purchase one firearm that will work throughout the seasons. “Hunters use it for everything from woodcock up to geese and turkeys,” Starr said. At Total Firearms, top demands in the shotshells are for 12- and 20-gauges. Top sellers in centerfire rifles at Total Firearms are to be those chambered in .223, 7mm Rem. Mag., and the .300 Win, Mag., with increasing attention on the .300 WSM. Starr also notes that sales in camouflage firearms have been on the upswing. Total Firearms stocks camouflage models alongside traditional-looking firearms. DPMS’ new Panther Sportical, in 7.62 NATO, has a suggested retail price of $989. com 2008 AUGUST 2008 37 37