WHAT’S SELLING WHERE

WACascade Loan & Sporting Goods, Auburn

Located between Seattle and Tacoma, this suburban retailer sells handguns and long guns as well as tools and gold. The retailer focuses mostly on used guns, buying new firearms for special orders.

Bolt-action guns are hot, and demand for Browning A-Bolts and stainless Remington 700s in .308 is more robust than it was last year. Any used rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor sells in a few days. Other highdemand long guns include Marlin lever-actions in .45-70 and Modern Sporting Rifles from DPMS. “Our used gun business is where we make the most profit. So, in the last few years we moved heavily into used rifles and handguns,” said counter salesman Mike Mace.

This retailer faces significant changes in Washington State regulations regarding 10-round maximum capacity for firearms. Mace said that most new handgun orders will mirror California-compliant specs. AKChimo Guns, Wasilla Keeping close to 400 firearms in stock, this full-service gun shop is 40 miles north of Anchorage in the suburban Mat-Su Valley. Handgun sales are steady. “Traffic has slowed slightly, though we never had quite the demand on handguns they had in the lower 48 in the last two years. Now, ammo was a different story. It was hard to get and has been super expensive,” said manager-buyer Craig Pell. But he also said the good news is that ammo stocks have finally caught up with demand, and except for some rimfire calibers, he reports good inventory. Handgun sales include Smith Shields in .45. Other strong movers include Sig P365s and Ruger Redhawk Alaskans in .454 Casull and .480 Ruger.

Sales of bolt-action guns are slowing, but coming off a solid spring season. Kimber Montanas and Ruger Americans hold the top spots, predominantly in .300 Win. and .300 Win. Short Mag.

MSR sales are steady at one a week. IDLarry’s Sporting, Nampa This retailer sells a mix of fishing and hunting gear as well as reloading supplies. Located in suburban Boise, the store also stocks over 300 guns with five employees.

Bolt-action hunting gun sales have risen steadily. “We have seen an increasing demand for higher-price-point bolt guns; however, they have been challenging to get in the store,” said counter salesman Mark Laymen.

Browning X-Bolts and Savage Axis IIs top the list here, but Ruger M-77s in .270 also are turning. MSR sales are slow. DPMS and S&W M&P 15 Sport IIs (almost exclusively in .223) are selling to a mix of customers: home defense and summer varmint shooters.

Glock Model 43s and 20s top the handgun traffic list. Springfield Hellcats in 9mm and a few Beretta PX4s are also turning quickly. Ruger SR9s and High-Points in 9mm are also doing well.

ILSmokin Gun Worxs, Forreston Located in central northern Illinois, the retailer has six indoor lanes. Eleven employees stock an average of 450 firearms. Ammo stocks are flush, and this retailer is relieved to be spending less time chasing inventory and more time concentrating on operations.

Summer shotgun season continues to expand with the support of the high school, FFA, and 4-H clubs. “Our local shotgun programs use pumps and more traditional hunting shotguns instead of larger trap guns. The kids shoot with the guns they hunt with. This keeps it affordable and fun,” said president Doc Ruter. Top sellers in the shotgun category are Winchester SXPs, Remington 870s, and Benelli Novas.

Though sales of MSRs have slowed. MSR pistols are in high demand. Top sellers include M&P 15s and CMMG Banshees. Handgun sales remain brisk. Shield EZs and Glock 43s sell best. MOThe Gun Grove, Macon Resting in north-central Missouri, this 4,000-square-foot store stocks an average of 500 new and used guns. It’s a full mix of tactical and hunting rifles and handguns.

Independent and rural, the retailer is seeing a change in its customer base and frequency. “While sales are still good across most of our categories, we can see a change and feel the effects of inflation creeping in. More customers are getting price sensitive and are not clamoring for the newest must-have gun. Sales are still good, but high-end firearms are trending down,” said owner Chelsea Rice.

Handguns are still the most active counter for this retailer with high demand on Sig P365 variations, Glock 44s, and any .22 semi-auto pistol. “The dramatic uptick in .22s is a sure sign of changes in the market. The ammo is available now, and it’s comparatively cheap to shoot,” said Rice. INTop Guns, Terre Haute Calling western Indiana home, this retailer stocks more than 500 firearms. It has three indoor ranges with 18 lanes.

As a range-retailer, ammo availability is key to staying in business. While the price hasn’t reduced much on 9mm, this retailer reports improved inventory on all popular range calibers.

“Our facility remains busy, and we have seen a continued flow of first-time shooters coming through our doors. Our local constituents are concerned about world politics and defunding of police departments. Our traffic has not changed in the last two years,” said firearms instructor Eric Cunningham.

The most frequent new gun sales traffic at the store’s pro shop goes to Sig P365s, Glock 19s and 43s, and, just recently, a few Glock 44s. “We have a special relationship with Sig because we are a Sig Elite dealer. Customers can see a 30-foot Sig mural when they walk into our store,” he said.

PAThe Sportsman’s Shop, East Earl Located in eastern

Pennsylvania between Lancaster and Philadelphia, this retailer has expanded into a new 25,000-square-foot facility. The footprint now includes education/training rooms and an indoor range.

While handguns sales continue to be brisk, this retailer foresees a change.

“We expected a slowdown in overall sales this year, and it has finally arrived. We expect handguns to remain good for the year, but other categories have tapered off,” said general manager Anthony Keffer.

Top turns on handguns go to Shield Plus, Glock 43xs, and Sig P365XLs. This retailer expects pricing to drop slightly in the coming months across the brand as sales slow.

Coming out of a strong turkey season, the store reports a good inventory of ammo and shotguns for the first time in three years. Stocks of centerfire hunting cartridges are improving, but it still must plan carefully for .30-30, 7mm, and .308. NHGun & Sport North, Salem This small independent shop is located just across the Massachusetts state line in southern New Hampshire. It sports 1,500 square feet of retail floor space, with an average inventory of 300 firearms. It re-opened in January 2022 after closing for a year due to extremely low inventory and product availability issues during the pandemic.

“Our sales are good, and it’s refreshing to get most of the high-demand items that we couldn’t get last year. It’s especially nice to see ammo improving,” said owner Tony Forgetta.

At the handgun counter the Sig P365, Shield Plus, and Taurus G3c see the highest demand. This retailer reports that Smith revolvers are a particularly hard order to fill. While sales of tactical shotguns have slowed, turkey-deer combos from Mossberg were in high demand all spring and are expected to continue through the summer and into the fall. VTParro’s Gun Shop, Waterbury Located in central northern Vermont, this small-town gun shop stocks 900 guns in 4,000 square feet, keeping seven full-time employees and three part-timers busy.

Parro’s also has a full-time law-enforcement sales staff supplying much of the upper New England and upstate New York area. Like much of the country, these departments are transitioning to the Glock MOS 9mm. The Glocks are optics ready and are the significant leader for this supplier.

“The change stems from the need to move from iron sights to improve sight acquisition and sight platforms. Most departments are moving to 9mm from .40 to standardize ammunition. The impressive performance of the new 9mm cartridges is also a factor,” said sales manager Jason Link. Link also noted that while a few departments are using M&P 2.0s, the Glock MOS dominate sales.

AROzark Armory, Springdale One of the largest firearms dealers in Arkansas, this large independent stocks an average of 4,000 firearms at any given time. Inventories are the best this store has seen in more than two years, though sales have seasonally slowed as the summer months progress. “We have a lot of recreational boaters and anglers in our store; the local lakes pull attention away from shooting in the summer,” said counter salesman David Carpenter.

MSRs are turning at about one a week with an even mix of Andersons, Sport IIs, and Daniel Defense. Higher-price-point MSRs are turning more quickly than the lower price points. Glock tops the handgun list with good numbers of the high-demand Model 44. Other quick movers include Sig P365s and Springfield Hellcats.

Shotgun sales slowed after the close of the turkey season; however, inventory is good with a full selection of Benellis and Mossbergs. Several new Remingtons are arriving. TNClassic Arms, Cordova Located in suburban Memphis, this retailer has a long history of supplying hunters and collectors with appropriate firearms. The store also has a large base of customers interested in firearms suitable for home defense. The store has a full-time gunsmith.

At the handgun counter, Glock 43s and 48s lead the pack, followed by a mix of Sig P365s and full-size M&Ps in .40. This store has been able to stock Remington 870s for the first time since the pandemic began. It also has a strong stock of Mossberg 500s.

While sales remain strong, this retailer is busy restructuring to modernize information flow. “We are moving aggressively to change the internal workflow, cutting paper out of the mix and reorganizing the store—including ordering and inventory to streamline effective communication,” said store manager Josh Lord. “The goal is to move the store’s profits from collectibles to newer products that have a wider appeal. At the same time, we really want to keep the friendly vibe for our long-time customers.”

FLBig Daddy Guns, Gainesville This 1,300-square-foot operation stocks nearly 400 guns. Other locations include Ocala, Tallahassee, and Valdosta, Georgia. Sales of MSRs are steady, with most turns going to M&P Sport IIs. Ammo stocks are improving and in good shape at this store.

“Sales remain consistent, and inventory continues to improve. Traffic is slowing only slightly and is made up for by our inventory improvement,” said assistant manager Jose Iglesias. “In addition, customer service is a high priority here.”

The most consistent movers are the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus and Glock 43X, but a mix of handguns from Walther, FN, and Sig are also garnering attention.