Has anyone here ever started their own business firearms related

champ198

champ198

Member
weather it be small or large. its something I have been thinking about for a while. our area hasn't a lot for firearms dealers. there are a few small ones but are very high priced if your buying firearms themselves.
was also thinking of doing possibly some handgun instruction and carry classes but I also don't own a lot of property either for range use.
just kinda trying to get some ideas and possibly hear some opinions from anyone who has done something similar like a small gun shop or business
 
Just my thoughts, but a small shop is a professional shop. I hate the gun guy behind the chain store counter because rarely does he know anything. It’s a part time job or a stepping stone job. They also don’t really know their products, being small you can carry what you know is good and also what’s cheap for range days. You could also work with people on trading in or consigning guns. A lot of people want the new stuff but they have to get rid of their old 30-06 first with not many around to help them. If you get known as knowledgeable, decently stocked, justified in price, and social- you bet people would come in. Big box stores can’t compete in my mind.
 
i can only imagine what the costs of insurance are these days for running a gun shop/range/training place.


i'm not saying its not doable, but when you consider all the costs that those retail prices have to support in overhead (building rent/morgatage, liscencing, insurance, utilities, labor cost on the staff) and factor in the $ to keep the inventory on the shelves... the little guys are always gonna have to charge a bit more.
 
What are your credentials to offer handgun instruction and classes? Just curious...
 
There are two large stores in Tulsa that have been here for years. Very well established stores with knowledgeable sales people. One stores reloading supplies are unbelievable to say the least and prices are very good. His firearms inventory is pretty good too. The other large store buys their firearms by the pallet load and a bunch of pallets at one time. I saw 8 on the floor one day and they told me there were that many more in the back. When you have inventory like that, its hard for a small shop to compete because they don't get the price breaks the larger stores get. One or two gun sales a day won't pay bills and keep the lights on. I worked at one of these stores for a while. We opened at 10 and I had sold $2000 worth of guns before noon. Little shops don't so this kind of sales. A very small shop here in town went broke doing consignment sales. He ended up with more consignment firearms than inventory and they sold first before his small inventory did. He was charging like 20% to sell your gun. All they do is take up shelf space till they sell.
If I was young and was going to start a business, it would be a pawn shop. Thats where the money is.
 
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One of our most successful gun shops is Altra Firearms. Look them up (Jackson Center, PA). They're unique, and specialize in defensive weapons, and know their stuff. Every person behind the counter lives for guns, and a lot even work for guns. They pay, hands down, the best prices for used firearms, and will match any price you find.

Now, the owner has made quite a name for himself, and even have the left all wired up, wanting to consider them a terrorist group. Haha! The bad publicity has worked for them.

Also, they're miles in the woods, on an old 200 acre strip mine, not local to anything. Somedays it's shoulder to shoulder in there.

https://www.altrafirearms.com
 
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Well... I hope Champs customer service is better than his follow up posting habits.
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