Vital Signs

Retailers from across the country tell us what sold in 2011 and their outlook for 2012

By Scott Bestul

It's tough to sugarcoat the general state of the U.S. economy, but retailers in the shooting sports are reporting a stellar year in 2011. I called the owners of six shops around the country and asked them what their strong sellers were from last season and the hot-ticket items they were anticipating for the coming months. Here are their responses.

RICHARD SPRAGUE, SPRAGUE SPORTING GOODS, YUMA, AZ: "I expected the wheels to fall off the MSR craze in '09, and I was just dead wrong. The Smith & Wesson Sport 15 was a great seller for us last year--it was a quality gun at a good price point with a strong warranty. We also saw a big surge in other tactical and self-defense lines, and we sold a bunch of suppressors and silencers. Most important for us, we enjoyed double-digit growth in our range use, which in turn drove gun and ammo sales. The two go hand-in-hand."

JASON GILBERT, GILBERT'S GUNS FRANKFORT, KY: "We had two days in December when we broke single-day sales records, and those were high-volume marks to crack. Our handgun sales have grown every year for the last 20 years. We had a great run on the anniversary of the 1911 and on self-defense guns like the S&W Bodyguard. We also sold a lot of bolt guns in the $300 to $400 price range--models like the Marlin XL7, the Ruger America, and the Savage Axis. I think 2012 will be another great year for tactical guns."

Self-defense, especially concealed-carry, was one of the big trends in 2011, and this area should see even more growth in 2012. Retailers also noted that quality products that were priced right also moved.

GLENN DUNCAN, DUNCAN'S OUTDOOR SHOP, BAY CITY, MI: "We just ended a fantastic year, and our December was the best ever. We stuck a 15-percent-off coupon in a flier and it just brought a huge response. We sold 130 used handguns in one month, and any time I get a bunch of used guns off the shelf I'm happy. We saw very little traffic in the high-end-rifle market. That said, anything that was a good product but economical--like the Marlins--sold very well. That trend carried over into safes; people wanted a sturdy, fire-lined safe at a reasonable price. We sold a bunch of them."

LARRY HYATT, HYATT'S GUN SHOP, CHARLOTTE, NC: "An exceptional year here; we broke one-day and one-week sales records in December. Oddly, the .308-caliber rifle was a big hit for us this season--didn't matter if it was a high-end tactical/sniper rifle or a low-end hunting model. In handguns, anything in 9mm was a hot seller. Handgun accessories just keep getting bigger, and holsters are just driving us crazy. We sell 'em constantly, but they're our most returned/exchanged item, too. There are so many options out there! I expect strong sales in all handgun/self-defense categories to continue into next year."

LARRT ANDERSON, SHOOT STRAIT, APOPKA, FL: "We were up across the board in most categories in all six of our stores, and finished with a very strong Christmas season. MSRs and all their widgets and optics remain very strong. The self-defense category will only grow, and people are using our ranges more and more. Buying ammo is a constant challenge; we want to have enough on hand, but not get overextended. We're learning to deal with it by expanding our dealer base. We're on a roll that we want to maintain."

ERIC GRABOWSKI, THE SHOOTERS SHOP, WEST ALLIS, WI: "We passed concealed-carry legislation here last spring, so our handgun sales are just awesome, and it's only going to grow. Our best sellers were the Sig 238, the Ruger LCR, and Glocks. Our biggest challenges have been referring new customers to legitimate C/C training classes. We're fortunate to have a quality operation just a mile down the road."

THE WASHINGTON FACTOR Virtually every retailer I talked to mentioned the upcoming election as a potential game-changer for the coming retail year. As recent history has proven, the election (or in this case, re-election) of a Democratic president can boost gun and ammo sales. "Even if there's just a perception that gun owners can't have what they want, they're more inclined to buy--that's just human nature," says Larry Anderson of Shoot Straight. "It's going to be an interesting and potentially strange year," says Glenn Duncan of Duncan's Outdoor Shop. "People are still worried about the economy and careful about disposable income. An election year will always stir things up."