DISCOVER
FIND WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL BE LOOKING FOR
Best Practices
Help Customers...
Well, it’s that time of year. Rain, snow, sleet, ice — yuck. No one wants to go out in those conditions. So, we stay home, nice and warm and dry. This...
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Embrace History,...
Fear is driving a wedge deeper between our industry and those opposed to it. The only one who can mend this is you. Embrace the opportunity to grow and...
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7 Marketing...
While many stores rely on a solid reputation and word-of-mouth referrals, effective marketing is essential for sustained growth and long-term success.
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With Rights At...
Apathetic voters, especially the millions of gun owners and hunters who aren’t even voting, must be encouraged to step up and vote for our rights. Swing...
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Community...
Gun retailers can be much more than just stores. You can bring in a wide variety of community members by offering classes that could attract customers who...
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5 Lessons...
Despite the guidelines stacked against our industry, here at FMG Publications, we’ve managed to achieve some success on YouTube. Here are some of the...
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Hunting Products
Fall Hunting Preview
Fall hunting provides a major source of revenue for many gun stores and shooting ranges across the country. Despite the rise of big-box chains, local gun...
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Night Sights
As more hunters become more proficient at hog and predator hunting, they demand optics that complement their tactics.
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Varmint/Predator...
Varmint/predator hunting is a niche market, but it can translate to lucrative commerce outside of traditional big-game hunting seasons.
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The Crossbow Market
Participation in crossbow hunting continues to grow across the country. According to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, 28 states now allow...
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Get Ready For...
Patrick Connaghan owns 717 Armory in Harrisburg, Pa. A dedicated hunter himself, Connaghan wishes the fall hunting season would just “hurry up and get...
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Calling In...
While it seems like 2021’s big-game hunting season has only just ended, spring fever has likely already struck some of your store’s cadre of turkey...
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Monthly Features
2025 Industry...
The Southwick Associates team provides its annual New Business Year prediction — what are the chances of sales “normalizing” in 2025?
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Rimfire Takes...
Once relegated to plinking and small-game hunting, rimfire platforms are becoming increasing popular in competitive target shooting. Far-sighted...
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Mentoring The...
Mentorship is vital for the future of our hunting community, but let me suggest the demographic we need to focus on the most isn’t other hunters. No, the...
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Turn Likes Into...
By utilizing a few tools available to Instagram Business accounts, you can create new avenues for your most enthusiastic customers and engage them to buy...
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6 Marketing...
As the firearms industry enters 2025, rapidly evolving consumer expectations, regulatory pressures and digital disruptions are reshaping marketing...
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So, You Want To...
Is it time to up your game and add a range? Adding a range is a big undertaking. The preparation to open a range is an order of magnitude larger than the...
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Personal Defense
Backup Gun...
In the world of armed self-defense, a “backup gun” is a second firearm that can supplement the first in a number of scenarios. Many of those scenarios...
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Trends Observed...
When I first walked into FITS, I noticed two things: Every single person behind the counter was female, and every single customer on the buying side of the...
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Selling Eye, Ear...
Surveys show more customers buy guns today for home and family protection than for hunting or target shooting. The gun is not the only protective element...
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Selling...
In any retail field, some products are universally desired by the buying public, and some will increase or decrease in popularity depending on regional...
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Finding Out What...
You don’t need anyone to tell you a key to successful sales is to offer something the customer wants. This goes for us, too. Responding to a request from...
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Advising On...
It’s common for customers to ask gun shop staff for advice on defensive ammunition, and the question is particularly frequent among first-time gun buyers.
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Training
Training Influences
The landscape of firearm training is constantly evolving because of technological advancements, changing societal dynamics and an ongoing attempt to...
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Training Today
The past couple of years have been a wild ride for gun stores and shooting ranges. Historic firearms and ammunition sales, unprecedented shortages, a...
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Training and the...
Considering everything that happened in 2020, it’s hard to really call it the year of anything. So for our purposes, let’s call it the year of the...
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The “Light...
Since the start of COVID-19 followed by social unrest, gun stores have continued to see record sales each month. From March to August, 11.3 million...
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Training and The...
Gun stores have been given a boost as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a state of civil unrest in much of the country as peaceful protests have been...
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Training In An...
With the addition of potentially tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of first-time gun owners in the first half of 2020 alone, the need for training and...
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Women's Products
Family Focus:...
More moms are turning to concealed carry as part of their approach to their family protection plan. Make sure your store is viewed as a resource to help...
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Broadening The...
Many dealers continue to underestimate the scope of women’s interest in firearms, often limiting their focus to handguns for personal defense.
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Women Hunters:...
Reports over the past several years indicate more women are becoming interested in hunting. This can translate into a nice revenue source for you — if you...
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Main Line...
Many women come to the shooting sports through family connections. For Katie Butler, co-owner of Main Line Armory in Malvern, Pa., her entry came through...
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Attracting &...
The numbers don’t lie: In recent years, there’s been a significant increase in the number of women participating in the shooting sports.
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wildHERness...
What is wildHERness? Founder Jess Rice sums it up effectively: “We teach women that they can so no one can ever tell them they can’t.”
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