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NSSF
S H O O T I N G , H U N T I N G & O U T D O O R T R A D
E
VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
OPTICS 2012
Optics manufacturers are rolling out a wealth of new products
designed to meet the needs of a
wide range of shooting sports enthusiasts, including scenario
shooters, crossbow converts,
and, of course, big-game hunters of all stripes. Pg.30
FIRING LINE: T/Cs new switch-barrel Dimension rifl e delivers
versatility and accuracy at a very aff ordable price. Pg. 26
GOOD STUFF: SCARPA mountaineering boots also happen to be a
great choice for hunting elk in tough terrain. Pg. 48
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
SHB0212_COV.indd 1 1/24/12 12:14 PM
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PER
FO
RM
AN
CE
EN
HA
NC
EM
EN
T
How do you make a Savage
rifle even more accurate? Well,
as the adage goes, you cant
kill what you cant see, so you
include a Nikon 3-9x40 BDC
reticle scope, mounted and bore
sighted. This unique reticle can
be ballistically matched to your
exact cartridge using Nikon
Spot On Software. Coinci-
dentally, the price of the New
package is Spot On too.
See your favorite Savage
dealer for details.
SAVAGEARMS.COM
BN_040269_SHB0312.indd 1 1/10/12 12:20 PM
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 SHOT BUSINESS 1
CONTENTSSHOT BUS INESS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 VOL . 20 , I SSUE
2
Departments
2 EDITORS NOTE Gazing into my crystal ball 5 NEWS BRIEFS
Vanguard moving to include
outdoors industry; ATK expands digital arsenal; Timney offers
hands-free trigger
24 FYI Retailers from across the country tell us what sold in
2011 and their outlook for 2012
26 FIRING LINE T/Cs new Dimension delivers affordable
accuracy
28 UNDERCOVER SHOPPER A young mother looks for a concealed-carry
pistol in Charlotte, North Carolina
46 WHATS SELLING WHERE 48 GOOD STUFF Tough terrain requires a
tough
boot, and SCARPA is up to the challenge
52 NEW PRODUCTS MKS Supplys Chiappa Little Sharps Rifle in
.17-caliber Hornady Hornet; Brownings Tactical Hunter Control Point
flashlight; and more
Features
NSSF Update 17 FROM THE NSSF Fighting for your rights 18 STATS
PROVE HUNTING IS SAFE It ranks third in safety
compared with 28 other recreational pursuits
19 2011 WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR NSSF MEMBERSHIP The number of
members now exceeds 7,000
20 YOU SHOULD KNOW NSSFs First Shots program is a proven
winner
21 FROM MY SIDE OF THE COUNTER This new column reports from the
retailers point of view
22 NSSF DELIVERS VALUE
30 OPTICS 2012 Expect an interesting year as manufacturers ramp
up to meet emerging markets. In particular, retailers will see a
focus on crossbow optics as well as compact scopes ideal for use on
the modern sporting rifle platform. BY ROBERT SADOWSKI
40 THE .375 MYSTIQUE This British magnum, which first saw the
light of day 100 years ago, remains a surprisingly versatile
cartridge. There are also a number of modern rifles chambered for
it, many of which do not cost a kings ransom. BY WAYNE VAN
ZWOLL
52
26
40
30
SHB0212_TOC.indd 1 1/20/12 1:20 PM
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Slaton l. White, editorMargaret M. nussey, Managing EditorDavid
e. Petzal, Shooting EditorJohn Burgman, Assistant EditorMaribel
Martin, Senior Administrative AssistantJames a. Walsh, Art
DirectorShayna Marchese, Associate Art DirectorJudith Weber,
Production ManagerContriButing eDitorS Larry Ahlman, Barbara Baird,
Scott Bestul, Philip Bourjaily, Chris Christian, Christopher
Cogley, David Draper, Jock Elliott, Doug Howlett, William F. Kendy,
Mark Kayser, Peter B. Mathiesen, Brian McCombie, Tom Mohrhauser,
Robert Sadowski, Robert F. Staeger, Marilyn Stone, Wayne Van
Zwoll
eriC ZinCZenko, Vice President, group PublisheraDVertiSing:
212-779-5316gregory D. gatto, Advertising DirectorPaula iwanski,
National Sporting Goods DirectorBrian Peterson, West Stephen
Mitchell, Southeastelizabeth a. Burnham, Associate Publisher,
Marketing & Online Servicesingrid reslmaier, Marketing Design
Director
BuSineSS oPerationStara Bisciello, Business Manager
ConSuMer Marketingrobert M. Cohn, Consumer Marketing
Directorraymond Ward, Senior Planning ManagerBarbara Brooker,
Fulfillment Manager
ManufaCturinglaurel kurnides, Group Production DirectorBarbara
taffuri, Production Director
BonnierChairman, Jonas BonnierChief executive officer, Terry
SnowChief financial officer, Randall KoubekSenior Vice President,
Corporate Sales, Gregg HanoVice President, Consumer Marketing,
Bruce MillerVice President, Production, Lisa EarlywineVice
President, information technology, Shawn LarsonVice President,
Corporate Communications, Dean TurcolBrand Director, John
MillerPublishing Consultant, Martin S. Walkergeneral Counsel,
Jeremy Thompson
SHOT Business (ISSN 1081-8618) is published January, Feb
ruary/March, April/May, June/July, August/September,
October/November and December by Bonnier Corporation, 2 Park
Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5695, and is the offi-cial publication
of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Flintlock Ridge Office
Center, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 (203-426-1320). Volume
20, issue 2. Copyright 2012 by the National Shooting Sports
Foundation. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation, production
and advertising offices are located at 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY
10016-5695 (212-779-5000). Free to qualified subscribers; available
to non-qualified subscribers for $25 per year. Single-copy issues
are available for $5 each. Send check, payable to NSSF, to: SHOT
Business, c/o NSSF, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470-2359. SHOT
Business accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and
photo-graphs. All correspondence should be accompanied by a
stamped, self-addressed envelope. Requests for media kits and
advertising information should be directed to Katy Marinaro,
Bonnier Corporation, 625 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 1270, Chicago, IL
60611. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional
mailing offices. REPRINTS: Wrights Reprints, 877-652-5295.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to SHOT Business, P.O. Box
422494, Palm Coast, FL 32142-2494.
Printed in the USA. For Customer Service and Subscription
questions, such as Renewals, Address Changes, Email Preferences,
Billing and Account Status, go to: shotbusiness.com/cs. You can
also call 386-246-0188 or write to SHOT Business, 2 Park Ave., New
York, NY 10016For editorial inquiries, write to Slaton L. White,
SHOT Business, 2 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016
s h o o t i n g , h u n t i n g & o u t d o o r t r a d
e
nSSf
Crystal BallCan you see the silver lining?
F irst off this month, Id like to direct your attention to
Optics 2012 (page 30), our annual look at new rifle-scopes,
binoculars, spotting scopes, and other optical equipment. We see an
interesting trend this year.
Well, two actually. Although the staff of SHOT Business focuses
its efforts on the shooting-sports indus-try rather than archery,
crossbows have been getting a lot of attention in the past couple
of years. States are liberalizing crossbow regulations (in an
attempt to get more hunters into the field), and as a result
crossbow
manufacturers are seeing increased interestand salesparticularly
from older hunters who may no lon-ger be able to use a heavy
com-pound bow. Because of this, optics manufacturers are beginning
to ramp up production of scopes designed specifically for
crossbows.
The other trend is the continuing development of optics
specifically for use on the modern sporting rifle platform,
especially for shooters who wish to pursue 3-Gun compe-tition and
other scenario games. All in all, this is good news for
retailers.
Second, Id like you to take a look at Vital Signs (FYI, page
24), by Scott Bestul. Bestul decided to check the vital signs of
six retailers to see how things went for them last yearand how they
feel about 2012. The results, given the dismal
state of the general U.S. economy, are surprisingly
heartening.
For example, Richard Sprague, of Spragues Sporting Goods in
Yuma, Arizona, told Bestul that he expect-ed the wheels to fall off
the MSR craze. But he was dead wrong, and sales of these rifles,
along with other tactical and self-defense mod-els, surged at his
shop. However, he added an important proviso: Sales went to quality
guns at a good price point and with a strong warranty.
That echoes something Peter B. Mathiesen, who reports our Whats
Selling Where survey, heard all year longproducts that are priced
right will move. Most customers really dont want cheap stuff, but
given the hard times we face, they do expect value, and they expect
a retailer (as well as the manufactur-er) to meet them halfway.
Glenn Duncan, who owns Duncans Outdoor Shop in Bay City,
Michigan, noted that traffic in high-end rifles was off last year,
but any-thing that was a good product with a reasonable pricehe
cited Marlin as an examplesold very well.
Two retailers with ranges saw strong growth and expect more of
the same. Our sample group also agreed that concealed-carry will
continue to experience strong growth.
As I gaze into my crystal ball, I still see clouds on the
horizon. But, as noted above, there are bright spots that savvy
retailers can use to their advantage. We also have a presidential
election in the fall. As Duncan said, Its going to be an
interesting and potentially strange year.
You bet.
Slaton l. White, Editor
2 Shot BuSineSS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
eDitor S note
SHB0212_EDN.indd 2 1/13/12 11:17 AM
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This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled
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february/march 2012 SHot BuSineSS 5
edited by john burgman
news br iefsnews promotions awards outreach
justin
appenzeller
Bits & Pieces
Aimpoint Partners with Southern
African Wildlife College aimpoint recently announced that the
company has estab-lished a sponsor relationship with the southern
african wildlife college in the limpopo province of south africa.
the school offers for-mal training programs for regional wildlife
and conserva-tion officers, and has trained more than 5,200
students since its inception. the support that aimpoint is
providing will help to facilitate the establishment of a newly
created professional hunters (ph) training and certification
course. the new program will accept its first group of stu-dents in
june 2012.
Sokol Associates to Rep Otis in the
Great Lakes Region otis technology announced a new partnership
with sokol associates to provide sales support for dealers, catalog
customers, and distributors in the upper midwest and Great lakes
regions. Based in oakdale, minnesota,
sokol has represented a num-ber of sporting goods brands for
more than 30 years. the sokol team includes an active field sales
staff to represent the brand within the territory, and will also
represent otis at the store level. we are excited to take our
customer focus to the next level in this area of the coun-try,
said otis vice president of sales & marketing, len nelson. this
partnership will allow us to best deliver the sales excel-lence
that our customers expect from otis.
Vanguards Big MoveIn 1986, an entrepreneur by the name of Anne
Lee hit upon the notion of creating a company that would supply
camera buffs with high-quality tripods. She secured a manufacturing
facility in China, and by 1992 had established a Vanguard office in
the United States and expanded the line to include monopods and
ball heads. So, how did this photo-video accessory manufactur-er
end up in the hunting business?
In 1997, an American rep who was an avid hunter suggested that
we get into the outdoors industry, said Vanguard market-ing
executive Jody Lamb. He told the company, You do such a great job
with these tripods you really should be making shooting sticks. You
could do a great job with that. The same goes for your hard cases
for photo gear. You should be mak-ing bow and gun cases.
Lamb said the company did some market research and decided the
outdoors industry would be a good fit; the following year, Vanguard
began marketing private-label shooting sticks, tripods, and hard
cases. A few years later, the company invested in a
multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art optical-design facility and
brought in an expert optical-engineering design team.
I think the most important thing we did was to put together a
sales team of huntersNorth American hunterswho are involved in
product development. I think that gives us a competitive
advan-tage, because these are lifelong hunters who know what works
and what doesnt.
Lee and her team also understood that Vanguards long-term
success rested on its hard-won reputation for quality. The last
thing the manufacturer wanted was to be perceived as just another
low-cost, low-quality Asian import.
We spent several years determining what kind of glass and
technology were needed to meet the needs of hunters, said Lamb. We
knew that our products
needed to perform well in low-light condi-tions and in foul
weather.
As just one example of the built-in quality that resulted from
the companys research, Lamb cites the top-of-the line Endeavor ED
1042, which was introduced last year. This product features an
ergo-nomic, open-bridge design for comfort-able use, a wide-angle
view, BAK-4 roof prisms, an anti-reflection coating, a large focus
adjustment wheel, and long eye relief. The magic behind its
performance lies in the premium ED glass, which reduces color
dispersion to provide high-resolution colors and clarity. And its
waterproof and fogproof.
All for a suggested retail of $569. Even better, the street
price is more like $399.
One big concern for independent retail-ers has for a long time
been the extensive delivery time for imports. Lamb said that
because Vanguard is the manufacturer, they are able to control
quality and ensure reasonable delivery times, typically within 60
days, to their Michigan office. Vanguard maintains stocks of many
of its productsespecially its opticsso delivery to dealers is fast.
We know its important to get our products to the dealers as quickly
as possi-ble, she said.
The top-of-the-line Endeavor 825 spotting scope sits on an Alta
263AT tripod fitted with the innovative GH-100 GPR (Grip, Position,
Release) tripod head.
SHB0212_NEW.indd 5 1/13/12 12:48 PM
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news br iefs
ATK Expands Its Digital ArsenalPut down that game controller and
switch off Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Even without
first-person shooters, theres plenty of arms and ammunition in the
digital space, and forward-thinking com-panies like ATK are only
getting started.
Were doing a lot of different things in the digital space, said
Reed Stoven, ATKs digital marketing manager. Hes laid out a
comprehensive digital market-ing plan, engaging consumers in
stores, on their mobile devicesand even their online hangouts.
On the social media side, weve got a presence on Facebook, on
Twitter, on YouTube. Youre going to see some addi-tional presence
coming up with Google+, he said. Were always keeping an eye out for
the next big thing.
This, of course, is in addition to ATKs own social media,
Federal Premiums Stormchasers Network, and Alliant Power and RCBSs
Reloader Hub, two popular sites for waterfowlers and reloading
enthusiasts. The sites reach 8,000 and 3,000 members,
respectively.
With our digital program, we want to try not just something
digital that stands on its own, said Stoven. We want to try to
weave it in with our other marketing tactics. The QR code is a
great example of that. The QR code is that odd black-and-white
square you sometimes see in the cor-ner of advertisements. Scan it
with a smartphone, and itll take you to extra con-tent, enhancing
the adverting experience.
Its where the offline and the online world meet, said Stoven.
What were doing is, weve employed QR codes on sev-eral of the
Federal Premium ads, and it takes them to videos that are exclusive
to the QR codes and gives them a reason to scan it. It doesnt bring
them to a random landing page, or anything like that. Its a very
specific experience for that QR code.
One such experience is the video clips Fusion Ammunition
produced with UFC star Brock Lesnar. We wanted to create videos
that were exclusive for the online space, said Stoven. We partnered
with Brock in the past, and this year we wanted him to go on the
prairie dog hunt. Thats our most successful video to date.
ATK is also reaching customers through their mobile devices. For
example, theres
the Reloader Hub app, a reloading calcula-tor that lets
reloaders see the money theyre saving when they compare their
supplies to ammo prices. Our philosophy with apps is that we want
to make sure its an exclusive experience as well, said Stoven. If
some-ones taking the time to download that app, we want to make
sure its really fantastic.
But apps arent the whole story. In the mobile space, were
looking for new apps for 2012, but were also looking to make sure
our websites are mobile-enabled, said Stoven. So wherever youre
accessing FederalPremium.com, as an examplewhether its through your
desktop comput-er, your iPhone, your iPad, or an Android
tabletyoull have an experience that is built for that device, so
youll never get stuck on anything thats a bad experience.
Other digital marketing takes the form of in-store kiosks, like
Blackhawks holster selector. Its a web tool built for
Blackhawk.com, that lets customers find the perfect holster for
their handgun. Its something that the community was very excited
about and wanted us to build, said Stoven. Its on the main
Blackhawk site, of course, and was ported over to Blackhawks
Facebook page as well. But with the in-store kiosks, the company
also makes it easy for con-sumers to decide on the right holster
when theyre ready to buy.
Thats kind of one of our defining philosophies, said Stoven.
Were not try-ing to build these separate experiences dotted across
the online landscape. No matter where that customer goeswhether its
our Facebook page, online, or in the storetheyre going to be able
to have this experience.
I think were seeing consumers becoming a lot more savvy, he
said. Consumers are armed with a whole lot more information, and we
want to be right there providing that information for them.
Were always trying to touch our consumer where theyre going to
be, said Stoven. Whether thats in-store, whether its in print
advertising, or, increasingly, online. We just want to make sure
the online experience match-es what the consumer experiences
in-store, or what they experience with print or television
advertising.
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SHB0212_NEW.indd 6 1/13/12 12:48 PM
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Winchester offers Hunters a Robust Lineup for the new Year
Winchester Ammunition has kicked off 2012 with the launch of
several new products for sportsmen, and it has also expanded many
of its most trusted lines with new offerings.
Razorback XT, the worlds first line of cartridges designed
specifically for wild hog hunt-ing, headlines its 2012 new hunting
products from Winchester. Razorback XT will be offered in two
popular sporting calibers.223 Rem. and .308 Win.
Razorback XT is creating a buzz because of rising wild hog
populations in North America and the growing pop-ularity of hog
hunting, said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunitions vice president
of marketing and sales.
Blind Side waterfowl ammu-nition hit store shelves in 2011 and
immediately became the most innovative steel water-fowl load in
Winchester histo-ry. HEX Shot pellets and the Diamond Cut Wad were
pop-ular among waterfowlers, and in 2012, the Blind Side line will
expand to include new shot sizes, a 2 3/4-inch shell for 12-gauges,
and for the first time, a 20-gauge offering.
Big game hunters can be on the lookout for expanded offerings in
centerfire rifle product lines. Power Core 95/5 is now available in
sever-al new calibers for sportsmen who need a lead-free bullet at
an economical price point.
Winchester also adds two new calibers to Power Max
Bonded for whitetail hunters, and is adding .204 Ruger in
Ballistic Silvertip Lead-Freea lead-free cartridge for varmint
hunters. Winchester is also
adding a cowboy-action car-tridge, .45-70 Govt, to its Super-Z
line.
Winchesters new products for 2012 will
appeal to all segments of its consumer base.
A New Predator Stalks the WoodsYour senses detect movement in
the distance, but all you see are trees, brushand cover. Until you
look through your Steiner Predator Xtreme riflescope. Youscan the
cover and.there!
Steiners unique CAT (Color Adjusted Transmission) lens coating
technologyincreases the level and contrast and definition between
game and their surround-ings. Browns and grays pop out of
background foliage and shade making yourtarget easier to spot.
Features include the new Steiner Plex S1 reticle,
interchangeable windage/elevation dials and rugged 30mm tubes.
Available in 2.5x-10x-42mm,3x-12x-56mm and 4x-16x-50mm models.
4x-16x-50mm
A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION
www.steiner-binoculars.com
SHB0212_NEW.indd 7 1/13/12 12:49 PM
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NEWS BR IEFS
Champion Double-Taps the Zombie MarketYou know the rules: Get
your cardio. Limber up. And most important: Aim for the head, and
double-tap. When the zom-bie apocalypse comes, you want to be
ready. No sense in wasting ammo on body shots when the walkers come
sham-bling your way.
If your customers are looking to get some practice in before the
dead rise, Champion Traps and Targets new VisiColor Zombie Targets
feature proprie-tary printing techniques for vivid, high-resolution
imagery and realism.
These large paper targets with eight dif-ferent shooting
scenarios deliver engaging practice options for all ages, and offer
a new twist on the zombie craze that has been sweeping the
nation.
The targets also provide instant feed-back. VisiColor technology
indicates dif-ferent shot zones with different colors. Bright
radiation green indicates hits to
zombie vital zones. Body shots deliver flu-orescent yellow
reactions. Misses and acci-dental hits to hostages and background
areas appear white. Shooters can blast these creepy characters back
to the graveengaging practice in the backyard or at the range.
The targets are available in two 6-count (Attack and Hostage,
$10.95) and 50-count (Door Breech and Street Attack, $66.95) packs.
The targets are perfect for competitive shooting funand, like the
undead, customers will keep coming back for more.
The VisiColor Zombie targets feature special technology that
indicates differ-ent shot zones with different colorsa bright green
indicates a hit to the vitals, while body shots appear as
yellow.
New MTAC RiflescopesBurris offers an MTAC scope for any
competitive
stage, combat situation or hunting application.
With an advanced optical system that is virtually
identical to ultra-premium scopes, MTAC rifle-
scope offer precision ground optical glass that
is index-matched and fully multi-coated with
HiLume for clear, sharp, high-resolution images.
In addition they offer:
Rugged 30mm Tubes
Up to 4 inches of Eye Relief
Rubber-Coated Eyepiece
Deep Relief, Ergonomic Power Ring
Available models:
1x-4x-24mm 1.5x-6x-40mm 3.5x-10x-42mm 4.5x-14-42mm
6.5x-20x-50mm
Ballistic CQ 5.56/7.62burrisoptics.com
G2B Mil-Dot
with matching
1/10 Mil Adjustments
SHB0212_NEW.indd 8 1/13/12 12:49 PM
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Timney Offers Hands-Free TriggerAs an aftermarket trig-
ger manufacturer, Timney Triggers has a reputation for
responding to custom-ers requests when it comes time to develop and
market a new replace-ment trigger. But for the companys newest
prod-ucta hands-free device that allows physically challenged
shooters to engage their rifles triggerTimney president John Vehr
made it personal.A close friends father
ended up in a wheelchair after a serious accident years ago,
said Vehr. He was always super-out-doorsy, and even after the
accident found a way to keep hunting. I helped him put Timney
triggers in his
guns, and continued to lighten them up for him as the years have
gone by and his hand muscles have deteriorated. Today, he barely
has the ability to pull a one-pound trigger.With his friends
trig-
gers set as light as possi-ble, Vehr started thinking about
other ways to fire a rifle without the use of ones finger or hands.
A chance meeting at a local gun range with another disabled shooter
fanned the spark into a flame.I was sighting in a rifle
and the guy next to me asked me to go down-range to pick up his
tar-get, said Vehr. Until then, I hadnt noticed his crutch-es. We
got to talking about
shooting, and he men-tioned how the limited mobility in his
fingers was affecting his accuracy. When I told him I was in the
trigger business, it was like a light when off in both our
heads.The man, Mike Amboy,
described coming up with a trigger activated by the mouth rather
than your fingers. Vehr brought Amboy into the Timney Trigger shop
and intro-duced him to Calvin Motley, Timneys director of product
development. After a lengthy product development cycle, Vehr,
Amboy, and Motley came up with a product that not only worked, but
could be easily installed by people
with mobility issues.The Timney Hands-
Free Trigger, which was launched at the 2012 SHOT Show, bolts to
the trigger guard of a Ruger 10/22 and utilizes a bite-device to
engage an actu-ator lever that pulls the rifles trigger. A
Universal Adapter Kit is available to fit rifles of any model and
caliber, offering disabled shooters the versatility of moving the
Hands-Free Trigger among all their firearms.For Vehr, the
Hands-
Free Trigger is a way for Timney to deliver on its mission to
enhance per-formance for shooters of all abilities.Everyone should
have a
good trigger, said Vehr. David Draper
SHB0212_NEW.indd 9 1/13/12 12:49 PM
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NEWS BR IEFS
Zeiss Optics Announces High-End Binocular Promotion for 2012
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics kicked off the new year with a promotion
that gives consumers an opportunity to save hundreds of dollars on
the companys Victory binocular line.
The promotion began on January 1, and will run until June 1,
2012. Zeiss is offering a $300 mail-in-rebate to consum-ers who
purchase any Victory RF laser rangefinding binocular, available in
8x45, 10x45, 8x56, and 10x56 models. The Zeiss Victory RF has won
Outdoor Life magazines Editors Choice award, and has received high
marks from a number of other media outlets as well. The binocular
features a Ballistic Information System (BIS) that provides correct
holdover information for the shooters particular load.
Zeiss is also offering a $200 mail-in-rebate on its 7x42, 8x42,
and 10x42 Victory FL binoculars during the same time frame. The
Victory FL binoculars were the first sporting binoculars with
fluoride glass, which subsequently
became an industry standard in the super-premium category. Over
the years, the Victory FL binoculars have received Field
& Stream magazines Best of the Best award and Outdoor Life
magazines Editors Choice, among other honors. We will continue to
offer our cus-
tomers exceptional value and quality, said Michael A. Jensen,
president of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Special pro-motions like
these on our top-of-the-line products are a way to say thank you to
the outdoors community, and they also give many more hunters and
outdoors enthusiasts a chance to own Zeiss award-winning,
super-pre-mium optics.
All rebate submissions must be com-pleted and postmarked within
30 days of the purchase date in order for cus-tomers to receive
their rebate, which will be issued via an American Express Gift
Card. Full promotion details are available at zeiss.com/sports.
The 8x42 Victory FL binocular is just one of the models that is
eligible for a $200 mail-in rebate until June 1, 2012.
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SHB0212_NEW.indd 10 1/13/12 12:50 PM
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On the Move New and noteworthy hirings and promotions in the
industry
Terry SniderClothing-maker 180s recently hired Terry Snider as
vice presi-dent of sales. Snider, a sales veteran of 20 years,
previously served as director of sales for Kozy Shack Enterprises,
and senior vice president of sales for the OneCare Company,
supporting brands including Clorox, Febreze, and Downy.
Robin LeongIn December, Columbia River Knife & Tool named
Robin Leong to the position of vice president of engineer-ing and
product devel-opment. In his new position, Leong will monitor
quality levels and cost controls, as well as help to ensure that
the companys overall product line continues its course of growth
and innovation.
Jason SchmadererSwanson Russell recently promoted Jason
Schmaderer to vice president/account supervisor. Schmaderer began
his career with Swanson Russell in 1998 as a public rela-tions
writer, and was quickly promoted to public relations asso-ciate and
later to pub-lic relations counsel.
Chiappa Releases S&W Revolver Chiappa Firearms debuted its
new Rhino Revolvera .40 S&W caliber handgunat the 2012 SHOT
Show in Las Vegas.
The Rhino Revolver is designed to fire from the bottom chamber
of the cylin-der, which results in less recoil and affords
accurate, quick firing if so desired by the shooter.
The new .40-caliber Chiappa Revolver utilizes full-moon clips to
hold the rimless
.40-caliber rounds. In addition to the handgun, Chiappa
also showcased a number of new and forthcoming firearms at its
SHOT Show booth, including a number of .45-70 Series rifles, M9-22,
Hi-Points Firearms, and the Tuff1 Slip On Grip covers, which
utilize a proprietary formula for a gun grip that fits on nearly
every polymer-handled firearm on the market.
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FRAME: Ergal (aluminum alloy), cylinder, barrel, and internal
parts 4140 alloy steelMETAL FINISH: Blued STOCKS: Composite rubber
or wood SRP: 2-inch, $839; 4-inch, $929; 5-inch, $949; 6-inch,
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SHB0212_NEW.indd 11 1/13/12 12:50 PM
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news br iefs
HPR Ammunition Storms the Firearms and Hunting Industry in 2012
with High Performance AmmoPayson, Arizonabased HPR (High Precision
Range) has been distributing ammunition regionally for the last 18
months, but recently decided to step out on the national scene. The
company has offi-cially opened its doors to national distribution,
although production will con-tinue to be based in Arizona.
As has been the case in its regional past, HPRs factory will
meet SAAMI Specs, and all production will continue to be directly
handled by ammunition technicians and quality control inspectors
led by the companys own engineering staff.
With a team of design engi-neers, HPR recently built a
manufacturing plant that
includes an art test lab per SAAMI specifications, utilizing
testing equipment from Oehler Research and PCB Piezontronics.
The company also hand-inspects and hand-packages all its
ammunition, and aims to be one of the major players in the
commercially produced ammunition game in the com-ing year and
beyond.
HPR currently produces ammunition in a number of calibers,
including .223 Remington, .223 V-Max, 10mm Auto, 10mm Auto XTP,
.380 Auto, .380 Auto XTP, .38 Special, .38 Special XTP .40 S&W,
.40 S&W XTP, .45 Auto, .45 Auto XTP, 9mm Luger, and 9mm
XTP.
HPR ammunition that will now be distributed nationally include
.223 Remington, .223 V-Max, .380 Auto, and .38 Special.
SHB0212_NEW.indd 12 1/13/12 12:51 PM
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 SHOT BUSINESS 13
Taurus Announces Availability of 22/25 PLY Pocket PistolTaurus
recently released two new hand-guns designed primarily for
concealed-car-ry. The 22PLY and 25PLY, in polymer frames, make
already light guns into super-light firearms that weigh 10.8
ounc-es. Both models feature a blowback action and tip-up barrel
design for the added convenience of not having to rack the gun
before shooting.
Reverse fish-scale serrations on the slide add to the sleek look
of the gun,
while an extended magazine base and full-body contouring
provides a larger, improved, and more comfortable grip. The trigger
guard is designed for added finger purchases. Both models magazine
releases are located on the trigger guard for quick changes. For
safety, Taurus has incorporated the magazine disconnect and a
manual safety on both the 22PLY and 25PLY.
22/25 PLY SPECS CALiber: .22 LR or .25 ACP ACTiOn: DAOfrAMe:
Polymer with steel insertsbArreL: Tip-up barrel (for convenience
and safety)finisH: Matte black or stainless steelsiGHTs:
Front/rear; fixedweiGHT: 10.8 ouncesCAPACiTY: 8+1 (.22 LR) or 9+1
(.25 ACP)OVerALL LenGTH: 4.8 inchesGriPs: Polymer
Bushnell Expands Its No-Risk, Money-Back Guarantee Bushnell
Outdoor Products recently expanded its Bulletproof Guarantee to
include several leading lines of binocu-lars, riflescopes, and
spotting scopes, as well as the companys entire line of hunt-ing
laser rangefinders.
Originally introduced with the Legend Ultra HD binocular product
line in 2011, Bushnell guaranteed that if customers were not
completely satisfied with the product, the company would buy it
back no questions askedfor up to one year
from the original date of purchase. For 2012, Bushnell has
expanded the Bulletproof Guarantee to cover the Elite, Excursion
EX, Legacy WP, Legend Ultra HD, and Trophy XLT families of
binocu-lars; Elite, Legend Ultra HD, and Trophy XLT families of
riflescopes and spotting scopes; and all hunting laser
rangefinders.
At Bushnell, performance is everything, and our new Bulletproof
Guarantee lets consumers validate that firsthand, said Phil Gyori,
Bushnell Outdoor Products executive vice president of marketing.
Consumers have trusted Bushnell to deliver quality and dependable
products for more than 60 years. Now they can try Bushnell
risk-free, knowing that we are so confident in our products we
stand behind them 100 percent.
Parabellum Signs With Laura BurgessParabellum Armament Company
recently announced that it has signed Laura Burgess Marketing to
promote its brand, market new products, and pro-vide writer
support.Parabellum designed and
patented the AK Adaptive Rail System (AKARS), a rifle-mounted
upgraded rail system that replaced the traditional rear sight and
receiver bolt cover on the Kalashnikov rifle, 1947 model (AK-47),
and its variants. The AKARS upgrade eliminates traditional AK
limita-tions and provides better accu-racy by allowing the user to
mount weapon optics and lasers using the 1913 Picatinny rail
design. The AKARS 3-finger hinge system provides a solid foundation
that eliminates any side-to-side movement and guarantees a return
to zero, even after extensive firing.The AKARS can be disen-
gaged by the release button located on the systems top cover
mount, allowing for regu-lar maintenance without the use of tools.
Even when disen-gaged, the optic can remain mounted. The patented
hinge system has two safety tabs that prevent the optic-mounted
rail system from hitting the hand-guard in front of the mount.Laura
Burgess Marketing will
be providing Parabellum with public relations, marketing,
advertising, social media, and writer relations. Parabellum, which
is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and focuses exclusively on USA-made
tactical gear and accessories, is owned and oper-ated by combat
veterans. The company was in attendance at the 2012 SHOT Show in
January.
With Bushnells no-risk, money-back guarantee, consumers are free
to return binoculars that dont meet their performance needs.
SHB0212_NEW.indd 13 1/13/12 12:51 PM
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14 SHOT BUSINESS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
news br iefs
Flextone Gets Electronic with Echo HD 80 Call Flextone Game
Calls recently introduced its new Echo HD 80 electronic call. The
Echo HD 80 is a more advanced electronic call than other models,
with fea-tures designed to make more realistic animal sounds.
True to its name, the Echo HD 80 comes pre-loaded with 80
high-definition calls and is programmable to give the user multiple
hunting scenarios. Pre-loaded categories include bear, bird
distress, bobcat, cougar, coyote, crow, elk, fox, hog, moose, owl,
prairie dog, rabbit, raccoon, snow goose, squir-rel, turkey,
whitetail deer, and wolf.
The Echo HD 80 features a large backlit LCD screen with two
non-distortion speakers that spin 360 degrees, giving a natural
sound. The handheld remote activation is included for ease of
setup, and can be activated up to 300 yards away. The handheld
remote comes with a docking station in the base unit for
recharging. Like the original Echo HD and the handheld
trigger-activated Mimic HD, the Echo HD 80 is water-resistant and
rubber-coated to increase practicality in a number of weather
conditions.
ECHO HD 80 FEATURES: Large backlit programming LCD 2
multi-directional speakers Remote-control activation Rubber coating
Unit- and remote-activated calls Pre-loaded with 80 animal calls
Weighs 3 pounds
Leupold Offers Customized Dials with Riflescope Purchase Leupold
has launched a program to give back to customers who purchase their
rifle-scopes in the new year. In a program that began in January
and continues until April 1, 2012, the company is offering
consumers two customized adjustment dials ($100 value) with the
purchase of VX-2, VX-3, VX-3L, VX-R, or VX-6 riflescopes.
Leupold has significantly increased the number of riflescope
models available with the VX customized dials system (CDS) in 2012,
responding to demand from hunters and shooters seeking to maximize
accuracy at longer ranges. The CDS system helps users get on target
at ranges out to 600 yards, with any load, by matching their
riflescope to the ballistics of their
ammunition. Matched to specific ballistics information provided
by the user, the cus-tom adjustment allows a shooter to quick-ly
dial the elevation to different sight-in ranges. The dials change
out easily, allow-ing flexibility with different loads and
cali-bers. CDS has precision -MOA click
increment finger adjustments, and there are no adjustment covers
to lose.
More details on the CDS system can be found at
leupold.com/VX-3CDS. Visitors to this microsite will find
educational graphics, as well as an overview of how the system
works and its benefits.
Leupold VX CDS riflescopes can be found at more than 2,000
certified Golden Ring dealers, and at major retail outlets,
including Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shops, Dicks Sporting
Goods, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and Scheels.
Leupolds customized dials coincide with the industry trend of
increased
accuracy at greater distances.
Safarilands Online HolstersSafariland has come up with an easy
way for consumers to select the proper holster fit from among the
wide selection of Safariland and Bianchi holsters. With the
companys new
online Holster Finder applica-tion, website users select the
firearm type, choose the firearm manufacturer, and then select the
gun model. Once the gun is selected, users can scroll through all
holsters offered, or further narrow down the selec-tion by choosing
a type (tacti-cal, concealment, etc.). Once the desired holster is
found, users click on the Details tab to see more information about
the base holster model, including the various configurations in
which it can be purchased. The Finder can be used via
safariland.com, safariland.com/dutygear, holsters.com, and
bianchi-intl.com.
SHB0212_NEW.indd 14 1/13/12 12:51 PM
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BN_039754_SHB0312.indd 1 1/12/12 10:29 AM
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The New Fiocchi of America Cowboy Ammo is here. Distinctively
packaged in
aged boxes, the SASS approved Cowboy
Loads are now available in 32 S&W Long,
38 S&W Short, 38 Special, 357 Magnum,
44 Special, 44-40 & 45 Colt. More calibers
to come in 2012.
Cowboy Loads
For the Fiocchi dealer near you, Call 417.449.1043 / visit
www.fiocchiusa.com
Since 1876
BN_034074_SHB0911.indd 1 7/6/11 11:06 AM
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Fighting for Your RightsNSSF is ever vigilant on the
governmental front
T he National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has had an
extremely busy year fighting for the rights of industry mem-bers.
NSSF has thwarted attacks on traditional ammunitionthat is,
ammunition with a lead componentchampioned legislation to protect
and preserve hunting and shooting sports, and has been involved in
several lawsuits challenging government regulations attempting to
restrict NSSF members from freely engaging in the lawful commerce
of firearms, which is their business and livelihood.
Thanks to NSSF, efforts by the Center for Biological Diversity
(CBD) and other anti-hunting groups to ban the use of tradi-tional
ammunition were rejected with a one-two punch, first by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and then by a federal court.
Congress spoke loud and clear 35 years ago when it passed the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA), which specifically exempted
ammunition from regulation by the EPA. Unable to con-vince EPA
officials that the agency had authority to regulate lead components
of ammunition, the CBD sued the EPA in fed-eral court to force its
hand (Center for Biological Diversity v. Jackson). NSSF quickly
intervened in the lawsuit and wasted no time in successfully
persuading the court to dismiss CBDs case.
To prevent future attacks on the rights of sportsmen to use the
ammunition of their choice, NSSF is championing a feder-al bill to
clarify the longstanding exemp-tion of ammunition and ammunition
components under TSCA. Known as the Hunting, Fishing, and
Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act (S. 838 and H.R.1558),
the bill has tremendous bi-partisan support in both the U.S. House
of Representatives and the Senate, with 159 House and 27 Senate
co-sponsors.
Last July, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives (ATF) sent a demand letter to 8,700 federal fire-arms
licensees (FFLs), including law-abid-ing NSSF members, located in
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California demand-ing them to
record and report multiple sales of certain semi-automatic rifles.
Because the ATF exceeded the authority Congress has granted it,
NSSF filed a feder-al lawsuit (NSSF v. Jones) to block the ATF
from imposing this new regulation because it was the proverbial
slippery slope. As of press time, the court has yet to rule on the
NSSF lawsuit. NSSF filed this lawsuit because if ATF can require
this informa-tion from these dealers, then ATF would be able to
require reporting of any infor-mation it wants from any licensee
simply by sending a letter demanding the informa-tion.
Congressional leaders agreed with NSSF and in April offered an
amendment that passed the House by a wide bi-partisan margin that
would restrain ATF from exceeding its authority. Unfortunately, the
Senate failed to move the bill. Several bills aimed at restraining
ATFs overreach were introduced.
In November, the mainstream media reported that internal ATF
e-mails from 2010 showed that some officials planned to use rifles
sold by retailers cooperating with the ATF in its flawed Fast and
Furious operation to justify ATFs new multiple-sales reporting
requirements.
NSSF has also filed numerous amicus curiae, or friend of the
court, briefs in federal and state appellate courts this past year
to protect the industrys commercial interests.
In a case before the Ohio Supreme Court in late 2011 (Cleveland
v. Ohio), NSSF successfully fought to uphold Ohios fire-arms
pre-emption statute. If Ohios pre-emption statute were not upheld,
firearms ordinances adopted by the City of Cleveland and other Ohio
municipalities would have resulted in a complex patch-work of
different restrictions that would have been unevenly enforced from
one jurisdiction to another.
In a case pending before the Illinois Supreme Court (Wilson v.
Cook County),
NSSF is supporting a challenge to Cook Countys broad and
sweeping assault-weap-ons ordinance banning the manufacture, sale,
and possession of several popular class-es of semi-automatic
firearms, including commonly owned and used modern sport-ing rifles
(MSRs), simply because of their cosmetic features. In its amicus
brief, NSSF provided information from its MSR Comprehensive
Consumer Report to edu-cate the court about MSRs and their owners
and the lawful purposes for which MSRs are commonly and widely
usedhunting, tar-get shooting, collecting, and self defense.
In a case pending before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
(Jennings v. BATFE), NSSF is supporting a lawsuit seek-ing to
overturn federal restrictions on the purchase of handguns by 18- to
20-year-olds. Individuals of this age are considered adults for
virtually every other purpose, so they should also be able to
purchase hand-guns from licensed firearms retailers.
NSSF members provide lawful com-merce in firearms that makes the
exercise of an individuals constitutional right to keep and bear
arms possible. Whenever the rights of its members to engage in
their business and livelihood are threatened, NSSF will take action
to defend these rights. Editors Note: NSSF associate general
coun-sel Jeff Yue and manager, government rela-tions, Ryan Cleckner
contributed to the preparation of this article.
FROM THE NSSF
Lawrence G. KeaneSenior Vice President &General Counsel,
NSSF
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 SHOT BUSINESS 17
UPDATEBY LAWRENCE G. KEANE , NSSF SR . V.P. AND GENERAL
COUNSEL
SHB0212_NSL.indd 17 1/13/12 1:02 PM
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18 Shot BuSineSS february/march 2012
from the nssfupdate
Firearms industry, nation Celebrate A Conservation Milestone
Following the 50th anniversary in 2011 of the National Shooting
Sports Foundation comes another highly significant milestone in
2012: the 75th anniversary of what is arguably the most important
event in the preservation and conserva-tion of American wildlife
and the ability to sustain hunting as part of the nations
heritage.In 1937, the passage of historic
legislationthe Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (P-R
Act)fostered partnerships among the sporting arms industry, federal
and state wildlife and fisheries agencies, conservation groups, and
sports-men to benefit wildlife. It has been
key to implementing the North American Model of Wildlife
Conservation. In 1950, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration
Act
(now the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act) was
enacted, and, together, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
program has contributed more than $12 billion to wildlife and
fisheries conservation
in the U.S.more than any other single conservation effort.The
P-R Act alone, which
requires an excise tax on firearms and ammunitiona concept that
was suggested and self-imposed by the industryhas provided more
than $7.2 billion to wildlife management.NSSF, which provided space
in
the NSSF Press Room at the SHOT Show to promote this
anniversary, urges members to incorporate the special
Pittman-Robertson logo along with a note of appreciation for the
program on their websites and in their communications and other
materials.
Hunting Statistics Bear Out The Safety of HuntingThe National
Shooting Sports Foundation has compiled data that shows hunting
ranks third in safety when compared to 28 other recreational
pursuits, ranging from baseball to wres-tling. Hunting with
firearms has an injury rate of 0.05 per-cent, which equates to
about 1 injury per 2,000 participants, a safety level bettered only
by camping (.01 percent) and bil-liards (.02 percent). For
com-parison, golf has an injury rate of 0.16 percent (1 injury per
622 participants), while tackle football topped the list of
activities, with an injury rate of 5.27 percent (1 injury per 19
participants).
Many people have the mis-conception that hunting is unsafe, but
the data tells a dif-ferent story, said Jim Curcuruto, NSSFs
director of industry research and analysis. Hunter education
classes that
emphasize the basic rules of firearms safety and a culture of
hunters helping fellow hunters practice safe firearms handling in
the field are responsible for this good record.
The number of hunters who went afield last year is estimated at
16.3 million. Of that total, approximately 8,122 sustained
injuries, or 50 per 100,000 participants. The vast majority of
hunting acci-dentsmore than 6,600were treestand-related. Though
recent accurate figures on fatalities related to hunting are
not available, statistics from 2002 show 99 fatal hunting
accidents.
The injury data NSSF used to compile this hunter-safety report
comes from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of
the Consumer Products Safety Commission 2010 and the International
Hunter Education Associations Hunter Incident Clearinghouse.
Activity participation figures are from the National Sporting Goods
Association Sports Participation in 2010 report.
TO puT HunTingS SafeTy STanding in perSpecTive, cOmpared TO
wHile HunTing, a perSOn iS
11 times more likely to be injured playing volleyball
19 times more likely to be injured snowboarding
25 times more likely to be injured
cheerleading or bicycle riding 34 times more likely to be
injured playing soccer or skateboarding
105 more times likely to be injured playing tackle football
Hunting ranks third in safety when compared to 28 other
recreational pursuits.
SHD0212_NSF.indd 18 1/13/12 1:34 PM
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2012 National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights
Reserved. SHOT Business, SHOT Show and all other trade names,
trademarks and service marks of the National Shooting Sports
Foundation appearing in this publication are the sole property of
the Foundation and may not be used without the Foundations prior
express written permis-sion. All other company and product names
are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
february/march 2012 Shot BuSineSS 19
nSSF Website, Literature Are in DemandThe value of NSSFs
communications vehicles was reflected in 2011 by the demand from
industry, media, and hunt-ing and shooting sports com-munity. NSSFs
websitenssf .orgreceived more than 5 million visits in 2011.
Requests for nine publica-tions and DVDs, which addressed
conservation, hunt-ing ethics, and firearms safe-ty, averaged more
than 186,000 per month, or nearly 2.25 million for the year.
The quality of communi-cations vehicles was recog-nized with
several awards in 2011.
NSSFs 50th anniversary video received the Apex Award of
Excellence and a Bronze Telly. Its Annual Review, which included a
DVD of the 50th anniversary
video, earned the PR News Nonprofit PR Awards top prize for in
the annual bro-chure or publication category. The elec-
tronic weekly Bullet Points captured an APEX Grand Award of
Excellence, and the NSSF was a finalist in several other PR News
Nonprofit cat-egories. Among those receiv-ing honorable mentions
were NSSFs Hunting Works for America initiative (Advocacy Campaign
and Public Affairs/Issues Management categories) and Bullet Points
(Digital PR & Marketing).
Mark Thomas (pictured), NSSF manag-ing director of marketing
communica-tions, was runner-up in PR News Nonprofit Publication
category for PR Marketing Communicator of the Year.
pull the Trigger Hits its mark
In 2011, in its the first full year of develop-men, the
electronic newsletter Pull the Trigger was distributed to more than
1 million readers, including a mailing list of more than 900,000
provided by GunBroker.com.
NSSF aims this monthly communica-tion at getting new and lapsed
shooters and hunters to do just what the name
says: pull the trigger. Most of the helpful items are linked to
videos that bring the words and concepts of the shooting sports to
life.
Pull the Trigger is an innovative NSSF program designed to
motivate new and existing shooters to go afield or to the range,
said Steve Sanetti, NSSF president and chief executive officer.
From what we are seeing in terms of readers and their comments, it
is accomplishing its mission, and we encourage you to not only read
it but also help distribute its content.
For a free subscription, go to nssf.org/enewsletters/. Members
and others who disseminate information on hunting and the shooting
sports are encouraged to reproduce content from Pull the Trigger in
their own communications vehicles.
In its first full year of development, Pull the Trigger was
distributed to more than 1 million readers.
2011 Record Year for nSSF MembershipIn 2011, membership in the
National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade associa-tion of the
firearms, ammuni-tion, hunting, and shooting sports industry, rose
to an all-time high, nearing 7,000. That means NSSFs member-ship
has doubled in less than five years.Voting Membership, made up
of the NSSFs most financially supportive members, was bol-stered
with the addition of more than a dozen new compa-nies that stepped
up to assume that highly respected and appreciated
status.Membership is made up of
manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting
ranges, sportsmens organiza-tions, and publishers.With every member
adding a
key building block to the indus-trys foundation, NSSF has
assumed a position of strength perhaps unparalleled in its 50-year
history, said Steve Sanetti, NSSF president and chief executive
officer.
The number of NSSF members in 2012 now exceeds 7,000, meaning
its membership has doubled in less than five years.
SHD0212_NSF.indd 19 1/13/12 1:34 PM
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You Should Know
Take Your Initial Shot at First ShotsNSSFs introductory program
is a proven winner
T he time is approximately 8:38 a.m., and people are starting to
roll in for a 9:00 class. They wonder if they are in the right
place as they check in. They are assured they are. The silence is
deafening. Why so tense?
At 9 a.m., the instructor stands at the front of the room and
states, Welcome to First Shots!
For someone unfamiliar with the shoot-ing sports, a firearm can
be a mysterious toollike any other tool for which the user doesnt
have proper education and training.
First Shots was designed as a way for member ranges to create
opportunities for new shooters to visit their facilities, learn
about firearm safety and fundamen-tals, safe storage and use, and
ownership regulations, and then shoot in a closely
supervised, unintimidating atmosphere. They learn about the
shooting sports and, hopefully, take their first step toward
life-long participation.
Currently First Shots is on a nationwide city tour. What we
learned from our first stop in Chicago, Illinois, and Madison,
Wisconsin, is that people want to be edu-cated about firearms and
the shooting sports. The problem is that they dont know where to go
or how to get started. All five of the Chicago area ranges were
full by the second week registration was opened. The three ranges
in Madison were full not long after. We are anticipating the same
as we move next to Sacramento, California, and Miami, Florida, on
March 3. You, however, can plan a First Shots anytime.
First Shots provides an opportunity for
someone to try the shooting sports without making a financial
commitment. Customer participation is free. The classes are short,
taking only three hours out of their day. What might have been
apprehension becomes fun.
After they take their first shots at your range, you will have
created loyalty in these new shooters. They will want to come back
to your range to shoot with you, because you will become their
men-tor, and they will seek you out for advice, classes, equipment,
and supplies.
Six-month follow-up surveys of First Shots participants show
that 43 percent have returned to the host range an aver-age of six
times, 56 percent have met local requirements for handgun
ownership, and 49 percent have purchased an average of $560 of
equipment.
NSSF offers a great deal of assistance in planning and hosting a
First Shots event. The easy-to-use reference guide helps in every
step of the planning phase of the event. A PowerPoint presentation
is avail-able to assist with the classroom portion. NSSF provides
targets, ammunition, and safety brochures, as well as funding for
cooperative advertising. NSSF will reim-burse 50 percent of a
shooting facilitys advertising costs, up to $3,000. The NSSF
graphics team will create camera-ready ads
for print publications. We have television and radio spots
designed to get the atten-tion of prospective participants and
direct them to your range. And if questions come up, as manager of
First Shots, I am just a phone call or e-mail away.
Hosting a First Shots event will take less time to plan and
execute than trying to pack for a hunting trip. Each class is
approximately three hours long. That is 90 minutes in the classroom
and another 90 minutes on the range. This short time period allows
you to host multiple events in one day to maximize your time,
prepa-ration, and advertising costs.
By hosting a First Shots event you are not only providing an
opportunity for someone to give the shooting sports a try, but you
are also helping to influence new-comers who may not have had an
opinion on gun control. When new shooters see a program like First
Shots and us as an indus-try promoting safe and responsible
fire-arms ownership and usage, they are able to view the firearms
industry in a different light from what is shown on television and
in mass media. It is not an overstatement to say participation as a
host of a First Shots event can help secure our Second Amendment
right to keep and bear arms.
By the end of the First Shots event, the room is no longer
quiet. Folks have been high-fiving at the range, and once back in
the classroom, smiles are beaming and eyes are brighter. The
tension is gone. The apprehension has been replaced with laughter,
camaraderie, and confidence. They will be back to shoot again.
Learn more about hosting a First Shots event at
nssf.org/FirstShots.
First Shots was designed as a way for member ranges to create
opportunities for new shooters to learn about the shooting sports
and take a step toward lifelong participation.
20 Shot BuSineSS february/march 2012
BY T ISMA JUETT, MANAGER , F IRST SHOTSupdate
SHB0212_YSK.indd 20 1/13/12 4:20 PM
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 SHOT BUSINESS 21
UPDATEBY GEORGE ROMANOFF, PRESIDENT, ACE SPORTING GOODS,
WASHINGTON, PA
FROM MY S IDE OF THE COUNTER
Retailer Education SeminarsA free program that, in many ways,
helps an FFL do business
Editors Note: With this article, SHOT Business begins a new
series, From My Side of the Counter, which will featurearticles on
services and issues of importance to the firearms retailer. The
articles will be written by members of the NSSF Retailer Advisory
Committee and other guest authors.
Id read several articles about the National Shooting Sports
Foundations Retailer Education Seminars. NSSF would post the
results in its Bullet Points e-newsletter about where the seminars
were held and the subject matter that was covered. At last, I
received an invitation to one of these seminars in the mail. As I
read the invitation, it became very clear to me that this was one
seminar I could not afford to miss.
One of the reasons that I couldnt afford to miss it was that it
was free! The
seminar was being held about 50 minutes away from my store in
Pittsburgh. The hotel that they had chosen was perfect as it was
very easy to find and there was ample parking for the event.
When I got there that day, I was very surprised. More than 110
other firearms retailers were there for the very same rea-sons I
was. I was greeted at the door and signed the registration form. As
I entered the room, my competitive side of the business went out
the door. Today we
were all there to meet the NSSF, ATF, and NICS.
The half-day seminar began promptly at 1 p.m. Introductions of
the presenters was the first thing on the agenda, and from there
the seminar was in high gear. The first speaker, a representative
of the local ATF office, spoke to the group about the top 10
instances where firearms retail-ers struggle with compliance. Some
of the reasons listed were improperly filling out the 4473 form and
making recording errors in the A&D book.
The seminar presenters also covered other subject areas. For
example, one speaker emphasized that proper inventory procedure at
the store level is critical to your business. Multiple-gun sales
forms and lost or stolen firearms procedures were also covered in
great detail. I did a lot of note-taking through-out the day.
One of the other speakers was from NICS. The presentation was
very informative for the retailers. I learned in
detail the background check procedure and the E-Check
process.
In addition, the NICS presenter provid-ed information on how to
deal with cus-tomers who are denied due to the back-ground check
and how to work through the appeal process. NICS also went into
detail about the Non-U.S. Citizens back-ground check process and
what the stores must do in these situations.
A representative from the National Shooting Sports Foundation
was there, too. The NSSF representative spoke to the retail group
about the accomplishments of NSSF over the past year. In addition,
he outlined all of the benefits of being a member of NSSF.
The benefits that NSSF has set up for the retailers are
incredible. My member-ship dues are only $150. One of the many
benefits for retailers is NSSFs ATF consul-tant program. NSSF has
contracted with a former ATF deputy assistant director to come to
your store and train the store personnel for compliance. Based on
the testimonials from the other retailers who have taken advantage
of this training, if I availed myself of this consultation, Id be
well prepared for the ATF if I were ever to receive an audit.
At the end of the day I left the seminar with a pad full of
notes, answers to what had been, up to then, nagging questions, and
a renewed motivation to get back to my store and implement many of
the things I had learned.
I scheduled a store meeting with all of my employees the very
next day after the seminar. It got them excited to execute the
ideas that I had brought home with me.
More than 110 other fi rearms retailers were at the seminar for
the very same reasons I was. I was greeted at the door, and as I
entered the room, my competitive side of the business went out the
door. Today, we were all there to meet the NSSF, ATF, and NICS.
SHB0211_MYS.indd 21 1/13/12 12:57 PM
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22 SHOT BUSINESS MONTH 2010
FIRST SHOTS CREATES NEW SHOOTERSAND CUSTOMERS
NSSF DELIVERS VALUE
Promoting the great American tradition of hunting and shooting
is what the National Shooting Sports Foundation is all about. For
our members, its more than a sport; its a way of life. Join the
more than 7,000 companies and individuals who have already
discovered that NSSF Delivers Value! To learn more, visit
www.nssf.org/join or contact Bettyjane Swann, NSSF director of
member services, at 203-426-1320 or [email protected].
NONE MEMBERS EXPERIENCE
Member: Michael Barbour, presidentBusiness: Top Gun Shooting
Sports Inc. Taylor, Michigan
Description of Business: Top Gun Shooting Sports Inc. is a
successful shooting range and retail store in the heart of
southeastern Michigan. We supply everything from tactical to
practical for beginners to First Responders. One of our continuing
goals is to provide top-rate customer service to all that enter our
doors. We treat every
customer equally and with the utmost respect. Top Gun Shooting
Sports provides its customers with the tools and accessories they
need. For more information please visit tgssinc.com.
Experience with First Shots: We hold First Shots at least once a
month, with a maximum of 20 students. Our First Shots classes are
always full and booked two months in advance. That means 20
guaranteed new shooters in our store every month. We give them an
additional hour of free range time, which turns into new customers
buying ammunition and renting guns. We see approximately 25 percent
of the students who take First Shots continuing on with a basic
handgun course and a concealed-carry course and then buying an
annual membership. The First Shots program is unique in that it
turns non-shooters into shooters and, with a minimum of effort,
expands my customer base. All ranges should take advantage of this
no-brainer opportunity to grow both the shooting sports and their
customer base.
Value of NSSF Membership: The NSSF provides us with a great many
tools that help our facility sell, promote, and protect the
shooting sports. Many of these tools simply make doing our jobs
easier. The NSSF helps keep us informed on new products through the
wonderful opportunity that the SHOT Show offers as well as what is
happening in the global industry of firearms. Support like this is
very valuable and appreciated by Top Gun Shooting Sports Inc.
Interested in NSSF Membership?
NSSFs First Shots seminar is a proven means of introducing
first-time shooters to firearms safety and the shooting sports.
This combination of classroom discussion on firearms fundamentals,
safety, and ownership laws, along with a closely supervised
live-firing opportunity, brought 5,000 new shooters to partner
ranges in 2011and studies show that many returned for more
instruction and shooting opportunities. The NSSF provides
tremendous support to member ranges wishing to host a First Shots.
For more information, visit firstshots.org, or contact Tisma Juett,
NSSF First Shots manager, at [email protected].
Michael Barbour
WWW.NSSF.ORG
SHB0212_DEL.indd 22 1/13/12 1:40 PM
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BN_040058_SHB0312.indd 1 1/6/12 2:17 PM
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24 Shot BuSineSS february/march 2012
by scoTT besTulFY I
Vital Signs Retailers from across the country tell us what sold
in 2011 and their outlook for 2012
I ts 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 yearit was a quality gun at a good price point with a strong
war-ranty. We also saw a big surge in other tac-tical 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, gIlbeRtS 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 rangemodels like the Marlin
XL7, the Ruger America, and the Savage Axis. I think 2012 will be
another great year for tactical guns.
glenn duncan, duncanS 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 Im happy. We saw very little
traffic
in the high-end-rifle market. That said, anything that was a
good product but eco-nomicallike the Marlinssold very well. That
trend carried over into safes; people wanted a sturdy, fire-lined
safe at a reason-able price. We sold a bunch of them.
laRRY hYatt, hYattS gun Shop, chaRlotte, nc: An exceptional year
here; we broke one-day and one-week sales records in December.
Oddly, the .308-cali-ber rifle was a big hit for us this
seasondidnt matter if it was a high-end tactical/sniper rifle or a
low-end hunting model. In handguns, anything in 9mm was a hot
sell-er. Handgun accessories just keep getting bigger, and holsters
are just driving us crazy. We sell em constantly, but theyre 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.
laRRY andeRSon, Shoot StRaIght, 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 chal-lenge; we want to have enough on hand, but not get
overextended. Were learning to deal with it by expanding our dealer
base. Were 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 its only going to grow. Our best sellers were
the Sig 238, the Ruger LCR, and Glocks. Our biggest chal-lenges
have been referring new customers to legitimate C/C training
classes. Were 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 poten-tial 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 theres just a perception that gun owners cant have
what they want, theyre more inclined to buythats just human nature,
says Larry Anderson of Shoot Straight. Its going to be an
interesting and poten-tially strange year, says Glenn Duncan of
Duncans Outdoor Shop. People are still worried about the economy
and careful about disposable income. An election year will always
stir things up.
Self-defense, especially con-cealed-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.
SHB0212_FYI.indd 24 1/13/12 1:33 PM
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BN_040382_SHB0312.indd 1 1/12/12 10:19 AM
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26 Shot BuSineSS february/march 2012
by Wayne Van ZWollf ir ing l ine
The New SwitcherooT/Cs Dimension delivers affordable
versatility
Y ou can pick from 10 chamberings this yearnot that you must
stick to one. Choose all 10, if you like. T/Cs newest, most
innovative rifle gives a shooter a broad choice of barrels he can
change at will. The 7075 alloy receiver is really just a shell for
the bolt, magazine, and trigger group. The fluted bolt locks
directly to a barrel extension. Two guard screws, in alloy sleeves
and torqued by a sup-plied wrench, hold the injection-molded
polymer stock to barrel and tang. Bedding? Theres an alloy block up
front, a pillar in the rear. To maintain zero during barrel
changes, the scope becomes part of the rifles barrel unit with an
optional cantilever mount. A rear set screw affords added stability
through a wedge on the receivers bridge.
Okay. Its different. But what does all that engineering mean? In
sum: versatility at a modest cost. Takedown rifles date back a
century. Switch-barrel bolt-actions came later, but theyre far
dearer. If your customer is keeping Junior in college or feeding
him at home until he finds a job, he might well prefer the
Dimension at $649. Additional barrels are just $199, with magazine
group (box and housing). Thats all the change needed within
car-tridge families.
Of course, youll swap more than the barrel when you switch from
.223 to .300 Winchester. To give you that sweep of chamberings, T/C
designed the Dimension in four lengths. The length here is not the
receiver (theres only one!); its the bolt throw. Choose
.223-length, short (.308), long (.30/06), and magnum. Bolts to fit
different cartridge head diame-ters cost just $129, complete.
Theres no danger of mismatching bolt and barrel. If that happens,
the bolt wont close.
The Dimension wears a user-friendly trigger that adjusts from 3
to 5 pounds. The safety is a two-position side-mounted lever.
Barrels are chrome-moly with 5-R rifling, 22- and 24-inch,
depending on cham-bering. The stock, with ventilated recoil pad and
Armorsoft coating, includes colored spacers to change length. Its
wide barrel channel accepts a range of barrel diameters.
T/C packages each Dimension with a couple of simple tools. One
has a gear wheel that matches up with a knurled ring on the barrel.
Use it in tandem with the other tool (which also fits guard and
mount screws) to torque the ring. The for-ward guard screw goes
through the receiv-
er and threads into the barrel itself. With a .308 barrel, I put
three 150-grain
Hornadys into a quarter-inch knot. To see the effect of
switching barrels on group centers, I changed out a .223 barrel
three times. Groups fired after each swap stayed in the same place
(centers were less than a minute apart). The biggest measured an
inch, the smallest not much over half that.
T/C wont guarantee such repeatability; it does set a 1-minute
accuracy standard.
Although the Dimensions futuristic look might nettle curmudgeons
who cut their teeth on Griffin & Howe sporters, this rifle
promises better accuracy at a fraction of the price of classic
rifleseven those without switch-barrel capability. (866-730-1614;
tcarms.com)
Sealing the DealSitting vertically in your rack, the T/C
Dimension looks much like other black-synthetic-stocked bolt
rifles. The important differ-ence is its switch-barrel capabili-ty.
Show that with a display of several barrelson ammo boxes to spark
interest. A series of tar-gets from different barrels on one
receiver should convince accuracy buffs. A scope on the cantilever
mount answers many questionsand gives customers a proper look when
cheeking this high-combed rifle. Dont hide the price! It may be the
Dimensions most compelling feature.
Detachable magazine groups, with bolt and barrel, can be changed
to accommodate different calibers in T/Cs new switch-barrel
Dimension.
SHB0212_FIR.indd 26 1/13/12 11:10 AM
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28 Shot BuSineSS february/march 2012
undercover shopper
pixel pushers
Pistol-Packing Mama!A young mother looks for a concealed-carry
pistol in
Charlotte, North Carolina
F or this assignment, we pulled out all the stops in our search
for a store that caters to a new mothers desire to protect herself
and her child. In fact, a new mom and her three-week-old daughter,
accompanied by the grandma (me), visited four gun stores in the
Charlotte, North Carolina, area searching for a small
concealed-carry pistol. I carried the baby in her little detachable
car seat and the new mom went undercover as a woman who wanted to
find a small pistol for self defense.
Store AWhat was that smell? We tried to figure it out because
not only could we smell it inside the shop, but also outside the
shop. Turns out, it was the boys in the tire shop next door frying
chicken in the back bay. Located on a busy strip in a rundown
building, the store also bought gold. The salesper-son showed our
new mom a Ruger .380 semi-auto, then just quit offering guns for
her perusal. She had to take the initiative and ask to see the
revolvers. He then showed her a few Smith & Wesson mod-els,
including the new Bodyguard with a laser. When she recoiled after
the fifth time he covered her with a muzzle,
he said, Dont worry. Its not loaded.
He did inquire as to wheth-er she had training, but did not
recommend a course of instruction. She noticed that he only picked
up the more expensive revolvers, complete with laser grips. As we
walked out the door, the salesman (an admitted grandpa) said, Do
you wanna trade that little boy for a gun? Uh, no. And, thank
youthe baby had a pink blanket tucked in around her.
Store BWe went upscale a bit, as the second store was in a much
nicer (and safer-looking) shop-ping area. Again, the customer
in this case received immediate attention at the gun counter
and, I should add, so did the baby. My daughter-in-law appreciated
that, and we high-ly recommend that sales asso-ciates compliment
children who accompany their parents. With several guns in stock at
his immediate disposal, the sales associate started by
rec-ommending revolvers because of their simplicity in
high-pres-sure situations. She liked the Smith & Wesson Models
637 ($889) and 642 ($549).
He asked all the right ques-tions, and then took a wrong
turnlaunching into a basic pistol course, leaning across the
counter and turning my daughter-in-law around by the
shoulders so he could instruct her in how to hold the gun. She
felt quite uncomfortable as he encouraged her to take aim at the
wall across the store, because it was quite busy in there. Also, he
never asked if he could touch her, turn her, or wrap his hands
around her hands on a gun. Then, the salesman encouraged my
daughter-in-law to take his shooting classes offered nearby and to
remember to state that she feared for her life and the life of her
child, should she be called into question for using deadly
force.
Store CLocated in a posher neighbor-hood than the others, in a
modern building with clean lines and good lighting, this stores
website touts excep-tional customer service and quality firearms at
unbeatable prices. It also states that the store trains its staff
to provide
SHB0212_UCS.indd 28 1/13/12 4:19 PM
-
february/march 2012 Shot BuSineSS 29
undercover shopper
personalized attention. This turned out to be a case
of truth-in-advertising. The sales associate not only showed my
daughter-in-law a wide range of revolvers and semi-autos, but he
also inquired as to when and where she would take her
concealed-carry class. She liked the Smith & Wesson Models 442
($420) and 638 (also $420). She said later, He didnt treat me like
a girl that didnt know anything,
like the other ones did. He also handled all the guns safely and
never once pointed a muz-zle at her. But as a proud grandmother, I
wish he had paid a little bit of attention to my granddaughter.
Store DIn an effort to leave no stone unturned, we included one
big-box store. If body language could talk, it would have
screamed that this guy did not want to sell a gun to a lady with
a baby and a grandma in tow. He actually stepped back from the
counter when she stepped up to it. When she told him, Id like to
look at your guns for concealed-carry, his response was,
Really?
Really? Then, he mentioned that he would show her a revolver
because, since she was a woman, it should be easy and simple to
operate. Ooh,
bad choice of words. She had to point at guns and ask him to
take them out of the case. She asked if he had any other revolvers
without hammers, and his response was a disin-terested, Yeah, we
got a cou-ple others.
He did not bring them out of the case for her to see. When she
led him to the semi-autos, he pulled out a Glock and a SIG. She had
to ask to hold the guns.
howd they Do?Customer Service
Product Knowledge
Product Availability
Winner: store
CThis was a very close call between store B and store C. The
deciding factor was the lower prices found at store C.
Carolina Sporting Arms8055 south Blvd.Charlotte, NC
28273704-554-9511csa.guns
store
A he acknowledged us fairly quickly and paid attention to
requests.
The sales associate repeat-edly pointed the muzzle at the
customer. he also did not know where the maga-zine release was
located on a semi-auto that he brought out of the case.
Very nice lineup from bud-get to expensive, but we were shown
only the more expensive models.
store
B Very good. Top marks for prompt-ness. Most of the
time, she had two sales associates attending to her.
The sales associate was knowledgeable about guns, but overly
zealous about steering her to his gun training. Also, some of his
shooting tips were questionable.
A lot to choose from, includ-ing some versions with pink and
purple grips.
store
C Courteous and respectful. immediately offered
to assist and was the most thorough at providing infor-mation
about concealed-carry courses.
This sales associate tailored the guns he chose from the case to
the shoppers needs. he also handled the guns safely and answered
ques-tions correctly. And, he engaged the customer while doing all
of the above.
Nice selection. Competitive prices. Of stores B and C, all
things being equal, my daughter-in-law said she would buy a gun
here because of lower prices.
store
D he backed away from the counter instead of engaging
with the customer. he acted like he wanted to go on vacation
instead of being on the floor.
he just wasnt into it, said my daughter-in-law about this sales
associate. That made it difficult to ascertain his level of
expertise.
Very nice, large selection of guns. Too bad he didnt want to
sell any of them to this customer.
SCoring SySteM: Outstanding: Very Good: Average: Fair: poor:
SHB0212_UCS.indd 29 1/13/12 11:15 AM
-
TWO TRENDS THIS YEAR ARE OPTICS FOR CROSSBOWS AND COMPACT
RIFLESCOPES WITH SHORT TUBES, SMALL OBJECTIVES, AND ILLUMINATED
RETICLES. THE COMPACT SCOPES ARE DESIGNED FOR MSR PLAT-FORMS, WHICH
MAKES THEM IDEAL FOR TAC-
TICAL SCENARIOS, SHORT-RANGE HUNTING, AND 3-GUN COMPETITION.
SOME OF THE NEW CROSSBOW MODELS ARE EVEN CALIBRATED TO THE ARROWS
VELOCITY. HERES A LOOK AT THESE AND OTHER OPTICS NEW FOR THIS
YEAR.
COMINGINTOVIEW
OPTICS 2012
Vol. 200212
20200
2010