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How many are sold

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bubblerboy64

Member
Jul 25, 2018
2,413
70
Pa, United States
I'd be interested in knowing how many expensive air rifles are sold here in the USA. For the sake of discussion lets say expensive is over $1000. I'm the only one within my group of shooting friends who has anything more then a couple hundred dollar break barrel rifle. 

Two sides to this. Many think it's silly to spend money on what to them is just "an air rifle" but my thoughts are it's the only rifle I can shoot as often and as much as I'd like so why not spend the money on something that does more then just sit in the gun safe.

But I'm curious. Just how many of these high end PCP's are out there and who is buying them. There are no air rifle clubs or shooting matches in my area and I'd think there would be interest.

I live along the 81 corridor and when one of these huge truck distribution centers closes they would make for a great indoor field target range.
 
At my local range in south florida I see mainly PCP air rifle guys and very little break barrel or springer shooters. Most are using budget pcp rifles but there are a few guys in my local club that have FX guns, BSA, AA, Benjamin, Umarex. I have seen 2 guys out there that are not in my club yet that use Gauntlets. Most members in my club have at least 2 high end PCP's. 
 
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And yet there are very limited opportunities for a fellow to be able to go to a gun shop and actually handle say a Daystate rifle. It's almost entirely internet sales. So it must be relatively speaking and extremely small segment of the "gun" industry. At least year in the USA.

I'm some what surprised that the rim fire shooters don't more frequently drift into air guns. That's my back ground and for me it's for two reasons. The ability to shoot in the back yard and the high caliber of the rifles them selfs. I like nice equipment and there isn't much on the market to top the offerings by Daystate Anschutz, Steyr FWB and others.

It's getting harder and harder to find places to shoot and I'm surprised that air guns haven't really taken off. Perhaps in some parts of the country they have. Field target is a lot like metallic silhouette shooting or so it seems. A field target range could be built in 50% of the space required for a rim fire silhouette range maybe less.
 
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I live in shippensburg which is north of the Pa/Md boarder about 35 miles. Between Pa/Md boarder to the Pa/Ny boarder there have to be many dozens of HUGE truck terminals and I know some of them are sitting empty. There would be no practical why to convert them to shooting ranges with out almost unlimited funds. Buildings do get put to strange uses.

Off the Pa turnpike exit 20 I think there is a Mall which has been closed and some eccentric millionaire has used it to display his car collection. Now this is a fairly sizable Mall and what he has done is to use each of the individual store fronts to display 2, 3, 4 cars (depending on space and the size of the cars) in each "spot" He has easily several hundred cars. Most of them are unrestored and rather unremarkable (frankly) but what he lacks in quality he has made up in quantity. Worth looking over. It's a no charge deal and there are actually some cars placed there on consignment for sale. This is in the area of Reading before you get to Valley Forge heading east. You can see the add for the place off the TP . It's call the Classic Auto Mall. If a car guy could do it a gun guy could too.
 
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Very hard for a total layman to guesstimate but I do think Thurmand's guesstimate seems plausible to me.



INDOOR range. "Would they come" YES. Would it be a money maker if your paying to lease the space, insurance, all local permits, and everything else? Certainly not in the first year if ever. Now with enough promotion ( we've all seen what promotion alone does in the modern airgun world) and in the right location ( no idea of your area) it might make money.

Years ago Spokane had a Beeman dealer and you could handle an RX & before that ab FWB124 . No more tho. Mostly PNW sporting goods stores now seem to carry the Benjamin line - marauder/bulldog/armada all for MSRP- and you'll even see an over priced scuba tank but either NO pellets or wadcutters only and even the liflon Smith had no knowledge at the closest place.

I think the distributorship agreements make it impracticable for a Gun Shop or sporting goods store to even consider stocking 99% of imports. Just the way it is A full blown airgun store ( thinking precissionairgun&supply) Is making almost nothing off selling Daystate, FX,other, there only still in business because of the first rate customer service/knowledge & INDOOR range. Jim & Nancy are the best sort of folks and somehow manage to get by. The local tractor supply or sporting goods store would not have the same results.

So with companies that have locked up distribution you'll just never really see any in stores, Internet only pretty much. Companies with much more open distribution ( ala Crosman - Umarex -other) are the only ones any store can hope to make $1.00 on, and if you a coupon code internet shopper you'll not be paying store price.



Look into that indoor idea and maybe look at just how easy it is to be a "dealer" - if you can handle the SLIM margin- most times it's not that hard or too much $$ . Combined they would do well. Folks in MI do drive a ways to buy first hand.





John


 
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I don't think anyone is wrong is spending money on quality rifles, I also don't think its needed most of the time but thats not why your spending so oh well lol. I have about 2500 in my rifles and that's fine because I have a 200$ concealed carry weapon and a 300$ 22 rimfire but thats because its not my passion. My pistol works when I want and how i want and thats all the further ill go, but my air rifles are something I use much more so i invest in my hobby/passion. Im not scared to drop 150$ on a fishing reel either if it is worth it but some people are fine grabbing a kit from Walmart for 40$ it just depends on the desire for what you spend your money on.
 
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