Are gun sales going down

[hso]

I've read a couple of articles this week that sales are dropping towards pre-pandimic levels. The thought is that with the current political climate buyers have relaxed and that sales will slide to new lows.

That bodes ill for the firearms industry that has gone from low to high and looks to be on the path to low demand. It can lead to big retail price drops that we can take advantage of, but in reality it will also lead to a narrowing of options as the industry looses businesses.

 

[blackd24]

it’s not relaxed buyers, it’s buyers without extra money to spend and millions of people afraid to lose their jobs. It’s not just gun sales down, it’s ALL sales down and we are spiraling towards a Great Depression

 

[jmorris]

That bodes ill for the firearms industry that has gone from low to high and looks to be on the path to low demand.

Hopefully, like a smart bear, they got full while they had the chance. I don't know about you guys and gals but I have been waiting a number of years now for good deals to come back around.

 

[Robbins290]

Hopefully, like a smart bear, they got full while they had the chance. I don't know about you guys and gals but I have been waiting a number of years now for good deals to come back around.

Nothing beat the deals/pricing from 2017-2019! I wished I had more money back than, As i bought as much as I could. Some of them were almost unbelievable. $79 dollars for a brand new Remington 700, Walther P99's for $289, Brand new glocks for 349.99, You could build a basic AR15 for less than $300. $6 dollar mags. Those were the days. But alot of smaller gun shops closed up shop.

 

[sqlbullet]

it’s not relaxed buyers, it’s buyers without extra money to spend and millions of people afraid to lose their jobs. It’s not just gun sales down, it’s ALL sales down and we are spiraling towards a Great Depression

This is a huge part of it.

I saw primers for under $35/k the other day. Pretty much pre-pandemic prices, though it was not a tier 1 brand. But, hazmat on just 1K would kill the good deal, and I wasn't gonna drop the coin for 5K or 10K primers cause of financial uncertainty. 2022 me is looking at me in disgust. He would sold a liver for small pistol primers.

 

[unclenunzie]

Commodity products like production firearms will follow the business cycle of boom and bust, but the unique political and psychological aspects of the business strongly influences demand. We've seen it before and will again. Sales will go down, and they will also go up. A good business manager learns his industry and factors, and acts to navigate them. It's an old idea, in flush times you save excess profits for the lean times to stay afloat. The really smart ones keep a war fund to buy out the assets of the foolish managers in the same line as they drown. There's an adage something like this: If during boom times a company you invest in starts building a new, bigger corporate headquarters building, it's time to sell your stock.

 

[slinkster111]

Prices at the local gun shows still seem very high for Colts and S&W revolvers. AR15 on the other hand are very cheap compared to a few years back, I saw some under $400.00. Component prices were still very high, although there were primers offered for much less than two month ago.

 

[AlexanderA]

The thing that will save the gun industry is another gun-buying panic. Once again the antigunners will unwittingly become the best gun salesmen.

The best way to increase demand for something is to threaten to ban it.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

The best way to increase demand for something is to threaten to ban it.

I'll "drink" to that...

 

[Riomouse911]

The on line consignment list at the chain gun store near me has doubled in size in the last two months, lots of 95 to 99% conditions listed, so they weren’t shot much (if at all).

Online Gun Rack

Turner’s Outdoorsman | Turner's Outdoorsman gun store is conveniently located in California with a huge range of hunting, shooting and fishing gear. We are serving for last 52 years.

www.turners.com

There are still some complete yahoos who demand the stores ask insane prices for their consignment guns, like this run of the mill 4” S&W Model 66 .357 lowered to a mere $2,500 from the sellers original $3,000 asking price, but others are priced to move (Well, at Ca prices anyway.)



$4.50 gal gas and ever higher rent, insurance, utility and food prices are starting to hurt folks a lot.

(But the range has been busier than it was last year, which is a good sign.)

Stay safe.

 

[shafter]

I think sales have dropped quite a bit. Ammo is plentiful and slowly dropping in price. I haven't paid much attention to guns but shelves look pretty full and not alot of people at the counters.

 

[Steve S.]

I “think” that it is a combo of a lack of urgency to purchase because of the election and consumer financial stress - there is no hurry and less means. Personally, I am fortunate enough to have the means and even if deals begin to blossom, I am not really wanting another firearm - two full safes already. The demand for firearms has softened for several reasons which have resulted in slowing demand.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I started seeing sales on guns and ammunition start soon after the midterm elections a few years ago. Those sales probably helped to prop things up for a little while, even though the panic had subsided.

For me personally, I have not bought a brand new gun in a long time, probably 5 years. I did buy an AR-15 and a 1911 receiver in the last year, so I guess that counts.

 

[GEM]

Well, if Scotus eliminates AWB state bans, like in NYS - there was a surge in AR types and higher capacity mags. But that isn't happening. There may be spot increases in buying such as in minority groups who didn't like the ways things are going politically from the gun industry reports. I'm pretty much set, just bought a new Sig 380 pocket pistol as didn't like my Glock 42. Was going to sell the Glock but maybe I'll wait for the next panic DA STREETZ.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Sales are brisk in CO right now- a 6.5% tax on guns/ammo/accessories hits April 1st, and who knows what final form of debauchery will come out of the state legislature this year.

 

[slinkster111]

The thing that will save the gun industry is another gun-buying panic. Once again the antigunners will unwittingly become the best gun salesmen.

The best way to increase demand for something is to threaten to ban it.

Yes but those prices are tied to emotion, not real value. Anti gunners have surely been a boon to sales and will continue. They are miss guided but great for the firearm industry.

 

[.308 Norma]

"Are gun sales going down"​

I think so. I'm still trying to do my part though; just a couple of weeks ago, I bought myself a new Charter Arms "Bulldog" 44 Special and I'm already thinking about trading it off for one with a longer barrel.
The problem is, I can't change the gun sales trends all by myself. I have neither the resources nor the time (much less the inclination) to have much of an effect on gun sales trends in general.

 

[freedom 1776]

Every day more and more people go broke.

People have to pay rent, people living on credit cards, ect

It's about time production catches up to demand.

 

[freedom 1776]

I forgot to mention,

Even gun haters have guns, most are in fact hypocrites.

 

[wayneinFL]

Last time I stocked up on primers it was like $80 a case. Maybe we'll see them at least reasonable and available. I think I'm down to about 1000 small pistol primers. I actually started stocking up on store bought 9mm, because it was cheaper.

Maybe not $80 but I could see it at least reasonable. Unless World War III kicks off. Then I have bigger problems anyway.

 

[jgreene24]

In South West Ohio they seem to be at the lower end of steady based on the parking lot at my local shops. A few sales a day, not like the covid/riot days but no where near empty.
However based on the amount of guys I speak to in the plants I work at selling off guns to cover other expenses, I would say the private used market is a large portion of sales right now.
I think people tend to feel their rights are safer with the current administration, and that combined with cost of living prices/job security concerns is lowering the new gun purchasing a bit.

 

[Basura Blanca]

Sales are brisk in CO right now- a 6.5% tax on guns/ammo/accessories hits April 1st, and who knows what final form of debauchery will come out of the state legislature this year.

The same happened here in CA with the (then) looming 11% excise tax. Even if I was in the market for something new today, I'd weigh that decision carefully just on principle alone. But then that's also exactly the result the state was going for, so....

 

[Basura Blanca]

The thing that will save the gun industry is another gun-buying panic. Once again the antigunners will unwittingly become the best gun salesmen.

The best way to increase demand for something is to threaten to ban it.

The cynic in me wonders if the ebb and flow of these panic cycles is part of the reason for the industry's lack of commitment to the greater 2A cause. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the manufacturers seem wholly absent from the legal and political debate with respect to their own products.

 

[Soonerpesek]

I tried to help increase the sales #’s today….

 

[AlexanderA]

Even gun haters have guns, most are in fact hypocrites.

Yup. For many of them, the idea is to disarm the other guy.