MagnumDweeb
Member
Hi all. I'm an NRA Pistol Instructor. I teach on two properties and do a swift bit of business in the range of twenty to forty people a month (depending on the rotation of properties). I'm getting ready to start on a third property to teach classes. I've acquired a number of pistols purely for the classes. Aside from a couple Taurus 94s, Heritage Rough Rider .22lrs(they are actually fairly good), Norinco 9mm Tokarevs(each may have a thousand rounds through them with my classes and still going strong, a couple Taurus PT 92s, a couple Ruger P89s, and some odds and ends like a Bersa Thunder 9 ultra compact 9mm(students seem to like it and order it from my FFL guys at a rate of two to three students a month), a Glock 23, Romanian Tokarevs, a Ruger P90...well you get the idea more or less.
So I'm looking at adding another pistol that merely isn't another .22lr(I write up each use .22lr pistol in the class as $5 figured into the net so every forty uses of the .22lr I try to add another one which is usually a Heritage). I'd like to add more guns that are CCW central. I'm looking at a Ruger LCP, I do bulk orders on ammuntion and always store some ammo away so i've got around 1.5k .380 auto. I've had great luck selling the ammo at gunshows for $5 a box over what I paid for it (get it for less than $15, sell it for less than $20 which is better than $40 that others are offering) but with things winding down a little I'd like to add a Ruger LCP as I can get one for less than $300. I thougth about a S&W 642 or 638 but I don't think they'll hold up like the Ruger and Ruger as I udnerstand it has a better policy about repairing their guns.
I'm looking at Taurus 85s as I have personal experience with those and have had great luck. I 'm staying away from Kel-tecs, nothing against the gun this pistol would be fired a likely 100rds once a month and I'm trying to market the firearm for my FFL guys to get them more sales (one hand washes another). My FFL guys do their sales 10% above wholesale(which is a big difference from all the gunshops around me), $10 for the NCIS and such, $30 for the finders commission(my cut more or less) and then a 7% slapped on top for sales tax. Even on kel-tecs we save the consumer close to a $100 and on the more pricer items like S&W the savings are at least $100 but on items like the NIB 627 PC it's been more than a few hundred dollars. It's all above board and students will complain that purchase and pickup are at least a week apart(to cover the three day wait and shipping, and when I can be there with the FFL guys so they aren't alone).
All said the choices right now are the Ruger LCP(I just don't like the LCR after I've handled and got to shoot one, something doesn't rub me right and I'm a big fan of Ruger products normally), and Taurus 85. The critieria is that the gun must be able to handle a +P round, have a good warranty for repair(even If I have to wait six months), and run less than $400 or just slightly above(most of my students are first time newbs who may not likely need absolute top of the line but still need good and reliable). And on a by and by, when I use ammo for the classes I write it up at cost so if a box of .380 auto runs me $15, that's what I charge the students(my mom's a CPA and it keeps the taxes simpler she tells me).
I'm just trying to find that golden mean where I'm helping new shooters while helping myself at the same time. Good business to help one's self while helping others I figure.
So I'm looking at adding another pistol that merely isn't another .22lr(I write up each use .22lr pistol in the class as $5 figured into the net so every forty uses of the .22lr I try to add another one which is usually a Heritage). I'd like to add more guns that are CCW central. I'm looking at a Ruger LCP, I do bulk orders on ammuntion and always store some ammo away so i've got around 1.5k .380 auto. I've had great luck selling the ammo at gunshows for $5 a box over what I paid for it (get it for less than $15, sell it for less than $20 which is better than $40 that others are offering) but with things winding down a little I'd like to add a Ruger LCP as I can get one for less than $300. I thougth about a S&W 642 or 638 but I don't think they'll hold up like the Ruger and Ruger as I udnerstand it has a better policy about repairing their guns.
I'm looking at Taurus 85s as I have personal experience with those and have had great luck. I 'm staying away from Kel-tecs, nothing against the gun this pistol would be fired a likely 100rds once a month and I'm trying to market the firearm for my FFL guys to get them more sales (one hand washes another). My FFL guys do their sales 10% above wholesale(which is a big difference from all the gunshops around me), $10 for the NCIS and such, $30 for the finders commission(my cut more or less) and then a 7% slapped on top for sales tax. Even on kel-tecs we save the consumer close to a $100 and on the more pricer items like S&W the savings are at least $100 but on items like the NIB 627 PC it's been more than a few hundred dollars. It's all above board and students will complain that purchase and pickup are at least a week apart(to cover the three day wait and shipping, and when I can be there with the FFL guys so they aren't alone).
All said the choices right now are the Ruger LCP(I just don't like the LCR after I've handled and got to shoot one, something doesn't rub me right and I'm a big fan of Ruger products normally), and Taurus 85. The critieria is that the gun must be able to handle a +P round, have a good warranty for repair(even If I have to wait six months), and run less than $400 or just slightly above(most of my students are first time newbs who may not likely need absolute top of the line but still need good and reliable). And on a by and by, when I use ammo for the classes I write it up at cost so if a box of .380 auto runs me $15, that's what I charge the students(my mom's a CPA and it keeps the taxes simpler she tells me).
I'm just trying to find that golden mean where I'm helping new shooters while helping myself at the same time. Good business to help one's self while helping others I figure.