What are good gun-related businesses to start?

[losangeles]

As I mentioned in the other post, I'm going through mid-life crisis and have decided I really like guns and wish to do some work involving guns. The other post was about gun-related jobs. This one is suggestions for gun-related businesses to start.

I've been successful starting businesses on the Internet and brick-and-mortar, too (and have had my share of failures). I'd like some ideas for new startups.

 

[losangeles]

Let me start with the following:

1. Owning a gunstore
2. Owning a gunshop with a staff of gunsmiths
3. International arms dealer

I don't have a clue how lucrative those can be. Although #3 above made Adnan Khoshoggi, a Saudi, the richest man in the world at one time. (BTW, I'm assuming a business that is completely legal.)

 

[Thefabulousfink]

Where do you live and how much can you invest?

If you can find the time, space, and money, setting up a shooting resort is a great way to make money. There are many places throughout the West that have tactical shooting courses, guided hunts, seminars, and training. These places make loads of money from people interested in top quality training or just rich businessmen from big cities who don't have the time/ facilities to shoot.

Some of these places charge +$1000 a night. Of course service needs to be top quality to charge that kind of fee, but short of international arms dealer, it is the fastest way to make $$ in the gun industry.

 

[losangeles]

Thanks for the suggestion. A high-end shooting resort sounds great. However, I suspect this is something in the million dollar range, investment-wise, which wouldn't work for me.

I can probably contribute a couple hundred thousand tops and maybe finance the rest. I have more money but at this stage in my life I can't take too many high risks.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

You could find some like minded investers to go in on it with you. Like I said before, alot will depend on the demand in the area that you are in. People will expect experts, but they can be hired. Mabey try talking with local LE and SWAT, if you facilitys are good you might be able to work out a deal where they can train there if they let their instructors teach a few times a year.

It Is an exspensive venture, but I have been seeing these to very good business lately.

 

[losangeles]

Hmmm, you may be on to something. Getting a syndicate of like-minded entrepreneurs makes sense.

To answer your question, I'm in California.

I guess we're talking about two types of clientele: (1) rich businessmen for the resort concept, and (2) LE who need specialized training.

You're right -- you can always hire expertise. There are plenty of consultants in the area, with nice resumes, who are eager to be hired by the hour, so staff is not a problem.

You know, I heard a story about an American who went somewhere in Asia to start a shooting resort. He attracted very, very wealthy clientele for his shooting range. But it wasn't just shooting. It was "wine, women and song". He was very successful with it. It was obviously a full-scale effort, not something as easy as putting up a brick-and-mortar store on Main Street.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

No, it's not. Like all things in life you get out of it what you put into it. The idea I posted is a very extreme and expensive one, however, it has the potential to pay off quite well. There are lots of other good gun-related jobs out there, but some require lots of knowledge or experience to be good at, others, like opening a range/store are easy, but also very hard to make a living at.

Whatever you choose, think it through completely. You want a job that you enjoy, and would probably prefer not having to count every .001% of profit just to get by.

Best of luck in whatever you choose.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Open an indoor range in a city without one.

 

[losangeles]

Open an indoor range in a city without one.

Makes a lot of sense. I'm in LA and there are a few here. Not sure though I'd like to relocate a hundred miles or so to make it happen. My lifestyle (and that of the family) is pretty entrenched in our current community.

 

[PvtPyle]

You are in LA and want a gun related business? Unless you are somehow involved with the movie industry, get used to doing this: :banghead:

Not to say that it cant be done, but it is going to be a rough haul in todays political climate. For some reason though, movie and training companies don't have the problems the common man does, but cracking that nut is as hard as the political one.

 

[sm]

1) With the increase of poorer Quality Control of new Firearms, perhaps a Independent Mail Services Business with UPS and Fed Ex would be good. One that would not give the firearm owner such hassles when he shot 10 rounds, concluded the beta testing for firearm manufacturer.

2) Umpteen years ago I read by some now forgotten Writer- the idea of a Rimfire shooting range. I concur with this idea. My thinking runs to something akin to 5 stand, or Sporting clays where shooter use .22 rimfire only.

Set these up for handgun, rifle, either, both ...no matter.

Have these set up such for various skills levels. Heck even do a indoor one for handguns.

Be kinda neat to have the family go out and spend quality time together shooting the "wabbit stages", "squirrel stages", and gotta have the "knock the tin cans off the fence" stage.

Nothing wrong with making money off folks having FUN!!

paxstage. Subtitled "disappearing penny" stage. For sure that one has to be included. Be a favorite of kids no doubt.

 

[kage genin]

The Santa Anita shooting range was an indoor pistol range located on Huntington Drive in Monrovia. It was a wonderful place, great facilities, good prices, and rental guns to boot! I loved that place, but the owners mysteriously packed up and sold one day. Never understood why. Would you consider opening up a range like that? I wonder if the old facilities are still there and what they did with them... it was interesting, built right into a commercial office park. The soundproofing was so good you could never tell from the outside that there were guns going off inside.

 

[Michael Courtney]

Deer culling

The small businesses that are doing deer culling for local municipalities are charging around $500/head.

A lot of that is for insurance and other costs, but deer culling should at least be a growth industry for a few years.

I wouldn't get into retail or any gun business where one needs to own more capital than one expects in annual profits.

You want something on the service end. Good taxidermists and gunsmiths are hard to come by.

There'd be a lot less risk just working in the firearms department at a local Gander Mountain. You could run a gunsmithing, taxidermist, or CHL-training business on the side.

Michael Courtney

 

[Sry0fcr]

Online gun store. Just find a distributer that drop ships.

 

[James Brady]

If you're handy, consider becoming a custom firearms manufacturer. Trust me, there are not too many gun makers out there. I'd even argue we could use another 1911 company or two.

I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That said, there are an awful lot of ugly guns out there. And I'm including recent designs. How hard is it to make them functional, reliable, AND beautiful? I have no doubt there is a certain sex appeal to guns. Capture that and market share will follow.

 

[grnzbra]

The small businesses that are doing deer culling for local municipalities are charging around $500/head.

Yeah. They did that in Princeton, NJ. I was laughing my a$$ off. I could just see a buncha huntin' buddies getting together up in New Hampshire and forming a company to come down to Yuppietown, NJ and use rifles and silencers (local hunters can only use shotguns or black powder rifles on deer. And silencers? Ha!) to get paid to do something out of season that they like to do and get paid to do it. Yessss!

 

[Correia]

Regardless of what suggestions you get on here, do research. Lots of research specific for your area. See what the market opportunities are.

The gun industry is not huge. The entire US gun industry is smaller than Home Depot. Be aware that there are very few wealthy people in this business compared to most other industries, and if you want to make a decent living you need to work hard and be very smart.

In your area you are facing an uphill battle.

Speaking from experience (own a gunstore) don't think that banks or the SBA is going to throw money at you. Especially in your state. All you need is one person on the loan committee to freak out at the evil black scary baby killing guns and no loan for you.