Which segment of the gun industry for presentation?

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SATX man

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Hi, everyone I have to do a presentation on the gun industry for my last class so my professor suggested I pick a segment of the gun industry: handgun (revolver, semi auto), rifle (bolt-action, AR/AK or rim fire), or NFA. How hard will it be able to find the following subsections?
1. Industry size and significant subsegments
2. Competitive environment
3. Value chain/supply chain
4. Entry barriers
5. Major trends/significant events
6. Key success factors
7. History
 
Judging from your list it sounds like the topic of your paper may be starting a business in a certain industry and you've chosen the gun industry?

Or is this an examination of a certain company / industry and you have to explain each numbered-point on your list?

Let us know, then we can zero in our advice.

Thanks,
DFW1911
 
Hard to give suggestions if we don't know your topic is. But if it fits, why don't you talk about the disruption in the gun economy after the 2008 elections and how it affected pricing and what manufacturers did in response? Allegedly the new CZ P-01 I picked up is a direct result of this. It has a european slide (same gun different roll marks) and I've heard someone say that these were shipped over to keep up with the supply. Somehow this resulted in me getting a P-01 for over a hundred dollars less than a standard P-01.
 
I would select from the following list considering how you have segmented the industry in your original post:

- Civilian Tactical such as AR-15, AK-47 and Short Shotguns, include 3-gun and IPSC
- Civilian Defense or Handguns & Home Defense Firearms
- Hunting (this may be too wide though)
- Military/LEO Tactical (NFA Stuff, and what they ACTUALLY use)
- High Precision & High Dollar such as One-Off and customized match rifles also long-range calibers.
- Relic & Historical Market, this focusing on things from the M1 Garands to flint-lock muzzle loaders valued for historical value.

I think that picking "Only Bolt-actions" is not a good segmentation because I own a bolt .22LR, which is in no way comparable to a military bolt rifle like a Mosin. Also a Ruger 10/22 is not an SR-25 or AR-10 but they are all semi-auto. Also the specialization of Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun is extremely broad and has the same issues. I think you should pick a segment or usage and focus on the arms used by those people.

Really if I were you I would focus on becoming a manufacturer of a specific rifle or part like AR-15 Lowers and go from there. If you are looking at a retail establishment consider the market you want to cater to.
 
I'd recommend looking into the competition pistol segment of handguns, specifically, race guns used in the open divisions.

Large enough topic to provide you with the material you need. Small enough to be easily managed. It would be an excellent way to show how entrepreneurs compete with big business, and shows an example of how handguns are more commonly used for things other than crime. Between IPSC/USPSA, steel challenge, and bowling pin matches, there is a lot of good info that would support your task.
 
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