At the 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, held this past January, there was an overall feeling the firearms market may be slowing down. Without the pressure of impending legislation or the negative media onslaught, many manufacturers felt sales numbers were behind 2013.
Rich McGehee, co-founder of Midwest Gun Works exhibited at the SHOT Show for the first time. Midwest Gun Works is one of the largest online firearms parts and accessories retailers, distributors and providers of gunsmithing services for manufacturers and enthusiasts. When asked his viewpoint on the market slowdown, Rich commented, “While the market has slowed on new modern sporting rifle (MSR) platforms, accessories and parts for them remain steady. We see the consumer picking up parts kits like the Bushmaster Lower parts kits at $69.00 Customers that had purchased AR lowers last year are now getting around to doing their builds.”
He continued, “Another strong accessory category right now is MEC-GAR Magazines. With the reputation for quality, price point and now availability, we are seeing strong sales on almost all models. The strongest sales are the 1911 magazines.”
And Rich feels that not all firearms sales are experiencing a sluggish growth.
“While MSR and other personal protection accessories are strong we here at MGW continue to see the shotgun market sales grow with brands like Benelli. Benelli is very strong in the Midwest because it crosses over tactical, sport and hunting activities. We also continue to see strong sales of Benelli branded accessories, as well as upgrade parts, such as, RCI (Xrail), Surecycle, Tac-Star and others.”
Midwest Gun Works is more than just a retailer/distributor site. MGW rounds out their offerings with a full array of gunsmithing services. MGW is one of the leading warranty repair facilities for the top firearms manufacturers; a well-kept industry secret!
“Gunsmithing, custom builds and restorations are in full swing. On basic services like installing Trijicon night sights, we see a huge demand. Not only in sales, but installation as well. As market trends fluctuate in the industry, gunsmithing services never change. It is always an extremely popular service to offer. With 2013 setting records for the number of firearms manufactured, gunsmithing services will continue to grow and the demand to customize has never been greater.”
It is companies like Midwest Gun Works, which stays a step ahead of their customers by listening to what their customers, both end-users and B2B, want.
