Pump up your airgun and paintball sales: from traditional BB guns to high-tech paint blasters, here's a segment of the market that's growing!

Author: Shooting Industry

Airgun and painthall products are gaining renewed attention in the marketplace, attracting more buyers and more dealers.

"Interest in airguns and paintball supplies and equipment has increased in recent years," said Christopher Newman of Montana Hawk, a sporting goods shop in Cotati, Calif. "We sell plenty of mid-to high-end airguns, as well as some of the more basic, cheaper models for beginners."

"We are dealers of Crosman airgun products, as well as Diablo Marketing's Game Face paintball gear, among other brands," Newman said. "We are pleased with the success we've had with these products."

Another successful airgun dealer is David Ransberger of Cal Customs in rural Fallbrook, Calif. Ransberger enjoys a robust firearms and gunsmithing business, as well as the dealership and warranty work for Crosman.

"Everybody is a potential customer for airguns in our retail store," said Ransberger, a retired Marine. "We get plenty of grove and ranch owners with animal pest problems, as well as parents and grandparents buying for children and grandchildren. Our local farmers and ranchers have a big ground-squirrel infestation. They are able to keep the numbers under control with airguns and pellets."

At Montana Hawk, Newman places a lot of emphasis on his airgun and paintball operation.

"Some airguns and paintball markers (as paintball guns are now called) are powered by refillable compressed air tanks. We offer tank refills at our retail outlet," Newman said.

His considerable increase in paintball equipment sales has prompted Newman to consider opening an indoor range.

"The paintball range nearby closed not long ago, so we are exploring the possibility of an indoor facility at our 16,000 square-foot Cotati location," Newman said. "Right now, the nearest paintball range is several miles from the store."

Newman spreads the word on his operation through television and print advertising. With airguns playing such a large part of Newman's business, he has also moved into using modem technology to build success.

"About three years ago, we began experimenting with Internet marketing," Newman said. "We tried archery, airguns and paintball equipment. There was little demand for archery equipment, but we now enjoy about 80 percent of our airgun sales through our Internet business (www.airgunstore.com)."

Traditional Sales

While there are many high-tech airguns on the market, Ransberger at Cal Customs sells mostly traditional air rifles.

"Recently, we had three different sets of grandparents come in to buy airguns for their grandchildren," Ransberger said. "Most of our airgun sales are rifles, about 80 percent. We sell some of the lower-priced guns, but plenty are in the mid- to high-price range."

Ransberger doesn't advertise, relying on word of month to attract customers.

"Many of our customers have friends and neighbors who already own airguns, and they come in to buy what they have already seen in action," Ransberger said. "Over the past year or so, it seems owning and shooting airguns, safely, has become more acceptable, at least in my part of Southern California."

AIRGUNS & PAINTBALLAirForce Airguns          306Avanti                    307Beeman Precision Airguns  308Benjamin                  309Brass Eagle               310BSA Optics                311B-Square                  312C-More Systems            313Crosman Corp.             314CZ USA                    315Daisy Outdoor Products    316Diablo (Game Face)        317Dynamit Noble/RWS         318Gamo USA                  319JT USA                    320Marksman Products         331PMI                       322Smith & Wesson (Crosman)  323TruGlo Inc.               324Walther USA               325

RELATED ARTICLE : Selecting The Airgun Inventory

Air rifles and pistols cover the full range of prices, from less than $100 to more than a $1,000 for the most accurate rifles. In designs, they resemble familiar firearm models powered by CO2, up to the highly accurate imported springand compressed-air rifles.

AirForce Airguns offers rifles built primarily for the adult market. The highpowered air rifles are made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and polymers. Two models are available, the Talon and TalonSS. Both are single-shot rifles that operate on high-pressure air. The Talon features a Lothar Walther .22 caliber match barrel with adjustable power levels from 400 to 1,000 feet per second. The TalonSS is available in .22 or .177 caliber.

Avanti air pistols and rifles are designed for experienced shooters involved in match competition and precision target shooting. The Medallist 888 competition air rifle is a [CO.sub.2] single-shot bolt action with hooded front sight with changeable aperture inserts and micrometer adjustable rear peep. It has an adjustable trigger pull and adjustable trigger pull length.

Beeman's R7 is an intermediate sporting air rifle. At just a shade over 6 pounds, the R7 is easy to handle and pack in the field. It offers velocities up to 700 feet per second in .177. It's also available in .20 caliber. The R7 rifle features a double-jointed cocking lever; multi-lever, full-adjustable trigger; and checkering on the pistol grip and a rubber butt plate. The rifle has a click micrometer rear sight and scope grooves cut directly into the receiver for added stability.

Benjamin has two new high-velocity spring-air, break-barrel air rifles. They feature break-barrel cocking, hooded metal front sights; rifled steel barrels; hand-finished, checkered, hardwood Monte Carlo stocks and forends; rubber butt plates and automatic ambidextrous safeties.

The Benjamin RM622 model takes .22 caliber pellets and has a muzzle velocity up to 825 feet per second. The RM777 in .177 caliber has a muzzle velocity up to 1,100 feet per second.

Crosman has three new break-barrel rifles in .177 and .22 caliber. Crosman also has a new floor display that holds 12 air rifles with a top shelf for ammunition and [CO.sub.2] cartridges.

For those customers not interested in high-velocity airguns, Crosman's BB Scout is an excellent offering. The low-velocity (up to 300 feet per second) lever-action BB repeater has vintage Western styling. It has a handcrafted checkered wood stock and forend, etched receiver, ambidextrous slide-style safety and adjustable rear sight.

In Crosman air handguns, there's the [CO.sub.2]-powered Model 3576W, which features a 6-inch barrel, 10-shot rotary clip action and heavyweight feel. The 4-inch barrel version is available in a Shooter's Kit that includes an extra 8-inch barrel, paper targets, three 10-shot rotary pellet clips, a red-dot sight and mounts, all in a hard-sided case.

Daisy's Model 15XTP [CO.sub.2] pistol in .177 has a 15-shot built-in magazine, molded black checkered grips, blade and ramp front sights, fixed rear open sights and a Max Speed Electronic Point Sight.

There are a number of merchandising displays from Daisy, including a 4-gun version, and one devoted to Daisy's foundation air rifle, the Red Ryder.

Daisy also offers air rifles bearing the Winchester name. In addition to the four Winchester air rifles, there is now Winchester air rifle hunting pellets in .117 and .22 caliber.

Gamo offers a complete line of air pistols, rifles, pellets, targets, laser and red dot sights and BSA airgun optics.

The Gamo Shadow 1000 is designed for target shooting, plinking and small-game hunting. The single-shot offers 1,000 feet-per-second velocity in a .177 pellet. It features a black synthetic stock with dual cheekpiece for ambidextrous shooting, ventilated rubber buttpad, and rifled steel barrel with dovetail grooves for a scope. It's available with a mounted BSA 4x32mm scope.

The Shadow 1000 is equipped with TruGlo fiber optic sights with rear sight adjustments; a two-stage, adjustable trigger; and manual safety. It weighs 6.6 pounds.

RWS has an ideal starter air rifle in the Model RWS 512. It delivers a .177 pellet at 500 feet per second, and has an automatic safety, scope rail and synthetic stock.

The Model RWS 514 is a radically different rifle for RWS. With a futuristic design, the .177 caliber rifle has a five-round magazine and hooded front sight.

Smith & Wesson air guns (from Crosman) offer revolvers that are remarkably like the real models. The Model 686, with 4-inch barrel, is a [CO.sub.2] powered .177 caliber revolver that duplicates the .357 magnum. Its all metal construction gives the 686 a realistic look and feel. The revolver is double action with a 10-shot metal clip.

Walter's new lever-action rifles (from Crosman) offer a touch of the Old West. Four models are available. The rifles take standard .177 caliber pellets and are powered by two [CO.sub.2] cartridges. They feature adjustable sighting systems, eight-shot pellet clips, single-action triggers, adjustable front and rear sights and rifled barrels in two lengths, 15 and 18.9 inches. One model comes equipped with a 4 x 32mm scope.

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