Wholesaler of choice

K

KenG

Guest
Hello, I am just getting my rifle building business going and I need to find a good wholesaler of firearms for gunsmiths. I have a full time job and build rifles on the side. I noticed a lot of places require a store front with so many hours a week and a whole bunch of stipulations. I need a wholesaler who doesn't make me jump through hoops. Thanks Ken
 
KenG said:
Hello, I am just getting my rifle building business going and I need to find a good wholesaler of firearms for gunsmiths. I have a full time job and build rifles on the side. I noticed a lot of places require a store front with so many hours a week and a whole bunch of stipulations. I need a wholesaler who doesn't make me jump through hoops. Thanks Ken
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The kind of wholesalers that you want won't want you until they can be sure you are safe to lend money to. In other words most wholesalers are looking for a sucker. They will put the squeeze on you. Try to deal with Natchez, Davidson or the big National companies. If you are going to be a stocking dealer you need to have cash on hand and not go down this credit road.

Look for merchandise at bankruptcy sales, have cash to buyout dealers closings.

Until you get to the point that you are open at set hours a day for set days a week. Stay away from all but a minimum inventory. Do you know if you have and inventory tax to deal with?
 
I'm not planning on keeping an inventory, just a rifle here and there for a customer or for a build someone requests. I plan on being a cash sale only customer I don't want a credit account.
 
I buy most firearms from Jerry's Sport Center. A lot of my customers prefer Remington rifles and Jerry's has a full selection. You must have an FFL and register with them to purchase.
 
Yes I have a FFL, just looking for a good place to do business with.

Thx, ken
 
Jerry's is hard to beat on what they have. They just don't have alot for the custom gun builder.---Mike
 
Jerry's & Zanders but you have to be careful selling the gun you use for the build. When you do that according to ATF you are a manufacturer. If someone brings you the gun for the build you are all right.

Gary
 
They came and inspected me and made me change my application to manufacturer so I am covered in that respect. They didn't care if the rifle was new or brought to me by a customer if your going to be cutting on an action for people I would make sure you have a manufacturer FFL to cover all bases because this is a grey area and better safe than sorry.
 
I've been getting the supplies that I used to get from Midway from Graf & Son. Delivery time is as good as it gets. When Midway's dealer pricing went to a few cents under list price, I started looking for some place else to order reloading supplies, scopes and that kind of thing.
 
KenG said:
Hello, I am just getting my rifle building business going and I need to find a good wholesaler of firearms for gunsmiths. I have a full time job and build rifles on the side. I noticed a lot of places require a store front with so many hours a week and a whole bunch of stipulations. I need a wholesaler who doesn't make me jump through hoops. Thanks Ken
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Ken, what are you going to be doing? Lathe? Mill? Complete gunsmithing???

I'm always in the hunt for a local 'smith......

al
 
Buying gunsmithing supplies and goods..

I try to buy my tooling from tooling suppliers and not gunsmith supliers because I can get better prices. Brownells use to be my first choice but now there are many suppliers that have lower prices. Pacific Tool and Gauge makes and sells many vendors products. Dave Kiff is a great person to do business with. With the high price of much tooling neither Brownells or MidwayUSA do not keep large supplies of some tooling. You order it from them then they order it themself from their suppliers. I suggest you go to the Shot Show and meet the manufactures, distributors and develope a personal relationship with them.

As for Guns many distributors want their dealers to be a store front operations and maintain an inventory. Most have standard credit applicaions.
There are a few distributors who want sell to non store front dealers even if you pay cash for your inventory.

There are some firearm manufactures who require their dealers to buy a $150,000.00 worth of inventory up front and another $100,000.00 in the following calandar year. Most small operators can't afford this requirement.

The gun industry does not want the small gunsmith/manufacture buying and selling guns and shooting accessories. Neither does the government. The industry has gone big box stores and corporate. I have complained to the "GUN RETAILER" magazine that there is a conspiricy between the large manufactures, distributors, and government.

You as a small operator will be forced to pay higher prices and get less benefits from your distributors because of the volume you buy. An example I had a customer as me to buy him a Savage package rifle for Christmas last year. He has been very good to me and I choose to sell to him at my cost plus sales tax. A week later I was in a "Dicks" and they sold the same gun for what my cost was. The way to make a living in the gunsmithing business is to sell your services. There are some parts the customer can't buy without an FFL.

Good luck
Rustystud
 
Rustystud said:
You as a small operator will be forced to pay higher prices and get less benefits from your distributors because of the volume you buy. An example I had a customer as me to buy him a Savage package rifle for Christmas last year. He has been very good to me and I choose to sell to him at my cost plus sales tax. A week later I was in a "Dicks" and they sold the same gun for what my cost was. The way to make a living in the gunsmithing business is to sell your services. There are some parts the customer can't buy without an FFL.

Good luck
Rustystud
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I've seen the same thing. Places like Academy selling for my dealers cost. There is a difference in costs between wholesalers. Sports South has the best prices and inventory of the ones that I've used. I also use Davidson's and Jerry's Sport Center. I tried Accusport, but they wouldn't sell to me because I didn't fit their definition of a stocking dealer. I'm not interested in being a stocking dealer as I don't want to quit working on rifles to sell products and don't want to hire someone to sell.
 
Alinwa, i have a lathe and mill and focus on accuracy builds of bolt action rifles. I true actions from same setup threads,lugs,and face. install sako extractors,install tactical bolt handles, chamber and fit barrels, i do muzzle breaks and lots of other tasks. I KG Gun Kote and have access to bluing tanks. I don't work on peoples old junk or foreign semi auto stuff.

Rustystud, I get a lot of stuff from Dave Kiff incluing all my reamers and pilots, he is a heck of a nice guy and very helpful.

Mike Bryant, you hit the nail on the head, I'm not going to be a stocking dealer just an occasional rifle and I want to build them accurate and one at a time not sit behind a counter. I will try Jerry's it seems like a lot of people use them.
 
Distributors who sell to the little guy..

Jerrys Sports South, RSR, Greens, Hicks, Chattanoga Shooters Supply, Mid South, MidwayUSA, Cabelas, Sinclair, Brownells, Widners, Davidsons, some sell both wholesale and some sell both wholesale and retail. Some will beat you up on shipping also.
Rustystud
 
I use someone on this side of the river about a mile from my house, I do work for him and have access to his full bluing setup. It's a good deal for both of us. I'm glad because those bluing tanks take up a lot of room and are not very good to have around when you have kids.
 
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