I'm a partner on a Type 01 FFL, so kind of.
If we're talking about XD/Taurii and McGunStore types of guns, you're absolutely right. Those buyers are totally different customers and you're right about that demographic being affected by prevailing politics. Tactical Chad that wants that totally fuckin' sick XD-E is absolutely worried about another $100 and what his girlfriend Courtney thinks about buying it.
But the folks that actually spend $2500+ on a neutered HK MP5 instead of a $1600 neutered MP5, because the $2500 one has "HK" stamped on it, well, they're not the same sort of customer, and those are the ones I'm talking about.
Oh I've learned. There's about 49 people that'll come in and talk big about spending that kind of coin, and one guy that'll quietly come in and just plop down the cash without any fuss and hardly any discussion. The trick is to be kind enough to those other 49 to get them to come back and buy something, without wasting too much time and without being busy when Mr #50 walks in.
I predict there's going to be a lot of #50 types of buyers when it comes to these SP5's, that's all I'm saying. Which would make at least the first few runs of these SP5's fairly insulated from the current political climate.
Last edited by JRB; 11-23-2019 at 07:09 AM.
Glock sells "a lot". Ruger sells "a lot". HK does not sell "a lot".
My shop sold around 50 SP5Ks from release to end of import. I've sold "a lot" more Taurus G2C (PT111 when it was that) pistols and made more money from them over the same time period.
I've been doing this a while, long enough to know that the SP5 may be cool but it really isn't when it comes to a business perspective.
You're looking at this from a perspective of shelf stock that sells and makes you money. In that context; no fucking shit, Sherlock.
I'm talking about HK getting their money out of selling these SP5's. HK will sell every single one they make to happy distributors that will sell every one of them on allocation, where a lot of them will end up on GB before selling at a happy margin to well-heeled HK dorks. Most smaller names in the brick and mortar business will literally never see one because the average gun store customer is going to fingerfuck it and shrug and say it's too expensive. It'll get a lot of finger fucking though.
Again, totally fucking different gun, market, and customer than walk-in brick and mortar XD and Taurus guy.
Last edited by JRB; 11-24-2019 at 08:47 AM.