“AR-style platform rifles are still selling very well for us,” notes H&H owner Miles Hall.
Inventories have caught up to demand, though, and prices for new rifles are down 15 to 25 percent of what they were earlier in 2013. Bolt-action rifle sales were stagnant, but were beginning to nudge up, what with the Oklahoma gun deer season on the near horizon.
Tight supplies of .22 LR rimfire ammunition have slowed normally strong sales of .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles and handguns. It’s tough to sell a nice .22 AR, Hall notes, when you can only offer customers two boxes of the appropriate ammo.
Reloaders are buying up once-fired brass, especially 9mm and .380 handgun brass. A 500-count package of 9mm brass sells for $12.98, while a 200-count bag of empty .380s commands $8.48.
Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the December 2, 2013 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Recommended Resources
Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15
