I started selling PCPs almost 2 years ago and I notice this year has been quite the decline in interest. My existing customers love them but I am really struggling to get new people interested more than ever. I am competetive with online pricing at a local level and even fix peoples gun for free and educate them on how to use and work on everything but interest has just about ground to a halt. I don't get it. I love PCP's.
Is airgun interest going away?
- Thread starter Cody01
- Start date
It is a very weird thing. Introduce a "gun guy" to a good PCP and they seem really interested but never move on it. It's like they're thinking, "well that's a viable option, but they haven't banned firearms yet, so screw it."
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For me PCP opens a whole new world of where you can shoot undected. Basically just about anywhere. We pugeons, gophers, and many others pest inside the city that PCP is perfect for and you could never shoot a firearm like that in those places. It gives you so much more trigger time.
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You're preaching to the Choir around here! lol
I'd assume it's not so much a PCP issue, it's more of a "tough financial times" issue, with people cutting back.
For most people, a PCP purchase is a luxury item, compared to a handgun or a hunting rifle.
For most people, a PCP purchase is a luxury item, compared to a handgun or a hunting rifle.
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Ya I seeing that. I did ok last year so I went a head and loaded up good on inventory and now its just sitting.
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Absolutely! It's the economy. The price of simple produce lately at the supermarket makes my airgun hobby look like a bargain. Airguns only went up maginally, produce has doubled in price. With the election coming up, the gas prices are coming down though. Of course, the day after...
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People need to see airguns to get interested in them. Most people can’t shoot firearms in the backyard but they can shoot airguns or even in the house or garage. So they don’t take them to the gun range with them for other shooters to see or try. How many of us in the past were at the range and someone shooting a gun that peaked our interest. Soon your talking to the owner and they offered to let you try it. Next you know you own one. Waiting for people to walk into a airgun shop as the way to grow the sport will be a slow go. Every airgun shop owner I have met bends over backwards to build the sport but it can’t all be on them to do it. Everyone one on this forum need to be introducing people to airguns. And not to disparage the shooter that can only afford a $150 big box store gun. The big shoots like the Northeast Classic, Pyramid Air Cup, RMAC are fantastic displays of shooting skill and equipment but beyond the reach of many shooters. Trying to get local shoots at simple paper and novelty targets started will help grow the sport.
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I think it's a matter of big online outlets having lots of brands of airguns and a web site that allows folks to just shop literally anytime by browsing the site(s), jumping back and forth between youtube videos and checking the specs and price of a particular gun at different online stores, and the whole convenience of shopping on their laptop or other computer. We have one store near by that is specifically an airgun store. When I say "near by", I mean a 20 minute drive there and another 20 minute drive back, and no guarantee of what guns they have in stock to even look at. They've been here a lot longer than I've owned my FX Maverick (that I bought online 3.5 years ago), but I only found out that this airgun store even existed two months ago. It's "Mom and Pop" stores VS multi-million dollar online stores. It's like Radio Shack. I loved that we had one just a few blocks away, but every time I bought something there I always wondered how they managed to stay in business. In the end, they didn't. Same thing happened with local computer shops that had all kinds of pieces/parts that I would need when building or re-building computers -- those shops are GONE. I have to go online now just to order stand-offs to mount the MB to a chassis. For some things these days, on-line shopping isn't even a choice -- it's the only way to get stuff. You have to start selling on line to the entire nation to survive -- not just to the locals. If I google search for a particular airgun that you sell, will I see the name of your shop in the results? If the answer to this question is "no", then you need to do whatever it takes to change the answer to "yes". By the way, what is the name of your business?
stovepipe
stovepipe
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I think alot of people are tightening up, and definitely not getting into a new hobby right now. 2nd hand market has slowed way down too.
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I definitely concur that it's the economy. People just can't afford 'luxury' items like airguns. I've even noticed a LOT of the for sale stuff on AGN seems stagnant. When I think back a few years ago to the booming airgun stretch, I for one, utilized every penny of my stimulus money to keep it going 
Economies come and go. I just hope the next regime knows what they're doing to stimulate it the right way.
Economies come and go. I just hope the next regime knows what they're doing to stimulate it the right way.Upvote 0
I hear ya! My security camera business is slow,as well as our farm goods. Even my one large mushroom company is hurting for orders. I have put off getting a Condor SS for sometime now due to this.
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Typical for an election year as well as poop economy. All online is way down. Just how it cycles every 4 years. Ive been in the business awhile now.
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Ding Ding Ding! We got a winner. The economy is slowing, inflation skyrocketing. It’s an election year. Plenty of reasons not to blow money on hobbies.
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Price sells. In a down market you have to slim your profit margins to increase interest and sales.
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The world is in upheaval and some may find it distracting and downright upsetting. Which makes people reluctant to spend money on $2000+ air guns.
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There is at least one airgunner at my club who is busy preparing for some revolution or apocalypse related to the November elections.
I think there is a lot of overlap between impressionable individuals who get excited about things and individuals who make impulsive airgun purchases. Right now they've been sufficiently scared by their preferred media sources that they're canning goods instead of living their normal lives.
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Well I guess I'll stay the course and hope things get better. After owning PCPs I have no interest in ever touching a break barrel again and I shoot my powder guns so much less because I don't have to drive to a range an hour away to shoot. PCP just makes so much sense I guess I just don't understand why people aren't buying much.
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This is probably just because they are cutting back in production so they aren't stuck with inventory that they would have to eventually discount. I would really love to believe that you are right, but taking it all in and looking at the state of everything, I doubt it.
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