Few things make a customer’s eyes glaze over like a wall lined with firearms.

Optics can also stop consumers in their tracks. After all, who doesn’t love a good scope or red dot? Then there’s ammo. A firearm with a quality optic is an expensive paperweight if you don’t have rounds to feed through it. Hunters and shooters love ammo. It comes in different grains, bullet types and the list goes on.

These products are shop staples. They move the needle. But what about those products that don’t have the “wow” factor, those must-have items that don’t have that eye-drawing shelf appeal? Not only should you have them, but these are the products that move off the shelf on a regular basis and can really boost the bottom line.

I’m referring to targets, gun cleaning products, gun refinishing supplies, shooting equipment and gun cases. Guns need to be cleaned. Guns need to be worked on. There are lots of guys and gals that like to build their own rifles and work on their own equipment. Some may need to fix an actual problem, while others may want to restore or customize. Cleaning is a big deal. Most gun nuts keep their babies spotless.

Shooters need targets. The wider your selection of targets, the more you will move. Then there are items like hearing-protection devices, eyewear, gun rests, range bags, clay target throwers and the list goes on.

Of course, all guns need a home. While most gun owners have a safe, that safe doesn’t ride well to the range or woods. Cases are a must. I talked to one shop owner recently who told me, “Cases are crucial. You want to carry plenty of them — those that are good for air travel as well as good soft cases. I had a lady come in the other day and buy 20 soft cases. She has 20 nephews and she was Christmas shopping. That boosted the bank account for the day.”   

On Target

While those products may not have a serious awe-factor, they are necessary, and your customers will be on the prowl for them. Be a one-stop-shop for your clients by carrying an array of products from Birchwood Casey.

No one does targets like Birchwood. Targets add an element of enjoyment to shooting and are used by hunters, competition shooters and recreationalists. Birchwood Casey offers targets for everyone. The most popular, arguably, are their Shoot-N-C targets. Featuring a self-adhesive backing, these targets stick to almost anything, and bullet holes are revealed with bright chartreuse rings. These rings make identifying shot placement from a distance very easy, which removes the need to walk back and forth to confirm bullet placement. We live in a world where time is precious. Targets like this reduce sight-in time. Guys and gals can go to the range, set up the spotter and make necessary adjustments quickly and easily.

Shoot-N-C targets also add a fun factor. My 14-year-old son, Hunter, loves them. His favorites are the reactive gaming targets like the Pregame 12x18-inch Trick Shot, Chip Shot and ShotBoard. He and his friends shoot for hours at these targets. I love it. Yes, I spend plenty of money on them at my local gun shop, but I’d rather them be shooting gaming targets than inside “shooting” at a screen.

I honestly don’t know how many target SKUs Birchwood has, but the list is long and distinguished. Rifle hunters and plinkers alike covet steel targets like the SharpShooter Spinner, BoomSlang AR500 Gong and World Of Targets .22 Rimfire Dueling Tree. Wildgame targets featuring full-color graphic images provide a more realistic shooting experience and tend to move well when placed close to checkout.

Clean It

Firearms don’t clean themselves. The more you shoot, the dirtier they get. A New York buddy of mine helped me with a little survey recently. He’s a gunsmith at a popular shop and recently had to run the entire shop for a day. I asked him to keep track of every time a gun-cleaning item was purchased. At day’s end, he had 74 tally marks.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he told me later that evening. “We were busy, but I didn’t realize how many gun cleaning items we moved. Most gun buyers purchased a kit. They buy a gun and need a good kit to clean it with. Others stopped in for a synthetic oil, a gun scrubber, or brushes and pads.”

Gun cleaning kits are a staple, and Birchwood Casey has them for rifles, shotguns and handguns. Another popular item is Birchwood’s Gun Scrubber & Synthetic Oil aerosol combo pack. Gun Scrubber is a safe firearm cleaner. The high-pressure spray cleans firearms without disassembly, which is perfect for most shooters. Gun Scrubber cleans deep and evaporates fast. The Synthetic Gun Oil is designed to clean, protect and lubricate.

“I use lots of Birchwood Casey products every day when gunsmithing,” my gunsmith friend told me. “Some people need major work done, while others just want a good cleaning and a once-over done on their favorite firearm. Birchwood products work, period. I also highly recommend their Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth. This product works wonders and removes rust as well as leading and burn rings. The cloth can be cut to size, and works well on shotguns, rifles, handguns and muzzleloaders. 

DIY Supply

With DIY videos covering just about everything on YouTube, the customization craze is running at full-tilt, and more and more gun owners are refinishing their own firearms. Some want a different look, while others feel the need to restore a cherished family heirloom.

Birchwood Casey offers complete finish kits for bluing, stock refinishing and Perma coloring. While these products might not fly off your shelves, it’s a great idea to have a few of them on hand. Another great kit for the tinkering gunsmith is the Weekender Professional GunSmith Kit. This kit contains 27 tools selected by gunsmiths.

“We do custom gunsmithing,” my buddy says. “Is it shooting ourselves in the foot by carrying these products? Not really. Guys and gals that go the DIY route won’t have us do it anyway. At least when they come in and see us using Birchwood products, they can buy many of those same products off our shelves.”

Protection

When I was in high school and college, you didn’t hear much about protecting your hearing. And after years of shooting without ear protection, I have some hearing loss as a result. Here are some sobering facts:

• A single gun blast can cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
• Once hearing damage is done, it can’t be reversed.
• Gunfire is an impact noise, not a constant noise. Impact noise causes serious hearing issues.

Today’s shooters protect their ears. Even stubborn holdouts will muff the ears of a newbie shooter they are teaching. You want to have plenty of hearing protection options available. Most shooters opt for cheap foam, while others will shell out a few more bucks for reusable corded ear plugs. Birchwood offers both. Growing in popularity, however, are muff-style protectors. Birchwood offers a litany of options. Recently, I’ve been putting its Ekrest Carbon Fiber Electronic Muffs to the test and I’ve been very pleased with them.

With an NRR rating of 26 dB, these muffs significantly weaken all sound above 85 dB. I’ve shot thousands of rounds wearing these muffs, and not once have I had a ringing ear or felt like my hearing was compromised. A simple-to-operate on/off switch ensures volume control for variable sound amplification. The muffs also feature two omni-directional microphones. The unit operates on a pair of AA batteries. I love these things on the range and in the woods. My hearing is protected, yet I can easily hear others talking. They are ideal for young shooters who need their ears protected, but also need to be able to hear instructions.

Eye protection is just as important, and Birchwood offers a number of economical options in an array of lens styles and colors. 

Shoot Better

When it comes to sighting-in, some go the sled route. Personally, I don’t like sleds. You can’t use them in the field, and they eliminate any possibility of human error. When I shoot, I want to feel the jitters — know where my rounds hit when using a solid rest but not a lock-my-gun-down sled. Plus, sleds are pricy.

This season I’ve been using Birchwood’s Nest Rest 2-Piece Shooting Rest. Both my son and I love it. The feel is stable — much like shooting from sticks or prone off a backpack. I also love the price. The set costs a mere $30. Put some pictures up in the shop of you and your employees sighting-in using the Nest Rest 2-Piece and watch them go out the door.

Case It

I’ve already mentioned how quickly gun cases can move out your door, and when it comes to giving your customers a safehouse for their shotgun, rifle, handgun or muzzleloader, Birchwood has you covered. From leather to aluminum to padded, Birchwood gives your customers options. One of the most popular, according to my New York gunsmith, is Birchwood’s SportLock 52-inch A-TACS Camo Shotgun Case. The case is streamlined to prevent snagging, sports heavy-duty zippers, a protective muzzle cap and quilted interior padding that’s guaranteed to protect.

“Most every new gun buyer gets a soft case of some sort,” says Colorado gun shop owner Terry Clodfelter. “Most buy a cheap case, but they get a case nonetheless. Then you get those guys and gals who come in looking for a case that’s good for airline travel. Be sure to have these on-hand. You’d be surprised how many customers I have come in the shop, leaving for a trip the next day, and didn’t realize they needed a TSA-approved case.”

You don’t have to stock your store with everything mentioned, but I highly recommend you take a peek around your shop and see what you’re missing. While most of these products aren’t big-dollar items, they are items your customers want and need and you’ll sell a lot of them.

That’s good for business.