Dm, with being a gun shop owner did you ever get screwed and come up on the loosing end or a gun deal or sale? The reason why I ask is because I have talked to several gun shop owners hear in Idaho. Some have claimed to get screwed time to time just keep competitive prices with the bigger stores like Sportsmans Warehouse?

It was very hard to compete with the "big boys" so i tried to NOT to have to!!! The big boys can and do buy the same guns cheaper than the little guys can!! (common guns)

Best way i found to beat the big boys was to know more than any of them!!! I kept up on the latest of everything!! People will drive a long way out of there way for your knowledge!

I handled brands (Valmet, Krieghoff, Zeiss, ect..) that they wouldn't, and i was willing to teach customers how to "reload" if they bought the equipment from me. I also reloaded ammo for sale.

I would order things for customers no matter if there was profit in it or not, just to keep them comeing back!! Things like bench rest equipment, and bullet swage tools.

I sold high grade gun stock blanks, and found a good place to send them for a complete finished stock. I also did stock work in my shop.

I designed a few cartridges, and had bbls. chambered for them. Then i loaded ammo for them and had it forsale too!

I swaged "bonded core" bullets when none of the big guys were doing it, and sold them through shot gun news, along with selling them at gun shows ect...

I did many things like this, and ALSO i NEVER lied to a customer, my customers knew that, and came to me instead of going to a shop where they would be told what ever they thought the customer wanted to hear.

It was a lot of work and took a lot of time, but it allowed me to do the things i wanted to, like spend weeks at a time in the bush...

Oooh yeaaaa, did i loose money at times??? YES, but not on purpose!!! :&gt))

Drilling Man