Brownell: We’re Seeing a Flight to Values in Today’s Gun Business

We are 37 months past the end of COVID. Based on 85 years of experience, the market should have returned to normal patterns. Something is still holding it back.

Shooters remain committed to their passion, but confidence in the future economy hasn’t kept pace. Caution is now the dominant force in spending. The industry is moving through a textbook macroeconomic correction. Demand surged. New entrants flooded in and production spiked. 

When the rush passed, shelves filled and orders slowed. Customers haven’t vanished, they’ve just adjusted. 

Five-year spending trends remain strong, though a big chunk of that occurred during the pandemic buying surge. Today’s average ticket size is lower. Frequency is stretched. Spending continues, but on different terms. Buyers are being more selective. Tariffs and cost increases have sharpened this mindset. Shoppers tend to hesitate when pricing feels unpredictable. 

The industry’s response has followed a familiar script. Overstocks triggered discount cycles. Promotions pulled demand forward. Products already ordered were then offered at lower prices. Customers no longer trust that they’re getting the best deal and that approach is wearing thin.

Buyers are now evaluating more than just price. They’re measuring risk. They factor in replacement. Performance matters. Durability matters. Reputation matters. The strategy of chasing cheap has run out of road.

John Ruskin understood this better than most:

It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

That quote holds up really well today across the industry. What was once a bargain is now considered a risk. Cheap imports are no longer the easy choice while freight costs and tariffs have closed the pricing gap. The quality gap remains.

Buyers are increasingly putting their money into what they already own. Gun safes are full, so the focus has shifted to upgrades…accessories, triggers, tools. These decisions are made with pride. Each one improves performance and reflects personal identity.

USA-made products speak directly to this shift. They offer reliability. They reflect craftsmanship. They last. A good product now feels like an investment. Buyers aren’t asking how little they can spend, they’re asking how long it will last.

The flight to value has become a flight to values.

Buyers are choosing based on belief. A product should perform. A company should stand behind it. A brand should mean something. Those who cut corners are getting exposed. Those who support their customers are getting noticed.

Now is the time to stand for more than inventory. Now is the time to return to the principles that built this industry; trust, accountability, consistency.

Customers don’t want a pitch, they want a guide. They want to be known. They want to feel like they belong. 

A shop must offer more than stock. It must offer clarity. It must offer connection. It must offer a name that’s remembered.

That can’t be imported and it can’t be automated. It has to be built.

Businesses that succeed now will be the ones that focus less on transactions and more on relationships. The product has to hold up. The experience matters and the company must stand for something.

The flight to values is a foundation that builds lasting loyalty. It’s the foundation that builds legacy.

 

PeteBrownell is Chairman of the Board of Brownells. He is also chairman and CEO of Brownells’ parent company, 2nd Adventure Group.