Just got the latest copy of Reloaders Supplies catalogue - they are one of NZs biggest firearm dealers and it might be interesting to compare our prices to yours. If you have a new price on a specific rifle let me know and I will endeavour to locate the NZ new price .

I'll indulge you Murray.

Marlin 30/30 336A-$785
Marlin .357 1894C-$785
Howa S/S Walnut .270-$890
Rem 700 S/S syn .270-$1399
Rem 700 Mountain .270$1250
Win M70 Featherweight .300WSM $1165
Leupold VX1 2-7x33 Gloss $295
" " 3-9x40 " $319
Lee 1000 Press with dies $299
Dillon 650 with conversion $889
Magtech Small Rifle primers $90/5000

How do we compare?

Dont have prices for Howa or Marlin but -
Remington 700ADL Blued synthetic stock $1049
Rem 700 Mountain s/s laminated stock $1749
No Winchester prices
Leupold VX1 2-7 x 33 gloss $389
" " 3=9 x 40 gloss $399
Lee 1000 Press with dies $369
No Dillon stuff listed
Win small rifle primers $59/1000
Federal small rifle primers $59/1000

You guys have a ten percent advantage on you dollar ie your dollar buys $1.10 of ours roughly . Your prices on most stuff are cheaper , but you have a bigger market so should be able to buy bigger quantities at better prices .

Anything else ? I have prices for Ruger , Kimber , Browning , Sako , Tikka , Volquartsen , Savage , Rossi , CZ in rifles .

Muzza,
Can you post prices for Kimber rifles? Don't know who brings them into Australia but I've been interested in the new mod 8400 left hand in 270WSM.

Sako Finnfire 22-$940

Sako 75 Varm Lam S/S-$1840

Tikka 595 S/S Syn .223,22-250,243-$815

Tikka 695 S/S Syn .338 Win Mag-$815

CZ 550 .300 Win Mag-$999

CZ 452 Super Deluxe .22lr 28" barrel-$499

Browning BPR Pump .270-$1120

Browning BPR Pump .308-$1250

Weatherby MkV Special Varmint 22-250-$1450

......."........"...Ultra Light.243-$1950

......."....Vanguard Blue Syn .270-$695



Browning A-Bolt S/S Stalker .243,22-250,.308,30-06,.375H&H-$1395



'Toys for Big Boys' in SA are the distributors for Kimber.BTW



Muzza,Prices on Kimbers please?

.22 Classic

840 Classic

84M Classic

Varmint Classic

TIA.

Kimbers -22LR Hunter - from $1495
840 Classic $1995
84 M $1995
Sako - no prices listed - call
Tikka T3 s/s $1495
Master laminated stainless $1775
stainless all weather syn $1585
CZ 550 safari Magnum $2150
452 Varmint $949
452 Lux $875
Browning BAR Lightweight Stalker $1595
A-Bolt stainless stalker $1895


Looks like the airfare would be worth it for a buying trip to Aussie.....

Thanks for the prices Murray.

After buying a rifle local,why would you buy the bits and pieces at home .The web has made it so easy to buy scopes cheaper.We have become global.Unless small gunshops get smarter and bypass the wholesalers and do the same they will be doomed.
A leupold scope here is $300,I can get it send to my mailbox for $240!!!Why would I support shops here anymore???The wholesalers like NIOA have a flash new wharehouse here in Banyo with state of the art everything.Old Bill had his Harleys and toys,getting fat off the margins.I haven't seen too many shop owners flashing money around like that lately.
If I had a gunshop now I would be importing direct and getting a good price and passing it on to the consumer.
The good old days of sticking it up the dopey shooters are finished.The ones left now are a smarter consentrated group of people in it for the long haul,like us.

Have to agree Shaun , over here the big guys like Reloaders Supplies and Sportsways are getting better pricing deals than the local gunshops can do , but even the big guys are feeling the pressure from the internet trade . And stuff them , I say . If I can buy the same goods on the 'net for less than half the NZ price I can assure you patriotism is not what I will be going for .

The small gunshops also need to consider that the high , non negotiable price on a second hand gun will probably send the buyer off to a cheaper source . Scopes are a sore point with me , the two local gunshops stock bottom of the range made in China crap at high prices . My scopes come in the mail from a more realistic international supplier .

The downside is , naturally enough , before long we will all be bitching about the lack of local gunshops. Course BAW has enough guns to open Qlds biggest gun store in his back yard , but once they are gone where to next ?

Check out their website.NIOA

We're screwed anyway Murray,lets face it.I might as well save some money than line a dealers/wholesalers pockets before the pricks takes the compo money at retires.They WILL take the money if is offered that is a certain,and wipe the shooters that have supporters them over the years like a dirty arse!

Fuck'em I say. Hate everyone,works for me.

I have delt with Nioa, while tracking down some Anshutz parts for a .222 built in 1964. They were very helpful, but my last email went unanswered as I wanted to buy some of the bits. Looks like I will have to go through a dealer.

Far Canel I went hunting with a mate on Sunday and he is a member of the SSAA so I'm reading his mags and in the latest one is a reply to a letter (fellow shooter) complaining about prices in Australia. The reply was from the owner of NIOA Trading. Have a read of it basically he's saying stock bought at the old price have to be sold first and the fact stores decreased their profit margin in order to sell the stock and now they are recouping there losses (something like that) and also American prices have increased so therefore Australian prices go up. So lets have a look on American MSRP compared to Nioa Retail PRICE
Marlin lever actions YEH BABY
marlin 45-70 GOV Cowboy American MSRP $820 comes to Australian $$s as $1099 or Nioa price of $1515.80 how about a 30-30 336c American msrp $493 comes to Australian $$s as $660.74 and Nioa price of $980.40 anything from 25% to 58% or more across the board This might change down the track As Nioa trading said it will. Only the future will tell I'm not betting on it but a price drop of 10% is all I see. If you compare the two we have what a Million shooters and the yanks have 100 times more I would prefer to set up shop in America than Australia. One thing I will say most of the people I know that limit there shooting apart from lack of time is the expense of shooting apart from ammo cost's people limit them selves to guns between$1000 & $1500 I dare say they would buy 2 rifles instead on one if they were cheaper. As you have notice I kept my cool about prices let's say Nioa bought at the American MSRP paid all cost's of importation and fee's etc etc sold it on and the retailer made 20% to 25% . Nah i don't belive Marlin would be be pretty dum to sell MSRP to australian importers Take you pick A. retailers making a shit load of money or B. Importer making a shit load of money or C. None of them making a shit load of money.

None are making a shit load of money!

I talk to a lot of dealers, and I've seen their wholesaler invoices, and their margin on a new gun is 4.5-6% only.

Second hand guns are much better at about 40%. Accessories are the only thing that gives them a living at about 20-28% margin. That's why they are happy to sell you a new rifle.

Most dealers are awash with second hand guns but even here if a dealer pays you $1000 for your gun and tries to on sell at $1800, there is little profit on that rifle if he has to pay bank overdraft and shop rentals over the next 12 months that he may have it on his shelves. Second hand purchases also leave the dealer room to move on price whereas new rifles have so little margin that you go away thinking well "Joe Bloggs Gunsmith" is a bloody tightarse bastard!

I've said this before on other threads, I don't haggle with dealers over any price, because I know just how tough they are doing it! The reward is of course they keep an eye out for good second hand stuff (Martini's) knowing that I will pay a fair price and they can get there money almost immediately.

BAW I kind of guessed that our gun shops are not making a lot of money so where is the 50%+ GP going to ?? or are our importers buying at crap prices ????

Don't know where the ripoff is, but here's how the gun game works;

My very long time friend Merv Rye at Carl Scholtz Ph 3368 2881, buys 2 Ruger 77's at say $1200 ea from Acacia Imports. He is competing with say another big dealer that buys 10+ and the imported says to the 10+ dealer, "Your a good customer, I'll give you a 5% discount".

Now Merv tries to sell that rifle at $1280 +GST with a profit margin of $80.00 (6.5% or SFA). The other big dealer sells the same rifle at $1250 +GST with a profit margin of $110 (9.5% or SFA + 3%).

Very soon the little dealer is selling at a loss to move the damned thing or going out of business because he can't compete.

Consequently Merv doesn't sell many new rifles except if a customer specifically orders one. (i.e. I paid for my 50/70 Sharps the day I ordered it). He does all his own gunsmithing on site and he is a meticulious fuss-pot so if I'm looking for a good second hand rifle Carl Scholtz is the first port of call.

I have never bought a S/H rifle from him that was a piece of shit. He has about 400 rifles out the back that are not for sale because they don't meet his high standards or requiring repairs to make them in perfect working order prior to sale. Most other dealers are cheaper on the same thing but "buyer beware" they do have crappy guns on their shelves.

Carl Scholtz also stocks more reloading, casting, ammo components than most. Therefore he makes his living selling support and service items for guns that others sell much cheaper. At gunshows, he has the greatest range of presses, casting gear, cleaning gear, scales, trimmers and new brass cases etc of any store in Brisbane but no rifles.

HippyMarlinloverdude,

I wish they were paying US$820,BUT they are not!

Gunbroker listing.
New in box,Caliber 45/70 Gov't. Capacity 9-shot tubular magazine Action Lever action with squared finger lever; side ejection; solid top receiver; deeply blued metal surfaces; hammer block safety. Stock Straight-grip American black walnut; hard rubber butt plate; tough Mar-Shield� finish; blued steel fore-end cap. Barrel 26" tapered octagon barrel with deep-cut Ballard-type rifling (6 grooves) Twist Rate 1:20" r.h. Sights Adjustable Marble semi-buckhorn rear, Marble carbine front sight. Solid top receiver tapped for scope mount; offset hammer spur (right or left hand) for scope use. Serial number is on left side of receiver, instead of tang, allowing custom installation of a tang sight by a competent gunsmith. Overall Length 44.5" Weight 8 lbs. Winning bidder pays $20.00 shipping and insurance and provides FFL. Accepting money orders, cashier's checks, or Visa/Master card for 3% extra. Ohio residents add 7% for sales tax. US$530

I suspect the importers are screwing us. Doing the figures again we get AUS$704,That leaves a fuck'n big gap to AUS$1100 retail.

Bad Ass,
The little gunshops are struggling to survive I know.
Sadly there aren't to many like Merv around these days.

As more shooters get access to the Internet they will realise they have been shafted for years and will act to avoid that happening , and we will see those small town gunstores closing , but the big guys will just keep on cos enough suckers will still buy from them .Actually their prices will get worse as they sell less with bigger profit margins on smaller volumes . Its called progress....