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Color is the new marketing trend. We see it in everything from iPods and cell phones to computers — and now it’s part of the shooting world. An amazing number of manufacturers are embracing pink firearms as a way of cornering the women’s market.
I have to admit, I’m not a pink person. When my friend got a pink cell phone and then a pink iPod, I thought it was overkill, but she is exactly the type of person who would be attracted to a pink firearm. To her, pink is a signature color and her way of marking the tools of her life with her own personal style. It seems there are plenty of women out there who feel the same way.
Gander Mountain has been leading the pink charge by first carrying a pink shotgun and then entering into an agreement with Taurus to sell pink pistols. Other manufacturers picking up on the color trend include Remington, Browning and Keystone Sporting Arms.
Remington jumped into the pink arena with the 870 Express Jr. shotgun with a pink stock made exclusively for Gander Mountain. Taking note of the pink shotgun’s success, this year Remington made the Model 597 .22 rifle in Mossy Oak Pink camo available to all gun stores.
Having admitted that I’m not a “pink person,” the camo gun is the gun I’d bet on to be the most successful. Camo has gone completely mainstream — you can find camo patterns on everything from baby clothes to bedspreads — and this Remington fits the bill for fun and function. I showed the pink camo rifle to a couple of 10-year-old girls, and their immediate reaction was, “I want one!” |
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Mitch Mode, owner of Mel’s Trading Post in Rhinelander, Wis., said he decided to stock a few of Keystone Sporting Arms’ Crickett rifles with pink stocks for Christmas and he quickly sold out.
“Those little pink .22s really stand out on a gun rack,” Mode said. “They definitely draw attention and they’re eye-catching.”
He said he wasn’t all that surprised to sell out of the pink rifles because he has noticed an increase in young girls getting involved in the shooting sports.
“We have so many young girls coming in here now who go deer and bear hunting with their parents. It’s a good thing,” Mode said. “That pink rifle fits the girls and it fills a need.”
Arlene Minto, treasurer for the Camo & Lace ladies gun club in Michigan, thinks pink firearms are a great idea.
“The first time I saw them,” Minto said, “I thought they were great and wondered why they waited so long.”
She said she thinks a lot of grandfathers and dads are buying this gun for their little girls.
“I think the gun manufacturers are really targeting dads and grandpas. When they see a pink gun in a store, it piques their interest and makes them think girls can shoot just like boys,” Minto said. “It’s a wonderful item. If that’s what it takes to get girls involved, I’m all for it.”
Kids like to have things customized, Minto noted, and Camo & Lace is currently working with their local gun shop to get some custom-colored firearms for their youth members. She said they plan to order some pink guns for the girls, but that she’d also like a few neon green guns to appeal to both sexes.
“If we want to keep kids involved in shooting, we have to make it fun,” Minto said. “We have to compete with a lot of other stuff like video games and computers.”
Browning offers their Cynergy Euro Sporting shotguns in yellow, the Cynergy’s only custom color offering. The 12-gauge shotgun comes with a steel, silver-nitrate finished receiver and a yellow composite stock with black rubber overmoldings. It’s a very modern-looking gun that will certainly appeal to target shooters looking to stand out on the range.
Chief Operating Officer Dan Compeau of Williams Gun Sight Co. in Davison, Mich., said his store stocks Keystone Sporting Arms’ pink Crickett rifle, Remington’s pink camo rifle and the Taurus Model 85 with pink grips.
“They’re attractive to women who want to have something unique,” Compeau said.
Carrying pink guns is a niche market for Williams Gun Sight and Compeau said part of their appeal is simply that they are different.
“This industry is driven by new and different products because guns usually don’t wear out,” Compeau said. “To appeal to new customers, we like to carry things that are new and different.”
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Pink guns probably aren’t for every lady shooter and that really isn’t the point of this new trend. The point is women and young shooters, the future of the shooting sports, are accustomed to being able to express themselves by personalizing nearly everything they own. They view a colored firearm as a declaration of style and a way to stand out in a crowd.
The idea isn’t really new; for years people have been engraving their firearms and choosing custom finishes to make their guns more unique. Advances in technology and materials have made multicolored firearms more affordable and available, thus making them more desirable.
Feminine color choices also send the message that shooting isn’t just for men. Grandfathers see a pink gun in a store and think, “Maybe my granddaughter would like to go hunting with me.” Women see a pink gun or even a pink camo gun case in your store and know your store is female-friendly.
Stocking a couple of pink or brightly colored firearms in your store is certainly an attention grabber that will draw in customers. It isn’t necessary to invest heavily in the colored-gun market, but having a few unique guns sends a powerful message about your store.
Investing in cases and hats in feminine colors also sends a similar message without tying up your cash. You want your customers to know they are welcome and you are available to help them personalize their shooting experience. |
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