Pretty powerful in pink Colorful firearms pop up to attract women hunters

[WhiteFeather]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=666096

Pretty powerful in pink
Colorful firearms pop up to attract women hunters

By TOM KERTSCHER
tkertscher@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 23, 2007

Waukesha - As Gary Goessner, his buddy and their two pre-teen daughters shopped the Gander Mountain store hunting department in Waukesha Friday afternoon, the two girls were immediately drawn to a rifle and a youth shotgun.

But it wasn't the firepower of the guns that attracted the girls' attention. It was a color: Call it blaze pink.

The .22-caliber Crickett rifle ($169.99) has a bright pink stock, and the Remington Express Jr. .20 gauge shotgun ($379.99) has a laminated pink-and-black stock emblazoned with the slogan "Shoot like a girl if you can!"

The guns are aimed, so to speak, at girls and women - who are part of a growing segment of all things outdoors, explained store manager Chris Hanson.

To at least some extent, it seems, pink works.

"I think that's just wrong," Goessner, of Oconomowoc, half-joked about the five pink guns now on display in the store. But he said pink is OK with him - if not for him - as long as the guns aren't treated like toys.

"I want them interested in it," Goessner said of his daughters and hunting "but it's got to be the right way."

Gander Mountain and the Cabela's in Richfield - which was selling a pink pistol the other day, along with two pink long guns - are displaying more than promoting pink firearms.

But the decidedly feminine form of a traditionally male pursuit may be catching on.

Hanson said the pink rifle sold well enough last year in its first season in Gander Mountain stores that the pink shotgun was added late this summer.

Connie Cody, a 48-year-old administrative assistant in Kenosha, said she only wishes she had seen pink guns for sale after she completed her hunter safety course about 18 months ago.

Since then, she has bought a 9-millimeter pistol, a .357 revolver, a .38 Derringer and a .380 pistol, all in traditional hues.

"If they stock them," Cody vowed after learning about pink guns, "I'm going to buy one."

Cynthia Good, editor of Pink, a new Atlanta-based national business magazine for women, points out that many businesses, including United Parcel Service and Federal Express, have developed ads specifically for women.

"I'm not surprised in the least that they're making guns that are pink," she said.

Michelle Scheuermann, spokeswoman for The Sportsman Channel, the New Berlin-based cable and satellite TV network, agrees. Manufacturers of outdoor equipment are trying to expand their markets and they know pink can help, she said.

In Baraboo, Jim Astle, owner of Jim's Gun Supply - the store slogan is "I'll get you loaded" - has been coating guns in pink and other colors for four years. His 12-year-old daughter owns a pink camouflage shotgun.

"Females want to shoot guns, but they want them to look pretty, too," Astle said. "Guys could give a rat's butt what their gun looks like."

Which isn't to suggest that pink guns are all the rage. Many gun shops don't stock them. And even those that do feature the fairly fashionable firearms don't necessarily employ clerks who are wild about them.

"You could go goose hunting with a pink gun," said a clerk at one gun counter the other day. "I dare ya."

Still, who would ever have thought you'd ever see a pink gun Up North? Sure enough, there's a pink .22-caliber rifle on display at Mel's Trading Post in Rhinelander.

"The most common response in the store is 'What the hell?' " when people see the pink gun, said owner Mitch Mode."But it addresses the reality of a lot of girls going through hunter safety (courses) with their parents."

Asked about pink guns at the Saukville Rifle & Pistol Club the other day, 20-year-old Evan Kilpatrick of Glendale said he's never seen one on that shooting range. He just kind of shrugged at the notion.

"I guess it's a personal touch or whatever," he said. "It's no big deal."

[markheck1]

I've seen 2 at a range

[jsb889]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLRLhV9U0kQ



I've heard women are inherently more accurate than men. Maybe we'll see new world records soon! I think its a good idea.

[762xIan]

I offered to let my daughter "decorate" her hunting rifle. It is a Savage in .243.

There are some really wild color designs and very nice after market stocks (laminated) but she didn't want none of it.

She likes the basic flat black synthetic stock....but I did offer.

[colagrrl]

I had a terrible day at work this past Friday, so I did what any logical person would do to cheer themselves up, I went to fondle guns! Out of convenience I ended up at Gander Mountain, it's right off the highway on my way home and 10 minutes from my house.

At any rate, I was bent over looking at the used Sig P225's in the case and when I stood up I saw it... a Remington Model 597 22LR with Pink Laminate Stock, priced at $299.99. I was instantly fascinated and smitten with the pink rifle, but I'm actually in the market for a new 9mm so I had to stay focused! After I put the guy behind the counter through a workout; I took hold of a Sig P239, a Glock G17, G19, G26 & G23, a Taurus Millenium Pro (had to hold it just because the grip on it is pink) and a S&W M&P Compact, I casually mentioned the pink 597 rifle. He said that they also had a pink stocked 20-Ga. pump shotgun as well and I told him, "Show me!". The shotgun is the exact same model mentioned in the article, but at the Gander Mountain here it's priced at $399.99.

Both of these guns have been on my mind, just because they're pink and girly, so since Friday I've done some research on the pink rifle and shotgun. Remington doesn't list either of the guns on their web site, or in their catalog, but they do have some pink themed "Shoot like a girl if you can!" items for sale. I searched for the guns via Davidson's and found nothing as well. So this evening I ended up on Gander Mountain's web site and took a look at their "Current Ads" page. Both guns are in the sales ad and both of them are in fact exclusive to Gander Mountain. Remington is currently offering a $30 rebate on the shotgun and a $20 rebate on the rifle and with either gun bought at GM, you get a free matching pink Remington baseball hat. The ad also shows the pink gripped Taurus Millenium Pro that I handled, also exclusive to GM and priced at $429.99, but my GM also had 2 pink framed Taurus 380's in addition to the 9mm. The sale prices run until December 31st.

It wasn't until I saw the ad that I found out what the rub was. If you're a female, you must not have a clue about firearms, and GM will come right out and put that in print for you. Take a look at the ad page. Just under the Remington 870 Junior 20-Ga. Pink Shotgun for $369.99 (after rebate) is a Remington 870 Junior 20-Ga. Pump Shotgun with Rem choke system for $289.99 (after rebate). The brown model is also listed as exclusive to GM, and perhaps the pink shotgun also has the Rem choke system, but a difference of $80 for a pink stocked gun versus a brown stocked gun? If that's not bad enough, take a look at page 2 of the ad. Yes, that's the Remington Model 597 22LR with Pink Laminate Stock priced at $279.99 (after rebate) in all her glory on the top right. Now, look at the Remington Model 597 22LR with Gander Mountain Chameleon Stock Package rifle, complete with a special “Chameleon Stock” that changes color patterns and a 3-9 x 32mm scope, mounted & bore sighted for $239.99 (after rebate). Again a price difference of $40 for a pink stocked gun versus a brown stocked gun, but with the pink version you don't even get a scope! That sure is one expensive "free" hat.

All that said, am I ticked off that GM is obviously trying to take advantage of females that like to shoot and want a girly colored pistol/rifle/shotgun? You bet! Am I sucker enough to let them take advantage of me? Maybe, but that's only after I decide which 9mm I'm going to get and buy it, then I might consider being taken advantage of by the pink rifle and/or pink shotgun, 'cause they're just too girly too pass up

Jennifer

[Tomcat088]

I don't have a problem with a pink rifle as long as people don't think that they are toys. I know that sometimes women get carried away with slinging around the "pretty" toys that they have bought and are colored so pretty to their friends. This could be a really bad idea with any sort of firearm as you know. I'm not saying that would be a problem with experienced women shooters, but if the idea is to slightly target the "new women" coming into the sport or who have just taken hunter's safety, then it could pose a problem. I do think it's sad that they are so much higher priced than some of the other rifles that Gander Mountain carries that are also probably custom. Either way, it's a custom paint that isn't widely distributed yet, so you gotta expect for it to cost more, that's just how it works. You want something unique or different from the typical version and you'll always pay more for it.

[FentFV]

I'm pretty sure that particular rifle (the .22) is the one I was going to buy for my daughter (saw it in a GM ad about six months back ). She saw the picture, and loved the "girliness" of the rifle. But the dang thing was about 20" long overall (not barrel length, total length), and way too small for her. We ended up buying a nice Marlin for roughly the same price, but the pink rifle was definitely what got her into the store with me.

And good points Cola and Tomcat - The guns probably are aimed at "clueless" girls. But how do you "get a clue" without starting somewhere? If it takes a pink rifle, then so be it. As long as, like tomcat says, they don't become toys. That's where proper training safety training comes in.

By the way, if anyone's interested, Anthony Arms has a nice little 38 with pink (simulated) ivory grips...

[ar15jules]

This sums it up for me.

[slicknick131]

Now if she's not the cutest darn hunter I've ever seen, I don't know who is.