February 22nd, 2019

Most Popular Hunting & Shooting Products — Survey Results

hunter rifle shooting survey Southwick Associates 2018
Hunting image courtesy NSSF Where to Hunt.

Sportsmen spend millions of dollars on hunting and recreational shooting equipment, but which brands are they buying? In 2018, Southwick Associates surveyed more than 20,000 hunters and recreational shooters to find the top brands in the market. The product preferences of hunters and recreational shooters were determined via HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com online polls.

The top handgun maker was Smith & Wesson and the top handgun ammo brand was Federal. Those choices make sense. But some of the other choices were a bit surprising…

IMPORTANT COMMENT: Keep in mind these are just survey results. In many cases, the top choices are simply the cheapest options that sell the most. For example the top choice in reloading dies was Lee Precision. Lee makes some decent products (we like Lee decapping dies), but you won’t find many National Champions using Lee seating or sizing dies.

So assess the survey results with a “grain of salt”, understanding that these aren’t necessarily the best products when gauged by quality or performance. They are just the most popular among those surveyed. A Big Mac isn’t better than a filet mignon, but more Big Macs are purchased. You get the idea…

hunter rifle shooting survey Southwick Associates 2018

SURVEY Results — Most Purchased Hunting & Shooting Brands:


Top rimfire rifle brand: Ruger/Sturm Ruger

Top handgun brand: Smith & Wesson

Top handgun ammunition brand: Federal (including Fusion)

Top holster/ammo belt brand: Uncle Mikes

Top reflex/red dot sight brand: Vortex

Top laser rangefinder brand: Nikon

Top laser sight brand: Crimson Trace

Top scope mount brand: Leupold

Top reloading powder brand: Hodgdon

Top reloading bullets brand: Hornady

Top propellant/powder brand: Triple Seven

Top reloading dies brand: Lee Precision

Top gun cleaning brand: Hoppes

Top hunting knife brand: Gerber

Top game call brand: Primos

Top crossbow brand: Barnett

Top arrow brand: Easton

More than one hundred products are examined in the 2018 Hunting & Shooting Participation and Equipment Purchases Report (CLICK HERE). This in-depth resource covers buying preferences, including the percentage of sales occurring across different retail channels, brand purchased, price paid, and demographics for hunters and shooters buying specific products. Additional information tracked includes total days spent per activity, type of hunting / shooting activity, preferred species and where they hunt. In addition to the topline reports covering hunting and target shooting, annual reports are also offered for special segments including archery consumers, deer hunters, turkey hunters, and waterfowl hunters. To purchase a report or discuss custom research, email Nancy [at] SouthwickAssociates.com.