Mike Palenske – Dam Road Gun Shop, Delevan, Wis.
In business for a half century now, the Dam Road Gun Shop has a wide and varied client base, from hunters and target shooters, to a growing cadre of concealed carry permit holders. Shooters in that later group, says store owner Mike Palenske, are buying up the Ruger LCR, especially those in .38 Spl. and .22 Mag.
The new single-stack Glock 43, in 9mm, is moving briskly, too, at $495.
“As soon as they come in they are sold,” Palenske said. “We have a waiting list of at least 15 people who want one, so when the pistols comes in, we make some phone calls—Glock’s are gone!”
Dam Road sees a good deal of interest in tactical bolt actions chambered in .308 Win, including various heavy-barreled models in the Remington 700 line. Another good selling bolt action here is the CZ 527 chambered in 7.62x39mm. The rifle comes with a good quality walnut stock and a scope, for $695.
“The ammo for that rifle is still fairly inexpensive, and there’s a lot of it around, making that rifle an even better value for our customers,” Polanski said.
As the many financial problems of Colt Manufacturing have begun circulating in the gun world, Palenske says the prices of Colt 1911 pistols have surged, in some cases doubling. Recently, Polanski sold two of Colt’s commemorative Marine Corps Bi-Centennial 1911’s for $1,995 each, and thinks he could sell many more if he could get them in store.
Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the July 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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