Tommy Rompel – Black Weapons Armory, Tucson, Ariz.
If it has to do with tactical and the AR-15 rifle, it’s probably for sale at Black Weapons Armory.
Late this summer, the top rifles he is selling are higher-end AR’s, especially those made by LWRC International, gun department manager Tommy Rompel said.
The R.E.P.R. by LWRC, in 7.62 NATO, and LWRC’s M6 Individual Carbine, 5.56 NATO, are currently tops with his customers, says Rompel. The R.E.P.R. sells for over $3,000, the M6 for around $2,200.
Entry-level AR’s are being discounted from his suppliers at 10 to 20-percent versus prices from just six months ago, but buyers really have not reacted to the potential savings, Rompel notes.
Trijicon and AimPoint are his best movers in optics. Customers especially like the Trijicon ACOG TA31 and TA11 models, priced at right around $1,300 apiece.
Rompel could sell a lot more ball ammunition in the 9mm, .40S&W, and .45 ACP handgun calibers. Could. But his distributors can’t seem to find much of it.
“It just looks to us like the ammo makers just are not making that much ball ammo right now. We’re not sure why,” he said.
Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the Aug. 28, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15
The Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15 by Richard A. Mann presents a comprehensive and user-friendly look at today’s most popular modern sporting rifle. Among a wide variety of topics, the firearms expert and noted author provides helpful ammunition and accuracy tips, an explanation of the AR platform, a wide range of AR-15 applications, and much more, enhanced by 250 black and white photos. Keep up with the increasing popularity of the versatile AR-15 with this indispensable shooter’s guide.
In the first week of April 2013 I ordered and paid in full, a Rock Island Armory .22 TCM/9mm MicroMag 1911 pistol, made by Armscor, from Black Weapons Armory. They said they couldn’t promise me when it would arrive but knowing what the industry was going through then I said go ahead and order it. Around October of 2013 I inquired about it and they said it still wasn’t in and if I cancelled the order they’d charge me a 20% ‘order cancellation fee’ although they would credit me my $689.00 towards any other future purchase. I said I’d seen several shops around the country on Gunbroker.com and Gunbuyer.com that had them in stock and ready to ship so why couldn’t they get one from them and Tommy said ’cause we wouldn’t make our normal profit’. In June 2014 I asked another Tucson gun store what their policies were regarding guns made of ‘unobtanium’ that were on intergalactic backorder and they told me that if, after 6 months of waiting, they’d refund 100% of the purchase price w/no penalty. Here it is the middle of January 2015 and I still have no pistol. I turned 66 last month and I’d like to shoot the damned thing before I die. Apparently at Black Weapons Armory they don’t care too much about customer service.