Cheaper Than Dirt
Cheaper Than Dirt is a Fort Worth, Texas-based online retailer founded in 1993 that sells ammunition, firearm magazines, optics, parts, hunting gear, and survival equipment direct to individual gun owners, hunters, and shooting sports enthusiasts across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersFort Worth, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Cheaper Than Dirt does
Cheaper Than Dirt (CheaperThanDirt.com) is a Fort Worth, Texas-based, private e-commerce marketplace operating exclusively online since 1993. It self-positions as "America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter" and serves individual gun owners, shooting sports enthusiasts, hunters, and self-defense buyers across the United States through CheaperThanDirt.com, with no physical retail locations. Headcount is stated at 51-100 employees and ownership structure is undisclosed.
The company's core offering is ammunition — handgun, rifle, rimfire, and shotgun — across major manufacturers including Federal Premium, Winchester, Hornady, CCI, Remington, PMC, Fiocchi, and Armscor. The product surface extends well beyond ammo into firearm magazines, optics (red dots, scopes, night vision), parts and accessories for AR and Glock platforms, hunting gear, range gear, survival gear (including WWII military surplus and camping supplies), reloading supplies, airguns and airsoft, archery, tactical backpacks, self-defense and police gear, bulk ammunition deals, and gift cards. Underlying technology is described in the source as a standard e-commerce platform with no proprietary features listed, no API surface, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.
The business model is direct-to-consumer transactional retail. Revenue comes from one-time hardware sales of ammunition and accessories priced per round with bulk quantity discounts (for example, 9mm at 21.5¢–27.5¢/rd, .45 ACP at 38¢–51.8¢/rd, and self-defense loads up to ~$1.32/rd). There is no subscription or membership pricing; a loyalty/rewards program and email newsletter provide retention mechanics. Marketing runs across owned content (The Shooter's Log blog, YouTube channel), organic social (Twitter/X, Instagram), and email, with no disclosed paid acquisition channels. Geographic scope is North America. Leadership is Michael Tenny (Founder & CEO) and Roberta Wilson (Chief Operating Officer). No financial details (revenue, funding, ownership) are disclosed in the available material.
Cheaper Than Dirt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cheaper Than Dirt
- Legal name
- CheaperThanDirt.com
- Website
- https://cheaperthandirt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cheaper Than Dirt is a Fort Worth, Texas-based online retailer founded in 1993 that sells ammunition, firearm magazines, optics, parts, hunting gear, and survival equipment direct to individual gun owners, hunters, and shooting sports enthusiasts across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cheaper Than Dirt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Ammunition and Shooting Sports Retail
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)
- SIC
- Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949), Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Firearms & Ammunition Retail (CRAMAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Shooting Sports Equipment Retail (Targets, Clay, Range Gear, Hearing/Eye Protection) (CRAMAKAG), Hunting Accessories & Field Gear Retail (Calls, Decoys, Blinds, Game Cameras) (CRAMAKAE), Hunting, Shooting Sports & Archery Retail (CRAMABAK)
Keywords
Where Cheaper Than Dirt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Worth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Cheaper Than Dirt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: One-time transactional sales of ammunition, firearm parts, magazines, optics, and shooting accessories. Products include handgun ammo, rifle ammo, rimfire ammo, shotgun ammo, magazines, scopes, hunting gear, survival gear, reloading supplies, and airguns. Revenue generated through direct consumer purchases at competitive prices with fast shipping.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Per-unit pricing with bulk discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing with promotional deals |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Cheaper Than Dirt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cheaper Than Dirt operates as a direct-to-consumer online retailer selling ammunition, firearm parts, magazines, optics, and shooting sports accessories through its website CheaperThanDirt.com. The company positions itself as 'America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter,' offering bulk ammunition deals, competitive per-unit pricing, and fast shipping across the United States. Product categories span handgun, rifle, rimfire, and shotgun ammunition, complemented by reloading supplies, hunting gear, survival equipment, airguns, archery, and self-defense products.
Product overview
Cheaper Than Dirt operates as an e-commerce platform for shooting sports products, functioning as 'America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter.' The platform offers a comprehensive portfolio of ammunition products organized by category (handgun, rifle, rimfire, shotgun), complemented by firearm accessories including magazines and optics. Additional product lines encompass hunting gear, survival equipment (including WWII military surplus), camping supplies, range gear, reloading supplies, airguns, archery equipment, tactical backpacks, and self-defense gear. The platform also offers bulk ammunition deals and gift cards, positioning itself as a one-stop shop for shooting enthusiasts seeking discounted prices on firearms-related products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Handgun Ammunition Centerfire and rimfire handgun ammunition for pistols and revolvers in calibers including 9mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .380 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 10mm, and .44 Magnum, sold per-round with bulk quantity discounts.
- Rifle Ammunition Rifle ammunition for popular calibers including .223/5.56, .308 Win/7.62x51, 7.62x39, .300 Blackout, 30-06 Springfield, 5.7x28, and 6.5 Creedmoor, offered in standard and bulk packaging.
- Rimfire Ammunition Rimfire ammunition in .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum, .22 Short, .17 HMR, and .22 Long calibers, typically used for plinking, small game hunting, and training.
- Shotgun Ammunition Shotgun shells available in 12 Gauge, 20 Gauge, and .410 Bore, supporting hunting, sport shooting, and home defense use cases.
- Bulk Ammunition Bulk quantity ammunition deals across handgun, rifle, and other categories, offering per-round discounts for high-volume shooters, range training, and stocking up.
- Magazines Firearm magazines for AR-15, AK, Glock, 1911, Ruger, and shotgun platforms, sold as standalone accessories.
- Optics Scopes and optics including red dot and holographic sights, magnified scopes, night vision devices, scope rings, and spotting scopes.
- Parts & Accessories Firearm parts and accessories for building, customizing, and upgrading AR-platform rifles and Glock pistols.
- Reloading Supplies Ammunition reloading components, equipment, and supplies for handloaders producing their own cartridges.
- Hunting Gear Hunting gear and equipment for deer, boar, elk, varmint, and other game hunting activities.
- Range Gear Equipment and supplies for shooting range use, supporting target practice and training.
- Survival Gear Survival supplies, WWII military surplus items, and camping equipment for outdoor and emergency preparedness use.
- Airguns & Airsoft Airguns and airsoft guns, along with related accessories and consumables.
- Archery Equipment Archery bows, arrows, and accessories for target archery and bowhunting.
- Backpacks & Bags Tactical backpacks and bags designed for outdoor, range, and shooting-related carry needs.
- Self Defense & Police Gear Self-defense equipment and police tactical gear, including items positioned for personal protection and law enforcement use.
- Gift Cards Cheaper Than Dirt gift cards available for purchase on the platform in fixed denominations, redeemable across the product catalog.
Companies that use Cheaper Than Dirt
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cheaper Than Dirt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cheaper Than Dirt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cheaper Than Dirt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Palmetto State Armory: Palmetto State Armory is an online and retail seller of firearms, ammunition, magazines, and accessories, competing directly with Cheaper Than Dirt on AR-15 magazines, ammo, and parts/accessories categories.
- Brownells: Brownells is a long-established direct-to-consumer retailer of firearms parts, accessories, reloading supplies, and ammunition serving the same shooting sports and gunsmithing customer base as Cheaper Than Dirt.
- Midway USA: Midway USA is a leading online retailer of firearms, ammunition, reloading supplies, and shooting accessories serving the same shooting sports and hunting customer base as Cheaper Than Dirt with a comparable direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.
- Natchez Shooters Supplies: Natchez Shooters Supplies is a long-standing online and catalog retailer of ammunition, firearms, and shooting accessories serving the same hobbyist and competition shooter segments as Cheaper Than Dirt.
- Lucky Gunner: Lucky Gunner is a direct-to-consumer online ammunition retailer offering competitive bulk pricing on handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammo, competing head-to-head with Cheaper Than Dirt on price, selection, and shipping speed.
- Target Sports USA: Target Sports USA is an online ammunition retailer specializing in bulk ammo deals across handgun, rifle, rimfire, and shotgun categories with a direct-to-consumer model mirroring Cheaper Than Dirt.
Broad incumbents
- Academy Sports + Outdoors: Academy Sports is a multi-category sporting goods and outdoor retailer with growing ammunition and hunting assortments across physical stores and online; a broader incumbent competing with CTD for hunting and shooting customers.
- Sportsman's Warehouse: Sportsman's Warehouse is a multi-category outdoor retailer with deep ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports assortments across physical stores and online, competing with Cheaper Than Dirt on ammo pricing and selection but with broader category mix and omnichannel scale.
- Bass Pro Shops: Bass Pro Shops (and its Cabela's brand) is the dominant outdoor sporting goods retailer with extensive ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports offerings across hundreds of stores and online, dwarfing CTD in scale and assortment.
Emerging players
- OpticsPlanet: OpticsPlanet is an online specialty retailer of optics, shooting gear, hunting, and tactical equipment; it overlaps with Cheaper Than Dirt on scopes, red dots, hunting gear, and shooting accessories but has less depth in ammunition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cheaper Than Dirt social profiles
Digital presenceCheaper Than Dirt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cheaper Than Dirt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cheaper Than Dirt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cheaper Than Dirt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cheaper Than Dirt
What does Cheaper Than Dirt do?
Cheaper Than Dirt operates as a direct-to-consumer online retailer selling ammunition, firearm parts, magazines, optics, and shooting sports accessories through its website CheaperThanDirt.com. The company positions itself as 'America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter,' offering bulk ammunition deals, competitive per-unit pricing, and fast shipping across the United States. Product categories span handgun, rifle, rimfire, and shotgun ammunition, complemented by reloading supplies, hunting gear, survival equipment, airguns, archery, and self-defense products.
Is Cheaper Than Dirt a public or private company?
Cheaper Than Dirt is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Cheaper Than Dirt founded?
Cheaper Than Dirt was founded in 1993. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cheaper Than Dirt based?
Cheaper Than Dirt is headquartered in Fort Worth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cheaper Than Dirt make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Cheaper Than Dirt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Palmetto State Armory, Brownells, Midway USA, Natchez Shooters Supplies, Lucky Gunner and Target Sports USA. Broad incumbents are Academy Sports + Outdoors, Sportsman's Warehouse and Bass Pro Shops. OpticsPlanet is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cheaper Than Dirt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cheaper Than Dirt.
What industry is Cheaper Than Dirt in?
Cheaper Than Dirt's product category is Online Ammunition and Shooting Sports Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAKAA, Firearms & Ammunition Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMAKAG, Shooting Sports Equipment Retail (Targets, Clay, Range Gear, Hearing/Eye Protection). Its NAICS code is 45911 and its SIC code is 3949.