Name

Bill Hicks

Legal name

Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd.

Website

https://billhicksco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Sporting Goods Distribution

NAICS

Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423910)

akta.pro primary industry

Hunt, Fish & Shooting Sports Distribution (CRAOAJAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale sporting goods
• Firearms distribution
• Ammunition wholesale
• FFL dealer supply
• Hunting and shooting sports

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution of Sporting Goods: Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd. generates revenue by selling hunting and shooting sports products (firearms, ammunition, archery, optics, hunting gear, suppressors, safes, knives, and accessories) at wholesale prices exclusively to licensed retail dealers. The company extends credit terms to approved dealers and charges a 4% discount on credit card orders (forfeited when credit cards are used). Orders under $200 are subject to a $10 small order charge. A $30 service fee applies for returned payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd. is a wholesale distributor of hunting and shooting sports products, selling firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, optics, suppressors, safes, knives, hunting gear, and accessories at wholesale exclusively to federally licensed retail dealers. The company operates the DEALER DASHBOARD, a 24/7 B2B web portal enabling approved dealers to browse 30,000+ SKUs from 300-plus manufacturers, place orders, track shipments, manage invoices, and access exclusive BHC Exclusives configurations not found in standard catalogs.

Product overview

Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd. is a wholesale sporting goods distributor serving sporting goods dealers nationwide, specializing in the hunting and shooting sports industry. The company operates a dealer-facing e-commerce platform offering access to over 30,000 products from 300+ manufacturers, complemented by proprietary BHC Exclusives product line featuring enhanced/customized firearms. The product portfolio spans firearms (pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns), ammunition and reloading supplies, archery equipment, firearm maintenance parts, hunting gear (cases, holsters, clothing, decoys, electronics, scents, calls), knives and multi-tools, optics and accessories (including night vision and thermal imaging), safes, and suppressors. The DEALER DASHBOARD serves as the core platform enabling dealers to manage orders, inventory, and account operations 24/7.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BHC Exclusives: Products created in partnership with manufacturers offering enhanced features exclusive to Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd. dealers.

Products and services

• DEALER DASHBOARD Proprietary 24/7 B2B web portal provided to approved, FFL-holding retail dealers that enables real-time catalog browsing across 30,000+ SKUs, placement of handgun, long-gun and ammunition orders, inventory availability checks, open- and closed-order tracking, invoice viewing and payment, return authorization submission, price/freight credit requests, wish-list creation, saved orders under a consumer's name, and access to exclusive offers and weekly dealer specials.
• BHC Exclusives Proprietary product line of customized firearms and accessories created in partnership with manufacturers, offering enhanced features not found in standard catalogs — including Glitter Gunz by Hesseling Precision (patent-pending non-slip sparkling coating on semi-auto handguns), Shark Coast Tactical Glocks (optic-cut RMSCC footprint, hybrid laser stipple, multiple Cerakoted versions), and Shark Coast Tactical Sig Sauer builds on the P365 platform — distributed exclusively to approved BHC dealers.
• Firearms Wholesale category of complete firearms — pistols, revolvers, rifles and lower receivers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, shotguns, black-powder guns, and barreled actions — stocked from 300-plus manufacturers and made available to FFL-holding retailers through the DEALER DASHBOARD.
• Ammunition & Reloading Wholesale category of factory ammunition, reloading equipment, and reloading accessories across multiple calibers — covering ammunition, reloading components, and reloading accessories — supplied to approved dealers from manufacturers such as Federal Premium, Hornady, Magtech, Winchester, and Remington.
• Archery & Accessories Wholesale category of crossbows and archery equipment for hunting and sport, distributed to approved dealers.
• Firearm Maintenance & Parts Wholesale category of firearm parts and maintenance products — barrels, gun-cleaning products, and magazines — distributed to approved dealers for aftermarket service and repair.
• Hunting Gear Wholesale category of hunting-related gear — cases, holsters, clothing, decoys, hunting accessories, hunting electronics, and scents and calls — distributed to approved dealers.
• Knives & Multi-Tools Wholesale category of hunting knives, field knives, and multi-tools for outdoor use, distributed to approved dealers.
• Optics & Accessories Wholesale category of optical products — scopes, sights, night vision, thermal imaging, and optic accessories — distributed to approved dealers.
• Safes Wholesale category of firearm security storage products — lock boxes, pistol racks, and keypad vaults — distributed to approved dealers.
• Suppressors Wholesale category of sound suppressors and muzzle devices for various calibers, distributed to approved dealers.
• Airguns Wholesale category of air-powered guns — CO2 and spring-powered firearms — distributed to approved dealers.
• Black Powder Accessories Wholesale category of black-powder firearm accessories — caps, balls, and cleaning supplies — distributed to approved dealers.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 300+ Manufacturers (e.g., AGM Global Vision, Anderson, Armscor, Barrett, Beretta, Bergara, Browning, Century Arms, Colt, CZ-USA, Daniel Defense, Dead Air, Federal Premium, Glock, Glock, Heckler & Koch, Henry, Hornady, HUXWRX, IRayUSA, Kimber, Leupold, Magtech, Mossberg, Remington, Rock Island Armory, Rossi, Ruger, Savage, Sig Sauer, SilencerCo, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Taurus, Trijicon, Walther Arms, Weatherby, Winchester)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBill Hicks & Co., Ltd. distributes products from over 300 well-established and respected manufacturers across the hunting and shooting sports industry. These manufacturers supply the wholesale inventory (30,000+ products) that BHC stocks and distributes to its network of licensed retail dealers across the United States.
• American Suppressor Association (ASA)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports the American Suppressor Association (ASA), an industry organization focused on suppressor rights and advocacy.
• Ducks Unlimited (DU)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports Ducks Unlimited (DU), a wetland conservation organization focused on waterfowl habitat preservation.
• Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA), a state-level hunting advocacy organization.
• National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms and shooting sports industry.
• National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), a conservation organization focused on wild turkey habitat and hunting.
• Pheasants Forever (PF)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports Pheasants Forever (PF), a conservation organization focused on pheasant and wildlife habitat.
• Ruffed Grouse SocietyminorOthersBHC invests in and supports the Ruffed Grouse Society, a conservation organization focused on ruffed grouse and woodcock habitat.
• Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA)minorOthersBHC invests in and supports the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA), an organization promoting youth participation in shooting sports. Some BHC employees also donate their time and expertise to train children in hunter safety.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Camfour: Wholesale distributor of firearms, ammunition, and shooting sports accessories to licensed dealers across multiple brand lines; structurally comparable to BHC as a multi-brand, multi-category sporting-goods wholesaler.
• RSR Group: National wholesale distributor of firearms, ammunition, and related shooting sports products serving FFL dealers via a comparable dealer-portal ordering system; competes head-to-head with BHC for manufacturer relationships and dealer accounts.
• Zanders Sporting Goods: Wholesale distributor serving hunting, shooting, marine, and outdoor retailers; offers a similar breadth of firearms, ammunition, and outdoor products to dealers — overlapping directly with BHC's core assortment.
• Davidson's Inc: One of the largest wholesale distributors of firearms, ammunition, and shooting sports accessories in the U.S., selling exclusively to FFL-licensed dealers through a similar B2B portal model — making Davidson's the closest direct competitor to Bill Hicks.
• Sports South: Wholesale distributor of firearms, hunting, and shooting sports products to licensed dealers, with a large SKU breadth and B2B ordering platform analogous to BHC's DEALER DASHBOARD — a direct peer in the same dealer channel.
• Chattanooga Shooting Supplies: Firearms and shooting sports wholesale distributor serving FFL dealers with a comparable catalog and dealer-onboarding model; competes for the same SMB and regional dealer accounts as BHC.
• Lipsey's: Specialty firearms distributor with a long history of supplying independent dealers, including exclusive distributor partnerships on brands like Smith & Wesson and Walther — competing for the same BHC dealer customers with similar exclusive-product dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Sportsman's Warehouse: National specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping, and shooting sports products; while retail rather than wholesale, it competes indirectly for end-consumer demand that flows through BHC's dealer customers.
• Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's: Mass-market outdoor retail incumbents with broad hunting, shooting, and firearms assortments; B2C-focused rather than B2B, but overlap with BHC's product categories and exert buying power that influences upstream manufacturer pricing affecting BHC.

Others

• Ames Merchandising / NationSport: Wholesale sporting-goods distributor serving independent retailers across hunting, outdoor, and shooting categories — a thematic peer in the B2B sporting-goods distribution ecosystem adjacent to BHC's core firearms niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/billhicksco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bill Hicks