Gun City
Gun City is a privately held New Zealand firearms and outdoor equipment retailer founded in 1978, operating 11 retail stores and an e-commerce platform serving licensed firearms owners, hunters, target shooters, and outdoor enthusiasts with firearms, ammunition, accessories, and gunsmithing services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersChristchurch, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Gun City does
Gun City is a New Zealand-based, privately held firearms and outdoor equipment retailer founded in 1978 and headquartered in Christchurch. The company sells new and used firearms across rimfire, centrefire, shotgun, and endorsed B/C/P categories, alongside a comprehensive ammunition range covering rimfire, centrefire, and shotgun gauges. It operates 11 physical retail locations across New Zealand (Christchurch superstore plus Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, Napier, Sockburn, North Shore, Richmond, Invercargill, and Palmerston North) and an integrated e-commerce platform supporting online purchase with in-store pickup or Police Mail Order delivery to licensed buyers. The company claims to be NZ's largest firearms dealer and "World's Largest Gun Store," with over 400,000 SKUs ready to dispatch.
The product catalogue extends well beyond firearms into adjacent outdoor and recreational categories: air guns (including air rifles, air pistols, airsoft, and gel blasters), optics (thermal, rifle scopes, night vision, rangefinders from brands such as Pulsar, Element Optics, and Leupold), reloading equipment and components, storage solutions, cleaning supplies, knives and tools, field gear, archery, paintball, camping equipment, clothing, footwear, and lighting. A fully equipped gunsmithing workshop at the Christchurch superstore offers professional services including barrel threading, cerakote, re-blue, glass bedding, trigger jobs, scope mounting, and accuracy testing, priced from $20 to $700+. The company has also launched a Fishing sub-brand out of its Napier store.
Gun City generates revenue through one-time retail sales across all product categories (firearms, ammunition, accessories, and outdoor gear) plus professional gunsmithing service fees. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via both physical retail and e-commerce, with firearms purchases gated by valid NZ firearms licences and Police Order Forms. Customer segments are licensed firearms owners, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, target and competition shooters, and air gun users. The company is privately held with no institutional investors, no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no management team identified in the source material.
Gun City firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gun City
- Legal name
- Gun City Ltd.
- Website
- https://guncity.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gun City is a privately held New Zealand firearms and outdoor equipment retailer founded in 1978, operating 11 retail stores and an e-commerce platform serving licensed firearms owners, hunters, target shooters, and outdoor enthusiasts with firearms, ammunition, accessories, and gunsmithing services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gun City industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Firearms Retail
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Firearms & Ammunition Retail (CRAMAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Firearm Storage & Safety Retail (Safes, Cases, Locks) (CRAMAKAI), Reloading & Gunsmithing Supplies Retail (CRAMAKAF), Shooting Sports Equipment Retail (Targets, Clay, Range Gear, Hearing/Eye Protection) (CRAMAKAG), Hunting, Shooting Sports & Archery Retail (CRAMABAK), Hunting & Shooting Specialty Knife/Tool Retail (CRAMAKAH), Archery Equipment & Accessories Retail (CRAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where Gun City is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Christchurch
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices11 records
Markets served
Gun City business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Firearms Sales: Retail sales of firearms including rifles, shotguns, and handguns across multiple categories such as rimfire, centrefire, and endorsed categories requiring various license levels.
- Ammunition Sales: Sale of ammunition across centrefire, rimfire, and shotgun calibers. Ammunition sales are a core product category with wide variety of calibers available.
- Outdoor & Hunting Gear: Sales of camping equipment, clothing, footwear, field gear, optics, knives, tools, and related outdoor/hunting accessories.
- Gunsmithing Services: In-house gunsmithing services including barrel threading, cerakote, re-blue, stock work, trigger jobs, scope mounting, accuracy testing, and general firearm repairs. Services are charged at various price points from $20 to $700+ depending on complexity.
- Air Guns & Accessories: Sales of air rifles, air pistols, airsoft guns, gel blasters, pellets, and related accessories.
- Reloading Equipment & Components: Sale of reloading equipment, components including cases, powder, primers, projectiles, and reloading manuals.
- Storage & Security Products: Sale of gun safes, gun cases, gun bags, gun racks, and locks for secure firearm storage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Firearms and Ammunition Products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gun City product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gun City is a New Zealand firearms and outdoor equipment retailer that stocks and sells new and secondhand hunting rifles, shotguns, pistols, ammunition, paintball guns, firearm accessories, optics, and scopes. The business operates 11 retail stores across New Zealand plus an e-commerce platform, and offers in-house gunsmithing services including barrel threading, cerakoting, scope mounting, trigger jobs, re-blueing, and general firearm repairs. Gun City imports, exports, manufactures, customises, and repairs firearms and accessories, and supports customers with firearms licensing guidance and Police Order Form processes.
Product overview
Gun City is a New Zealand-based firearms and outdoor equipment retailer operating as a multi-category e-commerce platform and physical store network. The core product portfolio centers on firearms (rifles, shotguns, handguns) and ammunition across all major calibers, supplemented by comprehensive accessory categories including air guns, optics, reloading equipment, storage solutions, gun cleaning products, knives, field gear, clothing, footwear, camping equipment, lighting, paintball, archery, and camping gear. The company also offers in-house gunsmithing services for firearm customization and repairs, and has expanded into fishing equipment. Gun City positions itself as 'the World's Largest Gun Store' with 11 physical store locations across New Zealand and a substantial e-commerce operation, claiming over 400,000 items ready to dispatch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fishing (Napier): Fishing retail operation located in Napier, New Zealand
Companies that use Gun City
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gun City technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Gun City partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gun City competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MidwayUSA: US-based firearms, ammunition, reloading, and outdoor accessories retailer. Comparable e-commerce-led model with strong emphasis on ammunition, reloading components, and accessories — overlapping with Gun City's catalog.
- Hunting & Fishing New Zealand: Major NZ outdoor and firearms retailer with multiple store locations, offering firearms, ammunition, fishing, and outdoor gear. Closest direct competitor to Gun City in the New Zealand market with comparable omnichannel retail model.
- NZ Shooter / NZ Shooter Supplies: New Zealand-based firearms retailer focused on hunting, sport shooting, and reloading supplies. Comparable to Gun City as a specialty firearms merchant serving licensed NZ owners.
Broad incumbents
- Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's: US-based outdoor retailer dominant in hunting, fishing, and firearms. Comparable in product breadth and 'superstore' positioning (Gun City calls itself the 'World's Largest Gun Store'), though at vastly greater scale.
- Sportsman's Warehouse: US sporting goods retailer with strong firearms, ammunition, and hunting categories. Comparable omnichannel retail model and customer base, though geographically separate.
- Outdoor Sport NZ (industry body) — relates to REI Co-op as US outdoor peer: US consumer cooperative retailing outdoor gear, hunting, and shooting sports products. Comparable in broad outdoor category coverage and lifestyle positioning, though US-focused and not a firearms specialist.
- Academy Sports + Outdoors: US large-format sporting goods retailer with firearms, ammunition, hunting, and outdoor categories. Comparable business model in firearms and outdoor retail, though US-focused and operating at significantly larger scale.
Others
- Woolworths Australia (Big W) — generalist outdoor categories overlap: Mass-market retailer in Australia with adjacent outdoor, camping, and sporting goods categories. Not a direct firearms competitor but overlaps with Gun City's outdoor lifestyle category exposure.
Regional players
- Gun City Australia (regional equivalent comparison) — outdoors retailers such as Snowy's Outdoors: Australian outdoor retailer offering firearms-adjacent categories (camping, hiking, fishing). Comparable in product breadth and outdoor lifestyle positioning though broader in scope than pure firearms retail.
Emerging players
- Adventure Outdoors / Tactical & Outdoor NZ retailers: Smaller NZ firearms and outdoor retailers competing in the same customer base. Comparable as specialty retailers but at smaller scale and fewer store locations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Gun City social profiles
Digital presenceGun City financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gun City leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Gun City funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gun City 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 Gun City
What does Gun City do?
Gun City is a New Zealand firearms and outdoor equipment retailer that stocks and sells new and secondhand hunting rifles, shotguns, pistols, ammunition, paintball guns, firearm accessories, optics, and scopes. The business operates 11 retail stores across New Zealand plus an e-commerce platform, and offers in-house gunsmithing services including barrel threading, cerakoting, scope mounting, trigger jobs, re-blueing, and general firearm repairs. Gun City imports, exports, manufactures, customises, and repairs firearms and accessories, and supports customers with firearms licensing guidance and Police Order Form processes.
Is Gun City a public or private company?
Gun City is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gun City founded?
Gun City was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gun City based?
Gun City is headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Gun City make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Firearms Sales are the primary driver. The others are ammunition Sales, outdoor & Hunting Gear, gunsmithing Services, air Guns & Accessories, reloading Equipment & Components and storage & Security Products.
Who are Gun City's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MidwayUSA, Hunting & Fishing New Zealand and NZ Shooter / NZ Shooter Supplies. Broad incumbents are Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse, Outdoor Sport NZ (industry body) — relates to REI Co-op as US outdoor peer and Academy Sports + Outdoors. Woolworths Australia (Big W) — generalist outdoor categories overlap is listed as an others. Gun City Australia (regional equivalent comparison) — outdoors retailers such as Snowy's Outdoors is listed as a regional player. Adventure Outdoors / Tactical & Outdoor NZ retailers is listed as an emerging player.
Does Gun City have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gun City.
What industry is Gun City in?
Gun City's product category is Firearms Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAKAA, Firearms & Ammunition Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMAKAI, Firearm Storage & Safety Retail (Safes, Cases, Locks). Its NAICS code is 459.