What GAT Guns does

GAT Guns, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned firearms retail and training business headquartered at 970 Dundee Avenue, East Dundee, Illinois, founded in 1979 by Gregory A. Tropino. The company operates a single 63-lane indoor shooting facility — the largest privately owned indoor shooting facility in the country — comprising a 24-lane 75-foot pistol range, a 28-lane rifle range at 50 and 75 yards, and an 11-position dedicated training range, anchored by a showroom of 2,000+ new and used firearms. GAT Guns serves individual firearms enthusiasts, concealed carry applicants, and training students across the Midwest (with restrictions in Chicago, Cook County, Aurora, and Highland Park, plus no ammunition shipments to Illinois residents).

The company's product surface spans six core revenue streams: (1) one-time firearms retail, (2) usage-based range access, (3) professional services for gunsmithing, Cerakote finishing, and FFL transfers, (4) structured firearms training from youth (8-14) and women's programs through instructor certification, (5) a limited lifetime warranty add-on (5% of selling price for new, 10% for used, $25 minimum), and (6) recurring revenue from an exclusive Champion Safe dealership. The training curriculum is delivered by NRA-certified instructors including named instructor Bob Hartwell, with private instruction tiered at $150 (1-on-1), $275 (2-on-1), and $400 (3-on-1) per 1.5-2 hour session.

Distribution is a hybrid of physical retail (single flagship store open Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-6pm) and a proprietary e-commerce storefront at shop.gatguns.com shipping accessories to the lower 47 states, with firearms routed via FFL transfer. Customer acquisition is driven by content marketing, the weekly "Locked & Loaded" email newsletter, an organic social presence, and the annual two-day Factory Shoot event, which in 2026 generated a doubling of Champion Safe sales and triggered two follow-on safe orders. The company is a corporation domiciled in Illinois with 11-50 employees and no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

GAT Guns

Legal name

GAT GUNS, INC

Website

https://gatguns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GAT Guns is a privately held, founder-owned firearms retailer and indoor range operator in East Dundee, IL, founded 1979. It runs the largest privately owned indoor shooting facility in the U.S. (63 lanes), a 2,000+ firearm showroom, full gunsmithing/Cerakote services, and a complete training curriculum serving Midwest individual shooters and concealed carry applicants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Firearms Retail & Training

akta.pro primary industry

Firearms & Ammunition Retail (CRAMAKAA)

Keywords

• Firearms retail
• Shooting range access
• Firearms training classes
• Gunsmithing services
• Firearm accessories sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Firearms Sales: Retail sale of new and used firearms including pistols, rifles, and shotguns with over 2000 firearms in showroom inventory
2. Training Classes: Firearms training including Conceal Carry Classes, NRA courses, advanced classes, and private instruction sessions
3. Range Access: Fee-based access to indoor pistol and rifle ranges for shooting practice
4. Gunsmith Services: In-house gunsmithing and repair services for customer firearms
5. Cerakote Finishing: Custom firearm painting and coating services with various colors and patterns
6. FFL Transfers: Firearms transfer services for purchases from other dealers, competitively priced
7. Limited Lifetime Warranty: Extended warranty programs for new (5% of selling price, $25 minimum) and used (10% of selling price, $25 minimum) firearms

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GAT Guns operates a firearms retail store with a showroom of over 2,000 new and used firearms (pistols, rifles, shotguns), supported by an e-commerce storefront. The company runs the largest privately owned indoor shooting facility in the country with 63 lanes across pistol and rifle ranges, and offers paid firearms training classes, private lessons, rental guns, in-house gunsmithing, Cerakote finishing, FFL transfers, FOID/CCL application assistance, fingerprinting, and the annual Factory Shoot event.

Product overview

GAT Guns operates as a full-service firearms retailer and training facility in East Dundee, Illinois, offering over 2000 firearms in stock along with comprehensive gunsmithing, Cerakote coating, and FFL transfer services. The company provides extensive shooting facilities including a 75-foot pistol range with 24 lanes and rifle ranges at 75 and 50 yards with 28 lanes. Training services span from introductory courses through advanced and instructor-level certification, including private lessons, NRA classes, concealed carry courses, youth programs, and women's training. Additional services include firearm rentals, limited lifetime warranties, FOID/CCL application assistance, live scan fingerprinting, and the annual Factory Shoot showcase event. The business has evolved from its 1979 founding to become one of the largest firearm retailers in the Midwest with the largest privately-owned indoor shooting facility in the country featuring 63 total shooting bays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Firearms Sales (New and Used)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Champion Safe CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 March 2026Champion Safe Company, a subsidiary of American Rebel Holdings (NASDAQ:AREB), is an exclusive dealer partner of GAT Guns. Champion Safe supported GAT Guns' Factory Shoot 2026 event as premier safe manufacturer, resulting in Champion Safe sales doubling compared to previous year. GAT Guns placed two additional safe orders following the two-day showcase. The partnership is driven by customer trust in the Champion Safe brand and GAT Guns' ability to create event experiences that drive product demand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Midway USA: Midway USA is a long-established direct-to-consumer firearms, reloading, and shooting supplies retailer based in the Midwest. It competes with GAT's online and accessory/reloading business and shares a similar customer base of hobbyist and enthusiast shooters.
• Palmetto State Armory: Palmetto State Armory is a fast-growing direct-to-consumer firearms manufacturer and retailer offering competitively priced rifles, pistols, and accessories. It competes with GAT on price-conscious new firearms buyers and accessory purchases through its e-commerce channel.
• Natchez Shooters Supplies: Natchez Shooters Supplies is a direct-to-consumer firearms, ammunition, and shooting accessories retailer with deep product assortment. It competes with GAT's online channel for hobbyist and self-defense buyers across the U.S.
• Point Blank Range & Gun Shop: Point Blank Range & Gun Shop operates indoor shooting ranges with retail and training services in multiple U.S. locations. It is a direct competitor to GAT's combined range + retail + training model.
• Range USA: Range USA operates indoor shooting ranges combined with firearms retail, training, and gunsmithing services. It is the closest direct competitor to GAT Guns, with the same integrated retail-plus-range-plus-training model across multiple Midwest and U.S. locations.
• Brownells: Brownells is a leading direct-to-consumer retailer of firearms, gunsmithing tools, and reloading supplies, with a strong enthusiast customer base. It overlaps with GAT's gunsmithing, accessory, and reloading-adjacent business and competes for the same hobbyist shooter.

Broad incumbents

• Scheels: Scheels is a large, family-owned sporting goods retailer with flagship stores featuring indoor Ferris wheels, ranges, and extensive firearms departments. It competes with GAT as a destination sporting goods and firearms experience in shared Midwest geographies.
• Bass Pro Shops: Bass Pro Shops (which acquired Cabela's) is the largest U.S. sporting goods and firearms retailer, with many locations featuring indoor ranges and training. It competes with GAT on retail selection, pricing, and destination experience, but at a national scale and across a much broader outdoor recreation portfolio.
• Sportsman's Warehouse: Sportsman's Warehouse is a multi-state sporting goods and firearms retailer with deep firearms, hunting, and shooting sports assortments. It competes with GAT on firearms selection and pricing across many of the same Midwest geographies.
• Academy Sports + Outdoors: Academy Sports + Outdoors is a large multi-state sporting goods and firearms retailer with broad outdoor and hunting assortments. It competes with GAT on price and convenience in overlapping Midwest markets, though without GAT's dedicated range and training infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GatGunsInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/GATGunsInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/g.a.t.-guns-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GAT Guns