Brings the Lightning (The Ames Archives Book 1) by Peter Grant

Author:Peter Grant [Grant, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, War & Military, Genre Fiction, Westerns
Amazon: B01FZVVIJ0
Publisher: Castalia House
Published: 2016-05-20T07:00:00+00:00

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While Walt was setting up the shop, he had a visit from the owner of a large hardware store in the main business area. “I hear you’re opening a gun store,” the visitor said jovially. “I’m Martin Falke. I’m the regional representative for several arms companies.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Falke. I’m Walter Ames.” They shook hands. “I daresay we’ll be doing business from time to time.”

“What are you needing right now?”

“I brought enough guns and ammunition with me to make a start, but I’ll have to replenish my stocks as I sell them. I need some lower-cost breech-loading rifles and shotguns right away, and also supplies for them—birdshot, buckshot, that sort of thing.”

“I can provide all that. You’ll find shotguns in great demand, but difficult to sell, because they cost more than cheap war-surplus rifles. A double-barrel shotgun retails for between twenty and one hundred dollars. They’re all muzzle-loaders, of course. There’s talk of breech-loading shotguns, but only a handful have made their way out here, all at very high prices indeed.”

Walt frowned. “Isn’t that too high for the settler market? Most of them don’t seem to have a lot of ready cash. Don’t you offer any lower-cost models?”

Falke shrugged. “That’s what a good shotgun costs. Don’t forget, they’re in short supply. Manufacturers concentrated on producing military firearms during the war. They didn’t make many shotguns. They’ll make more now the war’s over, which will help bring down their cost, but that can’t happen overnight. Meanwhile, if settlers want one, they’ll have to pay the going price for it.”

Walt’s first few weeks in business confirmed his suspicions. Many of the travelers and railroad workers simply didn’t have enough money to afford high-quality, high-value firearms, even used examples. He talked it over with Rose one evening.

“I didn’t take that into account in my planning,” he admitted ruefully. “I thought I could charge three-quarters of the new price for quality used guns like Army Colts, but that puts them in the twelve- to fifteen-dollar range, which is too high for most settlers. Used Spencer carbines should fetch eighteen to twenty dollars, but that’s even harder for them to afford. As for shotguns, people on the wagon trains want them almost more than any other gun because they’re so versatile, but they cost too much.”

“What about the Whitneys and Sharps?”

“They’re cheaper, and they sell better, but I don’t have enough of the Sharps.”

“Are you saying we won’t be able to make do this way?”

“Oh, no, not at all! I can always reduce my prices to move my stock if need be. Trouble is, I was hoping to leave here with a nest egg of up to eight thousand dollars to take with us to Denver City. I might have to settle for half that, perhaps a little more if we’re lucky.”

She laughed softly. “Considering you started with less than half that much in St. Louis, if you more than double your initial stake in a year, I’d say you were doing very well.

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