GUNS UNLIMITED

BY PAUL COOK

In 1971 a savvy young man by the name of Tom Nichols, after already having developed a level of mastery in the sport of skeet shooting few achieve, set his mind about mastering the outfitting of sport shooters. Not exclusive to clays shooting, Guns Unlimited’s current 20,000 square foot store has supplies for all shooting disciplines. You’ll find what you need there, in fact Tom says, “People will travel [far] to see a lot of inventory”. Consequently, Tom kept his business under one very large roof in belief of that principle.

Tom interestingly ran the Robert’s Dairy Gun Club, located on the Robert’s dairy farm, early on where trap and skeet shooting was available. He operated a retail store on site, keeping the various necessities to outfit the clay shooters such as, “vests, gloves, shot, powder and wads and shells”, but not firearms. The more he travelled to attend and keep Guns Unlimited present at events like the Grand American and the

Golden West Grand, the less available he was to operate the small gun club. As time passed Tom decided to drop it completely, choosing instead to focus on more centralized retail sales. Initially capitalizing on opportunities to purchase in bulk from industry providers, he grew his business at times when others were failing or completely exiting the industry. He still works hard to be present at National Events commenting that this will be his 49th year at the Grand American. Beyond that, he’s also quite committed to supporting the rising interest of youth in the shooting sports, making certain Guns Unlimited has a presence throughout the mid-West at youth events. Tom described the youth market as the “hottest market” and expressed the pleasure of seeing a parent or grandparent arrive back at the store, after purchasing a trap gun for their youth shooter, to

purchase one for themselves. He said “It’s like the lightbulb went on. This is something we can do together and have fun with. Then, when we sit down at the dinner table, we have something good to talk about”.

Tom knows the clay shooting sports like few ever do. Beginning his own shooting career at just eight years of age, he was offering lessons at thirteen when he won his first Men’s Nebraska State Skeet Championship in 1960. His advancements in shooting and his retail business have done nothing but pick up speed from there, including induction into the Nebraska Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame in 1998. Tom sold guns initially through a wholesaler and by the time he was twenty he’d developed a substantial clientele. He had his current, although not his first, retail store built to purpose in the mid 1980’s. At that time the building included an indoor pistol range that Tom described as, “a little ahead of its time”. As business grew, and

starving for space, he initially reduced the size of the pistol range by half, then ultimately eliminated it to make way for additional retail floor space. The objective was to accommodate the largest possible inventory. This evolution set in motion a process that resulted in the facility as it appears today.

Tom’s hard work to get great deals for shooters and help develop the youth side of the shooting sports has led to a nice option you’ll only find at Guns Unlimited Inc. in Omaha. Tom has worked with Browning to develop a group of firearms to meet the specific needs of the sport shooters it serves. Tom’s philosophy, “you always have to be very, very competitive”, initially was manifested in those aforementioned bulk purchases that helped provide “great values to the customers”. However, circumstances don’t always avail themselves in timely nor predictable ways, so Tom sought ways to provide exclusive opportunities for his customers regularly and predictably. This led to Guns Unlimited’s unique relationship with Browning. Fielding “a half-dozen or so” Guns Unlimited exclusive sporting arms like the Browning Trap Combo or the High-Rib Single Barrel allows Guns Unlimited to put unique opportunities in sporting firearm choices, into the hands of the shooter, while maintaining the “great values” ideal that Tom strives to always have available at Guns Unlimited.

Where others might have let their guard down after achieving Tom’s level of success, he repeatedly reminded me of his intention to remain “very competitive”, stating that the customer should expect to find knowledgeable staff inside. “We don’t really set out to hire a salesman. We hire someone who understands and uses the products, we then try to blend them into [sales]”. He doesn’t want people to have “remorse” over a purchase because they felt a “push” to purchase a product. While you won’t find on-site gunsmithing assistance, Tom says that Guns Unlimited will “help when we can”. They’ll assist with warranty returns to manufacturers that they stock and when possible, link the customer to a service provider. While Tom noted that access to inventory is less consistent than in the past, Guns Unlimited has been holding their own for the most part.

Tom says, “When a customer walks through the door and throws their hands in the air basically saying, ‘Help, I want to have a good time.’ if we mess it up, it’s our fault”. He went on saying that he’s “met so many good people around the country that enjoy the sport, it’s a good sport … it’s been my life”. Knowing the proprietor of Guns Unlimited defines his own life and interconnection with sport shooting so closely, you can expect to find things well planned for you, as a sport shooting enthusiast and potential customer. From the location where you park to the tidiness of the building at Guns Unlimited, rest assured, Tom Nichols has put a good deal of thought and energy behind his inventory, presentation, and customer experience. Your best bet is to stop in and see what Guns Unlimited has to offer firsthand, but you can always peruse their inventory and offerings at gunsunlimitedomaha.com n