My new .25 SPA M16 (Air Max Dominator) thread... :-)

[WesBob]

Are the SPA guns perfect, not by a long shot, but then neither were my Condor, my Escape, my BT65, my Bullboss, or most any of my other guns. I also never thought ANY of those guns should have cost me what I paid for them, but alas I bought them anyway

Good word!

[avator]

Are the SPA guns perfect, not by a long shot, but then neither were my Condor, my Escape, my BT65, my Bullboss, or most any of my other guns. I also never thought ANY of those guns should have cost me what I paid for them, but alas I bought them anyway

Good word!

X2
And I'll most likely buy more..... at the right price. Definitely if the LR700W shows up in the states.

[.]

My issue with the Dominator is not with the gun, but with the mark-up...

[avator]

So, what is the standard mark up on a given product, like 40%?

[keithd]

When comparing my Varm to the Dom I think there is maybe $100.00 more value your paying for a reg. and a side lever. So a $300 increase no way, maybe if the quality was much better but it is about the same. Everything is very good for a China product without a lot of US QC behind it. But what we are paying for is an advanced or upgraded model not a higher set of standards.

[Wayne52]

I've been carrying a tin of pellets when I'm out with my Dominator, heck with all the shots I can get just filling to the 220bar mark I still get a bunch of good shots. If I feel like going hog wild I can.

The main thing that I'm liking about all my SPA guns is the amazing accuracy I'm getting with them all.  That's one thing about them, they didn't screw around when making barrels for them, they definitely did that part right.  I also like the fit and finish on them all as well.  I think I need to take my clip apart for my Dominator, I did make the mistake of putting it in my dirty pocket on my jeans and I think I got some dirt in it.  I think I'll address that problem before the next time I go out with it, right now sounds like good as time as any

Well I see nobody has posted since last time so right at the moment I'm putting it back together after hunting on the floor for a screw & washer, I found them though.

It's now back together ready to go

[.]

When comparing my Varm to the Dom I think there is maybe $100.00 more value your paying for a reg. and a side lever. So a $300 increase no way, maybe if the quality was much better but it is about the same. Everything is very good for a China product without a lot of US QC behind it. But what we are paying for is an advanced or upgraded model not a higher set of standards.

Exactly!

[.]

So, what is the standard mark up on a given product, like 40%?

Pshhhh! 

[avator]

How to translate a gross margin percentage into a markup percentage:
•Convert the gross margin percent into a decimal:  47.9% = .479
•Find the gross cost: 1 – .479 = .521
•Invert it:  1 / .521 = 1.919
•Subtract one:  1.919 – 1 = 0.919
•Convert back into a percentage:  0.919 = 91.9%
•That’s the markup:  91.9%

Maybe I was a bit low....

[.]

I've been carrying a tin of pellets when I'm out with my Dominator, heck with all the shots I can get just filling to the 220bar mark I still get a bunch of good shots. If I feel like going hog wild I can.

The main thing that I'm liking about all my SPA guns is the amazing accuracy I'm getting with them all.  That's one thing about them, they didn't screw around when making barrels for them, they definitely did that part right.  I also like the fit and finish on them all as well.  I think I need to take my clip apart for my Dominator, I did make the mistake of putting it in my dirty pocket on my jeans and I think I got some dirt in it.  I think I'll address that problem before the next time I go out with it, right now sounds like good as time as any

Well I see nobody has posted since last time so right at the moment I'm putting it back together after hunting on the floor for a screw & washer, I found them though.

It's now back together ready to go

I accidentally wound a mag up while empty, I thought it was like a BSA mag and would unwind by itself, but no, lol..

Overall, I think mine's gonna be a shooter, too, Wayne, though the pistol grip area of the stock fits me funny. The Varm is really 'handy' to handle, the Dom, not so much. And it is a wee, wee bit front heavy. Not as much as an Urban or AT44 or Marauder, but a tiny bit, enough to be noticed. I am hoping my soon-to-be Rocker1 thingy will be lighter than the factory thingamajig, as was the case on my Varmimts, and that will help. I am already thinking of going tactical with mine, anyway, and that will give me re-balancing options, too. No worries, even as it is, it is handy enough..

[anti-squirrel]

I'm listening along, but I also know a couple things: I've been sort-of following Steve (SmythSG) and his P-12 for a while- longer than I've been a member here.  When he decided to thin out his herd, he kept the P-12.  And I've had my own "Match Grade single shot regulated pistol" from SPA close to a year. When I bought my PP700, there was very little information about them on the int@rw3bs.  I'm still thrilled about my pistol, and he still loves his bullpup.

I use these as my standards.  Both inexpensive for what they offer, and both are accurate.  My Varmint should prove the same, as they've been "in the wild" for over a year.    These other SPA guns- we just gotta get them worked through.  I liken it to the various Crosman guns.  Inexpensive, possibly overpriced for what you get, possibly not.  But almost all the SPA guns seem to have good barrels, and that's quite possibly the most important thing in an airgun.

[Vee3]

How to translate a gross margin percentage into a markup percentage:
•Convert the gross margin percent into a decimal:  47.9% = .479
•Find the gross cost: 1 – .479 = .521
•Invert it:  1 / .521 = 1.919
•Subtract one:  1.919 – 1 = 0.919
•Convert back into a percentage:  0.919 = 91.9%
•That’s the markup:  91.9%

Maybe I was a bit low....

My Wife and I owned/operated a couple of small, low volume, nitche manufacturing businesses for many years. Found out PDQ that if a given product didn't sell for at least 3x what we had into it, it wasn't worth bothering with. Sometimes items selling for 5x our cost were dropped.

One thing that those formulas can't figure in is the "hassle factor." Those little (or big) irritations that always come up unexpectedly, usually at the worst times. Machine breakdown, raw material unavailable, someone gets sick, etc.

Then there are the individuals who see you making money in your nitche and think they can easily slide in and undercut your business; often times using bad-mouthing tactics in an attempt to damage your reputation. A lazy, underhanded man's route. They know that they can't be successful based on the merits of their own work (and usually fail, regardless).

[Mrodair.com]

THANK YOU !

There is hope for mankind yet.

[mobilemail]

So, what is the standard mark up on a given product, like 40%?

Pshhhh! 

In the bicycle business, and likely many others, markup is keystoned. A bike might only have 10-15 percent markup, but a tube or cable will be 200-300 percent.  That is why shops will often push accessories with a new bike purchase. Electronics is like that too.

[WesBob]

THANK YOU !

There is hope for mankind yet.

I can only speak for myself, but anyway just want to say that I wish more often I would keep my mouth shut when it comes to saying things that can be taken negatively and would be quicker to stand up and be thankful and speak up for the good. Thanks for your service and for getting these guns out there for people!
And please sell me some CP2 grips lol! I would have bought my CP-1M and a varmint from you by now if only the crazy  border problem wasn't an issue!

[Mrodair.com]

Shoot me an email.

Stock shouldn't be any problem.

Thanks

[WesBob]

Shoot me an email.

Stock shouldn't be any problem.

Thanks

Great! Thanks

[Wayne52]

Well I can vouch that the simple cleaning of my magazine was all it took to get it working flawlessly on the hunt right up until I got rained out.

[smythsg]

Hi all, headed to the woods again tomorrow with my Dominator and the thought occured to me that I have not seen any posts yet about adjusting the regulator. I did see the posts about the bottle version regulator, but the tube version seems different. Mike, Chickie, anyone,  played with the reg yet or has any information come back from China? I don't want to have to order a Huma if I don't have to, but I want more power.   

[Hoop]

Shultz,

I'm with you on the weight, I'm also not 100% sure, but either way, it's all good.

5lbs would be very nice, but it's 6.5 lbs (verified on another thread). The P15 is the lighter of all of the new SPAs. Mike said some are Titanium & othets Aluminum when I asked, but he didn't say which AG had what. He did say than are lighter than advertised, but hasn't put it on a scale yet. But 6.5lbs is ptetty good for the power.

I only look for light AGs. I do not want to be lugging around a Hatsan or Marauder. I like the weight of my Escape with 24 inch barrel (.25 cal). Only 5.5lbs & powerful. The 18inch barrel Escape is only 4.5 lbs. And the R&L Moderators are very light if you need to suppress the bark.