Mapping Australia's Firearms & Outdoor Retail Industry

We Mapped the Australian Firearms, Tactical and Outdoor Retail Industry — Here's What We Found

As part of building out Gun Traders Australia's national dealer network, we recently completed a state-by-state sweep of the Australian firearms, tactical, hunting and outdoor retail landscape. The goal was simple: get a clearer picture of who makes up this industry, where they're located, and how connected — or disconnected — the trade really is from coast to coast.

What we found paints a picture of an industry that's more spread out, and more diverse, than most people realise.

A Bigger, More Varied Industry Than Expected

When the project started, the working assumption was that Australia's firearms retail sector was a fairly tight, well-known circle of shops. The reality turned out to be broader. Once tactical stores, hunting and outdoors retailers, and — a genuine blind spot in the first pass — dedicated archery retailers were properly accounted for, we'd identified over 340 businesses across every state and territory, and we're still adding to that list.

That number excludes generic big-box sporting chains and gun clubs, focusing instead on dedicated dealers, tactical and military surplus stores, and specialist hunting and outdoor retailers — the businesses that make up the day-to-day trade for Australian shooters. It's a snapshot of the industry as we've mapped it so far, not a final or complete count.

Where the Industry Is Concentrated

Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria carry the bulk of the national footprint, which tracks with population and licensing numbers. But the spread into regional areas was more significant than expected — country towns in every state turned up dedicated dealers and outdoor retailers that don't show up in a first-pass search, often serving as the only firearms or hunting supply option for hours in any direction.

Western Australia and Tasmania stood out for how well-connected their retailers are online, with the large majority of shops maintaining a real, published contact email rather than relying solely on phone or in-store contact. Other states, particularly New South Wales, leaned much more heavily on contact forms and phone-only enquiries — a reminder that a lot of this industry still runs on relationships and a phone call rather than a website.

Archery and Tactical: The Overlooked Categories

One of the more interesting findings came from a deliberate gap-check late in the project. Initial searches, built around "gun shop" and "firearms dealer" terms, missed a meaningful slice of the industry: dedicated archery retailers and standalone knife and tactical stores. Once those categories were searched specifically, they surfaced an entirely different set of businesses — evidence that Australia's shooting and outdoor community is broader than the firearms trade alone, and that archery in particular operates as its own well-established retail world alongside it.

Why This Matters for the Industry

Gun Traders Australia exists to connect this exact network — dealers, retailers and the shooters they serve — on one platform. Mapping the industry isn't just a data exercise; it's the groundwork for building a marketplace that genuinely reflects how spread out, varied and community-driven the Australian firearms and outdoor retail trade really is.

It also reinforced something anyone who's spent time in this industry already knows: it isn't concentrated in a handful of capital city shopfronts. It's built on hundreds of independent, often family-run businesses in cities and country towns alike, each one part of the same national community even if they've never crossed paths.

You can explore the full results of this research below, organised by state and territory:

• Queensland Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• Northern Territory Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• Australian Capital Territory Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• Tasmania Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• South Australia Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• Western Australia Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• New South Wales Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

• Victoria Firearms Dealers & Gun Shops

This research is independent — it includes businesses regardless of whether they use Gun Traders. Being listed on one of the state pages above doesn't mean a business is a Gun Traders dealer, member or partner. If you're specifically looking for registered, verified Gun Traders dealers, visit our dealers page instead.

Is Your Business Missing or Are Your Details Incorrect?

This research is a living document. If your business isn't listed on the relevant state page, has closed, your website link needs updating, or any details are incorrect, we'd like to hear from you.

Email us at info@guntraders.com.au — include your business name, category, location and website (if you have one) and we'll add or update your listing.

Gun Traders Australia will continue building out its dealer network, with more integrations and partnerships to be announced as the platform grows.