Brownells Australia

[Wapiti]

Does anyone know what the go with this joint is?
Brownells USA used to supply me with heaps of stuff, but it seems they now have a deal with this joint, based up in the NSW sticks, to only go with them.
Like Nioa have with Leupold, so they can control the price and have no competition with others pricing lower.

I was after a quite difficult to get here scopemount for a rifle not too many people can use, and Cleavers had them for the mid-$400's but no stock in their store even though you can get the rifles through them from the AG. No ETA , and for our planned use a scope is necessary, not peep sights.
So I contact Brownells Aus, the price is just more than DOUBLE for the same thing, and they say that supply with them may be up to a year.
After the shock of them punching me in the face with their "you're a sucker" price, I look online in the US, and these things are in little town gun shops, even pawn shops. AND half a dozen different makes, both in alloy and steel.

Then, there's a Boyd's stock available for these rifles, in walnut, complete with original steel trap buttplate and steel inner liner as per the original, that sells for US $350 there. Here, of course special order but landed may end up being AU$1400, with no firm price.
This would've been good to put the original supplied stock away and bash up the Boyds instead.

Is this joint for real?

[Rusty Nail]

Geezus, that seems a bit steep.

It looks like this mob took the Brownell's gig on, https://cowboygunsandgear.com.au/

I have not had any dealings with either of them.

[morerams]

I've found them helpful so far, a bit more expensive than previously direct from the USA, maybe 15 or 20 %, probably double the wait time.

[Wapiti]

Thanks for the replies.
I found them helpful with info, but the huge price differences of the gear, taking into account the exchange rate is taking the p*ss.

I can't help but thinking how we are ripped off here.
If I had a mate in the US, which I don't unfortunately, and he went to the local gunshop and got me these bits at normal US retail, wrapped them up and sent them to me here by mail, I would get the bits at no more than the US retail price at the Aus exchange rate. Plus about AU$60 postage.

I know what I costs to run a business in Aus, we run two that are complete opposites, and the way we are financially and raped and completely disrespected by the rules put in place but the dirt that sits in concrete buildings and couldn't survive outside of the public service. Being responsible for the lives of employees, patients, workers, raw materials, weather, biosecurity blah blah is a big task.
We are just cash cows for a huge, bloated paid-off government employee industry.

But simply drop-shipping something made, ordered into US inventory by others approved, tested, packaged by others, ordered into US inventory, before the retail price is set and simply ordered from there and raping the Aussie customer at that rate is appalling.

I did find a small family owned US gunshop in a desert state, and they were sympathetic to this crap and have sent me US-made optics, accessories and mounts a few times in the post and after the exchange rate and post, I would get them here at about 75% of AU price. But the big bonus was getting stuff that just isn't imported here because the importers here don't bring this stuff in.
I will contact them and see if they might help, their state is very big 2A population and these are not firearm parts.

[Wapiti]

Geezus, that seems a bit steep.

It looks like this mob took the Brownell's gig on, https://cowboygunsandgear.com.au/

I have not had any dealings with either of them.

Unfortunately the gear they sell is not the kind of stuff I'm after.

[perentie]

I used them a lot in the old days but things have changed.
I ordered a bunch of Berrys 30 cal 200 grn plated bullets from Cleavers back in April. They went to back order so I tried Brownells. Cleavers arrived a couple of weeks ago but Brownells said their agent is still waiting on an export permit

Keith

[bladeracer]

I haven't used them since they were suspended a couple years ago. But when I wanted something, I checked the US site to find it, then emailed it to Bruce and asked him to add it to the Oz portal so I could order it. It worked well and avoided me having to apply for permits to import things myself.

[Rusty Nail]

Unfortunately the gear they sell is not the kind of stuff I'm after.

Yes I thought that.

What I was probably trying to say is that they are in the same building at the same address, just with a different phone number, indicating to me they have the same owners and probably business model, maybe?

[Wapiti]

Yes, good point.

[Fester]

I only used Brownells when I was desperate once or twice over the years.

Just so slow and never cheap, or even competitive with other places.

It all sucks now with the AU$ and then US postage. I just haven't done it for years.

We had some great times a decade or so back when our dollar actually went above theirs.
Blokes were buying Pirelli bike tyres for about 1/2 price, delivered to their door in under 2 weeks.
The biggest-sized fat rears used to cost over $300 and last about 4-6 track days depending on how fast you were.
I waited for sales at the big Sydney accessories shop and got 2 rears for each 1 front; wear-wise, had to buy the sets.
Then switched to Dunlop as they were a few hundred cheaper and the fast blokes proved their track performance.

I don't even ask how much stuff costs now, but mates use different brands for better value.

I tried on Sidi boots in that shop, then ordered online from Germany, or some place for about 1/2 price to my door.
If they gouge us, we buy elsewhere.
Seems that the greedbags have sewn it all up now.

[bladeracer]

The Aussie dollar is pretty good just now so it can be worth getting stuff out of the US. Some states do charge for import permits, which adds to the cost, but Victoria doesn't. I ordered a Die set out of the US direct from Lee Precision two years ago, and ordered 2000 fibre wads three weeks ago for $110 less than buying them here, and got them quicker.
https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16000&start=2370#p349023

I only used Brownells when I was desperate once or twice over the years.

Just so slow and never cheap, or even competitive with other places.

It all sucks now with the AU$ and then US postage. I just haven't done it for years.

We had some great times a decade or so back when our dollar actually went above theirs.
Blokes were buying Pirelli bike tyres for about 1/2 price, delivered to their door in under 2 weeks.
The biggest-sized fat rears used to cost over $300 and last about 4-6 track days depending on how fast you were.
I waited for sales at the big Sydney accessories shop and got 2 rears for each 1 front; wear-wise, had to buy the sets.
Then switched to Dunlop as they were a few hundred cheaper and the fast blokes proved their track performance.

I don't even ask how much stuff costs now, but mates use different brands for better value.

I tried on Sidi boots in that shop, then ordered online from Germany, or some place for about 1/2 price to my door.
If they gouge us, we buy elsewhere.
Seems that the greedbags have sewn it all up now.

[Bugman]

A few months back I ordered some small items via Brownells. It took over three months to get them as apparently they order in total lots, not individual lots. One item did not arrive and I had to chase it and was told that they would chase it up. Got an answer after a month. They are based in Cowra NSW. Cowboy guns and gear, I believe.
The business is nothing like the Brownells Australia, imo.

[Fester]

Scopes were commonly bought from America before it all went bad with postage, and companies no longer selling to us.

I didn't really do it as a good sale price from an Aussie shop made it not so bad and less of a gamble on the warranty.

At one stage it was illegal to just send a scope out of Aus, not sure what permits and costs were involved.
Just a draconian gun parts type thing, I assume, as you could still bring them in with no issue.