It’s pretty easy to make the case that Larry Piercy has the coolest job in the world.
Larry working as Range Master at the 2014 EBR.
We’ll get to the details of this innovative venture in just a little while, but first a little background about Piercy. “As a kid, I had a Daisy 1894 lookalike. I’ve known Robert Buchanan, president of AoA, for thirty years, but I didn’t really know about adult precision airguns until he and I got involved starting the Airgunners of Arizona field target club.”
He adds, “I started field target with a Slavia 631, a seven-foot-pound gun. I think I dropped only four targets in that first match. After that, I bought a Beeman R1 in .20 caliber and did better. Larry has been heavily involved with airguns and field target ever since and is currently president of the Airgunners of Arizona field target club.”
Piercy is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor and a Certified Range Officer for the United States Practical Shooting Association.
Early in 2015, Piercy retired from Boeing after 26 and a half years, and within a month Robert Buchanan phoned. He wanted to discuss an idea he had been thinking about for some time. The next day Larry and Robert met for breakfast to discuss their visions for the project, and within a couple of days, Piercy was on the AoA team.
So here are the details on “the coolest job in the world”: as this is being written, within a few days Larry will begin touring the country in a custom van that is tricked out as a mobile showroom for Airguns of Arizona and Precision Airgun Distribution, which is the distribution arm of AoA.
“This project has four goals,” Larry says. “The primary goal is to establish additional dealers in the Precision Airgun Distribution network. The van will be a mobile showcase for adult precision airguns. We’ll have 10 long guns – everything from an HW30 to an Air Wolf – and 2-3 pistols. We’ll take the latest airguns to them, let them see them, touch them, and, if there are the facilities, shoot them.
The second goal is to help existing dealerships to be more successful. A third goal will be to interface with the airgunning public, which means that Piercy and the van will be visiting the National Field Target Championships, the National Airgun Benchrest Championships, and similar events. The van is equipped with an Omega electric compressor and a Daystate gas-powered compressor for refilling tanks and a workbench “in case somebody blows an o-ring.”
A fourth goal will be to do some outreach to provide some relief for people in need, and Piercy’s son-in-law, who has a master’s degree in counseling, will be a resource for that effort.
The plan is for Piercy to go out on the road for up to three weeks, then spend a week or two at home, then repeat the process. “When I’m home, I’ll be visiting local ranges in the Phoenix area. Already there is one range planning to build an airgun facility, and I can help with supervision as well as shooting and safety instruction.”
Robert Buchanan will accompany Piercy on the first trip, a 7-10-day sweep through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Piercy says, “I’m finding that in some areas, they know that airgunning is really growing in popularity, but firearms dealers are somewhat reticent to get involved. It should be an interesting trip.”
Buchanan adds, “We’re going to learn a lot.”
After they return, it should be very interesting to find out what they have learned.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.
- Jock Elliott
If you come as far as eastern NC, how about dropping by Mackey’s gun shop.
Wow! Look closely at the van interior. It’s like a portal to another dimension.
Yes, please stop by Mackey’s gunshop, they could use a few good airguns there. Better yet, set up a AOA store in the Raleigh area and I’ll be your first customer.
Perhaps the van will show up at the Hickory, NC show in mid October?
Would like to see you guys come up to Michigan. Our laws change on July 1st 2015 regarding airguns and that would be a great way of opening the market and interest up here.