Last month’s sold-out SHOT show in Las Vegas had buyers from all 50 states and over 100 countries with their sights trained on the latest and best in shooting and hunting products, including eyewear. The number of people shooting is increasing, yet only a relatively small number of opticals are selling them eyewear.
According to Wayne Morgan of Morgan Optical, there are three primary disciplines of sports shooting- — clay birds, trap and skeet — that require similar eyewear. Lenses should be 66-69mm and made of polycarbonate or Trivex with bridges between 3-5mm.
Shooting lenses come in a variety of colors and tints to offer contrast between the target and background in varying light conditions. Prescriptions for single vision, round bifocals and even progressives can be done too.
Getting the ANSI Z87.1 or Mil-Spec certification on the frame and lens is a necessity. But beyond the certification, it’s important the eyewear work with helmets or headgear, under shooting hats and earmuffs.
Changeable Series Guard Advanced with Light Rust lens. Wiley X
(800) 776-7842, wileyx.com
Rydon with ImpactX-2 Rx-able lens. Rudy Project
(888) 860-7597, rudyprojectusa.com
Ranger XLW with NexPC polycarbonate lens. Randolph Engineering
(800) 541-1405, randolphusa.com
Blockade Tactical with smoke lens. Tifosi Optics
(877) 530-0815, tifosioptics.com
Frontman Elite with polarized ChromaPop lens. Smith Optics
(888) 206-2995, smithoptics.com
Tactical Rx Mount Falcon with Transitions XTRActive. Sports Optical
(888) 807-5165, sportsoptical.com
Tackle with Happy Gray Green lens. SPY
(855) 655-8980, spyoptic.com
Hamel Gray Wolf with G-15 lens. Edge Tactical Eyewear
(866) 953-7325, edgeeyewear.com
Smart Ways to Sell Shooting and Hunting Lenses
Bret Hunter
sports optical, denver, CO
Shooting is so vast and there are hundreds of different disciplines that as a retailer you really have to fully commit. I came from the Army and grew up shooting so I know this industry well. We have our own Tactical Rx frame line and specialize in making lenses for handguns, rifles and outdoor hunting. The FBI, CIA, Air Marshalls and the police use our products. For shooting glasses you really need to focus on safety. I highly recommend an ANSI Z87.1-certified frame or even one made to a ballistics standard like Mil-Spec. We primarily use polycarbonate, not Trivex, lenses for impact resistance.
Wayne Morgan
morgan optical sport glasses, olean, NY
For the last five years, we have specialized in “shooting glasses” only. We offer retail and wholesale and ship internationally. The frames we offer are made in the U.S. by Randolph Engineering. Lens options allow us to design lenses that work from very low light conditions or under lights, to the brightest of conditions that may involve polarization. We offer a large variety of colors with various light transmission to improve target definition, sharpness, clarity and to minimize eye fatigue. Most lenses are polycarbonate or Trivex, often incorporating anti-reflective coatings. We offer single vision and multifocal lenses surfaced to a patient’s specifications and edged in-house. We’ll discuss a patient’s height and weight to give us an idea of who we’re building these glasses for and build a rapport with our repeat customers. Most want to talk about their hobby so an OD who sells shooting glasses might be tied up for 35 minutes; challenging if you have patients waiting. It’s better to outsource to someone like us because we can do it right.
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 edition of INVISION.