AI and the Gun Trade

Artificial Intelligence (AI) might feel like something that belongs in science fiction, but it's already having a huge impact on how businesses run, and yes, that includes the gun trade and shooting sports.

From the way customers find you, to the way you write product descriptions, respond to messages, or build loyalty, it’s all changing. AI can fulfil the roles which the gun trade is traditionally slow to invest in, without the extra cost.

I want to show you how small businesses in shooting sports can start using AI, without needing a tech background or a big budget. We’ll look at what AI is, where it fits, how to get started, and practical ways you can put it to work this season.

Put simply, AI refers to software that can learn patterns, make decisions, or generate content in a way that used to require a human brain.

The most popular example at the moment is ChatGPT, which can answer questions, write text, summarise long documents, and more. But AI also powers tools like Google Maps, voice assistants, email spam filters, and even your phone camera’s ability to “beautify” a photo.

So while the buzzword might be new, the technology has been in your pocket for years.

You might be thinking: “Nice idea Monty, but I sell guns, run a clay ground, or teach lessons, not software.”

But AI isn’t about building apps or replacing people. It’s about taking small jobs off your plate, so you can focus on the parts of your business that require a human touch.

That means more time with customers. More headspace for planning. Fewer late nights doing admin or marketing.

In a sector where many businesses are stretched for time and staff, AI is like hiring a smart part-timer who never clocks off, and works for free.

If you’ve never used AI before, don’t worry, it’s not complicated, and you don’t need to download anything or speak another language. You’re just having a conversation with a tool that’s good at answering questions and writing things quickly. The key is knowing what to ask.

The most popular starting point is ChatGPT. It’s free to sign up and use for basic tasks, and there’s no learning curve beyond typing into a box and hitting enter.

You simply give it a 'prompt' something like “Write a 100 word description for a used Beretta Silver Pigeon” and it’ll respond in seconds. What you're likely to be surprised by are the ideas you hadn't thought of before.

Prompt One

I need a friendly email inviting customers to a summer open day at a clay ground, with food, coaching tasters, and discounts on cartridges

Prompt Two

What kinds of memorabilia merchandise would be best to have by the counter at my shooting ground?

Prompt Three

Ian Coley shooting ground is my nearest competitor, can you give me some suggestions on what events to run at my own ground, and on what days, to best compete with them

Prompt Four

Write me a description of a Beretta Silver Pigeon 1 that I can use to sell the gun on gun trader

Prompt Five

Give me suggestions for social media posts this week based on the most commonly asked questions about shooting on the Pigeon Watch forum

1. Handling “Quiet Time” Marketing

We all know the cycle: busy season hits, and marketing gets forgotten. Then winter comes, things quieten down, and it’s hard to know what to say. GPT can help generate a full content calendar in minutes. Tell it: “Create a 3-month social media schedule for a shooting school in Devon including offers, tips, and customer stories.” You’ll get a week-by-week plan to adapt and schedule—so your marketing never goes cold, even if the weather does.

2. Competitor Intelligence

You can ask GPT to summarise the offerings of competitors—based on their websites, product listings, or customer reviews. Copy and paste the text and prompt: “Summarise the key services and differentiators of this business in bullet points. Then list 3 ways I can differentiate my offering.” It's not spying. It’s doing what we all do, research, just faster.

3. Training and Onboarding New Staff

Bringing someone new into the business? GPT can summarise your range rules, safety policy, cancellation terms, and more into a plain-English training guide. Upload your documents and say: “Make this into a 1-page summary for a new part-time shop assistant.” It saves hours—and helps maintain consistency when training staff.

4. Dealing with Difficult Emails or Reviews

Ever been stuck trying to word a reply to a tough customer email or a bad Google review? GPT can help strike the right tone. Prompt it with something like:
“Write a polite, professional response to a negative review. The customer complained about a cancelled lesson due to bad weather. We gave 24 hours’ notice." It won’t just write the reply, it’ll help take the emotion out of it so you can move on.

5. Generating Event Ideas and Offers

Running out of inspiration for what to do next at your ground or shop? GPT’s great at idea generation. Ask: “Give me 10 ideas for themed clay shooting events that will appeal to beginners and younger shooters. Include names and pricing ideas.” You’ll be surprised how many useful ideas come back—some ready to use straight away, others a spark to build on.

6. Local SEO Support

If you’re trying to show up better on Google (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), GPT can help you write localised content for your site. Say:
“Write a paragraph about clay pigeon shooting in Sussex that includes the phrase ‘shooting ground near Brighton’ naturally.”
You can then drop that into your web pages to help Google connect the dots.

7. Translating for European Visitors

Got guests from overseas? GPT can translate key instructions, waivers, or signage into French, German, or Spanish in seconds.
Say: “Translate this safety briefing into French. Keep it polite and clear, suitable for guests on their first shoot.”

Building your own GPT (a custom version of ChatGPT) is surprisingly simple, and incredibly powerful if you run a specialist business like a shooting ground or gunroom. It allows you to create a bespoke AI assistant that reflects your voice, understands your products, and is tailored to your customers.

The real power comes when you think practically. Imagine uploading a spreadsheet of your gunroom stock. Your GPT could instantly generate guntrader descriptions, ready to copy and paste.

It does require a paid subscription to store them or to upload documents for it to reference, but it's simple enough to create a written prompt and store it in a word or text document for use each time you want to repeat the task. You can even use GPT to create the prompt for you.

Just ask.

Despite the promise and excitement, AI is not a silver bullet. For all its power, it remains a tool, not a replacement, for human intuition, industry experience, or specialist knowledge. In the shooting world, where personal relationships, trust, and decades of accumulated expertise often define success, AI has clear limits. It can automate processes, but it can’t replicate your judgment, or the subtle understanding of a client’s needs that comes from years on the ground.

Context is another stumbling block. AI tools excel at recognising patterns and generating content based on vast datasets, but they can struggle with nuance, particularly when it comes to legal and regulatory interpretation. In a sector as tightly regulated as ours, no AI can (or should) be trusted to make final calls on compliance. Likewise, language models may inadvertently produce content that falls foul of social media policies, even when trying to be helpful.

There’s also the matter of quality control. While AI can dramatically speed up tasks like email writing, image editing, or basic customer segmentation, it still requires human oversight. Errors can creep in. Repetition and “blandness” can surface. Without careful curation, what was intended as efficient can quickly come across as generic or off-brand.

Finally, there’s something intangible that AI can’t yet touch: craft. Whether you're fitting a shotgun, writing a heartfelt newsletter, or planning an event at your ground, there’s a human element, often subtle, always important, that machines can't capture. The goal, then, is not to let AI lead, but to let it serve. The best outcomes come when it works alongside you, quietly taking care of the repetitive work so you can focus on what really matters.

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