Every time the news gets ugly, my phone rings more. That’s been true for as long as I’ve owned this shop, and I get it. But here’s the thing I tell every one of those callers: preparedness that starts with a headline usually ends with a rushed purchase. The better version starts on a quiet Tuesday when nothing’s wrong.
I’m Lance Rankin, owner and gunsmith at Western Sport here in Roanoke, Texas, just north of Fort Worth. The shop’s been here since 2007, and I’ve watched enough buying panics come and go to have opinions about them.
Buy before the rush, not during it
When demand spikes, the good stuff goes first. Anyone who tried to buy ammo or a quality rifle during the 2020 rush remembers empty shelves and doubled prices. The pattern repeats every few years, and the people who shopped calmly beforehand always came out ahead of the people paying scalper prices in week three.
That’s not a scare tactic to get you to buy today. It’s the opposite. Take your time, do it right, and do it while you have the luxury of options.
There’s no one-size-fits-all gun
The right firearm for your plan comes down to three honest questions:
What’s the actual job? Concealed carry, home defense, ranch and varmint work, and range days are different problems. A gun that’s great at one is often mediocre at another. If home defense is the priority, I’ve laid out my thinking on a home defense AR-15 setup and the best home defense handguns.
What’s your experience level? A tool is only as good as the person running it. There’s no shame in starting simple. My guide to the best AR-15s for beginners exists because “just buy what the SEALs use” is terrible advice for a first-time owner.
What’s the budget? Reliable doesn’t have to mean expensive. There are price points I won’t go below because the guns aren’t dependable, but above that line there’s solid gear at every budget. I’d rather sell you a $600 gun you’ll train with than a $2,500 gun that makes you skip the ammo budget.
Gear is the easy part
A safe full of rifles isn’t a plan. The plan is knowing where the gun is staged, who in the house does what when the alarm goes off, and how you get everyone to a safe room. I walk through all of that in my post on surviving and preventing a home invasion, and it applies whether you own one revolver or a whole collection.
Training belongs in the budget too. Dry-fire practice is free, range time is cheap compared to the gun itself, and both matter more than the next accessory.
Ask somebody who does this all day
Barrel profiles, calibers, twist rates, AR-15 versus AR-10: the spec-sheet rabbit hole is deep, and you don’t have to go down it alone. This is what I do for a living. Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish and what you want to spend, and I’ll tell you what I’d buy, including when the honest answer is the cheaper option.
You can browse the store at westernsport.com/shop, or reach me directly at [email protected] or 817-393-4000. We ship nationwide through your local FFL and do local pickup by appointment here in Roanoke.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
