Methodology
How GunAtlas sources data, matches products, ranks offers, and earns money — written plainly, because trust is the product.
What GunAtlas covers
GunAtlas compares prices on shooting-sports optics, hearing and eye protection, apparel, range gear, safes, and related accessories. We are not a dealer or marketplace, we hold no inventory, and we do not list or sell firearms or ammunition. Every purchase happens directly on an independent retailer's site under that retailer's policies.
Where our data comes from
Product and price data comes exclusively from authorized sources: affiliate-network product feeds, retailer-provided feeds and APIs, and other contractually permitted data. We do not scrape retailers without permission. If a source isn't authorized, it isn't in the catalog.
Before launch, pages marked with a “Sample data” badge show illustrative numbers so you can see how the product works. Sample data is never presented as live pricing.
How products are matched
Every product has one canonical GunAtlas page that consolidates listings from multiple retailers. Listings are matched in strict priority order: exact UPC/GTIN first, then exact manufacturer part number, then manufacturer-plus-specification matching, and finally human review. Uncertain matches go to a review queue rather than being silently merged — a wrong match is worse than a missing one. Variants (different finishes, reticles, sizes) are shown as selectable options, never blended into one price.
How offers are ranked
Organic ranking uses a deterministic Deal Score: roughly 45% price advantage (how far the current price sits below our own tracked average, or the retailer-reported list price until our history accrues), 25% popularity (retailer sales-rank data blended with our own outbound-click activity), 15% availability and data freshness, and 15% confidence (how much of our own price history backs the claim). When shipping is unknown we say so — we never quietly treat it as $0. Two hard rules:
- Commission never affects organic ranking. Commercial terms are stored separately from ranking inputs. The lowest tracked price wins even when a competing retailer pays us a higher commission.
- Sponsored placements, if we ever run them, are labeled. They will be visually separated from organic results and excluded from “lowest price” claims.
Price history
We record price snapshots from the day a product enters tracking. “Lowest tracked price” means exactly that — the lowest price we have observed since tracking began, not an all-time market low. We never fabricate or backfill historical prices.
Alerts and email
Price alerts require only an email address and a confirmation click. A price alert is not a newsletter signup: marketing email is a separate, unchecked, opt-in box, and every email we send includes working manage and unsubscribe links.
How we make money
When you click through to a retailer and buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. That's the business model — details in our Affiliate Disclosure.
Corrections
Spot a wrong price, bad match, or stale listing? Email hello@gunatlas.ai and we'll investigate and correct it.