About BattleHawk Armory: Iowa’s Top Gun Store & A Nationwide Retailer

In 2015, Adam Gerleman spent his days split between the cramped confines of his apartment and aisles filled with meat, bread, and beer at the local grocery store where he worked as an assistant manager. Adam loved his store’s customers and his company – a Midwestern grocery chain – but he had discovered a new passion… a sound that every gun guy and gun gal knows well, the sound of ringing steel. It all started innocently enough. A few days here and there at the local range. A new optic for his AR, a new trigger for his pistol… we all know the story. Soon, a “few days here and there” at the range turned into a few more days at the range and that’s when Adam discovered a universal truth known well to the firearm acquainted - guns, ammo and accessories aren’t cheap! A resupply trip to a well-known big box store for outdoorsmen, unbeknownst even to Adam, would lay the foundation for BattleHawk Armory. As Adam passed by said store’s bargain bin, he found a treasure trove of marked-down riflescopes. A retail man himself, Adam thought, “I’ll buy one for me, and I’ll buy a few more and try my luck at selling the others on eBay.”

Adam’s gamble worked. He sold his first few riflescopes instantly. He took the profit and used the money to feed his firearms’ ever-growing appetite for ammunition. Not only were Adam’s trips to the range increasing, so were his raids on big box store bargain bins. Meanwhile, his apartment was filling up optics to resell as a legitimate side business was emerging. Over the next year, Adam would officially name his pet project Swarm Outdoors and he moved his “HQ and warehouse” to a slightly larger place – a small rental home in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where he moved to take a job in a new grocery store. By 2017, Adam’s side business had made partnerships with prominent gun industry wholesalers so Adam didn’t have to keep scouting bargain bins to source products. The basement, kitchen, bathrooms, and spare bedroom of Adam’s X,XXX sq. ft. rental home were now chock full of inventory. Adam had to move optics boxes out of the way to cook supper or even heat up a bag of microwave popcorn.

The business was growing fast as orders rushed in from Amazon, eBay, and Gunbroker. And that’s when Adam got lucky. In 2018, Adam met Kayla – an understanding, pro-2A 4th-grade teacher from the local school district. Kayla would become Adam’s wife, but not before serving as his de-facto fulfillment manager and spending many a “date night” packing and shipping orders to happy customers across the U.S. Adam's parents, Sharon and Kevin, even spent time on weekends taking on the role of “warehouse staff.” By 2019, Adam settled on the final name for his business, BattleHawk Armory. Around the same time, Adam received his FFL and added firearms to his inventory. The BattleHawk logo was also adopted, an homage to his and Kayla’s favorite collegiate sports team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, while also telling customers they were in the firearm business with both claws… and feet. However, the restrictions of running a growing e-commerce business out of a tiny, rural rental home were mounting. Adam and Kayla had a rule – no one makes a trip upstairs or downstairs without carrying a box, for any reason, no excuses. The wear and tear on the home were evident. On one unfortunate evening, those very stairs collapsed under the strain of heavy weight and immense foot traffic. By mid-2020, now married, the Gerleman’s began considering moving their fast-growing business to a more appropriate location; one more suited for warehousing and retail. Perhaps the biggest proponents of this plan were the staff at the local, small-town post office who had grown weary of seeing Adam’s truck and trailer pull up on a daily basis to ship out orders.

It wasn’t until late 2020 that both Gerleman’s, with much debate, left their day jobs and moved BattleHawk Armory into a commercial building in Grimes, Iowa… a small, but growing suburb just north of Des Moines. Adam took his knowledge of retail and warehousing to build out a 4,000 sq. ft. mixed-use retail/warehousing operation. Finally, BattleHawk Armory had room to expand and a worthy place for customers to come, check out the latest and greatest the firearm industry had to offer in a space that wasn’t a crowded kitchen full of boxes. Since late 2020, BattleHawk Armory has experienced explosive growth due to the company’s focus on offering all types of firearms but specializing in being in stock on the industry’s newest and hottest products at almost unbeatable prices. As such, BattleHawk Armory’s footprint has grown 3-fold at its current location – 3060 SE Grimes Blvd #600, Grimes, Iowa. BattleHawk Armory continues to operate a retail store at that location that is currently open 10 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

Adam and Kayla welcome you to come by the store or visit them online anytime at www.battlehawkarmory.com.

Located in Grimes, Iowa, our brick-and-mortar store is open 10 am-5 pm Monday-Friday. Visit us in-store to find a knowledgeable and friendly team ready to assist you. Our experienced staff is passionate about firearms and tactical gear, and we're here to help you find the perfect fit for your needs, whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a first-time buyer.

BattleHawk Armory serves nationwide customers with an extensive online inventory. With the best prices, fast shipping, and reliable service, you can make www.BattleHawkArmory.com your go-to supplier of firearms, gear, and accessories.