MSR Distribution vs Orion
Both catalogs are synced into one shared vocabulary, so the same UPC can be counted on either side and matched across them. Everything below is what we measured in the two feeds — how much each one lists, how much of it is the same product, and what only one of them carries.
| MSR Distribution | Orion | |
|---|---|---|
| Active SKUs | 2,785 | 16,021 |
| Distinct UPCs | 2,708 | 16,019 |
| Shared UPCs (both carry) | 532 | |
| Only at this distributor | 2,176 | 15,487 |
| Uptime | 100% | 100% |
| Integration | FTP | API |
| Freshness | ||
What each one lists most of
MSR Distribution and Orion describe their catalogs in their own words, and we resolve both against one shared product vocabulary before counting. A category below therefore means the same thing on either side. Each list is that distributor’s own largest categories, counted in active listings.
MSR Distribution
- Firearm
- 1,234
- Magazine
- 327
- Apparel
- 259
- Parts & Components
- 182
- Safe & Storage
- 143
- Other
- 113
- Optic
- 104
- Tools & Maintenance
- 76
Orion
- Firearm
- 8,830
- Ammunition
- 2,895
- Parts & Components
- 970
- Magazine
- 752
- Optic
- 402
- Suppressor
- 331
- Knife & Tool
- 177
- Light & Laser
- 157
Firearm, Parts & Components, Magazine and Optic appear in both lists, so those counts can be read against each other directly.
Each list stops at that distributor’s eight largest categories. A category on one list and not the other is one we have not counted here, not one that distributor does not carry.
Where each one will ship it
Taken from each company’s own site on the dates shown on their individual pages. Running a drop-ship programme and naming where the parcel goes are separate questions, and most distributors answer only the first — so “Not stated” below means they have not published it, not that they refuse.
| MSR Distribution | Orion | |
|---|---|---|
| Ships to your store | Yes | Yes |
| Offers drop-shipping | Yes source | Not stated |
| Ships to your customer's FFL | Yes source | Not stated |
| Ships to your customer's address | Not stated | Not stated |
| Ships NFA items to a receiving SOT | Not stated | Not stated |
Every distributor here ships to your own licensed premises — that is what a wholesale account is, not a policy any one of them publishes. Confirm anything you will act on directly with the distributor.
Which should you open?
Orion lists 16,019 distinct UPCs to MSR Distribution's 2,708 — about 5.9× the breadth. 532 UPCs are carried by both — 20% of what MSR Distribution lists and 3% of what Orion lists. Beyond that overlap, 2,176 UPCs appear on MSR Distribution alone and 15,487 on Orion alone. If you open one account, Orion is the wider of the two on its own — it leaves 2,176 UPCs unreachable, against 15,487 if you open MSR Distribution instead. Carrying both reaches 18,195 distinct UPCs, 2,176 more than Orion covers alone. The largest category in both lists is Firearm — Orion lists 8,830 there to MSR Distribution's 1,234. Both feeds answered us 100% of the time over the window we monitor.
This is arithmetic on the counts above, not a recommendation of one company over the other. Which account is worth opening also depends on terms and on what your customers ask for, neither of which is in the catalog data we measure. What each company publishes about shipping destinations is in the table above it.
MSR Distribution
MSR Distribution runs one of the smallest catalogs Project Parabellum syncs, delivered as scheduled file drops the same way MGE's and Zanders' feeds are rather than through a live API. A sync pass here finishes quickly given the size, and in practice it works as a niche or supplemental source rather than a catalog broad enough to anchor a storefront on its own.
Orion
Orion Wholesale runs a general-line catalog roughly in the middle of the size range Project Parabellum syncs, connected through a dealer API on the same schedule as the rest of the API-connected distributors. Its scope stays broad rather than specializing in one category, which is the main reason a dealer would add it alongside a more focused distributor in their mix.
Applying for a dealer account
- Apply for a MSR Distribution dealer account — The catalog's small size makes this a supplemental account rather than a dealer's primary distributor. As an FTP file drop, updates land on MSR's publishing schedule rather than on demand.
- Apply for a Orion dealer account — The general-line catalog makes this a reasonable single account for a dealer not chasing a specific specialty.
Both links leave this site. Applications are submitted to, reviewed by, and approved by the distributor themselves — Project Parabellum is not part of that process and cannot speed it up or vouch for you.