CORAOPOLIS — Dick’s Sporting Goods said it will stop selling hunting rifles and ammunition at 125 of its stores, replacing the gear with merchandise it believes will sell better at those locations.

CEO Edward Stack said the move comes after the sporting goods retailer replaced hunting merchandise in 10 of its stores in last year’s third quarter. Those stores posted strong sales and profit margin numbers in the fourth quarter, he said.

The hunting gear will be removed this year from 125 additional stores where it does not sell well, he said. It will be replaced with “merchandise categories that can drive growth, each based on the needs of that particular market,” he said. There are 729 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in the U.S.