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drjoker wrote:It's not Academy's but all major retailers will report you if you act "suspiciously". They all got "the memo" from Homeland Security. I was buying a large amount of ammo (2 cans) because there was a sale at Cabela's. The clerk asked me why I was buying so much ammo, "Are you a prepper?" I told him that I am not a "prepper" but just buying because of the sale and bullets won't spoil, so it's best to buy more when it's cheap. All "preppers" go into a database. This is at all major retailers. I bought a large amount of ammo online and they refused to mail it to my house and told me they had to mail it to a FFL so I could be screened. I had them mail it to a local gun shop that was nice enough to take delivery of the ammo for me. It wasn't really a lot, just 2 ammo cans worth. sheesh. I don't hoard. I am NOT a "prepper". I do used to shoot a lot, though.

Screening is a good idea. Ask them a question and see if you get a sane response. If the mental midget rants and raves about something, then I would not sell ammo to the fella. I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience if I sold something to a criminal or an insane person.

Which online retailer refused to ship ammo to your house? I could see requiring a signature and not just leaving it at the door if it was a valuable shipment (regardless of what you were ordering), but why in the heck would any retailer need to "screen" someone buying ammo?

For the record, I have made orders of 5,000+ rounds from 6 different online retailers and no one ever required any type of screening. Maybe I am already in the database, so they just add more entries to my file every time I buy something. I'll make sure that I keep plenty of tinfoil on hand and will keep having my kids watch for the black helicopters.

I am usually at work when stuff gets delivered to the house, but the regular UPS guy did tell my wife that he was buying as much ammo as he could find ahead of the election. Then the last delivery, there was a different delivery guy.... Let's just say that I hope the first guy is OK.

And GOD SAVE QUEEN HILLARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teamless wrote:I agree that "places" like Bud's may be a good resource, but .....
When I am ready to buy a gun, I want to go pay for it, and walk out with it.
I don't want to have to buy it, then go to an FFL to do the paper work and have to pay that FFL.
I would rather all in one it.

Is the pricing good enough on Buds to cover the cost of the FFL and the aggravation of waiting?
Or is Buds just $20 cheaper and its a wash at the end of the day?

From my experience, yes it is better to buy online. But as with 98.65% of all questions in the world, the correct answer here is "it depends".

It depends on the type of guns you are buying, but if the gun is at least $500 then the FFL fee will likely be a wash with the sales tax amount. Total time investment is probably about the same either way, since you are really just looking at the time to fill out a 4473 either at the gun shop or at your favorite FFL. You may be able to get the gun "quicker" at B&M, but it depends on how you are counting the time. If you include time spent visiting several different stores looking for one that has your desired bun in stock, then you might get it quicker from an online dealer (typically a week or less from that source).

From my personal experience, online prices (including shipping) will almost always be at least as good as B&M store prices, and may well be at least a bit better. Online sources usually have a better selection than any B&M gun store, so if you are looking for something particular, you may be able to find it easier online. You can also find really good deals on occasion from either source.

It really just comes down to how much time and effort you are willing to put into a search for a good deal or a hard to find gun. The more time you are willing to invest, the more likely you are to get the best possible price. But you are definitely not going to get the best possible deal if you are not at least willing to explore the internet as a potential source.

The big Brick and Mortar stores are not all that useful for buying guns, IMHO. Buds is much more likely to have what I want in stock, and they are almost certain to have a lower price, even after paying for an FFL transfer fee.

Smaller specialty brick and mortar places like Primary Arms near Houston can be a good choice for some things, like buying a basic Anderson AR lower for $50, where the FFL transfer fee would be prohibitive if bought online. Ammo is almost always cheaper online as long as you maintain an inventory and don't buy the same day you will be shooting.

I am not too worried about Cabelas and Bass Pro merging since they are both places that I would never really expect to find a good deal in the first place. I am hopeful that they may decide to close a few stores that are too close to one another and/or may need to liquidate some excess inventory. Either of these could lead to a pretty good sale in the short-term.