Thinking about buying a pistol and all of the gun shops around here want between $60-80 more than what I can find on Buds and Cheaper than Dirt. This will be my first pistol and buying from a shop. Will they match or come close to the online prices?
I have been looking at the discrepencies in price as well but from what I understand once you pay for shipping, tax etc and then pay a local gunshop their fee for receiving the merchandise (because of the FFL license requirement??) you are real close to the same pricing. Most gun shops around me charge $35 to $40 just to receive the gun and handle the paperwork. Anybody out there have the same experience or can offer any advice?
Ive never heard anything bad about Bud's. They are way cheaper than most stores. Just looked at their website and it looks like they even have free shipping (at least on the Ruger lcp that I randomly pulled up)
The little gun shop just East of the Dade City gun range charges a flat transfer fee of $25. Thats not too far of a drive for you
I have had good luck with newspaper adds, gun range/shop bulletin boards and some on line if face to face only. then no tax,shipping or transfer fees and they will usualy haggle a little. buying a handgun will be much easier if you already have a ccw permit. it shows the seller you have already been checked out and he is not selling to a criminal.
Bud's, Cheaper Than Dirt, and a few others will often have free shipping to an FFL. Plus, if you are buying from outside Florida, you shouldn't have to pay sales tax ($24 or more on a $400 gun). So if you can find an FFL with a reasonable fee, you can save a bit from some places. There's a pawn shop in North Port that does FFL transfers for $20, and probably a few others around the state if you look for them. Even if you pay $35 transfer, and save $30-40, you've come out ok, can buy a box or two of good ammo for breaking in the gun.
Try checking out www.slickguns.com for good deals. They are like a list of the best gun buys on the web, and I've seen some really good prices with free shipping. They list dealers selling new, used, confiscated, mil surplus, LEO turn-ins, etc. so you get a wide range of quality and pricing.
