As a practical matter, local retail is in trouble. Unable to match price, selection, availability, service, or convenience — all that’s left is sentiment. It’s not just gun shops. Nobody has what you need; they don’t know what it’s for; they don’t know how it works; if they can get it, they don’t want to; if they will get it, you wait weeks; check the price and it’s pretty obvious that they’re marking up your online price. I get the sentiment, but UPS will keep bringing most of it to my door instead of theirs. Everybody in that supply chain needs work, too.
I do need an FFL to buy a gun, so I try to do that entire transaction on their counter to give the the shop as much of the pie I can — but I can’t buy enough guns to keep a store in business.
As others have mentioned, look for free shipping deals. MidwayUSA just had free shipping a few days ago for orders over $50. SGAmmo has been doing free shipping on orders over $200 for a few months now.
Don’t shop at places that gouge you on shipping. We all kinda know what is fair and what isn’t for shipping. Don’t reward an online store’s bad behavior by buying from them when they’re gouging you.
For all those reasons, and I don’t want LGS to go out of business (because I think thats bad for everyone) I will pay a modest premium for ammo or accessories.
As for myself the only ammo i buy is 22 long rifle and got almost 4,000 rounds,but got them before all the prices went sky high,the rest I load myself and fortunately bought all the supplies years ago before the high prices of bullets/powder/fired brass and primers,and Have a good supply of rounds
Not the local store, but I try do to place a significant order with LuckyGunner from time to time, in consideration for the tremendous service they provide to the community.
For the stuff I buy, their prices are fair but not great; shipping is reasonable but not great. Just my opinion, but anyone who uses their resources without dropping some coin — well, that’s not fair.
4000 rounds might last my wife 8 months if she conserves. She went through over 300 rounds this morning. I went through about 200. 22lr is about all I can afford to shoot at current prices. Yesterday she complained I spent $90 on 1300 rounds of 22lr but she shoots most of it.
