How to find and buy firearms, ammunition and related items online

Are you having trouble finding firearms or magazines, but especially ammunition in stock and at reasonable prices?

I have had a number of people tell me they can’t find ammunition. Since early February, I have bought and sold many rounds of ammunition and a number of firearms, magazines and other accessories over the Internet. I’ve also sold literally thousands of rounds of the ammunition I found to friends and coworkers. I shared with them how I do it, and now I share here as well.

I have been so busy in my “day job”, that I had not noticed there was already a panic underway until the Gun Show the first weekend of December 2012. There I learned that the ammunition vendors sold out their entire stock of .223 and 5.56 mm ammunition within two hours.

Then on December 14 a psychotic boy murdered his own mother and 20 six and seven year old kids, and six adults with his mother’s AR-15 at Sandy Hook Elementary school. In the aftermath began a firestorm of debate over whether to expand national gun control laws. Subsequent fears of a new ban on AR and AK type weapons and high capacity magazines fueled an epic buying frenzy.

Now in late-August, the panic of 2013 has subsided, somewhat. Firearms and ammunition are appearing on store shelves again, but gunpowder and some calibers of ammunition continue to be difficult to find or non-existent.

Here’s how to find the ammunition that is available and how to buy through eBay style auction web sites like Gun Broker, Gun Auction and Guns America, and find deals through online commercial vendors using search sites like Slickguns, Gun-deals and Ammo Seek.

Search Sites

Slickguns, Gun-deals and Ammo Seek users find sales, coupons and rebates and then post the details for others. There are search functions and search filters for Ammo only, California Legal Only, etc. They all work in a similar way, but their search results vary. Slickguns has its own forum on USACarry.com. Shipping cost can break a deal, and many commercial vendor sites provide a calculator to estimate shipping cost.

Know the Gun Control Laws Where You Live

You must determine whether the item you want is legal for you to buy and to ship to your residence or business. For example, California has a ten round magazine capacity limit and CA residents can buy only handguns that are specifically allowed.

All firearms must be shipped to a local FFL (Federal Firearms Licensed dealer). Commercial vendors will not ship items that they know are not legal in your area, but they can’t keep up with changes in state laws, let alone city ordinances.

Ammunition is classified a hazardous material, subject to Department of Transportation (DOT) Title 49 CFR regulations and can be shipped only within the 48 contiguous states (i.e., not accepted to or from Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Catalina Island). Firearms and ammunition must be shipped separately, and in some areas sellers can’t ship any ammunition to your residence. More on shipping ammunition below.

Gun-deals.com, the auction sites and many online vendors provide a way to find and select an FFL near you. Locate one and talk to him or her.

Ordering and Payment

Commercial vendors may take orders by phone, Fax and old-fashioned mail, in addition to online orders. In the process, find out what methods of payment they accept.

Also keep in mind the cost of payment. Some sellers will take a personal check or cashier’s check, but require a holding period until the check clears their bank. PayPal charges roughly a 3% fee. Most commercial vendors accept credit cards and today some private party users also, but they may charge a small fee. A Money Order also has a cost, plus postage with delivery verification.

When buying a firearm, you must provide the seller with your FFL’s information right away. Give your FFL notice that you have an order coming from XYZ vendor, the order number and a description. Politely ask the FFL what fees and taxes you must pay, and ask what methods of payment they accept. Make arrangements with them to call you when your order arrives. (Edit by Luke McCoy: From my experience, I’ve noticed that some stores won’t call you when your firearm arrives so you may have to call them to check on it periodically.)

The FFL will know what additional requirements apply, such as the Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC) that California requires for a handgun purchase. You may have to buy a gun lock from the FFL or show proof that you own a gun safe, or both. Bring that documentation and the invoice when you pick up your order to help the FFL find your firearm and all related paperwork.

Civilian Marksmanship Program

I include the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), because it is another online source of inexpensive ammunition. I still see no 22LR on store shelves anywhere at any price, but in July I received a shipment to my door of 5,000 rounds of Aguila 22LR (the minimum order quantity), that I ordered in February from the CMP at just under $.07 per round, including shipping.

CMP was originally created by Congress in 1903 to promote firearms safety training and marksmanship for youth so that they would be skilled marksmen if called to serve in the military. It operates on private donations and proceeds from its sales of ammunition, accessories and donated surplus rifles such as the M1 Garand to qualified US citizens.

Next, buying through auction sites