Gun store near San Antonio that isn't a rip off?

[armueller2001]

I've been looking around for a Ruger SR9c and checked Academy, Nagel, Dury's, Don's, powder horn,etc and the cheapest I can find is $450+tax. I've read lots of posts of people online buying them for $400 out the door at local shops throughout the country. Also I can buy online, get it shipped, pay FFL and still only total about $420. So what gives? Are there any reasonably priced stores in the area or even up toward Austin?

Thanks in advance

 

[Texan2]

Gun stores arent going to sell guns for the same price an online wholesaler does.

I dont know anyone who would call Academy a "rip off"....thy sell below wholesale in many cases. If you can get it shipped and out the door for $420 I would tak that route. By the time you drive anywhere at $3.20 per gallon, you have wasted any small savings you may have had. Drive from San Antonio to Austin and you have lost money on the deal.

 

[armueller2001]

Gun stores arent going to sell guns for the same price an online wholesaler does.

I dont know anyone who would call Academy a "rip off"....thy sell below wholesale in many cases. If you can get it shipped and out the door for $420 I would tak that route. By the time you drive anywhere at $3.20 per gallon, you have wasted any small savings you may have had. Drive from San Antonio to Austin and you have lost money on the deal.

I understand brick and mortar can't offer the lowest prices but even academy is 450. Other stores in the area are 460-470. By the time tax is added on that's over 500.

I've seen posts from people all over saying they find them local, at or below 400. Just wondering if any stores in the area are known for having a little lower prices.. I prefer to patronize small businesses, and don't mind paying a little extra, but if I can get it online for 380+20 shipping+20 FFL then I'll probably end up doing that.

How is the Saxet show? Big selection and reasonable prices?

 

[Texan2]

Unless you find a private owner at SAXET you wont save anything. If price is the issue just order it. I have found that some online like to fib when bragging about what they paid. They always want people to think they go the deal that no one else could find. Plus prices go up and down depending on when you buy them. I would order it online myself.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Just go w/your online deal if the price is all that matters. Personally, I go to shops that I trust and buy from them, because I want them to be there next time, or when I have a gun needing work. The online guys could care less about my long-term business - but my local shops know me when I walk in the door.

Cheaper isn't always......cheaper.

 

[Rum Runner]

Places like Buds sell so many guns that they are able to sell below the wholesale cost that many dealers could get it for, so there is no way to be competitive. Academy usually has pretty good prices for a brick and mortar store, again...due to volume, so you are unlikely to find it much cheaper at another local dealer.
Local dealers are usually more knowledgeable, have better service, etc. but you are going to pay more for it.

In the end, its your $.

 

[dalto]

Many of the online dealers just have the guns drop shipped from the distributors to your ffl. They are not afraid to make $20 on a gun.

There is no way your local store can do that and stay in business. Evan academy can buy in much higher volumes then your local stores can.

Also, as someone else stated above, gun prices fluctuate over time. Even so, an out the door price of $400 for a new gun seems really low to me unless there is no sales tax in the state where that gun purchased.

 

[RiverCity.45]

Often, by the time you add in cost of shipping and FFL fee, the online "deal" is not so good a deal. Not always the case, but don't fail to do the math when comparing.

 

[London]

For the money there are better guns out there. I've never been a fan of the constitutional sell-outs at Ruger, or their guns (aside from the 10/22 and Mark series).

Having said that, if you want a deal you will have to buy used and haggle. Cash up front paid in full is the way to go. New guns usually have no play room in the price. Make sure youo a full inspection. If the seller won't let you take the gun apart to inspect it, just leave. You wouldn't buy a car without opening the hood, don't do the same with a gun. Ask about return policies. You don't want to pick up someone else's pawned junk.

Finding a good deal on a gun in this town is not impossible, but it takes a lot of patience. Be willing to wait if the savings are that important to you.

Good luck!

 

[London]

I dont know anyone who would call Academy a "rip off"....thy sell below wholesale in many cases.

I would. They don't let you take the stupid locks off the triggers to inpect the guns, they don't let you dissasemble them, and they have a "Manufacturer's warranty" return policy (AKA You're SOL with us if the gun sucks). I personally would never buy a gun from people with such crappy service/trust in their product.

They have a good selection of accessories, though (especially holsters). Good prices on them, too.

 

[Rum Runner]

I would. They don't let you take the stupid locks off the triggers to inpect the guns, they don't let you dissasemble them, and they have a "Manufacturer's warranty" return policy (AKA You're SOL with us if the gun sucks). I personally would never buy a gun from people with such crappy service/trust in their product.

Again the point is that Buying at a big box retailer lik Academy, you are trading these issues for a lower price. When you buy on line, you trade even more...the ability to handle the gun and similar ones, the ability to hold your exact gun before purchasing it, etc.

If price were not an issue, I would hope that most people would support their local dealer.

But if you are willing to trade a little service for a little lower price, the Walmarts of the gun world like Academy will fill that niche.

If you want to sacrifice a lot, the Bud's type online retailer will save you even more.

Up to you to decide where the correct balance of service vs cost lies.

To further clarify the answer for the OP, most people online post the price of the gun w/o including, tax, shipping, ffl fees, etc. They are trying to impress with how cool they are for getting a special deal. There is very little possibility of them being "out the door" at a cost point less than Buds.

 

[Red78]

Try Stone Bender Guns, he's a local FFL who has good prices. I used him for my last purchase.

425 Hinge Loop
Cibolo, TX 78108Phone:210-254-9608Fax:972-578-2573Email:sales@stonebenderguns.com

 

[majormadmax]

Try Stone Bender Guns, he's a local FFL who has good prices. I used him for my last purchase.

425 Hinge Loop
Cibolo, TX 78108Phone:210-254-9608Fax:972-578-2573Email:sales@stonebenderguns.com

I take it he doesn't have a storefront, as that address is in a residential neighborhood...

I know of another good FFL in that area, Dan Willis of Leatherneck Firearms, (210) 363 - 2332; but he too doesn't have a storefront.

Cheers! M2

 

[Red78]

Correct, not a storefront

 

[Texan2]

I would. They don't let you take the stupid locks off the triggers to inpect the guns, they don't let you dissasemble them, and they have a "Manufacturer's warranty" return policy (AKA You're SOL with us if the gun sucks). I personally would never buy a gun from people with such crappy service/trust in their product.

They have a good selection of accessories, though (especially holsters). Good prices on them, too.

You admit the have good prices and good selection but you call them a rip off?
I have bought hundreds of new guns in my lifetime and never have I felt the need to disassemble a brand new in the box gun that I am the first owner of.

Furthermore you are not "SOL if the gun sucks". And I am positive that the reason you cant break a gun down right there has nothing to do with "crappy trust in their product". More likely it has to do with not wanting every idiot off the street to be taking guns apart by the hundreds all day long and not being able to re-assemble them/stealing parts from them/wasting time of employees in such a high volume environment.

If the gun has a factory defect, it will be fixed by the gunmaker. Academy doesnt have the most knowledgable staff but most dont go there for that.

 

[daddy45acp]

Hunters Headquarters
Billy Hawes-owner
7627 Susan Elaine--off Bandera Road
684-9376

 

[jsimmons]

Saxet gun show - no deals to be had.
Local gun shops - have to pay for the store front.

With one exception, I've purchased all of my guns online, simply because the deal was SO MUCH better than buying local. My most recent purchase is a RIA 1911 tactical for $428, compared to $500 if purchased locally. Shipping was $11, and FFL is $20, so I'm still almost $100 ahead of where I'd be if I'd purchased locally. That's five boxes of ammo...

 

[majormadmax]

Saxet gun show - no deals to be had.
Local gun shops - have to pay for the store front.

Sorry, gotta disagree with that first one. I have found deals at SAXET, they may not be as common as they once were at gun shows; but if you look hard enough, you can find 'em!

I snagged a Saiga SGL-20-41 for $645 + tax back on Independence Day. The next weekend I was at a popular gun store in Austin and saw the same rifle for a hundred bucks more that what I paid.

I've also been able to score numerous C&R rifles at pretty good prices, and the ability to look them over before buying is much more desirable than hoping that the $10 you pay for a "hand picked" one online is actually worth a shit!

I've also found a few sweet deals at shops and even a few select pawn shops in the area.

The bottom line is that even if I end up paying a little more for a gun, there's a lot to be said for buying it in person and not rolling the dice on an online transaction.

But if I can caveat that, I have also had good luck with buying guns via GunBroker and through online distributors such as Bud's. I got a Savage Edge XP in .308 from the latter for $300 delivered to my favorite FFL (Dreadnaught Industries) when they weren't available anywhere else. As a matter of fact, I was quite impressed in that they had them for a very brief period of time (a few hours) due to the popularity of the rifle; and there was a delay in my order because they didn't have Alex's FFL on file. I thought for sure that would cause my order to be bumped to the next delivery, but they held a rifle for me until I could get them the info they needed and I had it about a week later!

So I guess the real bottom line is that deals can be had anywhere...shows, shops and online. I wouldn't write off any of them as potential sources.

Well, if someone else wants to, that's fine as it only means more deals for me!

Cheers! M2

 

[zembonez]

I see threads like this on all of the forums I frequent. Everybody wants to buy for less than cost on the net and then bitch about the service they don't get in return.

Actual stores cost money to operate. Prices are naturally going to be a little higher.

Buying from a reputable dealer that you make friends with is the best way to buy most anything unless price is the ONLY criteria. Sure, it costs a little more, but you get a person to talk to, a business to actually deal with, and service if something goes wrong.

Worth it to me.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Kinda like my own experience....repeated across countless local gunshops - I frequent most of 'em.

Coupla months ago, go into one up by Canyon Lake to pick up a pistol I'd bought and had shipped in. There in one of his cases, a 1900's-era Simson (Suhl, Germany). Price tag? We won't go there. Picked it up for about 1/3 the price because the owner let me know that the guy that had it (it was on consignment) was ready to "be done" with it. Made my offer, he called and it was accepted. I could take that up to Cabela's right now and put it in their gun room on consignment for $3k and sell it easily - but won't, simply because I've always wanted one. Try to find something like THAT online....