[telli97]

Hi everyone. I've been hearing a lot about Buds Gun Shop from various forums. Their prices are pretty dam low. I just looked at their website this morning and saw they are selling NIB SW M&P's both .40 cal and 9mm for 399.99. I live in IL and I can tell you the lowest I've seem either of these pistols is $500 + tax. Is Buds a decent place to order on line? My buddy and I were thinking of picking one of each me the .40 and he wants the 9mm. I found a decent FFL here in IL that will do FFL transfer for $20, however will buds hose me on the shipping? I just want to make sure that ordering online will truely save me $$$.

Let me know, especially any IL guys out there who have used them. I'm a first timer buying on line and feel a little uneasy. I've never bought a gun I haven't seen in person @ a local dealer.

Thanks everyone.

JP (telli97)

[loki.fish]

Very nice. Didn't know they existed. And I though Whittakers was cheap. Pity Buds is 3 hours away from me and Whittakers is only like an hour.

How soon are you planning on ordering from them? I've never dealt with them, but if I can get a gun from them shipped and all cheaper than I can locally I might go there too.

[telli97]

Loki.Fish - With that price on the M&P's I may pull the trigger in the next couple of days depending on the feedback I receive from some past buyers on this site. I've never heard of Whittakers. Do they sell on line?

JP

[1 old 0311]

They both have excellent reputations.

[modifiedbrowning]

however will buds hose me on the shipping?

Bud's charges $25 for shipping on a single handgun or rifle. I don't what they charge on more than one though.

[bruss01]

I have ordered a few from Buds and I have pleased with the prices and the quality of the merchandise.

One time they sent the wrong gun. We had ordered a Ruger Mark III and what arrived was a .44 magnum Blackhawk, a very nice and much more expensive gun than we ordered, to be sure, but it was like pulling hen's teeth to get them to straighten it out (sending a pre-paid shipping container, etc). Probably should have just kept it for the price of the Mark III (about $240 difference) and re-ordered the Mark III. That wouldn't have been entirely honest, and since they've always been good to me I couldn't in good conscience have gone that route.

In fairness this was during the hunting season/pre-Christmas/post-Katrina time frame and they were probably very very busy. I've had no other issues in making purchases from them. Over all, I'm a satisfied customer.

[dakotasin]

run a search on the retail transactions forum. personally, bud's will never get my business.

[stealthgoat]

I just received a LW Commander from Buds, the price was much lower than I could find locally and even beat Sporting Arms in Dallas (Sporting Arms has gotten most of my mailorder buiness before and has great customer service).

I ordered from Buds just before holiday weekend and it took them a couple days to ship, no problem for me. In addition to being very easy to deal with, their communication was very good with multiple emails on status: I knew when FFL fax arrived, when my colt was boxed, when it was physically shipped, and when it was scheduled for delivery.

And the pistol was perfect.

Tim

[loisfromcenterfire]

Bud's moves a lot of inventory and they've been around for a very long time. Locally, they have a solid reputation.

[hoghunting]

You can also find Bud's on www.gunbroker.com They are always listing firearms there. You can also check the approval rating.

[RNB65]

Bud's is great. I recently bought a CZ75 SP01 Tactical from them. Nothing to it -- place the order, have my FFL guy fax a copy of his FFL, wait a few days, and TA DA, beautiful new pistol arrives! Highly recommended.

[The-Fly]

ordered my extrema 2 from buds, was totally happy with the service and price.

[rcellis]

Funny you should mention Buds...

Just had a problem with them - ordered a pistol from them Thursday - and they shipped it Thursday. 2-4 day USPS priority mail. So I expected it Maybe Monday, maybe Tuesday, certainly Wednesday.

Didn't come.

Didn't come today either. Called Buds. Turns out they accidently shipped it to an FFL with a very similar name, in another part of the country. They'll have it to me sometime next week - and they're going to give me free shipping on my next order. The manager was very apologetic.

I can live with that.

Accidents happen, and Buds is going to take care of me.

[RNB65]

run a search on the retail transactions forum. personally, bud's will never get my business.

I did and I see that most people who purchased from Bud's were quite satisfied with the results. A few gripes about slow shipping, but most folks received what they ordered and were very happy.

You, OTOH, never miss an opportunity to trash Bud's, yet you never say why you dislike them or how you were wronged. Would you care to explain yourself?

[kentucky_smith]

Bud's moves a lot of inventory and they've been around for a very long time. Locally, they have a solid reputation.

As does Centerfire. :D

I've bought a lot of guns from Bud's. Good people.

[Anna's Dad]

I have ordered from Bud's--the prices are great and the product is the same as pretty much everywhere else. I have them in my bookmarks and I check their home page periodically for deals. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

[Bullet Bob]

Be sure you want it; if the condition has a problem, they won't take it back without a "restocking fee". I could kinda see it if it was something like a standard $20.00 bucks, but instead it's a percentage of the sale price, so it varies from gun to gun. So on a $500.00 gun, it's something like $100.00 plus shipping to return it if you don't like it.

[loki.fish]

Loki.Fish - With that price on the M&P's I may pull the trigger in the next couple of days depending on the feedback I receive from some past buyers on this site. I've never heard of Whittakers. Do they sell on line?

JP

The site for Whittakers is HERE (http://www.whittakerguns.com) I'm assuming they sell online since they have the site up. They don't have any new S&W listed though. I compared a Springfield XD.45 between Bud's and Whittakers and Buds was $50 cheaper. Hopefully one of the two gun stores here in Evansville are cheaper so I don't have to wait on it to get shipped.

[Jkwas]

I've purchased from Buds, and it was a very positive experience. The shipping charges are offset from not having to pay the sales tax. Just figure about $50 above the price for transfer and shipping on average.

[symr00]

and they're going to give me free shipping on my next order

People don't go buying guns like they do socks. They should have refunded your shipping on that purchase.

[rcellis]

People don't go buying guns like they do socks. They should have refunded your shipping on that purchase.

I see your point, but they offered what they offered, and I accepted it. I feel certain that I could have insisted on a credit to my card on that shipment as you suggest, but that would have involved more work, and a future credit was easier for them... after all, it was a simple mistake.

[exar]

Hopefully one of the two gun stores here in Evansville are cheaper so I don't have to wait on it to get shipped

HAHA...sorry man but if you can find anything cheaper around Evansville then let me in on it. +1 for Whittakers, they have a Millenium Pro waiting for me to get it this weekend. Whittakers has pistols for $100 or more CHEAPER than anything I can find in E-ville. I live near Chandler, loki.fish.
Also, Whittakers has a whole helluva lot more than what is listed on their site, those listed are the new arrivals.

[TC-TX]

I have purchased from Buds - a Great experience AND Great prices...

I will buy from them again.

[skers69]

Purchased my PCR from Bud's. Not a problem. I wanted it shipped next day so I had to do some searching to get a phone number. Once I did get the number the guy on the other end took my order over the phone. Overall good service and great prices.

[carnaby]

You should always compare prices with JDyer or DHFirearms here on the forum. I've gottem my best deals from them, usually better than Bud's. :D

[Soybomb]

I've ordered from them several times. Shipping varies and is sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Shipping is overpriced at $25 but they're up front about it. If you need to call the phone is usually busy so plan on conducting business online. I ordered a bunch of mags once and they sent them to my usual FFL instead of me, that was kind of a pain. Overall positive and I still shop there. They're honest and affordable, the business just isn't quite as smooth as it could be.

[SecuritySixShooter]

Good people...live very close to them. Took my CCDW class there and purchased my CCW from them.

[jlh26oo]

Ordered from them a couple of times.

The guy who answers the phone is a no-bs guy (which I respect), the sales dept of course is more friendly. Ship out fast and competitively priced, even after considering their higher than avg shipping.

But I always comb the net, private listings, retailers, auctions etc pretty extensively before I buy anything. Usually they are the best, not always though. If it's close, I buy from buds anyways b.c I trust them.

Dakotasin- would you mind sharing your experience with the rest of us? I like to hear everyones experience/perspective. Thanks.

[Dollar An Hour]

Just about everybody is charging $25 to ship a handgun...
Besides, not paying tax, combined with the low price, more than makes up for it.

I've purchased from Bud's and it was a good experience. Just bought from them again and should see my new firearm next week.

[Shweboner]

They do have good prices and the shipping is what it is. Doesn't usually take too long to arrive either.

But one time I accepted a transfer from them.... Only problem was that when the kid showed up he was not old enough to buy them damn thing.

Was a real pain in the ass, but thanks to a restocking fee and return shipping... I convinced the guy to let me buy the gun from him so he didn't lose so much money sending it back. I got a new Walther P22 for less than $200.

thanks Bud's.:neener:

[jlh26oo]

Dakotasin- would you mind sharing your experience with the rest of us? I like to hear everyones experience/perspective. Thanks.


So I'll take your silence as a "it was so horrible I can't even talk about it." lol.


re:

run a search on the retail transactions forum. personally, bud's will never get my business.

[rcellis]

Accidents happen, and Buds is going to take care of me.

Well, maybe.

Turns out that they don't want to ship my order until the one THEY sent to the wrong place gets back - and it hasn't gotten back yet. It's been a week since they made the mistake, and I had to call asking where my gun was before they told me what they are holding for. (They had told me that they were shiping my gun right away - but didn't)

I don't think this is a screw job - they just haven't thought it through. At least that's my hope.