Bud's gun frustration

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I have dealt with Bud's several times and everything has always gone great, even the one time I need to call them was handled promptly.

They have been known, for at least a couple of years, as being a bit glacial in answering their phones.

I view Bud's as a "self-service" Gun dispensing station. No one is going to check your oil, or wash your windows, but they do have a good cash discount(or CC up-charge, depending on how you look at it.) that makes up for it, even if the cashier is busy watching Partridge Family reruns.
 
...brick and mortar store in Lexington so I guess they have something in the showcase, but it can't be everything they show online
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Prices are higher too. I was going to pick something up rather than have it shipped since I was going to be in that area. Price is higher. They are like any other store; if they "buy it" and have it in stock, it costs more because they have more invested. Having Sports South ship directly costs them nearly nothing.
 
They have a 3% cash discount (or at least they used to) on many of their guns. I guess if you pay by check or money order vs. credit card you get a slightly better deal.

I bought a couple shotguns from them and everything went without a hitch. Well, almost. On the second purchase, they had a problem getting it from their distributor and weren't able to get it shipped in a timely manner. They called me to let me know there was a problem and then overnighted the shotgun when it became available. So I'm happy with their customer service.

ETA: I used their layaway program for my purchases. I wasn't able to pay for the guns all at once so this plan worked well for me.
 
Guns and more said:
I just checked Davidson's through my local dealer.
The BFR in 480/475 is in stock and sells for $886.95.

Is Bud's price that much better?
Okay I looked, and Bud's is $875.
For $11 more, I'd buy the one through Davidson's and Bud's will have lost a sale.
(and it will serve them right for having crappy customer service)
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Actually the Bud's price is $823. Is the one you checked through Davidson's a 6 1/2"?

At this point, because of the circumstances, I am going to have to blow off Bud's for obvious reasons. I'll have to keep looking.

It's been real interesting reading all the comments in this thread. I appreciate everyone's input.

Thanks.
 
Is the one you checked through Davidson's a 6 1/2"?
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No, 7.5"


GuaranteeD®Lifetime
Replacement Warranty
Item # BFR480/4757-7.5 MSRP $1,050.00
Mfg Magnum Research Your Price: $886.95
Model BFR Sale Ends:
Type Revolver Quantity: 1
Caliber: 480RUGER|475Linebaugh Finish Brushed Stainless Steel
Additional Specifications
Action: Single Action
Stock: Black Rubber Grips
Capacity: 5
Receiver: Brushed Stainless Steel, Drilled & Tapped
Sights: Front: Fixed Black Rear: Adjustable
Barrel Length: 7.5"
Overall Length: 15"
Weight: 64 oz
Additional Features 1: Weaver Style Scope Mount Included
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Yep, that's what seems to be the norm. There are a few 7 1/2" models around but no 6 1/2". Thanks for looking.
 
Many dealers will not transfer an item from Bud's. My shop can generally meet or beat their prices, if you factor in the transfer fee.

Looking at a Ruger SR-40 that Bud's sells for $398 sells at my shop for $399, is in stock and the dealer will be there to help, if needed..

For those who simply want to beat your state sales tax, many states put the liability on the transferee. Tenn is one of those, but is about to put the tax monkey on the transferring dealer's back.
 
When you are saying many dealers won't transfer you are just looking at the world from your eyes. TN does not sound a too gun friendy state.
My FFL Charges me $10 for the transfer and no sales tax. Also Buds does not charge for shipping.

Buds is a great place to buy new guns.
 
Many dealers will not transfer an item from Bud's. My shop can generally meet or beat their prices, if you factor in the transfer fee.
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I found the exact opposite to be true.
I bought my most recent purchase from Bud's for $311, free shipping. +$30 transfer. $341
The largest dealer in my area, Shoot Straight, wanted $399 + sales tax. $427.
 
There will always be the dealer that will under cut anyone else when they can. W-M has made an empire on this principle. Good--bad? Your decision, and these type of threads will help you decide. Me I do the research, know what I want, then go to the LGS and state what I found and ask what they can do for a deal. A couple will just laugh at me and I don't bother to ask them any more. There is one I found that will come within a few $$ of the online price, back up the sale, and offer advice to me about my choices. I think we both make out well and I shop there often. YMMV
 
For those who simply want to beat your state sales tax, many states put the liability on the transferee. Tenn is one of those, but is about to put the tax monkey on the transferring dealer's back.
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AFAIK WA and CA are the only two states that force FFL's to collect sales tax on the price of transferred firearms. It's interesting to see TN considering it, and I expect other states will start doing it as well. Most folks fail to pay use taxes, and the states are hurting for revenue.
 
Bubbles said:
You guessed wrong. Bud's often drop-ships straight from the distributor (usually Sports South) directly to the purchaser's transfer FFL. They never take physical possession of the firearm, which is why they can't answer questions about it - they can't do a hands-on, and rely on the distributor's description of the gun.

There's nothing wrong with the business model if you realize their CS in on a par with WalMart's. If you are looking strictly for the lowest price and know exactly what you want, Bud's is great. If you need help or have questions about the purchase, you'll want to use another dealer whose prices are higher, but who will provide better service.
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In that case, the transfer would be made from the Distributor to the purchasers FFL ... I don't think so.
 
In that case, the transfer would be made from the Distributor to the purchasers FFL ... I don't think so.
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Why not? We do plenty of transfers where the buyer purchased the gun from Bud's web site, the invoice lists the seller as Bud's, and the gun shipped to us from Sports South - a distributor.
 
Well, just in case anyone else was looking for a 480/475 BFR in a 6 1/2", I finally got through via phone. They "think" it's the older discontinued 480 model. I'll keep looking.
 
It is what it is.

I wanted a new SP101 last fall. I was under the impression that all new Ruger revolvers are leaving the factory with Hogue grips. I like the old style grips, which was shown in the pic on Buds website. I emailed Buds to ask if the SP101s are with Hogues or the old style. I was told Hogues, so I ordered a 2-piece grip from Brownells.

When the gun arrived (interestingly, the grips arrived from Brownells faster than the pistol from Buds) it had the original 2-piece grips.

It was a minor goof, but it serves as a case in point of their personal ignorance of what is drop-shipped elsewhere.

Q
 
SS = Sports South, a firearm distributor. 49480 is the SS inventory ID for that firearm. Both Bud's and CTD use them and have similar contracts for pricing provided that they move a certain amount of inventory.

There are plenty of other examples. Go to the CTD handguns for sale page and note the five-digit number associated with each firearm. Go to Bud's page and enter those numbers into their search engine. You'll find the same firearm.
 
Bubbles said:
SS = Sports South, a firearm distributor. 49480 is the SS inventory ID for that firearm. Both Bud's and CTD use them and have similar contracts for pricing provided that they move a certain amount of inventory.

There are plenty of other examples. Go to the CTD handguns for sale page and note the five-digit number associated with each firearm. Go to Bud's page and enter those numbers into their search engine. You'll find the same firearm.
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Appreciate the info, thanks.
 
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