do you really save?

[iamhistory]

I was thinking about ordering some ammo online and got to thinking about shipping charges. Do you really save all that much when you buy online at a decent price and then have to pay $20.00 (for example) for shipping charges?

Wouldn't it all come out in the wash if you went to your local Wal-mart or sporting goods and simply purchased ammo there for a dollar or so more per box? You wouldn't have to wait and the price comes out pretty close.

What do you think? I order 7.62 online cause I can't get it around here for a good price. However, .45 and .40 ammo gets pretty expensive when ordering online at 7.00 a box let's say and then paying for a 40 pound package to be delivered.

Just curious as to what you guys think or have experienced.

Thanks.

 

[GLOCKT]

Ammoman.com free shipping

 

[photo_guy]

Do the math. Know what it will cost you at your favorite local joint and compare it to what it will cost mail order. Be sure to include taxes at the local place and shipping from the mail order place.

The largest savings by mailorder usually come in case lots. But you might talk to your local dealer and see if he will give you a case discount as well.

Aside from cost you also need to determine quality. If you can't get the specific brand/type of ammo you want to shoot at the local place then you really can't compare.

 

[Coronach]

If you shop around, yes, you can save. The nice thing about that net is that its so easy to compare prices.

Mike

 

[sm]

FYI

On-line ordering and reloading, doesn't necessarily mean you save--cause you shoot more. Which IS a good thing.

 

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

Ammoman.com does run some great sales, I have ordered many k rounds and have been very satisfied and comfortable dealing with them.

 

[Redlg155]

Save? Yep.

As stated previously, you start to see real savings by ordering in bulk by the case. This is especially true when you start shooting a lot of milsurp ammo. An added bonus is no tax.

If you order from someone like Ammoman you also have the option of mixing ammo to make up your order if you don't want all the same type of ammunition.

Good Shooting
Red

 

[Matthew Courtney]

Most states tax online purchases, they just lack the authority to force the seller to collect the tax for them. You are usually required to report your internet and catalog purchases and pay the sales taxes directly to your state. Check your local laws. What seems like just saving a few bucks might be tax fraud.

 

[dude]

HA!!, that's a good one!

.......I'll get right on it(NOT)

 

[gudel]

some ammo, like winchester 9mm 100pack, it's cheaper to buy it from your local walmart. for others, better to buy online since locals usually do not have a wide selection.

Most states tax online purchases, they just lack the authority to force the seller to collect the tax for them.

this is true. when i got my CA tax booklet in the mail, i got this insert that asks you to put down your internet purchases and calculate the tax. i laugh when i saw that one. i promptly dump it to the trash.

 

[arinvolvo]

In my experience...I like to buy bulk ammo at the gun shows....And I try to buy enough to keep me occupied until the next gun show.

Other than that, wally world $9.97 100 pack of 9mm is almost impossible to beat, even with surplus ammo prices.

 

[TarpleyG]

No stores around here have anything but 9mm in a decent price/selection so I have to order online.

Forget the gun shops. The ammo prices are through the roof. You'd think it was in short supply or something.

The nearest Walmart is in "the ghetto" and they have slowly taken everything in stock to do with guns and sold it off and not replaced the stock. I guess they either don't sell it or they do it for some other reason.

Anyway, by the time I drive all around town and look for what I need, I have spent as much or more in gas, time, and tax on what I wanted in the first place.

GT

 

[chaim]

Everyone has pretty much said it but here are my thoughts:

Do you save, yes and no. Sure you can sometimes be very close to online prices if you buy locally but often you can't. Also, will the local guys have the selection. Sure you can get 9mm Winchester White Box in the 100rnd value packs for about $10, but what about other good quality bargain brands (like what about S&B). Also, the cheaper calibers like 9mm and .38spl, even if cheaper online, might not be worth the bother. However, when you get into some of the more expensive calibers (starting w/ .40S&W, .45acp and .357mag) the difference can be pretty good, and with the very expensive stuff (.44mag, .45lc, rifle calibers) it can be amazing.

Then there is selection. I can't think of one store locally that has the selection of most of the online vendors. If you want an unusual caliber or a brand that isn't usually found in your area the internet can be the only game in town. I'm sure there are local stores that carry .38 or .38+P SWC HPs, but I don't know which ones. I'd rather not take the time to try to find who does, and then when I find some it will probably be over $20 for 50 .38s. Online I can get Federal, Winchester or Remington and the price for .38+Ps right now ranges from about $7 to about $18. Also, if you can find a brand, some locals just jack up the prices (case in point a local gunstore/range carries Magtech .45acps and .357mags for about $14, you can buy them at Natchez for around $10).

If you must spend your money locally and you can wait for gunshows, and know what to pay (look locally and on the net first) you can find some good prices on ammo by the case there as well, without shipping costs (though it is usually about the same as online w/ shipping and you need to pay admissions to the gunshow). The selection might not be the same but it should be decent and you are supporting a local vendor.

 

[tiberius]

It depends where you live. LIke they said above, do the math and decide if its cheaper. Since I live about 10 miles from Cheaper Than Dirt, I don't mail order.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i really does depend on how far you live from the source of you seller. i usually order in case lots anyway because it just makes it easier for me anyway. another benefit is i don't have to carry it home...through it doesn't make the ups guy happy

ammoman doesn't charge shipping, but their regular prices aren't the cheapest either...now, their sale prices can be a real savings.

century arms doesn't have as wide a selection to choose from, but their prices are lower and the shipping is free too. they are shipping all the way across the country...from VA to CA

i must have missed the insert about internet sales...maybe my tax guy has it, he didn't mention it when we were doing our taxes

 

[firestar]

Probably not on common cals like 9mm, 7.62x39, .38spl, .22lr etc. but on cals that aren't as common, you can save.

I have found the best deals on ammo at gunshows.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

A thousand rounds of 5.56 lake city is $200 from ammo man, $.20/round.
My usual gun store has it for $3.79/20 or $.19/round. I'm not sure how they would react to a person walking in and buying 1000 rounds in at a time.
So I don't save money, but I do save time because my gun store is almost an hour away.

 

[9mmepiphany]

if a gunstore, in the area, has a killer price, i don't have any quams about walking in a buying a case, or more, of ammo. i don't think they much care either...they're profit margin stays constant, they just make their money faster.

i just prefer to have someone else bring it out to the house. a couple years back, serveral folks at work had bought fal clones, i ordered 5k rounds of 7.62x51mm (south african) from century arms. the UPS guy who brought it to the house wasn't happy...i'm not sure what the problem was none of the boxes weighed over 50lbs