FFL's...

[mongo]

Greetings all,
It's been awhile since I bought a gun, but I did my civic duty yesterday and purchased a new gun. Unfortunately, what I wanted and what was available locally were two different things. In fact, what I was looking for didn't exist according to all the local places I checked with. Found it online yesterday at a place in Tennesee. Had to jump through some angry hoops to get it shipped up here. Seems that my two main local gunshops get pissed when they have to receive a firearm that someone else sold. One jerk quoted me "$50 to $100" When I asked him which it would be, he snapped that it depended on whether they could get it or not. I told him what I was looking for, but... according to him it didn't exist. Needless to say, I told him I found it, was buying it, and I wouldn't pay his overly inflated fee. I know the family that runs this shop, and when finally contacted today, was told that they will charge me only $25.

So, that long wind-bag story brings me to this... the last time I had a gun shipped was when I won an auction from one of the online gun sites. I found a FFL through them in my area who was a private party that felt strongly about the second amendment. He only charged $10 for his services. However, he grew disgusted with the State of Illinois and moved to Florida.

So... where and how does one find a similar person? Someone who has the credentials to act as an FFL, yet doesn't get their noses out of joint when you don't buy through their store, even when they cannot order what you want anyway?

 

[NavyLCDR]

I think www.gunsamerica.com has a local FFL search.

 

[Canuck-IL]

Auction Arms and Gunbroker also have zip code FFL search tools, akthough they are often not right up to date. You might also ask around at a local gun club or at any organized competition...it's sometimes surprising how many 'kitchen table' FFLs are around.

Where in IL are you? I know of a few around Chicago.
/Bryan

 

[mongo]

Bryan, I am in the western burbs of Chicago. The private FFL I last used was in Oakbrook or Hinsdale, which is close by.

 

[david_the_greek]

more importantly.... WHAT DID YA GET!?

 

[mongo]

David, I am a superstitious bastid... I pick it up tomorrow, I'll tell ya tomorrow if all is well.

 

[Sunray]

"...charge me only $25..." That seems to be a fairly standard fee.
"...according to him it didn't exist..." Likely has bad credit with his suppliers. Dealers have to pay for whatever they order. Usually with terms, if they're regular customers and pay their bills on time. If they don't buy regularly or they don't pay on time, it's usually COD or pay within 30 days.
Mind you, when you order anything, it's not unusual to be asked to pay up front. Especially if the dealer's supplier has to order whatever it is. If it's going to take a month or more to get, lots of people lose interest/change their minds if they don't have some money involved.

 

[logical]

There is a shop local to me that does custom sight work on handguns and long guns. I am pretty sure they do contract work for a few big name custom gun builders even. They have a few guns in a glass case but I think they are consignments for good customers or maybe guns they kept for unpaid bills. They stock scopes, sights, and a few grips and rifle stocks but the primary business is the gunsmithing and machine work.

They gladly do both incoming and outgoing transfers for $25. They don't seem to care one bit that I didn't buy the gun from them...because I am buying the transfer service from them....they are making a sale (of services) and seem to understand that. I used to use a local guy who would do any transfer with no complaint or drama for $15 but it was too much hassle to track them down and find a time when they were both home and sober. Then there was a $20 guy but he up and died on me.

They (the shop I use now) already has the license since they have to ship and recieve the guns they work on. They already need someone working the counter but I suspect they only have customers 10% of the day. I think they figured out that by doing 3 or 4 transfers a day they can pay the counter guy's wages and let the owner do the real work uninterupted back in the shop.

 

[mongo]

Got my gun today. Springfield XD45 tactical Bi-tone with thumb safety. MY holy-grail of XD's!

Sunray... the standard fee was $50-100, depending on whether they could order it or not. When I asked for the above model, they told me it doesn't exist. I think it may be due to the place I bought it from may be a preferred dealer that gets the squeaky new stuff first. I got it for $25 because my wife is good friends with one of the owner's family.

 

[hghpwr308]

ANGRY FFL's

I use the Shotgun News FFL Guide.

http://listings.shotgunnews.com/fflguide/

When I was in Seattle I used an FFL that charged $12.50 for long guns and $15 for handgun transfers, pretty reasonable. This guy worked out of his house and he just did the transfers. I asked why he didn't start a shop and carry inventory and he said "I used to have a shop but it was a pain in the ass, I making out pretty well here for doing five minutes of paperwork and a phone call to NICS".

When I moved I located the nearest FFL willing to do transfers through Shotgun News (SGN). Now you have to understand that these FFL's post their info with SGN as an offer to do transfers and get a little no cost advertising. The guy I located was running a little shop called the Ammo Dump, he had no inventory and a bunch of used junk. I told him I located him through his listing in SGN and asked him if he'd transfer a rifle for me. I ended up doing three transfers through him for items which he did not have in inventory. I did buy ammo and accessories however over priced to foster a good customer shop relationship. During each transfer he'd get all hot and bothered, I assumed it was because he viewed it as a lost sale (News flash; you can't sell what you don't have). On the last transfer he confronts me and says "Hey guy, I can't be doing all these transfers for you. I'll do one once in a while for my long time customers but you've done three in six months". I told him "I respected that, it's your shop and you call the shots". I asked why he listed his service with SGN's FFL Guide if he didn't want to do transfers and added you'll want to contact SGN and remove your listing in the FFL guide. He had no reply. It was a dump alright and he was the classic angry junk man.

Here's my $.02. A retail business makes a profit by having a desired product in stock and ready to sell at a fair price, TODAY. Don't tell me you'll take a deposit (my cash), order what I want cause your inventory sucks, then sit back and wait to collect full retail when it arrives; I can order for myself whatever it is you don't have to sell and save MY cash. I've also had a retailer tell me the gun I wanted doesn't exist at which point I thank them for their time and think to myself then they won't miss the profit from selling it. The morons that really burn me are the ones who's transfer policy is "have the gun you ordered and paid for, including shipping, sent to me then once the five minutes of paperwork is done and NICS says OK then I'll tack on my retail margin of whatever 15%, 20%, 25%. The attitude is well hell I'm running a business here. No, if they were running a business they'd have researched customer trends and had the product in stock. To lay to rest any argument that may arise from the standpoint of custom items all my purchases were for stock catalog items from major manufacturers that people on this list are seeking out and buying every day.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I have found that pawn shops general charge less to do transfers than gun shops do. Try your local pawn shop guy... I bet it will be more like $15 with them.

 

[Bubba613]

He only charged $10 for his services.

He probably got disgusted with working for wages that a wetback would turn his nose up at.
Sorry your local FFL wasn't more cooperative. Or maybe what you are reporting they said is not actually what they said. That never happens, I know. But consider the possibility that they said "that gun isn't available" which is probably true.
I find lots of stuff isn't available that used to be easy to find.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

But consider the possibility that they said "that gun isn't available" which is probably true.

Obviously, that statement must be false, as the OP found one.

It just wasnt something the numb nuts FFL he was talking to could find.

 

[kingpin008]

He probably got disgusted with working for wages that a wetback would turn his nose up at.

Classy. Try to remember where you're at, huh? Kids read this forum with their parents - let's not make those parents have to explain racial slurs to their kids. :banghead:

 

[Bubba613]

Obviously, that statement must be false, as the OP found one.

Not necessarily. There are guns out there that some dealer or other has but others can't get it.
THat's the case with Glock 19s right now. I am sure you could go on GB and get one. But every distributor I've talked to is out.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Right. Thats what I am saying. They gun is available, the dealer just could not get one. So it is untrue to say "it is not available". He should have said "It is unavailable to me, but if you find one on your own, I would be happy to do your transfer, as I lose nothing since I can't find one to sell to you".

 

[Bubba613]

That may be exactly what he said. I don't know. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he was in a bad mood. Maybe he isn't that articulate. A lot of dealers aren't.
I'm glad the OP got what he wanted. I'm sorry to see more dealer-bashing.

 

[jos2f]

Also, if you're a member of a local "gun club" check there.

I know that one guy in the local gun club here does FFL transfers for cheaper than any local pawn shops or gun shops.

 

[Dave in PA]

I had a similar experience with FFLs in the Poconos. I was looking for 100% semi automatic 1919 sideplates. One dealer said, sure, no problem, I deal with that manufacturer all the time. He had a completed one on the counter and everything. I said, do you want me to pay the manufacturer directly? He said, no he would include the sideplate in his next order to be placed the following week. Karma plates are made in Ohio and ground UPS only takes a day or two. I called and checked back at that shop for 6 weeks, getting told, nope it didn't come in, Nope it wasn't in the shipment we got, maybe they are out.

I ended up calling Karma and they said they had plenty of sideplates in stock. They asked who I was trying to order one through. They checked their records (computerized) and said they had never dealt with that guy/shop. They gave me the number of an FFl nearly 40 miles away that they had shipped to.

I called Rich Flynn of American Shooting Sports in Broadsville, offered to either pay him to order it, or just receive it for me and do the transfer. He said just order it and have it shipped to his store and he faxed his FFL while we were on the phone.

I called Karma back and she said "it just came off the fax" we'll get it out tomorrow. Two days later, Rich called me and I picked up the sideplate paid his standard transfer fee. I ended up buying several more firearms from him, ammo, accessories, holsters, belts, all after a little customer service and not being raked over the coals for a transfer. I highly recommended his shop to all my friends and family. Now I live in Florida and am trying to find a shop as nice and friendly as his.