Deal Hunting
gun.deals · AmmoSeek · how to pay less without getting burned
Two free tools do most of the price-comparison work for you. Neither one sells anything - they scan the whole market and put every price on one page so you can spot a real deal from an average one. Here's how to use each like a pro.
First, what these tools actually are
Price aggregators, not stores
Both gun.deals and AmmoSeek are search engines. They don't hold inventory or process your payment - they scan hundreds of real retailers and show you who has what, and for how much. You always buy from the actual retailer they link you to.
The rules still apply
A cheap price doesn't change the law. A firearm still ships to a licensed dealer for your background check and pickup - see our Where to Buy & FFL guide. Ammunition, by contrast, ships straight to your door in Oregon.
gun.deals - for firearms & accessories
VisitA guns-and-ammo search engine wrapped in a community of tens of thousands of users who submit and vote on deals. The crowd rates each bargain against MSRP, which filters out the noise and surfaces genuinely good prices.
Search for your exact model
Type the model you tried in one of our familiarization courses (e.g. "Glock 19 Gen 5"). gun.deals pulls live listings for that gun from dozens of online retailers onto one page.
Sort by price and read the history
Sort listings low-to-high and check the price history so you know whether today's price is genuinely good or just average. A deal that's been "on sale" for months isn't a sale.
Let the community vet it
Deals are submitted and up/down-voted by tens of thousands of registered users who compare them against MSRP. A heavily up-voted deal with recent comments is a strong signal; read the comments for gotchas (mail-in rebates, add-to-cart pricing, out-of-stock).
Set a price-drop alert
Not ready to buy at today's price? Set an alert and gun.deals notifies you when a listing drops below the number you pick. Great for higher-priced rifles where patience pays.
Read the comments before you buy.The community thread under a deal is where people flag expired coupons, "price shows in cart" listings, mail-in rebate fine print, and shady sellers. Two minutes of reading there saves the most headaches.
AmmoSeek - for ammunition
VisitThe standard for ammo price comparison. Search a caliber and AmmoSeek returns in-stock listings from hundreds of retailers, ranked by the number that actually matters: price-per-round.
Search by caliber
Pick your caliber (e.g. 9mm Luger, .22 LR, 20 gauge). AmmoSeek searches hundreds of retailers at once and returns every in-stock listing.
Narrow with the filters
Filter by grain weight, manufacturer, condition (new vs. remanufactured), and lot size (a box of 20 up to a case of 1,000). This gets you an apples-to-apples list fast.
Compare price-per-round
AmmoSeek's key trick: it ranks by cost per round, and each listing shows the retailer's rating and shipping cost. Cheap ammo with expensive shipping often isn't the cheapest once it's at your door.
Set a threshold alert
Enter a target price-per-round (for example 0.15 to be alerted at 15¢/round or less) and AmmoSeek emails or texts you when a matching deal appears - invaluable when a caliber is scarce.
Always judge on delivered cost.Sort by price-per-round, then add shipping in your head. A box that's a few cents cheaper per round but adds $15 shipping loses to free-shipping sellers unless you're buying in bulk. Oregon has no sales tax, so the sticker price is what you pay.
A smart buying workflow
- 1
Try it first
Book a familiarization course and handle the gun before you spend a dollar. Note the exact model and any features you liked (optic-ready, threaded barrel, grip size).
- 2
Price the gun on gun.deals
Search that exact model, sort low-to-high, check price history, and read the top-voted deal's comments. Set an alert if it's above your target.
- 3
Line up your FFL
Pick a transfer dealer from our Where to Buy guide and confirm their fee, then have the retailer ship there. Factor the transfer fee into your total when comparing to a local shop's out-the-door price.
- 4
Stock ammo on AmmoSeek
Search your caliber, filter to the grain and lot size you want, and compare price-per-round including shipping. Set a threshold alert for the next time you need a case.
Shop smart, avoid scams
Green lights
- Retailer has a solid AmmoSeek/community rating and real reviews you can find elsewhere
- Secure checkout (https), clear return policy, and a working phone number
- Price is good but not unbelievable, and the item shows genuinely in stock
Red flags
- A brand-new site with no reviews and prices far below everyone else - a classic ammo/gun scam pattern
- Only accepts wire transfer, Zelle, gift cards, or crypto - no real card processor
- Pressure and urgency, typos everywhere, or a "deal" the community comments are warning about
When in doubt, pay a couple dollars more to buy from a retailer you recognize from our Where to Buy list. The point of these tools is to find a fair price from a trustworthy seller - not the lowest number on the internet at any cost.
Know what you want before you hunt
The best deal is the wrong gun at a great price. Try different calibers and sizes in a familiarization course first, then come back and shop with confidence.