Buds Guns and an FFL question

First off, is Buds a good place to buy from?
Second, one of their preferred FFL Dealers close to my work and only charges $20 fee but when I look up the address, it's a house. Normal? Or not?
Would appreciate any feedback.

I have bought once from Bud's, a Leupold scope and they did right by me.

A FFL is an FFL.

My gunsmith shop is behind my house. If somebody drives by, all they see is a regular house with a motorcycle and a big 3/4 ton Ford van parked out front.

Twenty bucks is a reasonable transfer fee. Go visit the guy and see how you get along.

it's called home based business, pretty normal

Thanks. Never done a transfer before. Have always just bought from a store. Considering it now. Buds seems to have good prices.

I have bought from buds once, I was happy with the transaction and its the best buy I could find.

Only caution I have about the FFL's to a residential/home address is call them and check them out. I called one that was a few miles from my house and his reviews suggested more than one person took a long time for their schedules to match up to go get the gun, that's why I chose the nearest/cheapest one that had normal business hours.

I have bought several guns from Buds, they're good to go. I do the bank transfer to dodge the CC fees takes about 3-4 days longer, but to me it is worth it. A lot of their guns have the best offer options as well. You can sometimes get 40-50 off by doing it that way. With no tax and free shipping on all their guns Buds usually can't be beat. My FFL only charges $15 for CHL holders and has a store front so transfers are very easy.

I've done 2 transfers with Morgan out of his house and they've gone off without a hitch and one of them was a Class 3 transfer for a suppressor.

Bought a couple - all good. Their 'preferred' ffl list is nice - found a $10 very near my work.

I have bought a few from them also. The FFL is a probably just an individual with an FFL as opposed to a business. If you haven't used that FFL before, I would call just to be sure that they are ok with the transfer. Bud's is great to buy from. I have never a had problem. The few problems I have heard of were individuals that found issues with the gun after they did the paperwork and came home with it. Inspect the gun before you do the paperwork and call them if you find a problem. I think they make mention of this in their instructions.

$20 is average. if you're a vet and/or CHL see if he will give a discount and mention the possibility of repeat business...

ive never bought from Bud's but have heard positive reviews. local, home based FFLs are often good ole boys who are in it for a hobby, not looking to get rich.

I've bought many from them with zero issues. My FFL works out of his home too. I met him when a buddy had a pistol delivered to him and wanted someone to go along. Since then he does all my transfers.

I have had excellent dealings with Buds

Bud's is good folks to buy from with ZERO issues for me. Ships and arrives as promised and in great shape.
Ron

I've bought from Bud's a few times. Good prices and good service.
Like mentioned, an FFL working out of a house is no problem. I've dealt with a few of them and never had an issue.

I've bought from Bud's and was never dissatisfied on their account. However, they have some crazy delivery policy that can make things difficult for your FFL. My FFL does not like receiving from Bud's because he often has to go to UPS to pick up the package. I don't recall the specifics, but your FFL may be aware of it.

I use a local gun shop that has been around for years, and has a first class reputation. He's a few bucks higher than some other shops, but he's only a couple of blocks from where I live and there are never any issues with their service which to me is worth the extra cost.
Call your FFL and find out if there are any issues with him making the transfer.

I like Buds, I have ordered 4 rifles off that website. They have some awesome prices, I always check that website before I buy a rifle.

$20 dollars is pretty standard transfer fee, I would even say low because any gun store will charge you 40-50 dollars.

Just a tip when buying from Buds:

Be sure to check the firearm thoroughly before signing the transfer form. I have never had a problem, but once you sign that form you own the rifle even if something is wrong with it. If you notice something wrong the rifle can be sent back and exchanged no questions asked.

If you can find an FFL dealer that only charges 20 bucks, take it. Around Midland/Odessa they gouge the crap out of people. 30-45- is the norm around here. I heard TMP will do them for 25-30. I have an LEO bud that will do them for me for cheap.

I'd visit with the FFL first, and see if he can meet or beat buds plus the fee.

Lewisville Pawn?

I recently used a local FFL that I had never used but was "home based." He ended up coming to my house to do a transfer for 30 bucks on a Sunday afternoon. Worth a little extra coin to have delivery in my opinion.

What he did is illegal and against the regulations and policy. Your house is not his licensed premise. I know ATF staff are on this forum so he might be getting a visit for a compliance inspection soon.

Yea Rex they're gonna water board you to find out his address

Nah...that would be a waste of water. It would not be that hard to find out who the FFL is. Forum owners and moderators are typically very cooperative with LE. So once they had Mr. Rex's name (he has done nothing wrong BTW) they could search home based FFLs in his area. It would only be a mater of time. They call each FFL and ask if they did a transfer for a Mr. Rex. Mr. Rex's name is in the FFLs bound book so there is an audit trail. Good luck to the FFL! What I don't understand is why the FFL would risk his license (for $30) to do something so stupid...especially in the anti-gun political climate we are in! What a dumb A$$!

Interesting, I thought doing it in this way was a little weird but wasn't going to question the guy since he has been an FFL for 20 something years. Good to know in the future.

Edit: NVM, I found the info I was looking for regarding gun shows.

This is even more surprising! I wonder how many times he's done "house calls"? This guy is "fricked" if the ATF ever catches him. Gun shows are the exeption along with a few other "qualifying" events.

John, you would be surprised how many times I have had people ask me to meet them somewhere to do the paperwork/pickup there firearm. I'm a "preferred" FFL on several sites, almost every week I get some of the strangest questions.
I have to explain to them: I'm the ONLY one that can sign for packages, I only transfer from my shop, or a Listed gun show that is qualified by the ATF rules. Not Bubba's swap meet, or even Canton Trades Days.
Yes, I'm considered a "home based" FFL, but my shop is in the back yard with it's own entrance.
NO, you cannot pick it up at 11 PM when you get off work.
My inspector told me up front they are very critical of us, so I was NOT surprised when they called to do a audit within 2 months of getting my Licence. She also told me the Wal-mart 1/2 mile away has not been audited in the last 3 years because they know it will be a pain in the ___.

And I'm on the list for Bud's. my ONLY complaint, was I ordered a pistol from them and did the ACH, thing it took 2 weeks for them to process. The 2 warehouses that I normally use it takes less than 1 day. But that might have been a first time thing. It was a "make an offer" deal. I got it cheaper than my wholesale warehouse.

RE-read this thread and understand some people's disdain for regulation of nearly anything. Common sense no longer rules, rules do.

Anyone have the Bob Larson drawing of the lemmings?

Then again, if you promise to Santa Jesus to follow the rules in exchange for a license, you should do so.

Nuff said. I guess this topic was supposed to be about Bud's mostly.