Friday, March 29, 2024

How To Buy A Gun At Rural King [UPDATED]

by editor

Buying a gun online at Rural King or RKGuns is very much like buying anything else online. The key difference is that your new firearm purchase cannot be shipped directly to you or your house. Before Rural King changed their FFL policy, you could ship your firearm to any licensed FFL of your choice. Now, you must have your firearm shipped directly to a Rural King store near you.

When I originally wrote this article you could ship your newly ordered firearm to any federally licensed firearms dealer around the country, but not anymore. There are currently over 58,000 licensed FFL holders nationwide.  FFL holders could be individuals that have obtained their FFL license that live in or around your neighborhood or they could be gun stores, pawnshops, and/or retail sporting goods stores.

Rural King's New FFL Policy Change

During the checkout process, instead of entering your shipping address, you will need to select an approved firearms dealer (FFL) in your area. Rural King stores themselves are FFL licensed or you can have them ship your firearm directly to a dealer that you select. When you go to your local Rural King store to pick up your gun, you will be required to complete the Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473) and pass the FBI background check. Most dealers charge a nominal fee to transfer a firearm. If you have your gun shipped to a Rural King store, they will not charge you a transfer fee. This is HUGE.

The process of transferring a firearm from the dealer to the buyer usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Some states have waiting periods that begin when the transfer process is complete. Other states do not have waiting periods and allow the buyer to take possession of the firearm as soon as the transfer process is complete.

Placing Your Order at RKGuns.com

  1. Find the gun you want at RKGuns.com and add it to your cart.
  2. On the Shopping Cart page, click the Proceed to Checkout button.
  3. Login to your account, or choose Guest Checkout.
  4. Enter your billing address information, then click Continue.
  5. Enter your zip code and select the radius for your FFL search, then click Search.
  6. Select the FFL dealer that will receive your firearm and process your transfer, then click Continue.
  7. Select your shipping method, then click Continue.
  8. Enter your payment information, then click Continue.
  9. Review your order, then click Place Order.

You will receive an order confirmation email shortly after you place your order and it will look something like this:

After you place your order you should receive a confirmation email from RKGuns thanking you for your order, something like this:

Important

If your gun is NOT being shipped to a Rural King store, it is your responsibility to coordinate with your chosen FFL dealer and have a copy of their FFL license emailed to ffl@ruralking.com or faxed to 217-235-6014. Rural King cannot legally ship your order until they receive a copy of your chosen dealer’s FFL license. If they do not receive a copy of your chosen dealer’s FFL license with seven days of your order, they will cancel your order.

The FFL that I selected did this next step for me. I didn’t have to call anybody (which was nice).  The email came back from Rural King and it looked like this:

After Your Gun Has Been Delivered

If your firearm was shipped to a Rural King store, allow 24 hours for it to be checked in and for the store to call you and tell you that it is ready to be picked up. If you have not been contacted by your Rural King store within 24 hours, please call them to inquire about the status of your firearm. If your firearm was shipped to another FFL dealer, please call them to inquire about the status of your firearm.

Transferring Your Firearm

  1. When you arrive at your chosen FFL dealer, inspect the firearm thoroughly before you begin the transfer process. Once the transfer process is complete, the gun is yours and may not be returned to RKGuns or Rural King.
  2. If upon inspection you see that the gun is defective, leave the gun with the dealer and contact us as soon as possible, preferably before you leave the dealer. We will work with the dealer to have the firearm returned to RK Guns at no cost to you or the dealer.
  3. If you wish to proceed with the transfer, follow the dealer’s instructions for completing Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473).
  4. Wait a few minutes while the dealer calls in the FBI background check.
  5. If you pass the background check, follow the dealer’s instructions for completing the transfer.
  6. If you live in a state that requires a waiting period before you can take possession of the gun, the waiting period begins at this point. If you live in a state that does not require a waiting period, you may take your new gun home with you.

Things to Keep In Mind

  1. It is YOUR responsibility to know the laws in your area regarding the purchase, transfer, and ownership of firearms.
  2. Unless you are positive that your chosen FFL dealer will process your transfer, you should contact them BEFORE placing your order. Ask if they will accept the shipment and process your transfer. You should also ask how much they will charge for the transfer. You are responsible for paying the transfer fee.
  3. Be sure to Inspect the firearm thoroughly before starting the transfer. Once the transfer process is complete, the gun is yours and may not be returned to RKGuns for any reason. If you encounter problems with your firearm after the transfer is complete, you must contact the manufacturer for warranty and repair issues.
  4. If you fail the background check, you will be responsible for paying the return shipping costs plus a 20% restocking fee.

About RKGuns

RKGuns.com is brought to you by your friends at Rural King. Rural King was founded in 1960 and has a nice collection of more than 110 stores across 13 states.

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Rural Kings Gun Layaway Policy

Are you looking to put a gun/firearm on layaway?  If so, Here is how you do it.

A 10% down payment is required on each new layaway.

The first payment is due within 30 days of the previous payment.

All merchandise must be fully paid for and picked up within 90 days of the original layaway date.

In the event that 90 days pass from the original layaway date and the layaway is not paid in full, or if at any time the customer cancels the layaway, Rural King will assess a service charge of $10.00 for the handling, storage and record-keeping costs of the layaway agreement.

Guns can only be held in layaway for 60 days. Paperwork should be completed after the final payment of the gun has been made. In the event the customer is not approved to purchase the gun, Rural King will assess a service charge of $10.00 for the handling, storage, and record-keeping costs of the layaway agreement.

A maximum of 2 guns per customer may be put on layaway.

Clearance items are restricted and may not be put on layaway.

Rural King reserves the right to modify its layaway policy at any time.

Christmas layaways must be paid in full and picked up by December 18th.

Rural King Online Firearms Price Match Policy

RKGuns will match verifiable, online prices for the following retailers (“verifiable” is defined as pricing that is able to be verified by Rural King Customer Service as current, valid, and in stock

  • Academy Sports
  • Atwoods
  • Bass Pro
  • Big 5
  • Cabela’s
  • Dick’s Sporting Goods
  • Dunham’s
  • Field & Stream
  • Fleet Farm
  • Mills
  • Scheels
  • Sportsman’s Warehouse
  • Turner’s Outdoors

Rural King Guns FAQ'S

FOR FIREARMS, WHAT DOES $12.99 FLAT RATE SHIPPING WITH FREE TRANSFER MEAN? $12.99 ISN’T FREE!

The $12.99 charge is a flat rate on shipping all firearms. Whether you buy 1 firearm or 10, that rate will be the same.

Free transfer means there is no cost to you to ship your firearms bought on Ruralking.com to any Rural King store location.

Does Rural King Accept PayPal Payments for guns?

No. Unfortunately, PayPal will not process payments for firearms, firearm parts, or ammunition.

Can I now order firearms and ammunition from Rural King.com?

Yes. There is now an RKGuns tab on the top left of all ruralking.com pages.

How much is the average transfer fee?

If you choose to transfer to an FFL Holder other than a Rural King store location, on average you will pay a transfer fee of around $50 – $100 per firearm transfer. You can click here for a list of FFL transfer fees being charged around the country.

Tracking shows that my gun has been delivered to my local Rural King store. Can I go pick it up now?

Please wait until the store calls you to let you know that your gun is ready for pickup. If you wish, you may call the store to ask about the status of your order.

Have You Purchased a Gun From Rural King?

What was your experience like?  Please share it with us so that others reading this post can decide if Rural King is where they would like to purchase their next gun from. Did you purchase your gun online or through one of their retail locations?  Thank you for reading.

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8 comments

Tim Kiser June 24, 2020 - 2:03 pm

The free FFL transfer is not true . A while back I purchased a rifle from RK Guns online and had it sent yo mu local RK. They charged me 12 bucks for the background check ( This is part of the transfer in my opinion ) I told the gun barn employee it was supposed to be free and he responded with , We charge for the background check not the transfer. Rural King needs to get there story straight…

Reply
editor June 24, 2020 - 3:45 pm

Hi Tim,

Interesting… I am going to have to look at my receipts and see if they charged me $12.00 for my background check. Actually, I will check with Shoot Point Blank too just to compare the two. Thank you for your feedback.

Reply
Timothy Rees July 21, 2020 - 7:25 pm

I became confused am when the hi point 9mm carbine went from 269$-301$ upon check out,So I canceled my order

Reply
editor July 21, 2020 - 9:46 pm

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your comment. I just looked at an old receipt from RK Guns for a 9mm that I purchased. It looks like I was only charged the $9.99 shipping and handling fee along with tax. I am not sure if I paid more at the counter when I picked up my gun or not. I will try to find my receipt to see if any other charges were tacked on. Did you end up purchasing your Hi-Point 9mm carbine?

RK Guns Berretta 9mm Receipt

Reply
Alan August 27, 2020 - 11:17 am

FL state law regarding waiting periods for rifles and shotguns is 3 business days except if you have 1) A concealed permit 2) a trade in 3) a hunting license. The store ignores the law and makes you wait regardless. Additionally the site states if you ship to an RK store there are no fees. I had to pay an $8 transfer fee at the store. 50 mile round trip twice when I could have paid $30 more at a store in town that follows the law and not had to wait. Bottom line do not deal with RK.

Reply
editor August 31, 2020 - 10:51 pm

Hi Alan,

I had a similar experience at my local Rural King store. Illinois also has a 3 day waiting period which results in multiple trips to the Rural King store. One time I purchased a gun at RKGuns. Got the call from Rural King that my gun was at the store, come fill out the paperwork. Filled out the paperwork. Got busy with work, travel, etc. I wasn’t in a real hurry to pick up the gun. I finally made it back out to Rural King and they told me that I needed to resubmit the paperwork and start the whole entire process all over again because I waited more than 30 days to come pick up the gun. What? Really? I told them to keep the gun. I did not want to go through that entire process again. So, long story short. I feel your pain.

What was the $8 transfer fee all about?

Thank you for your reply.

Reply
Chester Mitchell October 6, 2022 - 9:21 am

Yes have not heard from rural king about my on line gun order been ten days no news on gun can you tell me what’s going on ? Thank you

Reply
editor October 9, 2022 - 3:17 pm

Chester, waiting 10+ days for your gun from Rural King is not unusual. We have had a similar experience as have several people that we know that have purchased their guns from Rural King. Hang in there.

Reply

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