Looking for a reliable gun store in Alabama? We have curated the top-rated firearms dealers across the state, from Birmingham and Huntsville down to Mobile and the Gulf Coast. Browse ratings, hours, and contact details for over 1,000 licensed dealers below.
View Hours
- Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
View Hours
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
3. TRAWICK ACE HARDWARE
112 S DOSWELL ST, ABBEVILLE, AL 36310
★★★★★ 4.7 (125 reviews)
(334) 585-2415 | acehardware.com/store-details/02384?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=localmaps&utm_content=02384
View Hours
- Monday: 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday: 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday: 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Thursday: 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Friday: 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday: 6:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
View Hours
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: Closed
6. WALMART #423
630 COLONIAL PROMENADE PKWY, ALABASTER, AL 35007
★★★★☆ 4.0 (3,368 reviews)
(205) 620-0360 | walmart.com/store/423-alabaster-al/?veh=seo_loc
View Hours
- Monday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Tuesday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Thursday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Friday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
7. RURAL KING
4340 US HIGHWAY 431, ALBERTVILLE, AL 35950
★★★★☆ 4.0 (806 reviews)
(256) 857-2454 | ruralking.com/locations/rural-king/4340-us-highway-431-albertville-al-139/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=lastmile&utm_campaign=139
View Hours
- Monday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Friday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
8. DUNHAM'S SPORTS #9238
5940 US HWY 431 SUITE 100, ALBERTVILLE, AL 35950
★★★★☆ 4.0 (208 reviews)
(256) 891-6369 | dunhamssports.com/store-details?storeID=238&city=ALBERTVILLE&state=AL
View Hours
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
View Hours
- Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: Closed
Finding the Right Gun Store in Alabama
Alabama has more than 1,000 federally licensed firearms dealers spread across 67 counties. That sounds like a lot of options, and it is, but not every FFL holder operates a full storefront.
Plenty of those licenses belong to kitchen-table dealers, gunsmiths working out of a garage, or pawn shops that happen to sell the occasional handgun alongside power tools and jewelry. There is nothing wrong with buying from a smaller operation, but if you want to hold six different pistols side by side before making a decision, you need an actual retail shop with real inventory on the shelf.
The stores we feature on this page have been verified through Google Business data, customer reviews, and FFL records from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We focus on dealers that maintain a physical location, carry meaningful stock, and have enough reviews that you can get an honest picture of what to expect before you drive across town.
Alabama Gun Laws at a Glance
Alabama is one of the most firearms-friendly states in the country. Here is the short version of what you need to know as a gun buyer:
- Constitutional carry — Legal since January 1, 2023. Adults 21 and older can carry concealed without a permit.
- Open carry — Legal without a permit statewide.
- No waiting period — Buy today, take it home today.
- No state registration — Alabama does not maintain a firearms registry.
- No magazine limits — Standard-capacity magazines are legal without restriction.
- NFA items — Suppressors, SBRs, and other NFA items are legal with proper federal paperwork.
- Stand Your Ground — No duty to retreat in a place where you have a legal right to be.
- State preemption — Cities and counties cannot pass gun laws stricter than state law.
For the full breakdown including concealed carry reciprocity, prohibited locations, and purchase requirements, read our complete Alabama Gun Laws guide.
The short story is there are no restrictions, though, so you can buy guns online, have them delivered to an approved local FFL and do the transfer. Going back to those garage workshops and home dealers, a lot of them can do transfers at the right price, so it’s worth getting in touch.
Otherwise most local gun stores and pawn shops that sell firearms do a nice sideline in transfers. They’re set up to do it and it’s part of a day’s work. So speak to them and then buy your gun online, and save a lot of money.
For more info, check our guide on How to Buy a Gun Online.
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What Makes Alabama Different for Gun Buyers
If you moved here from a state like California or New York, buying a gun in Alabama will feel refreshingly simple. The state adopted constitutional carry on January 1, 2023, which means any adult 21 and older who can legally possess a firearm can carry concealed without a permit. Open carry has been legal here for years, no permit needed. There is no state waiting period, no assault weapons ban, no magazine capacity restriction, and no state firearms registry. Alabama also has strong Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground protections.
From a practical standpoint, buying a gun in Alabama works like this: you pick out what you want, fill out ATF Form 4473, pass the federal NICS background check (which usually clears in minutes), pay, and walk out the door with your firearm. That is the entire process. No extra permits, no waiting period, no registration paperwork. If you hold a valid Alabama concealed carry permit — which the county sheriff still issues for those who want one — some stores may skip the NICS call since the permit serves as an alternative. For the full details on what is and is not legal, read our Alabama Gun Laws guide.
Top Gun Stores by Region
Birmingham and Central Alabama
The Birmingham metro area has the densest concentration of gun stores in the state, which makes sense given that roughly one in five Alabamians live within commuting distance of the city. Hoover Tactical Firearms in Hoover is probably the most well-known dedicated firearms retailer in the region — they carry a wide selection of handguns, rifles, and shotguns alongside an indoor range and regular training classes. Mark’s Outdoors in Vestavia Hills has been a fixture in the Birmingham sporting goods scene for decades and maintains a solid firearms department along with their hunting and fishing gear.
Bass Pro Shops in Leeds draws buyers from across central Alabama. The selection is massive and the prices are competitive, though the trade-off is that you are shopping in a big-box environment rather than getting one-on-one attention from someone behind a counter who knows your name. For a more personalized experience, smaller shops in the Birmingham suburbs like Alabaster and Pelham tend to offer better customer service and are more willing to special-order something specific.
Huntsville and North Alabama
Huntsville recently passed Birmingham in population, and the firearms retail market here has grown right along with the city. The defense and aerospace workforce at Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center creates a customer base that skews heavily toward people with military backgrounds or security clearances — folks who already know exactly what they want. Larry’s Pistol and Pawn has been one of the go-to shops in Huntsville for years, carrying a broad mix of new and used firearms. High Caliber Gun Range combines retail with an indoor range, which is convenient if you want to rent before you buy.
North Alabama’s proximity to the Tennessee Valley also means you are close to some of the best deer and turkey hunting in the state. Stores up here tend to stock more long guns and hunting optics than you might see in the urban Birmingham shops, simply because that is what local customers are buying. If you are looking for a bolt-action rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor or a quality turkey shotgun, the dealers around Huntsville, Decatur, and Florence will have plenty of options.
Mobile, the Gulf Coast, and South Alabama
The Mobile metro and Baldwin County area represent a different slice of Alabama’s gun culture. Down here, waterfowl hunting is a way of life. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta — the second-largest river delta in the country — is one of the premier duck hunting destinations in the Southeast, and local gun stores stock accordingly. Expect to see a strong selection of semi-auto shotguns from Beretta, Benelli, and Browning, along with decoys, waders, and everything else you need for a morning in the blind.
Self-defense handguns sell well here too, especially the compact models that are comfortable to carry in Alabama’s humid summers when you are wearing as little clothing as possible. Think Sig P365, Glock 43X, Smith and Wesson Shield — those are the bread and butter for Gulf Coast gun stores.
Montgomery, the Wiregrass, and East Alabama
Montgomery sits right in the middle of the state and benefits from a military presence at Maxwell Air Force Base. The capital city has a solid selection of gun stores, though fewer mega-retailers compared to Birmingham or Huntsville. Drive south into the Wiregrass region around Dothan, and the culture shifts toward serious hunting territory. The Wiregrass has traditionally been quail country — although wild bird numbers are not what they used to be — and the area still supports a number of hunting preserves and outfitters.
Fort Novosel (formerly Fort Rucker) near Daleville is the Army’s primary aviation training center, which brings a steady stream of military families through the Wiregrass region. Gun stores in this area see plenty of business from service members who are familiar with firearms and tend to know their way around an armory already.
Over in east Alabama, the Auburn-Opelika area serves both the university community and the surrounding rural counties. You will find a mix of dealers catering to everything from concealed carry for students’ parents to deer rifles for the farmland that starts just outside the city limits.
Comparison of Top-Rated Alabama Gun Stores
The table below highlights some of the highest-rated firearms dealers in Alabama based on Google reviews and our own verification. Keep in mind that a perfect 5.0 rating with 30 reviews tells a different story than a 4.9 with over a thousand, so we have included review counts to give you the full picture.
| Store | City | Rating | Reviews | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Tactical Firearms | Hoover | 4.7 | 2,800+ | Firearms retail + range | Largest selection near Birmingham, indoor range, training classes |
| Larry’s Pistol & Pawn | Huntsville | 4.5 | 1,400+ | Firearms retail + pawn | New and used inventory, competitive pricing, north Alabama |
| Family Pawn | Alabaster | 4.9 | 1,192 | Firearms + pawn | Consistently high ratings, south of Birmingham |
| Mark’s Outdoors | Vestavia Hills | 4.6 | 900+ | Sporting goods + firearms | Established retailer, hunting gear alongside firearms |
| Bass Pro Shops | Leeds | 4.3 | 5,000+ | Big-box sporting goods | Massive inventory, competitive pricing, one-stop shop |
| Kill Shot Arms | Alabaster | 5.0 | 37 | Dedicated firearms retail | Perfect rating, personalized service, tactical focus |
| High Caliber Gun Range | Huntsville | 4.5 | 600+ | Range + retail | Try before you buy, rentals available |
| Rural King | Albertville | 4.0 | 806 | Farm and home + firearms | Budget-friendly options, good ammo stock |
| Academy Sports | Multiple | 4.1 | Varies | Sporting goods chain | Consistent pricing, locations statewide |
| Shoot Point Blank | Pelham | 4.7 | 500+ | Range + retail | Modern facility, lane rentals, south of Birmingham |
What to Look for When Choosing a Gun Store
Price matters, obviously, but it should not be the only thing driving your decision. A store that charges $20 more for a Glock 19 but takes the time to walk a first-time buyer through the basics of safe handling, cleaning, and storage is worth that premium. Here is what separates a good gun store from a mediocre one.
Inventory depth. Can you actually handle the gun before buying it, or are you ordering from a catalog and hoping for the best? A well-stocked store should have most popular models on hand. If they have to special-order everything, you might as well buy online and ship to an FFL transfer dealer — which is perfectly legal and often cheaper. Use our Gun Price Check tool to compare what you would pay online versus in store.
Staff knowledge. The person behind the counter should be able to answer real questions, not just read the spec sheet on the box. Can they explain the difference between a striker-fired and hammer-fired pistol in plain English? Do they ask what you plan to use the gun for before recommending something? Watch out for stores where the staff pushes whatever has the highest margin regardless of what you actually need.
Transfer fees. If you buy a gun online, it has to ship to a licensed dealer who runs the background check and hands it to you. Most Alabama FFLs charge between $20 and $50 for this service. Some stores refuse transfers entirely or charge outrageous fees to discourage online shopping. A fair transfer fee is a sign that the store is confident enough in their own pricing and service to not worry about losing sales to the internet.
Range access. If the store has an attached range, that is a genuine advantage. You can rent different models, figure out what fits your hand and what you shoot well, and then buy with confidence. Several of the Birmingham and Huntsville area stores listed above offer exactly this setup.
Hunting in Alabama: What the Stores Stock and Why
Alabama’s hunting culture directly shapes what you will find on gun store shelves across the state. White-tailed deer hunting is king here.
The season runs from roughly mid-November through early February depending on the zone, which is one of the longest deer seasons in the country. Walk into most Alabama gun stores in October and the front racks will be loaded with bolt-action rifles in .308 Winchester, .30-06, .270 Winchester, and the increasingly popular 6.5 Creedmoor.
AR-platform rifles in .223 and 6.5 Grendel have carved out a big share of the deer hunting market too, especially among younger hunters who grew up with the platform.
Turkey hunting is the other pillar. Alabama is consistently ranked among the top three or four states in the country for Eastern wild turkey, and spring gobbler season is treated almost like a holiday in the rural parts of the state. Twelve-gauge shotguns dominate, though the .410 bore loaded with TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) has completely changed the game over the last few years. A good Alabama gun store will stock both, along with a selection of choke tubes and turkey-specific optics.
Dove season opens in early September and functions as much as a social event as an actual hunt. Feral hog hunting has no closed season and no bag limit, which means custom AR-15s and thermal optics sell year-round for that purpose. And if you are into competitive or recreational shooting, the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park, operated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which is headquartered right here in Alabama, is one of the finest public shooting facilities in the entire United States. Their 600-yard rifle range alone is worth the trip from anywhere in the state.
Online vs. In-Store: Getting the Best Price in Alabama
One of the smartest things you can do before walking into any gun store is check online pricing first. Retailers like Palmetto State Armory, Brownells, and Guns.com frequently beat local store prices by $50 to $100 or more on popular models. The catch is that any gun purchased online must ship to a licensed FFL in Alabama for the background check and transfer. Factor in shipping (typically $20 to $30) and the transfer fee ($20 to $50 at most local shops), and the math still usually favors buying online for firearms over the $400 range.
That said, there are real advantages to buying local. You get to handle the gun first. You build a relationship with a dealer who will take care of warranty issues down the road. You support a local business. And some stores will price-match if you show them a lower online price, it never hurts to ask. Our Gun Price Check tool pulls current pricing from dozens of online retailers so you can walk into your local shop with real numbers and negotiate from an informed position.
Gun Shows in Alabama
Alabama hosts gun shows nearly every weekend somewhere in the state. The larger shows rotate through the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, and venues in Montgomery, Mobile, and Dothan. Gun shows can be a solid way to find deals on used firearms, pick up hard-to-find accessories, and compare prices from multiple vendors under one roof. Just keep in mind that the same federal laws apply at gun shows as anywhere else — any dealer with an FFL is required to run a background check regardless of the venue. The ability for private individuals to sell their personally owned firearms without a background check is legal anywhere in Alabama, not just at gun shows.
Compare Prices Before You Buy
Whether you end up buying from a local Alabama dealer or ordering online, checking prices across multiple retailers first can save you real money. Use our Gun Price Check tool to search current pricing on any firearm from dozens of trusted online retailers. It takes ten seconds and it might save you a hundred dollars. Check our Deals of the Day, too, to save up to 70% on handguns, rifles & shotguns.
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Before purchasing in Alabama, review our Alabama Gun Laws guide.
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