Best Time to Buy a Gun: Sale Calendar and Pricing Trends

Last updated and checked October 28, 2026 · By Nick Hall, who has tracked gun pricing data across 200+ retailers since 2019

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Quick Answer: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best time to buy a gun in 2026, followed by Memorial Day and the 4th of July. December clearance and the weeks after SHOT Show (February into March) are the quiet runners-up for last year’s models. Before any sale, know the everyday price: on October 28 a PSA PA-15 was $489.99 and a Sig P365 $499.99 at Brownells.

Best month for AR-15 deals: November (Black Friday), with Memorial Day and July 4th close behind. Best month for handgun deals: November, then late December clearance. Best time to buy ammo: the big holiday weekends. Worst time to buy: during a panic-buying spike after a major political event or a new gun-control proposal.

The biggest mistake gun buyers make is waiting for “the bottom” on a specific gun. Manufacturer rebates and retailer sales come and go quickly; if you find a gun you want at a real discount during a Black Friday or holiday sale, that is the bottom for that model that year. Do not chase further discounts that may not arrive before the next panic-buying spike resets the market.

Table of Contents

When Is the Best Time to Buy a Gun?

I get this question constantly. And the short answer is pretty simple: Black Friday, Memorial Day, and the 4th of July. Those three holidays consistently deliver the deepest discounts across every major online retailer. If you only buy guns three times a year, those are your windows. Our gun deals page tracks all of them in real time.

But the real answer has more layers. What kind of gun are you buying? A handgun for carry? An AR-15? A hunting rifle? Each category has its own pricing rhythm tied to seasons, manufacturer release cycles, and buyer demand. A bolt-action rifle deal in September looks very different from a pistol deal in November.

Here is the thing most people miss: SHOT Show in January kicks off a wave of new model announcements every single year. That means last year’s models start hitting clearance by February and March. Retailers need to move old inventory to make room for the new stuff. If you’re not married to having the absolute latest version, that post-SHOT window is quietly one of the best times to buy.

End-of-year clearance is another sleeper. December through early January, retailers are dumping inventory to clean up their books for the new fiscal year. You won’t see it advertised as loudly as Black Friday, but the discounts can be just as good if you know where to look.

The Gun Sale Calendar: Month by Month

January: SHOT Show happens every January in Las Vegas, and every major manufacturer unveils its new lineup for the year. Hold off in the weeks before it, because whatever you buy might be last-gen by the end of the month. Once the announcements land, watch for clearance pricing on outgoing models.

Month	What Happens	Deal Rating
January	SHOT Show new model announcements. Wait for them before you buy.	⭐⭐
February	Post-SHOT clearance on last year’s models. Tax refund promotions.	⭐⭐⭐
March-April	Pre-spring lull. Turkey season drives shotgun deals. Otherwise quiet.	⭐⭐
May	Memorial Day. Top 3 sale event. AR-15, carry gun, ammo deals.	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June	Pre-4th of July sales start mid-month. Summer carry gun push.	⭐⭐⭐
July	4th of July. Biggest mid-year sale. AR-15s and ammo hit lows.	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
August	Quiet month. Labor Day sales preview at end of month.	⭐
September	Hunting season prep. Rifle and optics deals. Labor Day weekend sales.	⭐⭐⭐
October	Pre-hunting deals continue. Early Black Friday teasers start late month.	⭐⭐⭐
November	Black Friday / Cyber Monday. THE biggest sale event. Everything drops.	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
December	End-of-year clearance. Retailers clear inventory before the new year. Hidden gems.	⭐⭐⭐⭐

February: Post-SHOT Show price drops are in full swing. Distributors are pushing last year’s inventory hard to make room for new SKUs. Tax refunds start hitting bank accounts, so some retailers run President’s Day sales to capture that cash. This is a solid month for deals if you’re flexible on exactly which model you want.

March and April: Spring sales pop up, though they’re not as aggressive as the big holiday events. Turkey season drives shotgun deals, especially on 12-gauge semi-autos and over/unders. If you’ve been eyeing a new turkey gun, this is your window. You’ll also see some Easter weekend sales from the bigger online retailers.

May: Memorial Day is one of the top three gun sale holidays of the year. Palmetto State Armory goes all-out with AR-15 deals, and Brownells runs sitewide discounts. Check our Memorial Day gun deals page when the time comes. If you’re shopping for a first gun, our best handguns for beginners guide is a solid starting point.

June: Pre-4th of July sales start creeping in around mid-June. Summer shooting season means more range time, which means more demand for ammo and accessories. Ammo deals in June can be surprisingly good as retailers try to front-run the July rush.

July: Independence Day sales are the biggest mid-year gun deal event. Every major retailer participates. AR-15s, handguns, ammo, optics. It’s all on sale, and it’s the closest rival to November. Don’t sleep on ammo deals this month either.

August and September: The back-to-school retail lull doesn’t really apply to the gun industry. Instead, hunting season prep drives rifle and optics sales hard. Bolt-action rifles, riflescopes, and rangefinders see some of their best deals in September as retailers compete for the hunting dollar. EuroOptic is particularly good for optics deals during this window.

October: Early Black Friday teasers start showing up. Some retailers jump the gun (pun intended) with pre-holiday pricing. Hunting season is in full swing across most states, so demand for rifles and ammo stays strong. Not the cheapest month, but deals are out there if you look.

November: The king of deal months. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deliver the absolute best gun deals of the entire year. I’ve seen AR-15s at 40% off, handguns with huge rebates stacked on top of sale prices, and ammo at pre-pandemic pricing. If you can wait for one month to make your big purchase, make it November. Check our deals page religiously that week.

December: End-of-year clearance is the hidden gem. Retailers close out the year by dumping inventory they don’t want to carry into January. The deals aren’t as flashy or well-advertised as Black Friday, but patient buyers can score excellent prices. Gift-buying season also means combo deals and starter packages pop up everywhere.

Best Time to Buy Specific Gun Types

Handguns

Black Friday and Memorial Day are your best bets for carry guns and full-size pistols. See our best 9mm pistols guide for specific models to watch. Manufacturer rebates stack during these periods too. I’ve personally saved over $150 on a Sig P365 by combining a Black Friday sale price with a Sig mail-in rebate. For a baseline, the P365 was $499.99 at Brownells on an ordinary October 28.

AR-15s

Palmetto State Armory runs deep discounts during every major holiday, but their Memorial Day and Black Friday sales are next level. On an ordinary October 28 a complete PA-15 16-inch M4 carbine was already $489.99, so holiday pricing has to beat that to count. The 4th of July isn’t far behind. Check our best AR-15 rifles roundup to know which models to target.

Shotguns

Spring turkey season (March through April) and fall hunting season (September through October) drive the best shotgun deals, and manufacturers time their rebate programs around them. If you’re after a home defense shotgun, though, Black Friday pricing is the one to wait for. See our best home defense shotguns for specific models.

Bolt-Action Rifles

September and October are prime time. Retailers discount hunting rifles aggressively to capture pre-season buyers. You’ll see the best deals on popular models like the Ruger American, Savage 110, and Tikka T3x during this window. EuroOptic is a good place to watch for precision rifle deals.

Optics and Ammo

Black Friday is king for optics. I’ve seen Vortex, Primary Arms, and Leupold scopes at 30-40% off during Thanksgiving week. For ammo, any major holiday works, but the 4th of July and Black Friday consistently have the lowest per-round pricing. Bookmark our daily deals page to catch flash sales year-round.

How Gun Pricing Actually Works

Three prices matter in the gun world: MSRP, MAP, and street price. MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) is the sticker price few people pay. MAP (minimum advertised price) is the lowest price a retailer can publicly list. Street price is what you actually pay after sales, rebates, and competition do their thing, and it’s the number our price boxes track.

Why does the same gun cost different amounts at different stores? Volume. Big online retailers like PSA and Brownells buy in massive quantities and get better distributor pricing. Your local gun shop (licensed through the ATF) can’t match those prices because it orders far fewer units. That doesn’t mean your LGS isn’t worth supporting. But for pure price shopping, the online stores win: on October 28 a Glock 19 V was $539 at Sportsman’s Warehouse and $550.99 at Guns.com.

Distributor pricing fluctuates based on demand, production capacity, and how badly a manufacturer wants to move product. When a new model launches, distributor cost is high and margins are thin. Six months later, once the initial hype dies down, distributor pricing drops and retailers can offer real discounts. That’s why patience pays off in this market.

When NOT to Buy a Gun

Let’s be real about the worst times to buy. Right after a high-profile shooting or during a heated election cycle, panic buying drives prices through the roof. FBI NICS background check data shows clear demand spikes during these periods. I watched AR-15 prices double in 2012 and again in 2020. Magazines that normally cost $12 were going for $40. If you see panic buying starting, either you already have what you need or you’re going to overpay badly. Our gun pricing guide covers typical street prices so you can spot inflated ones.

January before SHOT Show is another bad window. New models are about to be announced, which means whatever you buy today might be last-gen by the end of the month. Unless you’re getting a screaming deal on clearance pricing, hold off until after the announcements, then shop February’s clearance.

Also avoid buying when ammo prices are spiking from supply chain issues. The gun might be reasonably priced, but if you can’t afford to feed it, what’s the point? I’d rather wait two months and buy both the gun and a case of ammo for what the gun alone costs during a shortage.

How to Track Gun Prices Year-Round

Our price comparison tool tracks pricing across 200+ online retailers throughout the day. Type in any gun and see who has the lowest price right now. It’s the fastest way to know whether a “sale” is actually a good deal or just marketing noise. I use it myself before every purchase.

Sign up for email lists from the big retailers. PSA, Brownells, and EuroOptic all send deal alerts for flash sales that don’t always make it to social media. Those email-exclusive deals are sometimes the best ones. Our gun deals page aggregates the best current offers, so check it daily if you’re actively shopping.

Don’t forget manufacturer rebate programs. Sig Sauer, Smith and Wesson, Springfield Armory, and others run seasonal mail-in rebates. Stack a rebate on top of a holiday sale price and the wait pays off. Check the cheapest online gun stores for the best everyday pricing, and use our price comparison tool before pulling the trigger.

Current Deals Worth Checking

Here are today’s best deals with at least 20% off. These update automatically, so you’re always seeing what’s fresh.

Want more? Head over to our full gun deals page for the complete selection, updated throughout the day.

Ready to start shopping? Browse our best gun deals for the lowest prices across all categories. For the biggest holiday savings, bookmark our Black Friday gun deals and 4th of July gun deals pages. First time buying online? Our how to buy a gun online guide walks you through every step from checkout to FFL pickup.

Facts and Figures

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Memorial Day and the 4th of July are the three biggest gun sale events of the year.
• SHOT Show runs every January in Las Vegas; last year’s models start getting cheaper from February.
• On an ordinary day (October 28, 2026) a PSA PA-15 16-inch carbine was $489.99 at PSA.
• The same day, a Sig P365 was $499.99 at Brownells and a Glock 19 V $539 at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
• A Taurus G3C was $249.99 at Bass Pro Shops on October 31, and an S&W M&P9 Shield Plus $393.99 at Guns.com.
• FBI NICS background check data shows demand spikes during panic-buying periods.

Best Time to Buy a Gun FAQ