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- Treat every gun as loaded
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target and what’s beyond
MidwayUSA is the Columbia, Missouri, retailer that started as a small gun shop in 1977 and now sells nearly 200,000 shooting, hunting and outdoor products online, from one 400,000 square foot warehouse. It’s best known for ammo, reloading gear and parts, but it sells thousands of guns too. So is MidwayUSA a good place to buy a gun online, who owns it, and are its prices any good?
To find out, I read its returns, shipping, FFL and company history pages on October 25, 2026, went through its Trustpilot profile, and then used our own retailer feed, which tracks prices at the stores in our best online gun stores ranking. That let me compare its prices on 39 identical new guns, handguns and long guns, against every other store in the feed on the same day.
Last updated October 25, 2026
Table of Contents
MidwayUSA Review: The Short Answer
Our Rating: 7/10
Pros
- 5,684 ammo listings in our feed, one of the two biggest ammo selections we track
- Matched or beat the lowest price on 15 of 24 identical handguns
- 90-day returns on most gear, and same-day shipping on most orders
- Family-owned since 1977, with three national quality awards
Cons
- Higher than the cheapest store on 13 of 15 long guns, up to 28.2% more
- No returns on guns or ammo, and gun orders can’t be cancelled once placed
- No price match policy on its site
- Scores 1.7 on Trustpilot, with no replies to complaints
Yes, MidwayUSA is legit. It’s a family-owned company that has been in business since 1977, it has won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award three times, and every gun it sells ships to a licensed dealer for a background check. It’s at its best for ammo, reloading gear and handguns: it matched or beat the cheapest store we track on 15 of 24 handguns, and its ammo selection is one of the deepest anywhere. Long guns are the catch. On rifles and shotguns it ran higher than the cheapest store on 13 of 15, so the whole 39-gun basket came to 6.6 percent over.
MidwayUSA at a Glance
| Headquarters | Columbia, Missouri |
| Founded | June 18, 1977, by brothers Larry and Jerry Potterfield |
| Owner | The Potterfield family; Larry Potterfield is CEO |
| Stores | None; online and phone only, with curbside pickup in Columbia |
| Listings in our feed | 4,290 guns from 170 brands, 5,684 ammo listings |
| Gun shipping | To your FFL; $15 per handgun or $10 per long gun on select guns under $500 |
| Free shipping | On $100+ of items marked Ships Free |
| Returns | No guns or ammo; most other gear 90 days |
| Trustpilot | 1.7 out of 5 from 587 reviews (October 25, 2026) |
| Our rating | 7/10: best for ammo, reloading and handguns, pricey on long guns |
Who Owns MidwayUSA?
MidwayUSA is still owned by the family that started it. Its company history begins: “On June 18th, 1977, we opened our doors as Ely Arms Inc., a small gun shop nestled in a modest 32′ x 48′ pole barn,” just west of Columbia. It was founded by brothers Larry and Jerry Potterfield; Jerry left in 1980. The name changed to Midway Arms in 1979 and to MidwayUSA in 1998, and the company closed its only retail store in 1984 to focus on mail order.
“Larry and Brenda Potterfield were the only shareholders until they transferred/sold some of their shares to their son, Russell and daughter, Sara,” the history says, and both children sit on the board. In 2021 the company hired its first CEO from outside the family, but Larry Potterfield took the job back in 2024. There’s no parent company, private equity owner or stock listing in its history, so unlike Cabela’s, which Bass Pro bought (see our Bass Pro Shops review), MidwayUSA answers only to the Potterfields.
Is MidwayUSA Legit?
Yes. MidwayUSA has been selling guns and ammo for almost 50 years, and it won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the top U.S. award for business performance, in 2009, 2015 and 2021. “In 2021, only two organizations, including MidwayUSA, had won the award three times,” per its history. Every gun it sells ships to a licensed dealer, where you fill out the paperwork and pass a background check.
Its reviews tell a different story. MidwayUSA scores 1.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 587 reviews, and 414 of them are one star. The profile isn’t claimed, and the company hadn’t replied to any of the 20 most recent reviews. More on what they say below.
Selection: Guns, Ammo and Just About Everything
MidwayUSA had 4,290 guns from 170 brands in our feed on October 25, 2026, nearly all of them new; only 11 were listed as used. To test the range, I searched our feed for the same 42 models we used in our Guns.com review, from the Glock 19 to rare collectibles. MidwayUSA had 28 of the 42. That’s behind Guns.com (41) and Bass Pro (31), and it had Korth revolvers and the Sig P210, which Bass Pro didn’t, along with the Colt Python and Colt Anaconda. Its misses were mostly surplus and discontinued guns like the M1 Garand, SKS, FN FAL and Savage 99, plus the Remington 870 and Browning Hi-Power.
Ammo is where MidwayUSA stands apart. It had 5,684 ammo listings in our feed, second only to Shooting Surplus among all the stores we track, and 455 of them were marked down 10 percent or more. Add reloading presses, dies, bullets and brass, and it’s one of the few stores where you can buy everything for a rifle in one order.
New Gun Prices vs Other Stores: 39 Identical Models
I matched 39 new guns by hand, 24 handguns and 15 rifles and shotguns: same model, caliber, capacity, barrel and finish. Then I compared MidwayUSA with the cheapest other store in our feed on the same day. A gap of $1 or less counts as a tie.
MidwayUSA was lower on 8, tied on 9 and higher on 22. Bought there, the whole basket comes to $24,857.80. Bought at the cheapest store for each gun, it comes to $23,319.69, so MidwayUSA ran 6.6 percent over. When it was higher, the median gap was 8.3 percent.
The split between handguns and long guns is the story. On handguns it matched or beat the cheapest store on 15 of 24: 6 of the 7 Glocks and 4 of the 4 Sig Sauer pistols were tied or cheaper, and its best result was a Ruger LCP MAX America’s 250th at $299.99, 9.1 percent under the next store. On rifles and shotguns it was higher on 13 of 15. All 4 Maverick 88 pump shotguns cost more, the Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 ran 16.6 to 18.8 percent over, and a Tikka T3x Lite Compact cost $769.00 against $599.99.
| Gun | MidwayUSA | Cheapest other store | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glock 19 Gen6 | $620.00 | $620.00 (Brownells, Sportsman’s Guide, KYGunCo, Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Glock 19 Gen6 with Aimpoint COA | $1,053.00 | $1,053.00 (KYGunCo) | Tied |
| Glock 43X, 10+1 | $448.00 | $449.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | MidwayUSA 0.4% lower |
| Glock 43X, 15+1 | $448.00 | $448.00 (Sportsman’s WH) | Tied |
| Glock 43X MOS, 15+1 | $484.00 | $484.00 (Sportsman’s Guide) | Tied |
| Glock 48, 15+1 | $448.00 | $448.00 (Sportsman’s WH) | Tied |
| Glock 48 MOS, 15+1 | $489.00 | $484.00 (Sportsman’s WH, KYGunCo) | MidwayUSA 1% higher |
| Sig P365-XL Comp .380 | $729.99 | $729.99 (Brownells, Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P365X Macro, 17+1 | $729.99 | $729.99 (Sportsman’s Guide, Sportsman’s WH) | Tied |
| Sig P365X Macro manual safety, 17+1 | $729.99 | $729.99 (Sportsman’s WH, Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P320-M18 California, 10+1 | $699.99 | $699.99 (Brownells, Sportsman’s WH, KYGunCo) | Tied |
| S&W M&P9 Shield Plus, 13+1 | $404.00 | $399.00 (Brownells) | MidwayUSA 1.3% higher |
| S&W 642 No Internal Lock | $506.58 | $479.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 5.5% higher |
| S&W 642 Ultimate Carry | $629.00 | $659.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 4.7% lower |
| Springfield Hellcat OSP 9mm, 10+1 | $554.99 | $599.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 7.5% lower |
| Springfield Hellcat OSP .380 | $517.90 | $429.99 (Sportsman’s Guide) | MidwayUSA 20.4% higher |
| Ruger LCP MAX, black nitride | $350.00 | $329.99 (Sportsman’s WH, Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 6.1% higher |
| Ruger LCP MAX America’s 250th | $299.99 | $329.99 (Sportsman’s Guide, Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 9.1% lower |
| Ruger Wrangler, silver | $215.00 | $199.99 (Sportsman’s Guide) | MidwayUSA 7.5% higher |
| Ruger Wrangler, black | $215.00 | $219.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 2.3% lower |
| Taurus G3C, 12+1 | $304.99 | $249.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 22% higher |
| Taurus GX4 T.O.R.O., 3-inch | $265.50 | $269.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 1.7% lower |
| Springfield XD-M Elite OSP 10mm 3.8-inch | $627.99 | $619.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 1.3% higher |
| Springfield XD-M Elite OSP 10mm 4.5-inch, FDE | $669.99 | $629.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | MidwayUSA 6.3% higher |
| Henry H1 Classic .22 WMR | $439.99 | $419.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 4.8% higher |
| Maverick 88 Field 12 ga, 28-inch | $265.99 | $239.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 10.8% higher |
| Maverick 88 Field 20 ga, 26-inch | $252.99 | $239.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 5.4% higher |
| Maverick 88 Cruiser 12 ga, 18.5-inch | $259.99 | $239.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 8.3% higher |
| Maverick 88 Security 12 ga, 20-inch | $258.99 | $229.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | MidwayUSA 12.6% higher |
| Winchester SXP Defender 12 ga | $316.99 | $279.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 13.2% higher |
| Beretta A300 Ultima 20 ga, black | $899.00 | $829.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 8.3% higher |
| Benelli SBE 3, 20 ga 28-inch, black | $1,899.00 | $1,628.99 (KYGunCo) | MidwayUSA 16.6% higher |
| Benelli SBE 3, 20 ga 26-inch, black | $1,899.00 | $1,628.99 (KYGunCo) | MidwayUSA 16.6% higher |
| Benelli SBE 3, 28 ga 28-inch, black | $1,899.00 | $1,599.00 (Discount Enterprise) | MidwayUSA 18.8% higher |
| CZ 457 Scout .22 LR | $558.99 | $566.99 (Brownells) | MidwayUSA 1.4% lower |
| CZ 457 American .22 LR, threaded | $618.99 | $579.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 6.7% higher |
| Tikka T3x Lite Compact (youth) .350 Legend | $769.00 | $599.99 (EuroOptic) | MidwayUSA 28.2% higher |
| Marlin 1895 Guide .45-70 | $1,179.00 | $999.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | MidwayUSA 17.9% higher |
| Henry Big Boy Steel Side Gate .44 Mag | $899.99 | $939.99 (Bass Pro) | MidwayUSA 4.3% lower |
Does MidwayUSA Price Match?
Not that we could find. MidwayUSA’s help center, returns and shipping pages don’t mention a price match, and it isn’t on any page we read. So if another store has a lower price, buy there. The stores that beat MidwayUSA most often in our check were Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore on 5 guns, EuroOptic on 5 and Sportsman’s Warehouse on 4. For more ways to pay less, see our guide to buying guns online for less.
Buying a Gun From MidwayUSA
Every gun ships to a licensed dealer near you. MidwayUSA’s FFL Finder rates local dealers: a “Preferred Dealer” has “agreed to accept all transfers from MidwayUSA without prior notice,” while others need to be contacted first or have to send a copy of their license. Picking a preferred dealer saves the wait while MidwayUSA contacts yours. Our FFL transfer fees by state guide shows what dealers charge.
- Shipping fees. MidwayUSA charges $15 per handgun and $10 per rifle, shotgun or receiver on “select” guns under $500, per its shipping page.
- Handguns fly. “If your order contains a handgun, the handgun and any additional guns shipping from MidwayUSA on the same order, must ship Second Day Air.” Long guns go UPS Ground.
- No changes. Gun orders “cannot be changed or cancelled after they are placed,” so check the model and your dealer before you pay.
- Get it right at the counter. If your dealer refuses the gun or you fail the background check, MidwayUSA charges a 10% restocking fee.
Some guns ship from the supplier instead of MidwayUSA’s warehouse, and the supplier picks the shipping method. Our FFL transfer guide covers the paperwork state by state.
Ammo at MidwayUSA
Ammo is MidwayUSA’s biggest category in our feed, with more listings than its guns. Ammo ships UPS Ground only: “DOT-Regulated products (Ammunition, Solvents, Aerosols, Chemicals, etc.) and HazMat products (Reloading Powder and Primers) cannot be shipped via USPS or air shipping methods.” Powder and primers add a $19 HazMat fee per order. Ammo can’t be returned, so double-check the caliber before you order. Compare prices with our best ammo deals.
MidwayUSA Shipping Costs
| Shipping method | Cost |
|---|---|
| Free shipping | On orders with $100+ of products marked Ships Free |
| Economy | $8.00 |
| UPS Ground | $16.00 |
| USPS Priority | $14.00 |
| Gun shipping | $15 per handgun, $10 per long gun (select guns under $500) |
| HazMat (powder, primers) | $19 per order |
“We are excited to offer Same Day Shipping on most orders placed before 1:00 p.m. central and shipping from MidwayUSA,” the shipping page says. Everything ships from Columbia, Missouri, by UPS or USPS. Free shipping has exclusions, including clearance items, bulky products, “some firearms” and items that ship from a supplier. If you live nearby, curbside pickup in Columbia is free, with a small fee on orders under $49.
The MidwayUSA Return Policy
Most gear can come back for an exchange or refund “within 90 days” of purchase, unused and in the original packaging, per the returns policy. That’s longer than Bass Pro’s 60 days and Sportsman’s Warehouse’s 30.
Guns are another matter. “Guns cannot be returned to MidwayUSA. Factory New Guns should be returned directly to the manufacturer for warranty claims.” The policy adds that “Ammunition, Guns, Gun Powder, Primers, 80% Lower Receivers/Frames, Receiver Blanks, Receiver Flats, Pistol Braces, Body Armor, Ballistic Helmets, and Treestands may not be returned.” Used and surplus guns are sold as-is. Gifts returned without proof of purchase get store credit at the lowest price of the last 365 days.
What MidwayUSA Customers Say
Of MidwayUSA’s 587 Trustpilot reviews, 414 are one star and 119 are five stars. Of the 20 most recent, from July to October 2026, 15 were one star, 1 was three stars and 4 were five stars. The complaints were about deliveries marked delivered that never arrived, items that showed in stock but weren’t, a disputed card charge, a months-long wait on a barreled action, return shipping charges and customer service. Several came from long-time customers who said the service has slipped. The five-star reviews praised the service and defended the company’s long track record.
Keep the sample in mind: a few hundred reviews for a store that ships this many orders is small, and unhappy customers post more. But the company hasn’t replied to any of the recent ones. If something goes wrong, call 1-800-243-3220; the phone line is open 7 days a week.
MidwayUSA vs Other Online Gun Stores
| MidwayUSA | Bass Pro Shops | Guns.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guns listed in our feed | 4,290 new | 4,138 | 24,067 new and used |
| Ammo listed in our feed | 5,684 | 1,137 | Not a focus |
| Gun shipping | To your FFL; fee on select guns under $500 | Free to its stores | To your FFL |
| Price vs cheapest store | +6.6% on 39 guns | +5.7% on 34 guns | +4.2% on 22 guns |
| Returns on gear | 90 days | 60 days | Mostly guns; final sale |
| Trustpilot | 1.7 (587 reviews) | 2 (385 reviews) | 3.7 (4,216 reviews) |
Use MidwayUSA for ammo, reloading gear, parts and handguns at the going price. For hunting rifles and shotguns, check another store first: on our basket, the cheapest long guns were at other stores. For used and hard-to-find guns, read our Guns.com review, and if you want to pick up at a store, our Bass Pro Shops review and Sportsman’s Warehouse review. For parts and gunsmithing tools, compare with our Brownells review.
Final Verdict
MidwayUSA earns a 7/10. It’s a legitimate, family-owned company with almost 50 years behind it, one of the deepest ammo selections online, same-day shipping on most orders and 90-day returns on gear. On handguns it matched or beat the cheapest store on 15 of 24. It loses points for long guns that cost more on 13 of 15, a basket that ran 6.6 percent over, no price match, no gun returns or cancellations, and poor online reviews.
Who should buy here: anyone stocking up on ammo or reloading supplies, and handgun buyers who want one order for the gun, magazines and ammo. Who should shop around: anyone buying a hunting rifle or shotgun.
FAQ: MidwayUSA
Is MidwayUSA legit?
Yes. MidwayUSA is a family-owned retailer in Columbia, Missouri, that opened in 1977 and won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2009, 2015 and 2021. Every gun it sells ships to a licensed dealer for a background check.
Who owns MidwayUSA?
The Potterfield family. Larry Potterfield founded it with his brother Jerry in 1977. Larry and Brenda Potterfield were the only shareholders until they passed some shares to their children, Russell and Sara, and Larry took back the CEO job in 2024.
Is MidwayUSA cheaper than other online gun stores?
On handguns, often; on long guns, no. On 39 identical new guns it was lower on 8, tied on 9 and higher on 22, and the basket cost 6.6 percent more than the cheapest store for each gun. It matched or beat the cheapest price on 15 of 24 handguns but was higher on 13 of 15 rifles and shotguns.
Does MidwayUSA price match?
We couldn't find a price match policy on MidwayUSA's site. If another store has a lower price, buy it there.
How much does MidwayUSA charge to ship a gun?
$15 per handgun and $10 per rifle, shotgun or receiver on select guns under $500. Guns ship to your FFL dealer, and handgun orders ship Second Day Air.
Can you return a gun to MidwayUSA?
No. Guns, ammo, powder, primers and 80% lowers can't be returned, and gun orders can't be changed or cancelled once placed. Most other gear can come back within 90 days.
Does MidwayUSA have free shipping?
Yes, on orders with $100 or more of products marked Ships Free. Clearance, bulky items, some guns and supplier-shipped items are excluded. Otherwise shipping starts at $8.
Does MidwayUSA have a store?
No. It closed its retail store in 1984 and sells online and by phone, with curbside pickup at its warehouse in Columbia, Missouri.
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