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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
Sportsman’s Warehouse is the Utah-based outdoor chain that has sold guns, ammo, hunting and fishing gear since 1986. Its latest annual report lists 147 stores in 32 states, most of them in the West and Alaska, and its website, sportsmans.com, sells thousands of guns that you pick up at one of those stores or have shipped to a gun shop near you. So is Sportsman’s Warehouse a good place to buy a gun online, and is it legit?
To find out, I read its shipping, returns, price match, FFL shipping and Firearm Service Plan 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 test two things nobody else has measured: how its prices compare on 29 identical new guns, and how many of those gaps its famous price match would actually close.
Last updated October 25, 2026
Table of Contents
Sportsman’s Warehouse Review: The Short Answer
Our Rating: 7/10
Pros
- 147 stores in 32 states, with free ship-to-store on every gun
- Buy online and pick up in store, often the next day
- Matched or beat the lowest price on 13 of 29 identical new guns, including most Sig Sauer models
- Long guns at 18, and a Firearm Service Plan with cleanings, scope mounting and warranty shipping
Cons
- Higher than the cheapest rival on 16 of 29 new guns, up to 66.6% on budget imports
- The price match only covered 2 of those 16 gaps
- No returns on guns or ammo
- A 1.6 on Trustpilot, with no replies to complaints
Yes, Sportsman’s Warehouse is legit. It’s a Nasdaq-listed retailer (ticker SPWH) with 147 stores, every gun goes through a licensed counter and a background check, and it ships guns to its own stores free. It’s at its best if you live near one of those stores: buy online, pick up the next day, pay no shipping and have someone check the gun with you. On price it matched the field on popular guns, especially Sig Sauer, but it ran higher on budget imports, and its price match doesn’t cover the online stores that undercut it most. Check the price first, and read the price match rules before you count on them.
Sportsman’s Warehouse at a Glance
| Headquarters | West Jordan, Utah |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Stores | 147 in 32 states, mostly in the West and Alaska |
| Owner | Independent, listed on Nasdaq (SPWH); not owned by Bass Pro |
| Sells | Guns, ammo, optics, hunting, fishing and camping gear |
| Listings in our feed | 4,515 new guns from 129 brands, 2,729 ammo listings |
| Gun shipping | Free to a Sportsman’s store; $15 processing fee to your own FFL |
| Price match | Beats local stores and 16 named retailers by 1% |
| Returns | No guns or ammo; most other gear 30 days with the receipt |
| Trustpilot | 1.6 out of 5 from 96 reviews (October 25, 2026) |
| Our rating | 7/10: best if you live near a store, average on price |
Is Sportsman’s Warehouse Legit?
Yes. Sportsman’s Warehouse is a real chain with 147 stores, and every gun it sells is handed over at a licensed gun counter, its own or a dealer you pick, where you fill out the paperwork and pass a background check. Online orders work the same way. Firearms “can only be shipped to a certified FFL,” per its buy guns online page, and the person who placed the order has to be the one who picks it up.
You may have read that Bass Pro owns Sportsman’s Warehouse. It doesn’t. On December 21, 2020, Sportsman’s Warehouse agreed to join the Great American Outdoors Group, the “parent company of Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, White River Marine Group and a collection of nature-based resorts,” per the announcement it filed with the SEC. The deal never closed. On December 2, 2021, both sides called it off after feedback from the FTC that led them to believe they would not get approval, and the Bass Pro side paid Sportsman’s a $55 million termination fee. Sportsman’s Warehouse still files its own annual reports as an independent Nasdaq company, and its latest one, for the year to January 31, 2026, doesn’t mention Bass Pro at all. So prices, stock and policies at the two chains are separate.
Its reputation online is a different matter. Its Trustpilot profile scores 1.6 out of 5, and 84 of its 96 reviews are one star. That is a small sample for a chain this size, and the profile isn’t claimed, so the company isn’t inviting its customers to review it there. It also hasn’t replied to any of its 23 recent negative reviews. More on what those reviews say below.
Selection: Strong on Hunting Guns
Sportsman’s Warehouse had 4,515 new guns from 129 brands in our feed on October 25, 2026. Its own site says “over 8,000 guns” on one page and “Shop Over 6,000 Guns” on another, so the count moves, but it’s smaller than the biggest online stores. Guns.com had 23,885 in the same feed.
Where it stands out is hunting guns. Among the stores in our feed, it had the second-most listings for Weatherby (242), Tikka (96), Henry (202) and CVA (122), the brands you’d expect at a store built for hunters. It also sells muzzleloaders from CVA and Traditions.
For everyday guns it covers the basics. I searched our feed for 18 of the most popular models on the market, from the Glock 19 to the Henry Big Boy, and it had 17 of them listed; the only miss was the Marlin 1895. It even had the Winchester Model 70, the one gun on our test list that Guns.com didn’t. Read our Winchester Model 70 review if that’s the rifle you’re after. It doesn’t sell used guns online in our feed. It buys and sells used guns at select stores instead, through its We Buy Guns program.
New Gun Prices vs Other Stores: 29 Identical Models
I matched 29 new guns by the maker’s model number, then checked each pair by hand so the caliber, barrel and finish matched too. Then I compared Sportsman’s Warehouse with the cheapest other store in our feed on the same day. A gap of $1 or less counts as a tie.
Sportsman’s Warehouse was lower on 2, tied on 11 and higher on 16. Bought there, the whole basket comes to $26,829.73. Bought at the cheapest store for each gun, it comes to $25,414.63, so Sportsman’s ran 5.6 percent over.
The pattern is clear. On guns that sell at a fixed advertised price, it matched the field: 8 of the 9 Sig Sauer models in the basket were tied. Its best result was a Colt LE6920 at $839.99, $110 under the next store. But on budget imports it ran well over, like a JTS M12AK-T1 shotgun at $499.99 against $300.12 and a Bersa TPR9XT at $799.99 against $554.99. When it was higher, the median gap was 14.6 percent.
| Gun | Sportsman’s Warehouse | Cheapest other store | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&W Model 460XVR 8.38in | $1,579.99 | $1,461.99 (Guns.com) | Sportsman’s 8.1% higher |
| EAA Girsan MC28SA 9mm, black | $329.99 | $279.99 (PSA) | Sportsman’s 17.9% higher |
| Rock Island STK100 9mm | $451.99 | $349.99 (Guns.com) | Sportsman’s 29.1% higher |
| Bersa TPR9XT 9mm | $799.99 | $554.99 (PSA) | Sportsman’s 44.1% higher |
| Zastava ZPAP85 5.56 pistol | $1,179.99 | $1,179.99 (Discount Enterprise) | Tied |
| Sig P320-AXG Legion 9mm | $1,329.99 | $1,330.99 (PSA) | Tied |
| Shadow Systems CR920P Elite | $889.99 | $917.99 (Guns.com) | Sportsman’s 3.1% lower |
| Sig P320-M18 (10-round) | $699.99 | $699.99 (Guns.com) | Tied |
| Sig P320-XFULL (10-round) | $729.99 | $729.99 (EuroOptic) | Tied |
| Shadow Systems CR920XP Elite | $889.99 | $799.00 (Bereli) | Sportsman’s 11.4% higher |
| Shadow Systems CR920X Elite | $799.99 | $799.00 (Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P320-SXG Reserve 3.9in | $2,099.99 | $2,099.99 (Brownells, Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P211-GT5 9mm | $2,099.99 | $2,099.99 (Brownells, Guns.com, Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P322-ROSE with Romeo-RS | $579.99 | $579.99 (Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Sig P320-FLUX TacOps | $1,399.99 | $1,399.99 (Brownells) | Tied |
| Sig P365-LUXE .380 | $999.99 | $967.23 (MidwayUSA) | Sportsman’s 3.4% higher |
| Colt LE6940 Monolithic | $1,499.99 | $1,409.99 (EuroOptic) | Sportsman’s 6.4% higher |
| Colt LE6920 M4 Carbine | $839.99 | $949.99 (EuroOptic) | Sportsman’s 11.6% lower |
| Colt AR15A4 20in | $1,189.99 | $1,090.32 (Battlehawk) | Sportsman’s 9.1% higher |
| Sig M400-SDI X rifle | $1,499.99 | $1,499.99 (Bass Pro) | Tied |
| Mountain Billy Goat-15 Helium | $449.99 | $375.57 (Battlehawk) | Sportsman’s 19.8% higher |
| Crickett KSA2148 Precision, Muddy Girl | $339.99 | $274.95 (Battlehawk) | Sportsman’s 23.7% higher |
| Henry H015T410 Turkey .410 | $669.99 | $618.99 (PSA) | Sportsman’s 8.2% higher |
| CVA Cascade Rimfire .22 LR | $349.99 | $319.99 (EuroOptic) | Sportsman’s 9.4% higher |
| JTS M12AK-T1 12 ga | $499.99 | $300.12 (Battlehawk) | Sportsman’s 66.6% higher |
| Kel-Tec KSG410, green | $549.99 | $513.99 (Discount Enterprise) | Sportsman’s 7% higher |
| Retay Ace-R 20 ga 26in | $999.00 | $999.00 (PSA) | Tied |
| Derya EX1400 12 ga 24in | $699.00 | $567.99 (Discount Enterprise) | Sportsman’s 23.1% higher |
| JTS M12AR-B1 12 ga | $379.99 | $242.64 (Battlehawk) | Sportsman’s 56.6% higher |
Does the Sportsman’s Warehouse Price Match Help?
Sportsman’s Warehouse sells itself on a Best Price Guarantee. Per its price match page, if you find a lower price on an identical, in-stock item and show them the ad, “we will beat it by 1%.” That sounds like it should fix the 16 gaps above. It doesn’t, because of who it matches.
The guarantee covers any local retailer plus 16 named online stores, including Amazon, Bass Pro, Cabela’s, Brownells, MidwayUSA and Sportsman’s Guide. The stores that beat Sportsman’s most often in our check, like Battlehawk Armory, Palmetto State Armory, EuroOptic and Guns.com, aren’t on the list. So of the 16 guns where it was higher, the price match only helps on 2: the S&W Model 460XVR 8.38in, where Brownells was lower and a match would bring it to $1,513.71, and the Sig P365-LUXE .380, where MidwayUSA was lower and a match would bring it to $957.56.
Read the exclusions too. It won’t match clearance, closeout, special promotions, rebates, coupons or club prices, and it can limit a match to one per customer, per item. One Trustpilot reviewer in September 2026 said the Salem, Oregon store refused to match sale prices. For an online order, you contact customer service to claim it. If you live near a store and a local shop or Bass Pro has a better price, the match is worth asking for. For everything else, our guide to buying guns online for less shows where the real savings are.
Buying a Gun From Sportsman’s Warehouse
This is where Sportsman’s Warehouse beats most online stores. You get three ways to take delivery, per its shipping page:
- Pick up in store. If your local store has the gun, buy it online and it’s ready within about 24 hours. You get an email when it’s ready, and you have 14 days to collect it.
- Ship to store, free. If your store doesn’t have it, Sportsman’s ships it there at no cost. Firearms take about 7 to 10 days.
- Ship to your own FFL. No store nearby? Its Local Firearm Dealer Shipping Program ships to a participating gun shop for a $15 processing fee, plus whatever your dealer charges. See our FFL transfer fees by state guide.
Bring a valid ID and the card you paid with. The buyer has to pick up the gun in person and pass the background check; nobody can collect it for you. You must be 21 to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun, the federal minimums, which is friendlier than stores like Guns.com that sell nothing to under-21s. Check your state’s rules first. One Trustpilot buyer in Washington found out at the counter that the store needed a state firearms safety certificate before the background check. Our FFL transfer guide covers the paperwork state by state.
Ammo at Sportsman’s Warehouse
Ammo is a strong point. It had 2,729 ammo listings in our feed, and 87 of them were marked down 10 percent or more from list, against 55 of its 4,515 guns. The catch is shipping: ammo picked up in store costs nothing extra, but “Ammunition orders shipped to home require special handling and carry a $19.99 surcharge,” per its shipping page. On a box or two, that surcharge wipes out the saving, so pick up in store or compare with our best ammo deals.
Sportsman’s Warehouse Shipping Costs
| Order total | Ship to store | Standard ground | Express | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $75 | Free | $9.99 | $19.95 | $29.95 |
| Over $75 | Free | Free | $19.95 | $29.95 |
Free standard shipping over $75 doesn’t cover hazardous materials, oversize items or freight shipments, and it only ships within the 50 states. Guns always go to a store or an FFL, never to your door. Alaska and Hawaii home orders ship by AK/HI Express only.
The Sportsman’s Warehouse Return Policy
Read this before you sign for a gun. The Sportsman’s Warehouse return policy lists firearms, ammunition, primers, powder, bullets, suppressors and gun parts among the items that can’t be returned, and says it “cannot accept returns on firearms once they have been transferred into your possession.” If a gun turns out to be defective after the transfer, it goes back to the maker under the maker’s warranty. Store staff can help you with that if you picked it up at a Sportsman’s.
It also “does not reimburse FFL transfer fees if you refuse or are denied the firearm(s) transfer,” so inspect the gun at the counter before the paperwork starts. Most other gear can come back within 30 days in resalable condition with the original packaging and receipt.
The Firearm Service Plan
Sportsman’s Warehouse sells a Firearm Service Plan on any gun bought from it, in store or online, up to 30 days after the transfer. Its service plan page lists:
- 2 professional field strip and cleanings a year
- Unlimited scope mounting and bore sighting
- Warranty cover that runs alongside the maker’s warranty, with free packing and shipping to the service center
- 15% off custom and elective gunsmith work
The plan is tied to the gun’s serial number, so it stays with the gun if you sell it. The page doesn’t list a price, so ask at the counter. If you hunt and want your scope mounted and the rifle cleaned before every season, it’s worth pricing. If you shoot a pistol a few times a year, skip it.
Sportsman’s Warehouse Rewards and Discounts
- Explorewards. Free to join. You earn 1 point per dollar spent in store or online and pay with points later, plus weekly member offers.
- Military discount. 5% off most full-price items for active military, veterans and military spouses, verified through ID.me.
- Selling a gun. Select stores buy used guns for cash, a gift card or trade credit. Compare that offer with our guide to selling a gun.
What Sportsman’s Warehouse Customers Say
With a 1.6 score and 88 percent one-star reviews, Sportsman’s Warehouse looks worse on Trustpilot than its size suggests. Of the 20 most recent reviews, 17 were one or two stars, and 10 of those mentioned the website or an online order: an order that couldn’t be filled two weeks after it was placed, cancellations, slow refunds, and a price match a store wouldn’t honor. Several others were about staff at individual stores. Keep the sample in mind: 96 reviews for a chain with 147 stores is small, and unhappy customers post more than happy ones. Even so, the company hasn’t answered any of them. If something goes wrong, call customer service at 1-800-286-3076 or go to the store.
Sportsman’s Warehouse vs Other Online Gun Stores
| Sportsman’s Warehouse | Guns.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Guns listed in our feed | 4,515 new | 23,885 new and used |
| Stores you can walk into | 147 | None; it ships to your FFL |
| Gun shipping | Free to its stores | Variable, by the price of the gun |
| Price match | Yes, against a set list | No |
| New gun returns | None | Final sale |
| Minimum age | 21 handguns, 18 long guns | 21 for every gun |
| Trustpilot | 1.6 (96 reviews) | 3.7 (4,216 reviews) |
| Best for | Hunters near a store, ammo pickup | Selection, used and rare guns |
Use Sportsman’s Warehouse if there’s a store near you, or for a hunting rifle. For a hard-to-find or used gun, read our Guns.com review. For a new AR at the lowest price, check Palmetto State Armory, and for parts and gunsmithing gear, our Brownells review.
Final Verdict
Sportsman’s Warehouse earns a 7/10. It’s a legitimate chain with 147 stores, and for buyers near one of them it’s one of the easiest ways to buy a gun online: free shipping to the store, next-day pickup on stock guns, and a person at the counter if something isn’t right. It matched the lowest price on most Sig Sauer guns and stocks more hunting rifles than most. It loses points for new-gun prices that ran 5.6 percent over the cheapest store on our basket, a price match that only closed 2 of 16 gaps, no gun returns, and a poor online reputation.
Who should buy here: hunters, anyone with a store nearby, and buyers who want ammo without the shipping charge. Who should shop around: buyers of budget pistols and shotguns, and anyone without a store close by, who pays the FFL fees and gets little of the in-store benefit.
FAQ: Sportsman’s Warehouse
Is Sportsman's Warehouse legit?
Yes. Sportsman's Warehouse is a Utah-based chain with 147 stores in 32 states. Every gun it sells goes through a licensed counter, at its own store or your FFL dealer, with a background check.
Is Sportsman's Warehouse cheaper than other online gun stores?
Not on most new guns. On 29 identical new guns, it was lower on 2, tied on 11 and higher on 16, and the basket cost 5.6 percent more than the cheapest store for each gun. It matched the field on Sig Sauer models and ran higher on budget imports.
Does Sportsman's Warehouse price match?
Yes, it beats an identical, in-stock price by 1% from any local retailer and 16 named online stores, including Bass Pro, Cabela's, Brownells, MidwayUSA and Amazon. It won't match clearance, promotions, coupons or club prices. In our check it only closed 2 of 16 price gaps, because the cheaper stores weren't on its list.
Can you return a gun to Sportsman's Warehouse?
No. Guns and ammo can't be returned once the gun is transferred to you. A defective gun goes back to the maker under its warranty, and store staff can help if you picked it up at a Sportsman's.
Does Sportsman's Warehouse ship guns to your house?
No. Guns ship free to a Sportsman's Warehouse store, or to a participating FFL dealer for a $15 processing fee plus the dealer's transfer fee.
How long does Sportsman's Warehouse take to ship a gun?
If your local store has it, it's ready within about 24 hours. If it has to ship to the store, allow about 7-10 days. You have 14 days to pick it up.
How old do you have to be to buy a gun at Sportsman's Warehouse?
21 for a handgun and 18 for a rifle or shotgun, plus any stricter state rules.
Is Sportsman's Warehouse owned by Bass Pro?
No. Sportsman's Warehouse agreed to be bought by the Great American Outdoors Group, Bass Pro's parent company, in December 2020, but the deal was called off on December 2, 2021 after FTC pushback. It is still an independent company listed on Nasdaq as SPWH.
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