Academy Sports, got say I was pleased with that place all way around. 1st I usally stay out of big box stores like these. But found 1 some of there prices are very good. Mossburge 500 $349.00 Marlyin.22 $134.00. The clerk was a pro and well knowledge and spoke well. When I get ready to buy there is none of that 3 day wait even with a carry permitt.There ammo is put on shelves where you the customer can pick it up. Not under lock and key in fact I bought ammo there yesterday and its as affordable as walmart with out their hassel . This store look s to be my next place I will be buying bolth a 12 gauage a .22 rifle in next month or two. Nice change for big box type store

__________________
Spin The Wheel

I forget about how much of a hassle finding someone at Walmart is just to gain access to the ammo. In some stores it's even difficult for me to see what ammo they have due to it's position behind the counter. A new Academy opened up near by in Charlotte may have to pay them a visit!

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I think you will be very pleased. Again I cringe going into places like that. I wont ever step foot again in a bass pro. Ammo guy told me I couldn't lean over counter to see ammo.I droped a 100 gift card on counter and said give me the cash I am out of here never again bass

__________________
Spin The Wheel

Another test for this company is this late in season this store was very well stocked on long guns and hand guns along with ammo. And yes they where selling them. I was impressed

__________________
Spin The Wheel

I've never bought a firearm from Academy sports but have ammo. They have some good sales now and then and their regular prices are pretty good too. I buy lots of shot shells from them. Just got some Hornady XTP 380 they had on sale for 68 cents a round. Buy over $25 worth and get it shipped to the house for free!

I like Academy. I've been doing business with them for about 50 years. Never bought any guns there, but I've bought a lot of ammo there. It's my go to place for jeans and basic outdoor gear. They run some good sales, so it's worth getting on their emailing list. There is one withing walking distance of me. I'm in there regularly. Their knife selection is basic blister pack models, but much better than what most Walmarts stock.

Before I started reloading, I used to order gobs of ammo from Academy, and with free shipping over $25, I couldn't beat their prices locally. I still order all my defensive ammo from them as they always have a good sale.

I have bought several firearms at Academy stores over the years. They have decent prices - especially when on sale. Buying a firearm from them is a bit of a hassle, though. They have to get two employees and then a manager to double check your paperwork. Then a manager has to walk the gun up front for you to pay. Then he/she hands it to you at the door. I have a Texas carry permit, so no background check. When I buy one at a LGS I'm in and out in 5-10 minutes. At Academy it can take 20 min, to an hour depending on how busy they are.

__________________
Or something like that . . .

Academy is the place to shop for normal stuff... Bass NoPro shop has over priced clothing, Dip Stick employees. Dicks is even worse .

We've had good service from the Greenville SC firearms department, and bought several models from them.

Shot ourselves in the foot though, figuratively speaking. I had been unsuccessfully looking for a new 3" 686+ for a long time. More than a year after asking our favorite Academy counterman for one, he sees hubby getting ammo and asks if we still wanted the 686, because they were now in stock.

Hubby was so impressed that this young man approached him in the aisle, so long after we mentioned our search, that he put all his writing talent into a glowing letter to corporate, singing this man's praises.

Months go by before we return to Academy, but the next time we enter, our favorite counterman finds us and has a tale to tell. Hubby's letter to corporate was forwarded back to the Greenville store, and read aloud at the weekly staff meeting. Shortly thereafter, "our" counterman is promoted out of firearms, and is thrilled to be put in charge of a different department. As he finishes his story, the store manager introduces himself to us, thanking us for taking the time to write to corporate.

Each time we enter this Academy after that day, the store manager makes a point to greet us warmly. Unfortunately for us though, the best guy from the firearms department is now running the sneaker department. Unintended consequence.

This. My LGS I'm done with the paperwork at about 5 minutes. But at the Academy at least 25 minutes when buying a firearm. It seems that a manager is nowhere to be found quickly to confirm everything and then walk you out of the store. It's a hassle.

Since and before cabelas went down the toilet I've shopped at Academy. Bought 2 shotguns/a rifle and a pistol from them. Lots claybirds/ammo/meat processing supplies and clothes..........ONLY WISH they had a good reloading dept..

__________________
S&W Accumulator

At Walmart I had to wait for 10 mins. for a employee to open a case to snag some scope rings for a .22 that I wanted to drop a little Simmons scope that I had onto. $7 Scope rings.
I wish I had a Academy close by, they would get my biz. I have ordered plenty of ammo online without a hitch.

If Academy has what you want there is no reason not to buy there. I have purchased several guns there starting with my trusty S&W Model 22S for $199.00. The staff is hit and miss from the older pros who know firearms to kids who, when I was buying a S&W R8, told me "there are no revolvers made by anyone with more than six chambers, that is why they call them six shooters, sir". One of the older guys over heard and educated him and conducted the transaction. They generally do a good job especially on price, but their selection - particularly S&W - is limited.

Houston Rick.... IF you go Online they will order any SW you want sometimes discounted....and If Ret Military or Police they give a discount on some products. BTW I LOVE Houston... my sister's there and I got some land in Conroe.

Great store. Have bought ammo, etc. there frequently. Back when lots of ammo was hard to find, Academy had at least some ammo. Amazingly they had the Blazer .44 Special loaded with 200 gr. Gold Dot bullets. It was aluminum cased. It was priced at $28/box of 50. That was a big difference in price compared to the more common little bitty boxes at highway robbery prices. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

__________________
<><

That's not the case at the Academy stores in my area! The people behind the gun counter don't know their butt from third base! They never have the ammo I'm looking for and won't order anything out of the norm. They don't take trades and therefore have no used guns.

Thank you! I have not had luck with their online program, I was not out any cash, but had to make several trips for wrong gun, etc. They eventually make it right. Another Houston LGS takes care of me and my time for online orders. Houston is a great city, soon to be the third largest in the U.S. I just need one more oil boom! I expect to live to see Texas surpass Saudi Arabia in crude oil production.

What City/State are you located?

Academy's website is not good or at least it was terrible last time I navigated the site.
We have had an Academy Sports and Outdoor store for many years here and I have bought firearms and ammunition from them over the years and have no complaints. Naturally, most of the pistols are of the plastic, polymer design in their gun cases but they do carry nice rifles and shotguns also.

__________________
James
On the Llano Estacado

Academy is the sole source of Yildiz (Turkish made) shotguns in the US. They get great reviews in the UK. For a super entry level shotgun (pump, semi, or O/U) check them out. They are comparable to TriStar's better quality guns (Tristar buys from several different manufacturers in Turkey and there are some differences in quality between different models). Then, if only they could streamline the whole paperwork process (very irritating -- took me nearly an hour before they could find a manager to check the paperwork and walk me out -- must have been at lunch!).

My local Academy even stocks cannon fuse. I bought some 9MM FMJ there the other day for 7.99/50.

You are right on the Yildz. Briley in Texas handles all the Yildiz warranty work(if you ever need it). I have 2 Yildiz under and over shotguns(12 & 20) for 4 years. Never a problem and they kill doves/quail an clay targets just as well as the high $ "B" guns do.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

I'm happy Academy is doing the politically incorrect thing and expanding their firearms inventory. I've never found their prices to be competitive on anything I was interested in, but they must be moving the merchandise. They are not a LGS. Like any good big box store they don't service what they sell, but that's OK. Their large size means priority when ammunition supply is distorted by political scares. Academy was my go to source for .22 ammo in the scare crisis. They had .22 ammo and managed it well by limiting daily sales. My niggling little complaint is their policy of putting centerfire ammunition out on open shelving where anyone can, and does, paw through it. I read the complaints above about ammunition being inaccessible, but it introduces risk. If I were one of the big ammo manufacturers I would have a conversation with Academy about this. I personally will not buy any ammunition from Academy without looking in the box as I check out. I see numerous mouth breathing goobers prying open ammunition boxes and fondling cartridges. It would not bother me if manufacturers started shrink wrapping security plastic to stop this. More and more food products have this basic protection. Just my contrarian view.

They will also ship to your house for orders over $25; so a flat of shotgun shells ships for free

What's Academy..?

I've never lived closer than about 1200 miles to one.

I go over to Mike's house. He has a shop off to the side when you pull in the driveway. You can negotiate a deal on anything he has or can get, and his dog is friendly.

Academy Sports + Outdoors | Quality Sporting Goods | Top Hunting, Fishing & Outdoor Gear

When I arrived in Austin Texas in 1977, Academy was a surplus store, you could buy old bayonets, tents,canteens etc. Years later they started to expand into the Academy Sports and Outdoors store they are today. I remember digging thru all the Army surplus stuff and finding lots of treasures.
SWCA 892

Academy has much better prices than Cabelas and Bass Pro and about equal to Walmart on Guns and ammo. Thinking back on my last 25 or 30 gun purchases nearly all of them have been through online stores or through internet classified ads in forums. I did buy a Mossberg Maverick 12 gauge Pump from Academy for $165 and it didn't take very long to check out.

BPS and Cabelas' owner Johnny Morris just has to have high prices at these venues to help pay for the huge aquariums and museums he is building! I think he has forgotten his original base of customers, the hunters and fishermen. I just cringe when I am unable to find fishing tackle at a local tackle store or online because of the high prices at bps or cabelas, and it's only going to get worse with Johnny acquiring cabelas! We do have Academy locally but I have not purchased a firearm there yet. I have be prepared for the "hassel". The ammo does seemed to be reasonably priced.

I actually had a very good experience in the firearms section at the Bass Pro Memphis (the regular store, not the Mephitis Pyramid complex).

I was wanting to have a look at the Ruger 9mm pistol carbine (they hadn't arrived in NZ at the time) and the sales assistants (two of them) spent some time with me, let me handle the rifle and just talking guns.

Wish I had known about Academy though when I was in the US. Sounds like a great place to visit.

__________________
View from down under

Some of the Academy stores are now stocking some reloading supplies. Not a huge selection, but a good place to pick up primers and powder in an emergency. Pricing is not bad either. One store I go to on occasion even had a pretty good selection of Hornady bullets. It also carries a limited selection of dies and other reloading accessories

I would have asked to see every box of ammo one box at a time and asked for a price check on each.

No Academy stores in Virginia. Maybe they will move-in and replace one or two of the big names.

When Morris acquired Cabela's, he also acquired Cabela's HUGE debt of several BILLION dollars. Prices will be high to help pay that off.