1st purchase dealer or ftf?

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Sep 30, 2019
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Lowell, ma
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Good morning everyone,

Ive been debating whether I should purchase my first firearm brand new at a firearms dealer or from a co-worker whose selling his s&w for a decent deal . He's sort of unsure of the state portal and how to fill out the informations as so am i, and we also work different shifts. Would it be a better safer deal to buy it at the dealer?. Also what would the worst outcome be if we messed up on the state portal input?
 
What is your co -worker selling?

Some guns can be real dogs.

If you don't mind spending the $35 bucks or so for the transfer, and maybe getting tied up for a few hours, go to a FFL.

If you want to save the 35 bucks and the hassle of being delayed, do the eFA10... how hard can it be?
 
You buy from who ever has what you want at the price your willing to pay and feel comfortable with.

Them its a matter of finding the time.

One tip:
If this co worker has other guns you like making a “break the ice” purchase opens that door for future sales.

The FA10 thing is very easy.
Only advice is have the seller write all the gun info down , its just easier to copy it to the cmputer that way vs trying to see serial numbers and looking for a tape measure at point of sale.
 
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What is your co -worker selling?

Some guns can be real dogs.

If you don't mind spending the $35 bucks or so for the transfer, and maybe getting tied up for a few hours, go to a FFL.

If you want to save the 35 bucks and the hassle of being delayed, do the eFA10... how hard can it be?

Hes selling a s&w shield 2.0 3 mags and 2 holsters, our schedule is sort of off so when I'm at work he's off and an hr before i leave he works. Being it will be my first purchase it would be of any issues on the portal end would it?
 
You could meet at a dealer, pay them (typically $20-$25) and they could transfer for you. Thus you can buy the gun you want, from your buddy, and not worry about the ppw. Honestly, the portal is fairly straightforward, and will not allow the sale to proceed, if something is off. So it's pretty hard to mess up. The only Trick is to select save and print at the end so you can save it and email/print the form for record keeping.
 
One is cheaper and faster..


Good morning everyone,

Ive been debating whether I should purchase my first firearm brand new at a firearms dealer or from a co-worker whose selling his s&w for a decent deal . He's sort of unsure of the state portal and how to fill out the informations as so am i, and we also work different shifts. Would it be a better safer deal to buy it at the dealer?. Also what would the worst outcome be if we messed up on the state portal input?
 
EFA10 is simple and easy . Nothing can go wrong . The system is self explanatory. If there is a problem it won't let you proceed with the transaction like said previously have all the gun info written down for easy reference:
Make
Model
Calaber
Barrel lenght
And make sure you both have your LTC's
Do you guys work every day? You could do the FTF on your day off .
 
EFA10 is simple and easy . Nothing can go wrong if there is a problem it won't let you proceed with the transaction like said previously have all the gun info written down for easy reference:
Make
Model
Calaber
Barrel lenght
And make sure you both have your LTC's
Do you guys work every day? You could do the FTF on your day off .
He decided to keep the firearm after all, guess I'll look around here. Thank you all for the input, really appreciate this community and all the information being thrown. Glad I made the decision in joining!
 
Ftf is rather simple and you guys should try. If you take too long to fill out the information or enter incorrectly, you just have to try again. Make sure that you print or screenshot the confirmation. It also allows the seller to email the confirmation. Also pay attention to what info it requires. Not every line is filled out. Just, as a previous member stated, it's a great learning experience. If all else fails, go to an FFL if you guys cant figure it out.
 
You are over thinking it.

Yup.

Pretty hard to screw up the efa10 but I did it 2 weeks ago. In a rush not really paying attention with the seller shooting the bull and I had me as the seller and him the buyer. He got home and I get a call saying oops. Re did the efa10 correctly and sent him the corrected copy.

Nobody has come to my door to date and I figured I would at least get a phone call asking WTF happened. Nope. Nada.
 
The eFA10 through the portal is super simple, once you do it you are going to laugh at yourself for being afraid of it. Just bring your LTC and PIN (same for seller) and you will be done in 5 minutes - no joke.
 
I know this is none of my business, but the shield might not be the best first gun to get. Something full size would be more comfortable to shoot, and something like an M&P 9mm might not cost any more used, and you might then enjoy practice time with it more. The Shield is a carry gun, and trades off comfort and accuracy for being light weight. Just talking from my personal experience here...
 
I know this is none of my business, but the shield might not be the best first gun to get. Something full size would be more comfortable to shoot, and something like an M&P 9mm might not cost any more used, and you might then enjoy practice time with it more. The Shield is a carry gun, and trades off comfort and accuracy for being light weight. Just talking from my personal experience here...
Agreed.
Another cheap full size gun with a great trigger, would be one of the Canik's.
 
+1 on the Canik. I have the shield for carry and picked up the Canik SF after trying my daughters Canik. It's a lot easier for target or plinking than the Shield is. It all comes down to what you want it for.
 
Was looking for something compact, was looking at the SIG p365 or s&w shield compact.
Great choices..... in true NES fashion you should buy both.
While the shield is decent, if you grab a MA complaint version you will want to upgrade the trigger and eventually buy a set of night sights. With the 365 you've got ten round mags and stout trigger along with factory night sights.
 
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