gleninjersey

And all set up! Just received the below reply from Midway just minutes after sending them my email with documentation: "I am happy to report that your Identification card has been processed and added to your account. You can now place orders with us online at www.midwayusa.com. Please make sure that you are logged in to your account, otherwise the order will not process." Wish I had waited to order. They also only have the .32 S&W Longs and not .327 Magnum ammo in stock. I've set a notification to tell me when then have .327 Magnum in stock and I'll order then......watch all reasonably prices .32 S&W Long Wad Cutters be sold out then!!!! LOL.

FYI - I called Midway USA and spoke with one of their customer service representatives. I was told they just need a copy of your NJ Firearms Purchaser ID and driver license. I have just scanned and emailed them those. I set up an account last night. In my email I referenced my customer account number and that I would like the documentation added to my customer account. I'll let you know how it goes.

Just ordered 4 boxes of 50 of American Eagle .327 Federal Magnum in 100 grain from Surplus Ammo. Total cost with shipping was $109.12 ($27.28 box). I'll contact them tomorrow in reference to getting them a copy of my FID or DL or both to them. Only problem I had was finding a vendor that sold both .32 S&W Long Wad Cutters AND .327 Magnum. Many had one or the other but not both. So I went with a site that at least one other poster gave a good review to and had a "decent" price comparable to other sites. Let let you know how the transaction goes.

Was in the store (Sportsman Rendezvous in Flemington) on early Saturday afternoon to put the down payment and pay for the NICs. So it was much, much quicker than expected. The store told me probably 3 weeks and it was only 3 business days!

Thanks for the invite. I would very much be interested in checking it out, not this weekend though. I'll PM you in the near future.

WOW!!! Background check is done. Not sure if you count the weekend so it was 3 days or 5. Much faster than I thought and had anticipated. Was told to expect 3 week wait. Guess who will be picking up their first handgun on Saturday and then prob heading over to Heritage Guild in Easton to do some shooting! Or maybe I should just call in sick tomorrow ........

Trixie's Landing, Bayville http://www.trixieslanding.com/index.php Been there twice. Did well each time.

Must have got the last one....says "temporarily out of stock". Those things are selling like hot cakes!

If both your references returned their paperwork and you have been fingerprinted then you should almost be done. I followed up with my town clerk (they make the appoint for the initial appointment) and explained my problem...you can see the post I started about my process. Had my FID 2 weeks later..... If you didn't go through town clerk, then contact Chief and just be nice and explain you just want to make sure they have received all the paperwork back....actually, I had to go down with my receipt from fingerprinting b/c after 3 months they evidently had received confirmation from fingerprinting company.

Glad you had a good experience. I've been to the Easton location twice to rent & shoot and to the Branchburg location to look around and get some information/advice. Great experiences all three times. I'll def being going back and probably picking up a shotgun from them in the near future. I'm also thinking of joining their "Crackshot" discount program but want to look around at what other ranges have to offer as well. If you rented, what did rent?

Sounds good. Where do you shoot at? I've only shot at Heritage Guild in Easton so far & I live in central NJ.

Thanks, they and everyone else is out of the Ruger GP100 in .357 right now. Did find a GP100 in .327 for $579 and jumped on it. It was actully one of the first handguns I was considering. I'll probably pick up some other .357s later on. I've been to Heritage Guild in Easton twice and once to the one in Branchburg. Really nice, patient and informative people. Would defintely recommend newbies stop in their to rent some of their guns before buying. Very nice indoor range.

Thanks for the input. I'll probably use one of the sites you mentioned in the future. Where do you shoot at? Would love to check out your 686s some time.

Meltzer's doesn't have any .357 GPs or 686s. All sold out. Paid $579 for the GP .327.....all in with background check fee and tax it is $636. I'll have to stop in Meltzer's some time.

Thanks for the input and information, I'll be sure to take you up on the offer of removing the lock when I pick up the 686+ .....in a few months. Just put a deposit down on the GP100 in .327. I called around and places near me had ammo (in .327 and .32). I'll order ammo online and stock up. Going to be about 3 weeks until the background check is done. I'll let you know when I get and we can meet somewhere so you can try it out and I can shoot some of your S&Ws so I can see what I want next!

So thinking I may hit up some local gun shops tomorrow to check on how available .327 and .32 ammo is. If it is readily available I may just purcashe the GP100 in .327 tomorrow. I like the idea of near .357 power with less recoil and coupled with the GP100s reliabilty and afforabability I think it would a great purchase. If the ammo is scarce, we'll I guess I'll have to wait to find a .357 version.

I'm not offended and it isn't my intention to offend anyone else. I've laid out 2 reasons that I feel Ruger holds the edge over S&W as far as the Ruger GP100 vs the S&W 686 for one's first and only (for the time being) gun purchase. 1. Reliabilty - I haven't come across any information about Ruger GP100s completely freezing up. This is my first gun purchase. It will mostly be used for recreational shooting but will also serve as my ONLY home defense gun. I hope to God I never have to use a gun to defend myself or my family. I do want the option of having a gun though in case that situation ever arises. I want that gun to be very, very, very reliable. From the reading and research I've done, the GP100 edges out the 686 here. If I'm incorrect, please let me know. 2. Affordability - the GP100 cost less and performs comparably to the 686 for what I need it to do. If you would like to donate the extra money it costs to purchase the 686 and to have the lock removed, I'll take it! 3. Be easy to use. The GP100 and 686 tie. They are both very easy to use and understand. I'm not saying the 686 isn't a fine gun. As a matter of fact I really like it....just not for my first purchase. I'm sure eventually it will find a way into my soon to be expanding collection and I'll look forward to shooting it at the range someday. But if I had both guns and had to reach for one in a life or death situation I would reach for the GP100 each and every time.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I just put the GP100 in .357 on a "wish list" on Budsgunshop. Their "Last Price" is shown as $536. If I could get it for around that I would be very happy (even with the extra $75 or so of S&H & FFL Transfer). I have yet another question....the site list it as a "Model KGPF-340" but Rugers website says the 4'' in Stainless Steel (SS) is catalog# KGP-141 & model # 1705. Is the model number because it is an "older" new gun / olders production run? Thanks.

2 reasons 1. I want a new 4'' GP 100 in stainless steel. The least expensive "Buy It Now" is $625. Then I need to add shipping, lets say $25, and then pay for the transfer, which I'm guessing cost about $50 or so from what I've read. So now a gun that cost around $550-$600 in the store is costing me at least $700. I guess I could try bidding for one and hope I get one closer to the $550 or $600 range. There was one that was the seller said was "hardly used/only shot once" and was very reasonably prices but they refused to ship to certain states (NJ being one of them)....which I completely don't understand!!!! That gun had nice after market sights as well and that would have been a bonus. 2. I'm a little leery about buying a gun from someone several hundred miles away. I like the idea that if I have a problem or a question I can go back to where I bought it or call them. This is my first gun purchase and I don't want to either a) pay too much for the gun or 2) buy something that isn't exactly what I thought it was and be stuck with it. So for my first purchase I'll probably be sticking with buying local from an established/reputable seller. Later I'll be willing to "roll the dice" a little and buy some guns advertised as "hardly ever fired".....I'm actually looking forward to that. How much does shipping and the transfer cost? Is my estimate of $75 to high or too low? I don't need the gun shipped overnight or anything....regular ground shipping would be fine. Do auction guns ship ordinarily sell for less than the "Buy It Now" price or do they usually go over?

The S&Ws are fine guns but the noted problem of the lock freezing the gun up eliminated them from consideration unfortunetly. I was THIS close to buying a really nice 4 inch 686 Plus but I kept thinking of the gun freezing. I know it is a remote and statistically small significance but I haven't heard of Rugers having any simlar problems. That is the main reason I'm looking for the Ruger.

Congrats. Did they have any more in stock or were you on a waiting list? If they had more in stock where was it. I'll give them a call and see if they have any left that I would be interested in (4inch, SS)!

Maybe I'm just antsy b/c I can't find a GP100 .357 any where!? I'm on a list to be called at 4 different guns shops in hopes that they get some soon. I think they are flying off the shelves because of the reasons I laid out earlier....probably a little more so to do with the affordability for the mass market.

Why did you opt not to purchase the GP100 .327? I almost bought the Smith and Wesson 686 Plus (I was really, really close to getting it) but two things stopped me: 1. The incidents I have read about the internal lock freezing the entire gun up and rendering it completely useless. While I realize it is very rare, I'm not willing to bet my life on it NOT happening to me at the exact moment I need the gun to work. I haven't heard of any instances of the GP100 locking up like this. 2. The price for a S&W 686 Plus is about $150 or $200 more than a Ruger GP100. I would rather save that money for ammo or my next gun purchase. Heritage Guild in Easton PA had the S&W 686 Plus in stock (I think in a 4' SS finish) last Saturday when I was there. They were asking $819 for it. I also called RTSP in Randolph and they had the GP100 but only in 6 inch and they wanted close to $900 for it! It is a very nice gun but for my first gun I want reliability (the internal lock freezing the entire gun up negates this), simplicity and to a certain extent affordability. The Ruger GP100 wins 3 out of 3 of those. The S&W 686 2 out of 3. If I already owned an extremely reliable revolver,I would have no problem purchasing a S&W 686 Plus. Aesthetically, it is a beautiful gun and the trigger is very smooth. . Maybe I'll own one down the road but not for my very first handgun purchase.

Thoughts? I've been doing some reading and it seems like an interesting, well rounded gun for a newbie. Virtually as powerful as the .357 but less recoil and it holds 7 rounds. For those who have one, how hard is it to find ammo and how does the price of the ammo compare to that of .357? I've been looking for a GP 100 in .357 ....nobody has one right now. I have a .327 on hold but want to make sure I"m not making a mistake buying something that will be difficult to find ammo for (main concern). Everything I've read seems to indicate that it is great gun. Thanks in advance for your input.