Bull City Armory

I really like this gun store located in northern Durham. The staff are very friendly and easy to talk to, and the overall service experience is excellent. They offer a wide selection of reasonably priced firearms, including many popular models. I purchased a Glock 19 here, and the background check was completed very quickly — the whole process took less than 10 minutes. As long as you don’t use marijuana, this is definitely one of the best places to buy firearms. Also, if you purchase a firearm online and have it shipped here, their transfer fee is $60.

Drove all the way from Raleigh to Durham specifically to buy a used Mossberg Maverick 88 that was advertised for $149. When I arrived, the shotgun looked fine and I was ready to purchase immediately. I’ve legally purchased multiple firearms across North Carolina over the years with zero issues, including long guns. This place, however, made the process unnecessarily difficult and confusing. They questioned my ID address even though my mail is still received there and my family still lives at that address. Despite that, they still had me fill out paperwork and took my information, only to then tell me they wouldn’t sell me the firearm anyway. So I wasted gas, time, and effort for absolutely nothing. This wasn’t even a handgun — it was a basic shotgun — yet this was by far the hardest, most restrictive, and most frustrating experience I’ve ever had buying a firearm in North Carolina. The staff made the situation uncomfortable and handled it poorly. If you value your time, I would not recommend coming here. Plenty of other gun stores in NC follow the law without putting customers through unnecessary hoops. I will not be returning.