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Buying ammunition in New York

Ammunition ordered to a New York address ships to a licensed dealer, not to your door. Here is why, and how the order runs.

New York requires ammunition to be handed over in person by a licensed seller. The face-to-face rule came in with the SAFE Act in 2013; the background check and dealer registration that make it work were switched on in September 2023. Since then, every ammunition sale in this state goes through a registered seller and a check run by the New York State Police.

For an online order that means one extra step and no way around it. You buy here, you name a dealer, the boxes go to them, and you collect in person with ID. A shop that offers to drop a case of shells on your porch in New York is telling you something about how it treats the rest of the law.

This is general information, not legal advice. New York City adds its own rules on who may buy ammunition and what they may buy. Check with the NYPD License Division if you live in the five boroughs, and see our gun law overview. Reviewed September 2026.

How an ammunition order runs

1. Order as normal
Add the ammunition to your cart and check out. Price and stock are confirmed live before you pay.
2. Name a dealer
Give us a licensed New York dealer, the same way you would for a firearm. Call them first and confirm they will take it.
3. It ships to them
Ammunition travels by ground only, so it takes longer than the rest of your order. You get tracking by email.
4. Collect in person
You show ID at the counter, the dealer runs the state ammunition background check, and you take it home.

What to know before you order

  • Call your dealer first. Not every FFL handles ammunition shipments, and the ones that do may cap how much they will hold. Two minutes on the phone saves a refund.
  • Bring ID. The check happens at the counter when you collect, and it is you who has to be there.
  • Ages are federal. 21 or older for handgun ammunition, 18 or older for rifle and shotgun ammunition.
  • Ground only. Ammunition never travels by air, so it arrives after the rest of your order. If you order ammunition with a scope, expect two deliveries.
  • Fees. A small statutory check fee, plus whatever handling charge your dealer sets. Ask up front.
  • If it cannot be completed, the ammunition comes back to us and you get a full refund.

What still ships to your door

Only firearms and ammunition go through a dealer. Everything else in the catalog comes straight to you.

Opticsscopes, red dots, binoculars, mounts and ringsPartsstocks, chokes, sights, triggers, springsCases and storagehard cases, soft cases, locksCleaning and toolsrods, solvents, bore snakes, vises

Buying outside New York

If you are ordering to an address in another state, ammunition ships to you directly wherever state and local law allows. Several states and cities restrict or ban direct ammunition shipments, including California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois and Washington, D.C. We check your destination before the order ships, and if it cannot be sent lawfully we cancel that item and refund it.

Magazines, while we are here

A magazine is not ammunition, but it is the other thing New York buyers ask about. The state caps feeding devices at ten rounds (Penal Law 265.00(23), with possession charged under 265.02(8)). We do not list a magazine over ten rounds for any buyer, in any state, so nothing in this catalog will arrive at a New York address that you are not allowed to have.

Storing it

Keep ammunition dry, cool and away from children, and keep it separate from a stored firearm if anyone in the house is under eighteen or barred from possessing a gun — Penal Law 265.45 governs how the gun itself has to be secured. A locked ammunition can in a closet is enough for most people and will outlast the ammunition in it.

Ammunition in stock

All ammunition →

516 ammunition listings in stock right now. New York orders ship to a licensed dealer for collection. How that works.

Common questions

Can ammunition be shipped to my house in New York?

No. New York requires ammunition to be transferred in person by a licensed seller, so an online order cannot be delivered to your door in this state. It ships to a licensed New York dealer and you collect it there.

Why did this change?

The requirement that ammunition be sold face to face came in with the SAFE Act in 2013, but the background check and the seller registration that go with it were not switched on until September 2023. Since then the New York State Police have run a background check on ammunition sales, and dealers who sell ammunition have to be registered with the state.

Is there a background check on ammunition?

Yes. Since September 2023 a check runs through the New York State Police on ammunition sales, with a small statutory fee that your dealer passes on. It is a separate check from the one on a firearm, and it happens at the counter when you collect.

Who can collect it?

You, in person, with ID. Ammunition is not a package a neighbor can sign for. Federal age limits apply: 21 or older for handgun ammunition, 18 or older for rifle and shotgun ammunition, and New York City adds its own rules about who may buy ammunition in the five boroughs.

Does my FFL dealer have to be the same one who transferred my gun?

No, but it is simpler if it is. What matters is that they are licensed to transfer ammunition in New York and that they have agreed to accept your shipment. Always call before you order.

Will the dealer charge me a fee?

Usually a small handling fee, plus the statutory background check fee. It is less than a firearm transfer. Ask what it is before you order.

What if my dealer refuses to accept the shipment?

Tell us and we refund you. The ammunition comes back to us and you get the purchase price back. This is why the call before ordering is worth two minutes.

What ships straight to my door?

Everything that is not a firearm or ammunition: optics, mounts, stocks, chokes, sights, slings, cases, safes, cleaning gear and tools. Those come to the address you give us with no dealer involved.

How much ammunition can I buy at once?

New York does not set a general purchase quantity limit for ordinary shooters, but ammunition ships by ground only and weight drives the cost, so most people buy a case at a time rather than a pallet. Your dealer may have their own storage limits, which is another reason to ask first.

Can you ship ammunition outside New York?

Yes, to the address you give us wherever state and local law allows it. Several states and cities restrict or ban direct ammunition shipments, including California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois and Washington, D.C. If we cannot ship legally to your address, we cancel that item and refund you.

Does the dealer requirement apply to primers and powder too?

Reloading components are handled differently from loaded ammunition and are also subject to hazardous-materials shipping rules. If you are ordering components, ask us first and we will tell you exactly how that shipment will travel.

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