Personally, I would prefer going to the local gun shop. It helps your local economy and let's you talk to someone face to face who is knowledgeable . You can save from buying online, but it can be a pain in the A*S, plus if the gun has a problem/defect, you're up a creek. I've bought 2 guns online,(they were discountinued guns). One was a nightmare getting [:@]; the other went very smooth.For the common guns though, go to your local dealer.