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In today’s crowded online ammo market, finding a reliable and reputable source can be a gamble. With countless retailers vying for your business, it’s easy to get burned by poor customer service, slow shipping, or questionable business practices. That’s why third-party reviews and verified ratings matter more than ever.
A recent report looked at some of the biggest names in the ammo world, analyzing verified scores from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot. The results show clear differences in customer satisfaction—and one company came out on top.
The Top Ammo Retailers, Ranked by Customer Trust
This independent comparison used a weighted score system based on BBB and Trustpilot data, including:
- Star ratings
- Number of reviews
- Complaint history
- Accreditation status
Here are the results:
| Rank | Retailer | Total Score | Trustpilot Rating | BBB Rating | BBB Complaints (3 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ammunition Depot | 8.0 | 4.9 (1,005+ reviews) | A+ | 0 |
| 2 | Bud’s Gun Shop | 6.0 | 4.5 | A+ | 122 |
| 3 | Palmetto State Armory | 6.0 | 4.5 | A+ | 297 |
| 4 | SGAmmo.com | 4.5 | 4.1 | A | 2 |
| 5 | Guns.com | 4.0 | 4.0 | A+ | 160 |
Ammunition Depot stood out not just for its high ratings, but also for the consistency across both review platforms.
A Closer Look at Ammunition Depot
According to the report:
- Trustpilot Rating: 4.9 Stars (highest of all five retailers)
- Over 1,000 verified customer reviews
- BBB Rating: A+
- Zero complaints filed in the past three years
- 4.7-star average customer review rating
- Fully BBB accredited, showing transparency and accountability
These numbers gave Ammunition Depot the highest overall score in the report.
Why These Ratings Matter
Whether you’re buying for training, self-defense, or long-term preparedness, trust in your ammo source is critical. While price and inventory play a role, reliability and customer satisfaction are equally important—especially when buying online.
Verified reviews and BBB records offer insight that flashy websites and ad copy can’t. They show how a company actually performs when something goes wrong, or when a customer needs help.
Final Thoughts
Online ammo buyers have more choices than ever, but not all retailers are created equal. This latest third-party review data shows that Ammunition Depot currently leads the pack in terms of trust and customer satisfaction.
Ammunition Depot is a current USA Carry sponsor. This article’s rankings are based entirely on publicly available third-party data (Trustpilot, BBB) and were confirmed independently.
I do buy from AMMUNITION DEPOT when they have the right ammo for the right price with free shipping or one of my more hard to find calibers, I get ammo deals from PALMETTO STATE ARMORY and don’t forget about BROWNELL’S sales along with the free shipping for EDGE memberships. But my main go to is TARGETSPORTS_USA
Ive been doing very satisfactory business with Ammo Depot for several years. It’s all been good.. they try to get the product to me in a timely fashion, provide tracking #’s and have handled the few issues with fairness and speed. One part of a shipment got “lost” and they replaced it immediately. When the lost product finally showed up, they told me to keep it, no extra charge. The second time, a carton was practically destroyed and a few rounds had leaked out and gotten lost- 10 iirc.. called ’em- they sent me a box of 20 to replace it and gave me a $10 credit to use on my next purchase. Neither issue was their fault, but the shippers. Since I’ve been shooting a lot and putting some ammo aside in my most used calibers, there will be, God Willing, a “next purchase” from Ammunition Depot. Helpful people on the phones, (mostly) Americans (a big deal with me, I don’t want to discuss my business with someone in Mumbai or Ghana)… I highly recommend them based on my experiences thus far and I hope that will continue to be the case.
Late in 2023 I bought several New Smith & Wesson brand magazines from BUDS GUN SHOP (only because Hickok45 talks about Buds) as a birthday present for my grandson for his Smith & Wesson 41. I wanted to have them in time so I bought them early. When I gave them to him a month later, they were all dimensionally defective, they would not fit in the mag well of the gun.
I called Buds and they told me that because it was beyond their 10 day return period since I bought them I would have to deal with directly Smith & Wesson to remedy the problem.
What they didn’t realize was that they have alienated a customer and I WILL NEVER GIVE BUDS GUNSHOP ANOTHER DOLLAR.
I can understand if something breaks having to deal with the manufacturer. However, these DEFECTIVE BRAND NEW magazines should have been handled differently by exchanging them directly. They directed me to deal with S&W directly.
I’d returned them to S&W and they replaced them promptly however, I had to pay return postage on them.
The three replacements were also defective, in that they do not drop free when the mag release is pressed. I had to pry one out with my fingernail, while the other 2 had to be PRIED out with and base plate extension on another mag. This is the exact problem I had with the first 3 mags.
It seems that there is a quality control problem with the production line of their magazines for the model 41 – they were producing and shipping JUNK !
This left a bad taste in my mouth for S&W or whoever owns them now.
It should suggest they discuss BUDS return/refund policy with them.