Choosing the best gun store POS software for your business presents a challenge unique to your industry.
Not only do you need all the features and benefits of a regular retail POS system, such as inventory management and multiple payment options, but you also need it’s fully compliant with regulations set down by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), including the ability to perform background checks, manage 4473 forms, and track firearm transfers.
Still, there are a number of good options on the market that tick all those boxes and then some, so how do you decide which software to invest in?
In this guide, we recommend our top five ATF-compliant point-of-sale solutions for gun shops, shooting ranges, and other firearms-based businesses.
Related: How to start a gun store
Top 4 Best Gun Store POS Solutions
1. Rapid Gun Systems
Best all-around Gun Store POS System Software
Enjoying an enviable reputation as one of the best gun store POS systems around, Rapid Gun Systems earns rave reviews for its effortless usability and intuitive dashboards, which lead to every possible feature you could want in an ATF-compliant POS platform.
Integration with most payment gateways, consignments, FFL transfers, and E4473 management can all be handled electronically.
The platform even offers an electronic bound book, into which new acquisitions and dispositions are automatically created for each purchase, reducing the time and hassle of manually updating your book and eliminating the risk of human errors causing you problems.
If your store offers gunsmithing, you’ll be pleased to note the automated intake tool that automates the entire process of generating work orders, estimates for repairs, and more, all of which can dramatically reduce your admin tasks, leaving you with more time to focus on providing outstanding service for your customers.
The gun range management features are also excellent here, offering an easy-to-use interface through which you can do everything from collecting fees and assigning lanes to booking any range maintenance issues you need to attend to.
All of this, of course, is complemented with all the retail features you’d need to manage both physical and online transactions, including omnichannel inventory management with real-time updates, integrations with third-party accounting tools like QuickBooks, customer loyalty programs, and in-depth sales reports.
Combine all this with a handy mobile point-of-sale device to make life easier at gun shows and other events, and there’s little doubt that Rapid Gun Systems has everything any FFL business could ever need.
2. AmmoReady
Best for: Integrating online with real-world sales
American-made through and through, AmmoReady is a comprehensive commerce solution for gun store owners.
The platform is designed with eCommerce businesses in mind, making it a great choice if you also sell your merchandise via the web.
However, thanks to effortless integrations with other POS systems featured in this guide, such as Rapid Gun Systems and Orchid POS, you also use it to offer in-store and curbside pickups.
Inventory can be automatically synced across multiple physical and digital channels, with real-time updates to prevent duplicate sales and out-of-stock disappointments.
Elsewhere, the platform allows you to take credit card payments via a variety of reputable, gun-friendly merchant account processors such as Fortis and Tacitcal Payments.
3. Bravo Store Systems
Best for achieving maximum ATF compliance
As a gun store owner, nothing matters more to you than ensuring optimum safety and staying in the ATF’s good books, all of which can be a herculean effort in its own right.
That’s where Bravo Store Systems comes into its own, helping you to maintain maximum ATF compliance with minimal fuss or hassle.
The user-friendly ATF Portal /gives you everything you need to manage E4473 forms for new transactions and store them electronically, with easy-to-use tools for carrying out audits and traces.
Beyond that, you can use the platform to improve efficiency when carrying out background checks and even manage your firearms acquisition and disposition (A&D) records.
All this is on top of the standard Point of Sale features, including eCommerce and bricks-and-mortar sales, invoicing, inventory tracking, and more.
4. Orchid
Best for improving sales and customer service
Orchid is a comprehensive cloud-based POS solution that offers an abundance of features at an affordable price.
Compliance features include A&D book search, 4473 management, serial number tracking, and access to FFL support.
There’s a wealth of retail options, too, including tools for managing and tracking rentals, setting prices, employee management, and more.
However, even with all that going on, the one thing we love the most about Orchid is that it’s one of the best tools for increasing sales and revenue.
If your business is ticking along but achieving actual growth is your biggest challenge right now, you’ll love features such as loyalty schemes and rewards programs, the ability to track and manage trade-ins, and a customer contacts database that you can integrate with a range of eCommerce and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools like Constant Contact to help you improve your marketing efforts.
How Much Does a Gun Store Point-of-Sale System Cost?
The one downside to considering top gun store point-of-sale options is that most offer custom pricing depending on your specific requirements.
Of all the options listed above, only Orchid offers transparent, upfront pricing with plans starting at $175 per month. For the others, you’ll need to contact the software provider to book a demo and receive a tailored quote.
Of course, this does make it difficult to compare like-for-like on cost without dealing with sales staff, though, on the upside, this does mean that you get the satisfaction of thoroughly test-driving the product before making a financial commitment, as well as ensuring that you’re getting a service that’s fully tailored to your business goals.
What is the Best Gun Store POS Software to Buy in 2023?
From tracking inventory across both physical retail outlets and eCommerce platforms to credit card merchant services processing with little-to-no fees, boosting your marketing efforts with customer profiles and loyalty programs, and much more, every single one of the Point of Sale systems we’ve looked at above provides you with all the capabilities you need to manage a successful gun store.
So, with all that being said, which one should you actually buy?
Ultimately that all depends on the biggest challenge you want to overcome.
If you’re doing OK but struggling to grow, the range of marketing, sales, and customer loyalty features offered by Orchid’s gun shop software may be just what your business needs.
If you find that maintaining total compliance with gun law regulations is taking up too much of your time and energy, we recommend exploring Bravo Store Systems, a top cloud-based solution that not only automates many mandatory compliance tasks but also provides valuable auditing and tracing features, making it a breeze to track down a customer’s purchase history and find essential information about every transaction.
However, if you’re really looking for a platform that does it all, look no further than Rapid Gun Systems. Combining remarkable ease of use with the most comprehensive array of features for online and physical retail, shooting range management, gunsmithing, and more, it’s truly the total package.
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