Order online, pick up at a licensed dealer in Nelson County. Bardstown is the Nelson County seat and the center of the bourbon trade, with Heaven Hill, Barton, Willett and Log Still all within a short drive of the courthouse square. My Old Kentucky Home State Park sits on the eastern edge of town and draws visitors year-round.
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where Kentucky law allows.
Kentucky has no permit to purchase, no firearm registration and no state waiting period. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, fill out ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Private sales between Kentucky residents need no state background check, though it is still a crime to sell to someone you know cannot legally have a firearm. Cities and counties cannot add their own rules, because KRS 65.870 reserves the whole field of firearm regulation to the General Assembly.
Dealers in these communities all work for Bardstown-area buyers:
Since June 27, 2019, KRS 237.109 has let anyone 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm carry it concealed in Kentucky without a license, in the same places a licensee may. Open carry is legal for the same adults. The Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons license is still worth having for travel and for dealers who ask; you apply at the sheriff's office in your county of residence, pay $60, and the Kentucky State Police issue the license for five years. Police stations, jails, courthouses, school property, the drinking side of a bar and secure airport areas stay off-limits.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife runs deer seasons on a four-zone system set in 301 KAR 2:172. For 2026-27 the modern firearms season is November 14-29, 2026, archery runs September 5, 2026 to January 18, 2027, crossbow opens September 19, and muzzleloader falls on October 17-18 and December 12-20, 2026. Youth-only firearms is October 10-18. Legal deer guns include centerfire rifles and handguns, shotguns with slugs, muzzleloaders and air guns of .35 caliber or larger. Only one antlered deer may be taken statewide; check the zone rules for Nelson County before you fill a tag.
Nelson County is in Deer Zone 1 and the rolling ground between the distilleries and the knobs is prime whitetail country on private leases. Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management Area to the north in Spencer County is the closest department land with a public range.
The knobs rise south toward New Haven and the Abbey of Gethsemani, and the Rolling Fork and Beech Fork bottoms run deer and turkey right up to the farm edges.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife runs public shooting ranges at Otter Creek and at eight wildlife management areas, and the Daniel Boone National Forest keeps four more in the south and east. Department ranges need a shooting range permit, which is free with a current annual hunting or fishing license and otherwise costs $26.43 a year or $5.29 for a day; Forest Service ranges charge their own day-use fee.
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources shooting range list and the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, with U.S. Forest Service Daniel Boone National Forest range pages, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.
Mossberg
$567.51Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor | Capacity: 4
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$789.46Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$527.26Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$447.34Caliber: .243 Winchester | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$465.16Caliber: 7mm-08 Remington | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$773.36Caliber: .270 Winchester | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Mossberg
$514.04Caliber: .25-06 Remington | Capacity: 5
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Browning
$942.99Caliber: .300 Win Mag | Capacity: 3
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (3)
Glock
$587.06Capacity: 10 | Barrel Length: 3.41
Ships to FFL★ 4.9 (17)
Ruger
$541.06Capacity: 17 | Barrel Length: 3.55
Ships to FFL★ 4.9 (17)
Smith & Wesson
$641.69Capacity: 8 | Barrel Length: 3.7
Ships to FFL★ 4.8 (17)
Smith & Wesson
$918.85Capacity: 15 | Barrel Length: 4.22
Ships to FFL★ 5.0 (16)
Beretta
$373.74Capacity: 8 | Barrel Length: 3.0
Ships to FFL★ 4.9 (16)
Sig Sauer
$724.49Capacity: 12 | Barrel Length: 3.1
Ships to FFL★ 4.9 (15)
Smith & Wesson
$591.09Capacity: 15 | Barrel Length: 4.0
Ships to FFL★ 4.9 (15)
Lloyd Tactical Arms
$416.86Capacity: 9 | Barrel Length: 3.7
Ships to FFL★ 4.8 (15)
Yes. Order here, name a licensed FFL dealer in Bloomfield, New Haven, Boston, Bardstown or anywhere in Nelson County, and we ship the firearm to them. You fill out ATF Form 4473 at their counter and they run the background check.
No. Kentucky has no permit to purchase and no firearm registration. You pass a NICS background check and sign Form 4473 at the licensed dealer near Bardstown that receives your order.
No. Kentucky has no state waiting period, so once the dealer's NICS check comes back as proceed you can take the firearm home the same day.
You apply at the Nelson County Sheriff's Office with a $60 fee, and the Kentucky State Police issue the license. It runs five years and needs a firearms safety course from a certified instructor.
Every firearm ships to a licensed dealer near Bardstown that you choose at checkout. The dealer runs the background check and hands the gun over; ammunition, optics and most parts ship to your door.
Yes, if you are 21 or older and not barred from having a firearm. KRS 237.109 allows concealed carry without a license in the same places a licensee may carry, and open carry is legal as well.
Shots in Kentucky hollows and crop edges run from 40 to 250 yards, so the .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270, 7mm-08, .308 and .30-06 all do the job. Centerfire rifles are legal statewide during the November modern gun season, and an AR-pattern rifle in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor is a common choice on the ridges.
Each dealer sets its own fee, commonly $20 to $75. Call before you order to confirm the price and that they accept firearms shipped from an online store.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of September 2026. See our Kentucky gun law overview and check with Nelson County Sheriff's Office, with the license issued by the Kentucky State Police or a local attorney about your own situation.