First Defense Firearms

Great shop, products are a little crowded on the walls, tho. They have many different magazines, some are LEO Only. Lots of holsters and one of the best selections of AR-​15 parts in any shop around here. All the little parts you need to complete your build.

I attended Dennis’s Handgun Level 1 course and was so impressed with his method of instruction I felt obligated to give this review. I have 28 yrs in Law Enforcement and find knowledge and practice essential if you want to be a responsible firearm carrier.

I attended my first class with Dennis on Saturday — the Utah CCW class and concealed carry class. Lots of great information taught by someone who has «been there and done that» with plenty of time answering any questions we had during and after the class. I think anyone looking to be properly trained on how to protect themselves and their family should go see Dennis at First Defense Firearms.

Dennis and all others are absolute knowledge gurus. They provide the upmost personalized experience and are extremely knowledgable in just about every avenue of firearms. I took the Utah CCW class and Carrying Concealed class with Dennis and they both were incredible. He isn’t like a machine that will stamp your certificate and let you go, he will give you examples, answer questions, and make you think about something you never really thought about. His classes are very entertaining but more importantly he will prepare you for a stressful situation where you aren’t going to have 10 minutes to prep and think about your shot (along with so much more obviously) Looking forward to taking more classes!

Small shop so their inventory is limited but they can special order anything you want and are extremely accommodating. Evening hours are a huge plus.
Courses taught by Dennis are top notch and deserve a special mention. If you need training, this is the place to go, period.

Thank you Dennis for the wonderful course of force on force. I learned a lot and will start honing on the skills you gave me and looking forward for round 2 for force on force 2 on Nov 27.
Oh by the way guy’s and girls getting hit with soft air pellets isn’t that bad you have more fun than getting hurt and really I felt no pain just sore.
I will be by your store next week to check out your big sale weekend.
For people thinking about doing some classes with Dennis be assured he’s thro and doesn’t cut corners you will get quality time and quality knowledge.
You will love it too
Thanks again

My wife and I attended Dennis’s Firearms Safety Course and what clearly sets First Defense apart from others is Dennis and his team. In his class your being trained by someone who trains our MA State Police department officers in all aspects of gun safety and self defense. In addition you get all the instruction in one jam packed day including hands on loading and disarming of various types of firearms, and live shooting at the range. You’ll leave with your certificate in hand and, more importantly, the knowledge needed to getting your license to carry, and the responsibility that comes with it.

As an owner of SIG SAUER products, it’s important to me to have a good relationship with a good authorized SIG SAUER dealer. First Defense Firearms is that for me. They are my go-​to dealer for SIG parts, irrespective of the fact they they are located in Massachusetts, and I am in California. Shipping to California isn’t a problem for them, and their prices with shipping are still better than retail prices in California. I worked with Dennis, Shelly & Chris. All were professional, addressed all my inquiries, and displayed a commitment to my customer satisfaction. We executed smooth PayPal transactions for purchases and refunds. They also assisted me with a Warranty claim through SIG, which I was very happy with. 5/​5, highly recommended.

I’ve been to this shop several times now and I’m very impressed. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for here. It’s a small shop but they have a great inventory. They also seem very willing to get what you want if they don’t already have it. What impresses me the most is the customer service.
I’ve had an opportunity to interact with most of the staff there and have been able to see them dealing with many other customers. I’ve seen people walk in that seemed to be walking in to their first gun shop as well as regulars discussing gunsmithing that goes over my head. No matter what your level of knowledge and comfort with firearms is they take the time to educate you on what you’re considering purchasing. I’ve seen them walk people through the purchase of a firearm, then walk through which ammunition they should consider, which holsters to consider, how to clean the firearm, etc. I don’t think you’ll go wrong here.

I live in Uxbridge and First Defense Firearms has been great. I recently got into the hobby and purchased my first firearm here. I walked in having no idea what to buy, or where to use it. or anything. Someone was courteous enough to explain the options to me and I walked out the proud owner of my first revolver. I’ve since been back nearly 3 times a week for various things, ammo, reloading gear (Denis was kind enough to order me some primers), and various accessories. It’s nearly always packed in there (for good reason) and this can make for some long trips when you’re just trying to pick up ammo real quick. For that, I gotta tack off a star, but with the space they have they do the best they can, and nobody seems to mind all that much. I highly recommend First Defense. Aside of being crowded and busy, it’s damn near perfect.

thank you dennis & shelly for a smooth and easy transaction AND for shipping to california. this was my first time buying a firearm online. i actually found them through
and i got a fantastic deal… i could not have been happier with the process. dennis was very responsive via email and shelly helped ease my nerves about the transaction over the phone.
it’s interesting, i buy a lot of crap online but for some reason i had this weird anxiety about buying a firearm online. i wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from them again, only next time it would be anxiety-​free.

This place is great. My wife and I wanted to take some firearms lessons, so after talking to some neighbors of ours who recommended First Defense, we gave them a ring. We couldn’t have been happier with all our experiences with them.
The owner, Dennis, is a state trooper. I think he even said he was a firearms instructor for the state troopers. Bottom line — he really knows his stuff. The class was great — informative, taught me everything I needed to know to be safe with a gun. He also offers some other courses which I might try in the future (home defense, self defense, etc.).
The store itself is also great. It’s a small shop but has a lot packed into it. My wife and I just picked up our first gun from him and the experience was smooth as can be. They took the time to answer every question we had and provided advice and tips. One thing I really liked about Dennis is that you can really tell he has enthusiasm for this stuff — he gets really excited and into it when he explains different products and features.
Are they the cheapest? Not sure… I didn’t do too much price checking. The prices sure seem at least fair compared to my 2 minute internet search. It’s right down the road from me though and has convenient hours (Gotta lave 5:30 — 8:30 or thereabouts). I’m sure I’ll be heading there many more times in the coming years for anything I need.
All in all, 5 stars for the owners and staff being super helpful and taking a keen interest in their customers.

First Defense Firearms is a great little gun shop in Uxbridge, MA. I’ve bought two firearms there (both used guns on consignment), as well as ammo and a handful of other accessories, and I’ve been extremely happy with every purchase. I’d probably buy a lot more if the shop weren’t 50 miles away, but I’ve made the 100 mile round trip twice already, and I won’t hesitate to do it again.
The shop’s owner, Dennis, opened up about a year ago. Since then his store has blossomed into a solid fixture on the local gun scene. His prices on new firearms are fair, not the best around but certainly reasonable. You can definitely find some deals in his ever changing inventory of used and consignment guns. Ammo prices at First Defense are actually pretty good, probably one of the cheapest shops in the area, and he stocks an incredibly wide selection of quality gear and brand name accessories.
I appreciate his website, although it does leave some to be desired. The site lists some of the new guns he stocks, but doesn’t indicate whether or not they’re in stock. Some have prices listed, some include descriptions, but may do not. I have the same criticism of his consignment listings. I think the biggest improvement Dennis could make to his business is maintaining an online, up to date inventory with prices and descriptions (especially for used and consignment items). It would do wonders for his business, and help those potential customers who live 50 miles away (like myself) visit the shop on a regular basis.
But Dennis makes up for his website’s shortcomings by being super responsive to questions and offering great customer service. He’s quick to answer any questions I email him with, and he always greets me with a friendly smile and a handshake whenever I visit the shop. Last time I visited he was in the middle of selling a customer his first gun, but he stopped briefly to hand over the Ruger he knew I had come to see. While I examined the gun, I watched him walk through the operation of the GLOCK he was selling with his customer. He went to great lengths to show him how to operate it, strip it, and clean it, offering plenty of tips and advice and answering all the customer’s questions along the way. I appreciate the effort Dennis put in, and certainly didn’t mind the wait. Dennis, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to stay an hour past close to finish my transaction — I’ve seen other reputable shop owners in similar situations ask their customers to put down a deposit and come back another day.
Now that I think about it, maybe it’s a good thing First Defense is so far away from me — if it were close by, I’d be far too tempted to spend far too much money there. It’s such a great shop, it’s hard not to.