Order online, pick up at a licensed dealer in Phillips County. Malta sits on the Milk River in the middle of Montana's northern prairie, a rail and ranching town with the Little Rocky Mountains on the southern horizon. Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge lies just east of town.
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 Montana law allows.
Montana adds nothing to the federal process. There is no permit to purchase, no firearm registration, no owner identification card and no waiting period. At the counter you complete ATF Form 4473, show current government photo identification, and the dealer runs the check through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which Montana dealers contact directly. Federal age limits decide the rest: 21 or older for a handgun from a dealer, 18 or older for a rifle or shotgun. Private sales between two Montana residents need no check, though selling to a prohibited person is still a federal crime. Ask your dealer about transfer fees.
Dealers in these communities all work for Malta-area buyers:
House Bill 102 rewrote MCA 45-8-316 in 2021, so carrying concealed is lawful for anyone eligible to possess a firearm under state or federal law, with no permit and no fee. Open carry has long been lawful as well. The Phillips County Sheriff still issues concealed weapon permits to applicants 18 or older who have six months of Montana residency and accepted firearms training; the statute sets $50 for issuance and $25 to renew, in four-year terms. The permit is what lets you carry concealed in a state government office or state building. Courtrooms, public school buildings and federal buildings stay off limits either way.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission set the 2026 structure in December 2025. Archery for deer and elk runs Sept. 5 to Oct. 18, a two-day youth deer hunt falls on Oct. 15 and 16, and the general season runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 29, with backcountry districts 150, 280 and 316 open Sept. 15 to Nov. 29 and a muzzleloader heritage season Dec. 12 to 20. Antelope general season runs Oct. 10 to Nov. 8. Residents may now hold only three deer licences a year, and firearm hunters must wear 400 square inches of hunter orange above the waist.
Malta is in Hunting District 620, big open country between the Milk River and the Missouri Breaks. Mule deer and antelope are the mainstay, with elk on the Charles M. Russell refuge and whitetails in the river bottoms.
Bowdoin and the Milk River draw ducks and geese, and the Charles M. Russell refuge to the south opens thousands of acres of breaks hunting.
These are the ranges Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks owns outright or leases to clubs that admit the general public for a day-use fee. FWP also runs a rifle range at Glendive and the Cabbage Gulch range near Anaconda; confirm hours, fees and rules with the operator before you drive out.
Source: Montana FWP range visitation report to the state Shooting Range Task Force, January 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.
Yes. Order here, name a licensed FFL dealer in Dodson, Saco, Whitewater, Malta or anywhere in Phillips County, and we ship the firearm to them. You fill out ATF Form 4473 at their counter and they run the background check.
No. Montana sets no waiting period, no purchase permit and no registration. Once the dealer's background check clears, the transfer can finish the same day.
Recognition. Some states honour a Montana concealed weapon permit, and the permit is what allows concealed carry in a state government office or state building. The sheriff's office can also tell you where carry is barred locally.
Firearms go to the licensed FFL you name at checkout, and you finish Form 4473 and the background check there. Ammunition, optics, magazines and parts ship to your address where law allows.
FWP lists archery from Sept. 5 to Oct. 18 and the general season from Oct. 24 to Nov. 29, with backcountry districts 150, 280 and 316 running Sept. 15 to Nov. 29. Individual districts differ, so read the current regulations.
Start with the public range list on this page, which covers ranges FWP owns or leases. On national forest and BLM ground, dispersed target shooting rules and seasonal fire restrictions apply, so check with the managing office first.
Nontoxic shot, a shotgun plugged to three shells, a federal duck stamp and the Montana migratory bird licence. Flyway and zone dates differ across the state, so check the current FWP migratory bird regulations before opening day.
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 Montana gun law overview and check with Phillips County Sheriff or a local attorney about your own situation.