Bass Pro buying Cabela's

[Soccerdad1995]

The big Brick and Mortar stores are not all that useful for buying guns, IMHO. Buds is much more likely to have what I want in stock, and they are almost certain to have a lower price, even after paying for an FFL transfer fee.

Smaller specialty brick and mortar places like Primary Arms near Houston can be a good choice for some things, like buying a basic Anderson AR lower for $50, where the FFL transfer fee would be prohibitive if bought online. Ammo is almost always cheaper online as long as you maintain an inventory and don't buy the same day you will be shooting.

I am not too worried about Cabelas and Bass Pro merging since they are both places that I would never really expect to find a good deal in the first place. I am hopeful that they may decide to close a few stores that are too close to one another and/or may need to liquidate some excess inventory. Either of these could lead to a pretty good sale in the short-term.

[Oldgringo]

The last Cabela's I visited is in Kalispell, MT. The last Bass Pro I visited is in Shreveport, LA. Neither of these stores are on my frequent visit/shopping list so......

[Teamless]

I agree that "places" like Bud's may be a good resource, but .....
When I am ready to buy a gun, I want to go pay for it, and walk out with it.
I don't want to have to buy it, then go to an FFL to do the paper work and have to pay that FFL.
I would rather all in one it.

Is the pricing good enough on Buds to cover the cost of the FFL and the aggravation of waiting?
Or is Buds just $20 cheaper and its a wash at the end of the day?

[Skiprr]

Bass Pro Shops won’t complete its $5.5 billion acquisition of Cabela’s (CAB) until 2017, but one thing already seems clear: the hunting and firearms retailer isn’t going anywhere.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/201 ... enter.html

So it seems they plan to keep the Cabela's brand and operate it alongside Bass Pro Shops. But I bet we can count on consolidation of stores in areas where the two operations are geographically close (or stores closed in locations that are performing poorly).

[The Annoyed Man]

Well that just sucks. I live right down the street from Cabela's. I hope they don't change anything and jack up prices. Bass Pro is a complete joke when it comes to their pricing.

I haven't been to Dick's since they bought Galyan's many moons ago because they pulled handguns off the shelves and just sold long guns. Not sure if they've changed their tune and added handguns back or not.

I haven't been back to Dick's since they caved and stopped selling AR15s after the Sandyhook shooting.

[Soccerdad1995]

I agree that "places" like Bud's may be a good resource, but .....
When I am ready to buy a gun, I want to go pay for it, and walk out with it.
I don't want to have to buy it, then go to an FFL to do the paper work and have to pay that FFL.
I would rather all in one it.

Is the pricing good enough on Buds to cover the cost of the FFL and the aggravation of waiting?
Or is Buds just $20 cheaper and its a wash at the end of the day?

From my experience, yes it is better to buy online. But as with 98.65% of all questions in the world, the correct answer here is "it depends".

It depends on the type of guns you are buying, but if the gun is at least $500 then the FFL fee will likely be a wash with the sales tax amount. Total time investment is probably about the same either way, since you are really just looking at the time to fill out a 4473 either at the gun shop or at your favorite FFL. You may be able to get the gun "quicker" at B&M, but it depends on how you are counting the time. If you include time spent visiting several different stores looking for one that has your desired bun in stock, then you might get it quicker from an online dealer (typically a week or less from that source).

From my personal experience, online prices (including shipping) will almost always be at least as good as B&M store prices, and may well be at least a bit better. Online sources usually have a better selection than any B&M gun store, so if you are looking for something particular, you may be able to find it easier online. You can also find really good deals on occasion from either source.

It really just comes down to how much time and effort you are willing to put into a search for a good deal or a hard to find gun. The more time you are willing to invest, the more likely you are to get the best possible price. But you are definitely not going to get the best possible deal if you are not at least willing to explore the internet as a potential source.

[Dart106A]

Picked up a Savage 111 Trophy Hunter XP in .270 at Academy in Eagle Pass a few weeks ago. (Replacement from the big divorce sale! Love that rifle!) Best price with the exception of Buds. (Would have only saved the tax, so I was okay with that.) What really surprised me was I saw MSRs back on the rack there! The gun guy said it was a corporate policy to bring them back out front.

BTW, they had a good supply of .22 ammunition, but was limiting it to 500 rounds a day. Not too shabby Academy!

[1911 10MM]

Well that just sucks. I live right down the street from Cabela's. I hope they don't change anything and jack up prices. Bass Pro is a complete joke when it comes to their pricing.

I haven't been to Dick's since they bought Galyan's many moons ago because they pulled handguns off the shelves and just sold long guns. Not sure if they've changed their tune and added handguns back or not.

Dicks does sell handguns now. Least the Dicks in the Parks Mall in Arlington does anyway.

[der Teufel]

I've bought ammo at Academy, they typically have a good selection. Cabela's is my usual go-to place for reloading supplies. However, my first choice for ammo is Walmart. I shoot common calibers, so assuming there's not a panic buying situation I can get what I want (as long as it's not bulk .22LR).

[drjoker]

We're just down to 2 choices; Cabela's/Bass Pro and Academy's. Dick's is anti-2nd A. They pulled "assault rifles" off shelves after the mass shooting at the elementary school. They pulled handguns off shelves, too. Recently, they've put handguns back on shelves in the Dallas location, for now. What a joke. A gun seller who's anti-2nd A!

Academy's is the only one with decent prices now. Also, they did not jack up prices during the ammo shortage. Instead, they limited sales to 2 packs per person. They've won my customer loyalty.

just don't buy more than their "reasonable amount" of "assault rifle" ammunition, or you get to go into their database.

I recently bought Monarch 10 boxes of 7.62x39 (it was on sale and cheaper per round than a spam can). No eyes were batted and no information was asked for. My main source right now is a pawn shop in my neighborhood. As long as I keep buying Silver Bear soft points he'll keep ordering them.

Good to hear! But they were definitely doing it after the Miami incident.

It's not Academy's but all major retailers will report you if you act "suspiciously". They all got "the memo" from Homeland Security. I was buying a large amount of ammo (2 cans) because there was a sale at Cabela's. The clerk asked me why I was buying so much ammo, "Are you a prepper?" I told him that I am not a "prepper" but just buying because of the sale and bullets won't spoil, so it's best to buy more when it's cheap. All "preppers" go into a database. This is at all major retailers. I bought a large amount of ammo online and they refused to mail it to my house and told me they had to mail it to a FFL so I could be screened. I had them mail it to a local gun shop that was nice enough to take delivery of the ammo for me. It wasn't really a lot, just 2 ammo cans worth. sheesh. I don't hoard. I am NOT a "prepper". I do used to shoot a lot, though.

Screening is a good idea. Ask them a question and see if you get a sane response. If the mental midget rants and raves about something, then I would not sell ammo to the fella. I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience if I sold something to a criminal or an insane person.

[JakeTheSnake]

Gander will price match plus 10% on some products. There are exclusions.

Cabelas had the best price on a F.A.T. Wrench and Gander matched it plus 10% for me.
Unfortunately, firearms and ammo are two they won't match.

[XinTX]

I read in one article that Cabela's was having issues selling a lot of their store brand apparel. Well, all it takes is one look at a price tag on some of that stuff to see why. They're quite proud of it. And I'm not willing to pay a premium to be a walking billboard for someone's business. It may be good quality stuff, but it's on the pricey side. And a huge portion of their stores is apparel. It's kind of a boutique clothing store with a little bit of equipment just to draw people in.

[Beiruty]

I only purchased a one-shot rifle (used) from cabelas for $420 because my wife liked it. She shot is exactly once and it is in the safe since then.
The price is like MSRP for new rifle, but it has a basic scope and it is as new condition. First rifle my wifle liked so I had to buy it for her no matter the cost.

[jb2012]

We're just down to 2 choices; Cabela's/Bass Pro and Academy's. Dick's is anti-2nd A. They pulled "assault rifles" off shelves after the mass shooting at the elementary school. They pulled handguns off shelves, too. Recently, they've put handguns back on shelves in the Dallas location, for now. What a joke. A gun seller who's anti-2nd A!

Academy's is the only one with decent prices now. Also, they did not jack up prices during the ammo shortage. Instead, they limited sales to 2 packs per person. They've won my customer loyalty.

just don't buy more than their "reasonable amount" of "assault rifle" ammunition, or you get to go into their database.

I recently bought Monarch 10 boxes of 7.62x39 (it was on sale and cheaper per round than a spam can). No eyes were batted and no information was asked for. My main source right now is a pawn shop in my neighborhood. As long as I keep buying Silver Bear soft points he'll keep ordering them.

Good to hear! But they were definitely doing it after the Miami incident.

It's not Academy's but all major retailers will report you if you act "suspiciously". They all got "the memo" from Homeland Security. I was buying a large amount of ammo (2 cans) because there was a sale at Cabela's. The clerk asked me why I was buying so much ammo, "Are you a prepper?" I told him that I am not a "prepper" but just buying because of the sale and bullets won't spoil, so it's best to buy more when it's cheap. All "preppers" go into a database. This is at all major retailers. I bought a large amount of ammo online and they refused to mail it to my house and told me they had to mail it to a FFL so I could be screened. I had them mail it to a local gun shop that was nice enough to take delivery of the ammo for me. It wasn't really a lot, just 2 ammo cans worth. sheesh. I don't hoard. I am NOT a "prepper". I do used to shoot a lot, though.

Screening is a good idea. Ask them a question and see if you get a sane response. If the mental midget rants and raves about something, then I would not sell ammo to the fella. I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience if I sold something to a criminal or an insane person.

Well in my opinion, it shouldn't be "suspicious" to buy ammo. At what point is it actually suspicious anyway? 5 boxes (at 20 rounds each) shouldn't ring alarms, and neither should two cans. We're talking about several mags full here, when people can buy ammunition by the pallet. It would be a waste imo to go shooting and shoot less than several hundred rounds. It's really no one's business besides my own what I am doing with my ammunition anyway. Asking questions is fine, entering my information into any kind of database is not okay in any way. (unless it's for the lottery )

[Soccerdad1995]

It's not Academy's but all major retailers will report you if you act "suspiciously". They all got "the memo" from Homeland Security. I was buying a large amount of ammo (2 cans) because there was a sale at Cabela's. The clerk asked me why I was buying so much ammo, "Are you a prepper?" I told him that I am not a "prepper" but just buying because of the sale and bullets won't spoil, so it's best to buy more when it's cheap. All "preppers" go into a database. This is at all major retailers. I bought a large amount of ammo online and they refused to mail it to my house and told me they had to mail it to a FFL so I could be screened. I had them mail it to a local gun shop that was nice enough to take delivery of the ammo for me. It wasn't really a lot, just 2 ammo cans worth. sheesh. I don't hoard. I am NOT a "prepper". I do used to shoot a lot, though.

Screening is a good idea. Ask them a question and see if you get a sane response. If the mental midget rants and raves about something, then I would not sell ammo to the fella. I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience if I sold something to a criminal or an insane person.

Which online retailer refused to ship ammo to your house? I could see requiring a signature and not just leaving it at the door if it was a valuable shipment (regardless of what you were ordering), but why in the heck would any retailer need to "screen" someone buying ammo?

For the record, I have made orders of 5,000+ rounds from 6 different online retailers and no one ever required any type of screening. Maybe I am already in the database, so they just add more entries to my file every time I buy something. I'll make sure that I keep plenty of tinfoil on hand and will keep having my kids watch for the black helicopters.

I am usually at work when stuff gets delivered to the house, but the regular UPS guy did tell my wife that he was buying as much ammo as he could find ahead of the election. Then the last delivery, there was a different delivery guy.... Let's just say that I hope the first guy is OK.

And GOD SAVE QUEEN HILLARY!!!!!!!!!!!!