[Uncle Joe*]

Trip to Cabela's is always good for a laugh. Saw a guy drooling over a Plainfield carbine who could not believe what a good deal it was, being cheaper than the $900.00 Inland and it had the cool metal handguard. It was "Only" $750.00.....Salesman feeding him a line of bull that would do a used car salesman proud. Also saw Black Hills 223 ammo for $45.00/box. Just nuts...

 

[Drummer]

I would have stated the truth quickly and walked away. I just paid 375 for my plainfield which is just "like new" and I was on the edge about that price. I will sell mine for $700.

 

[BubbaG]

lol, would have been nice to see you walk up and say, "Man, you can get that rifle for X amount cheaper by visiting (such and such) website." and casually walked away. I bet the salesman jaw would have bounced off the floor.

 

[bones92]

I don't know if the salesman would have cared. The staff at the Cabela's, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro Shop, etc big-box outdoor stores seem pretty disinterested in everything except avoiding contact with customers and getting off work on time.

 

[Guest]

I was at Cabelas last week and was watching a guy and his son look at a M-44 for 475.00. Run of the mill m-44. I told him he can buy them at the gun shows for 150 or less. I also explained to him what a C&R was that he could order them for cheaper than that. I talked to the guy for about 15 minutes. I have seen a few good deals in their used gun rack but mostly they are just retarded about the price. I should use them as a reference for insurance values.

Jim

 

[warfire]

Gander Mtn is about the same. They had a sign up advertising Mosin nagants 91/30 and Model 1944 for $100.00. I asked a guy if they had anymore and he went in the back and looked. He brought out a run of the mill Izhevsk 91/30. I took one look at it and asked if they had anymore. He said it was the last one they had. I think he was a little irritated.

 

[usmc69]

Have seen at least two of the pieces that I own listed on Cabala's website for two to three times what I paid for them at the local gun shop. One is a "Baby" Browning .25ACP with a Browning gun rug that came with it when new. Cabala's wanted $700 for the set, it cost me $250. The other was a Browning Medalist .22 cased set. Cabala's price was $1500, my price at local gunshop was $700 OTD. My advice is go look and laugh to yourself at Cabala's(Gander Mountain, etc) then find it elsewhere.

Gander Mountain....A friend saw a SAFN at Gander Mountain in Erie, PA. Their price is $900 for a beat up SAFN in .30-06. I looked at it and advised him it was a piece of junk and only worth about half that price. Salesman could care less about what I had to say, no defense of store or the piece. Came home and last week a SAFN in 8MM came in the local gunshop. Excellant wood and very good/excellant metal. Got it for my friend for $450 OTD. It pays to shop around!

 

[jlmay76]

I don't know if the salesman would have cared. The staff at the Cabela's, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro Shop, etc big-box outdoor stores seem pretty disinterested in everything except avoiding contact with customers and getting off work on time.

If I know someone can get a better deal online, I let them know. Maybe if the store I work at offered some sort of commission, given they make about $150 profit per hour I work, I would have more of a commitment to selling that rusty Mooseberg that has been sitting on the rack for 4 years. However there are quite a few items that we sell for less than any store in town.

 

[Burrhead56]

You think their weapons prices are a joke you should look at the reloading components! I asked a sales person if the bullets were gold plated and he said "I only sell what I'm told" and walked away. What a jerk!! But thats Gander Mountain for you.

 

[Wurger]

Was happy with my 1920's Danzig Factory Sporter for $300 at the Hamburg Cabelas.

 

[spitstickler]

I agree that some of the used guns (and new for that matter) are over priced. But, not everything is. I have gotten some decent deals at my local Cabelas in Ft. Worth. I'm pretty new at reloading, and when I was just starting out, I went to check out what they had and the guy that helped me was very nice and extremely helpful. He talked to me about different options, etc. He talked to me for at least 45 min and helped out other folks w/ their questions too throughout our conversation. But he always came back and made sure I didn't have any other questions..

I've bought a good deal of reloading stuff from them and it isn't too out of line with midway depending on what you're after. Plus I can take it with me when I leave the store and don't have to wait for shipping.

I agree that a lot of people who work in retail don't appear to give a flip and just want you to 'go away' But, I've found at least at my Cabelas there are some really good folks there. Not all of them are that way, but I've kinda figured out who actually knows something and cares, and seek them out if I have a question about something.

 

[skywarp]

I don't know if the salesman would have cared. The staff at the Cabela's, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro Shop, etc big-box outdoor stores seem pretty disinterested in everything except avoiding contact with customers and getting off work on time.

Pretty broad brush there... I happen to be proud of my job.

You think their weapons prices are a joke you should look at the reloading components! I asked a sales person if the bullets were gold plated and he said "I only sell what I'm told" and walked away. What a jerk!! But thats Gander Mountain for you.

He doesn't set the prices.... what did you expect him to say? "Oh, you're right, how much would you like to pay, sir?" People complain about the prices of everything, every day. It gets old, and there's no good way to respond to it, since most prices are set way above the store level.

Gander Mountain....A friend saw a SAFN at Gander Mountain in Erie, PA. Their price is $900 for a beat up SAFN in .30-06. I looked at it and advised him it was a piece of junk and only worth about half that price. Salesman could care less about what I had to say, no defense of store or the piece. Came home and last week a SAFN in 8MM came in the local gunshop. Excellant wood and very good/excellant metal. Got it for my friend for $450 OTD. It pays to shop around!

If you came into my store and told me that one of my products was "a piece of junk and worth half the asking price" I wouldn't really be interested in talking to you either. He probably didn't set that price and probably didn't know the first thing about the rifle. What did you want him to do, badmouth his employer in front of a customer?

If you guys would treat every store like an individual gun shop (because that's generally how they are run, except for the massive network of inventory they have access to) and give the employees the benefit of the doubt, you might make some friends that could help you out.

At work I can check the used gun inventory of over 100 stores and have almost anything transferred in. I've got some nice customers who treat me with respect and we all get to benefit from the system.

I work 40 hours per week and have for two years now and I still learn something about guns every day. There is no way to be knowledgeable about everything every customer asks about.

There are a lot of gun counter guys who are full of BS, but I talk to guys just like them, and worse, every day from the other side of the counter.

 

[Guest]

I dont know who does the pricing on the used guns .i saw a m44 for near 400 dollars and an old l winchester gallery pump 22 for 150..00 in the same rack . I though the price on the old gallery pump 22 was excellent .well you know the m44 was ..holy s...t. I was happy with the Walther p22 bulpup carbine I bought at 300.00 .I though I got a very decent price . It was new though .

 

[skywarp]

I dont know who does the pricing on the used guns .i saw a m44 for near 400 dollars and an old l winchester gallery pump 22 for 150..00 in the same rack . I though the price on the old gallery pump 22 was excellent .well you know the m44 was ..holy s...t. I was happy with the Walther p22 bulpup carbine I bought at 300.00 .I though I got a very decent price . It was new though .

That's the beauty of it. You get badly priced guns and you're just as likely to get a gem for a steal of a price as you are to see an overpriced POS.

$600 mostly-GI M1A anyone?

 

[kf4zra]

Gander Mountain....A friend saw a SAFN at Gander Mountain in Erie, PA. Their price is $900 for a beat up SAFN in .30-06. I looked at it and advised him it was a piece of junk and only worth about half that price. Salesman could care less about what I had to say, no defense of store or the piece. Came home and last week a SAFN in 8MM came in the local gunshop. Excellant wood and very good/excellant metal. Got it for my friend for $450 OTD. It pays to shop around!

not defending their prices by any means, but a 30-06 FN-49(luxembourg) is considerably less common than an 8mm (egyptian) version.

that being said, the gun show isnt always the home of low prices. this weekend, there was a plain jane yugo SKS for $600, a beat up russkie sks for $650, and a SKS that takes ak mags for $1100. got a good laugh out of those.

 

[cwo4uscgret]

My experience with Cabela's is their Gun Library; as many have said - way overpriced. My local Gander Mountain is like tap water; hot and cold. New guns, especially handguns, sell for MSRP; used guns are either a darn good deal or not worth looking at. There are some good deals out there; I went into Gander Mountain to buy what was advertised as a Sig 232 (hadn't looked closely at the gun...yet). It turned out the Sig was a like new P230, chambered/marked 7.65mm (not .32 acp) with a lanyard ring and the mag release in the heel it also has a slide lock safety . Turns out that it is a Japanese Police Contract gun - box and all paper work present; 2nd magazine was still in the plastic bag! $365; Sig's MSRP for a new P232 is $629. I also walked out of the store with a Rock Island nickel plated .38 Super for $425. I also picked up a new CZ452 Lux .22 lr for $330 out the door; or about 25% off retail. Other days though trying to get someone to even talk guns is near nigh impossible!

Here's the absolute funniest policy though - I am a Customs and Border Protection Officer. I carry off-duty. Their store policy dictates that any firearms purchased much be carried by a gun counter employee to the front door of the store and handed to the customer as he departs. Even in uniform...they have to walk you out the door!

 

[skywarp]

Here's the absolute funniest policy though - I am a Customs and Border Protection Officer. I carry off-duty. Their store policy dictates that any firearms purchased much be carried by a gun counter employee to the front door of the store and handed to the customer as he departs. Even in uniform...they have to walk you out the door!

That's not so you don't go shooting up the place, it's so they don't have to check every receipt at the door.

Have a few guns stolen and the ATF breathing down your neck and you'll be extra careful too... every sale, every time.

 

[moconfed]

I picked up an unfired czech k98 post war rifle in pristine condition for $225 out the door at Cabelas in KC last summer. The same day I saw a sporterized Gew 98 for $950. Go figure.

 

[zampilot]

" I am a Customs and Border Protection Officer. I carry off-duty. "

That comment is known as 'badging'. And you are bragging. Bad form in the least, does your boss know about that?

You don't like the store policies or think you should not be required to abide, shop somewhere else.

 

[Tiglath-Pileser]

I have gotten some decent deals at my local Cabelas in Ft. Worth.

Every time I try to drive up to the Cabelas in Ft. Worth, I somehow end up exiting early. Perhaps I need to change my route so that I don't drive by Military Gun Supply's store.