Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire sportsman warehouse

Puddle (and Mad Mooner),

Having been to other Sportsman's Warehouses in Montana, and even a few in other states, I suspect that part of the "new deal" is individual stores have some leeway in what they can stock and deal in. It would be a smart thing to allow, especially in my part of Montana, where they have to compete with local sporting goods that are also pretty darn good--and deal in used firearms.

I may have to to ask the head of the gun department of the local SW if that's the case. Know him pretty well, as he also used to work at one of the other stores.

The mini Sportsman’s we have sucks but is better than nothing. The full size ones in the valley are usually very good. I still prefer Scheels.

Full size Sportsman here. Nice and always fully stocked. Good ads most weeks. Took 6yrold grandson there last week for first time and it was like wonderland for him.

Back several years ago around the time Sportsman's expanded and then had to severely downsize, I noticed a lot of inventory would go out but not be replaced or they were chronically short of common items. I asked the gun department manager about it and he said that individual store managers used to be able to order and replenish inventory for their individual stores, but that corporate management had taken that discretion away from them and all inventory allocation was determined and distributed via central corporate decisions. The results were obvious, same as any corporation (or government body) that tries to make one size fits all decisions for locally disparate situations.

Maybe they learned from that?

SW is my favorite locally. Haven’t been in the BP for ages. I still like to stop at Sheels when I’m close to one.

I like them. They have seen thousands of my dollars.

I was told the same at our local SW- they have no idea what they might get in on a weekly basis, firearms/ammo related- it's all corporate level distribution. We get hosed, pretty much. Shelves and shelves of mostly wierd stuff no one up here uses much, just starting to get some common hunting loads back in, double the price of 2 years ago. Virtually nothing powder related- unless you use BMG, or off-brand? shotgun powders. Those they have.

On a related? note, I like to shop local, especially the non-box stores, if I can, but that has it's limits. I have 3 OMC gas hoses for those outboards, and wanted a spare for the Yamaha, and those hoses are mighty expensive too. So, conversion time for one ... The local boat store, (customer friendly, but backlogged for service up the ring-yang usually) wanted $46 for two Yamaha (OEM) hose ends.

I've two coming from Amazon prime ("free" shipping) for $14 for the pair, and a spare fuel pump for $31 vs $117 OEM. Sure, they are probably Chinee crap, vs Japanese, but all they have to do is get me back to the boat ramp. The on-the-boat parts are OEM, and will remain so.

(There's nothing like traveling 650 miles to go to the remote cabin only to have the fuel pump go out a half mile downstream of the landing - unless it's 50 miles - and something else I don't have along. BTDT . Having spare parts along virtually guarantees I'll never need those particulat parts, but something else. Ain't my first rivodeo.. )

Same for the Alaska stores. In fact, the Soldotna store had so much ammo this past Thursday when I was there that they had it sitting in carts and on pallets in the aisles. The shelves were totally full. They are still lacking a lot of components and other stuff though, as las mentioned.

About time- I haven't been in in 3 weeks or so! But is it usable stuff?

I saw much more typical hunting ammo....30-30, 30-06, etc.

Interesting to know if TTP has changed since the purchase fell through. I'm in there dang near weekly and the good 'ol 7mm Brenneke and 50 BMG ammo is still there from well over a year ago.

Hell, may have been sitting there for 2 years for all I know. They're gonna have to run a duster over them boxes pretty soon...

I like our sportsmans warehouse. Reloading supplies are next to nonexisting, but that isnt their fault. They held their prices low for a long time and they are still reasonable low. The gun guys are not really knowledgable, and the buying process is brutal, but when they have the reloading supplies and ammo in stock, the prices are pretty good, with frequent sales. I bought 3-5k of each size/style of primer at $23/1000 right before the shortage and they held those low prices well into the shortage.