We were traveling over the weekend and we stopped at a Cabela's to see the status of ammo, used gun rack, etc...

Yep, lots of empty shelves... Only handgun ammo I saw were some .25acp, sig 365 ammo, and 3 50round boxes of .22LR... amazingly picked clean...
Centerfire rifle ammo had most calibers, but still slim with one or 2 boxes for many calibers.

I picked up the last bags of .250sav brass, and .300sav brass. And the one lonely box of .300sav ammo... Not a savage lever gun in the house...
I didnt "need" any ammo, as I mostly can roll my own in most calibers I shoot, but I was amazed at how many shelves were desolate. Gun sales were of course booming as I stood at the gun counter.

Later,
dave

I was in the Cabela’s in Scarborough Maine and the gun library is gone and the used gun racks are gone they have a few used guns behind the new gun counter. I was told they are getting out of the used gun sales business they will still buy used guns

I can't believe they make any money on used guns. I've seen highly desirable guns for stupid low money and very common guns for stupid high money. Somebody is looking at the numbers and saying this ain't working for us.

Yeah the politics have tripped the panic buying. Shooting is a serious hobby for me so Iusually have what I need on hand. There are a lot of people who hunt and wait till the last minute to buy ammo for their deer hunt. This year they will be screwed. Thre day is long gone that you can buy what you want, when you want , for the price you want to pay. In a way it's kind of funny. How many panics how? MB

Ah damn.. bought a few guns from Scarborough.

KTP was in similar condition. The typically stellar used rifle racks and handgun cases were incredibly lean, and it was mostly CRAP. I did see one nice Steyr 25/06 but it wasn’t exactly A bargain. Ammo isle was like I’ve never seen it. I did manage to get a few boxes of .308 fusions from another place though. Some .44 mag and special were kicking around too. So, I’m all set to hunt a little. But that’s about it.

I think all used gun racks across the nation are pretty bare. The local Cabela's has been seriously depleted since April. Last time in I think they'd removed almost all their gun racks because they don't have any guns to fill them with.

Nobody is selling used guns right now.

No big surprise there. Most gun shops have been that way for MONTHS.

The person I spoke to at Cabela’s said it was a Bass pro shop policy not to sell used guns to much liability

IMO Cabela's made a wrong turn by selling itself to Bass Pro. Alot in my area who used to do business with Cabela's are all in unison in saying prices went up, a different atmosphere exists in Cabela's stores now, and I know of a local kid made good who was moving up the ladder so to speak at Cabela's who quit when Bass Pro took over due to new 'butt hole' management practices he didn't agree with for customers. He advised he wasn't the only one in management that told Bass Pro to pound sand. I've never liked Bass Pro the few times I was in their stores, but my actual Cabala in store buys were never that great either after Cabela's did so much expansion.. Always had better places either brick and morter places and/or online to buy the same for less. Cabela's back in the Old days before they expanded to big time were a good place to buy. They like other places 'just got to big for their pants' IMO!! I don't need to look at stuffed critters or see fish swimming around in a place to fill my hunting/shooting/fishing needs. Dirty secret is you're paying to see that in purchases you make-those stuffed animals and fish and big aquariums don't come without a price tag.

Agreed .

I never liked Bass Pro .

Always found them and the UPC’s / merchandise they offered to be a bit “unsophisticated” .

Any place that sells a cooler that you can sit on and ride / drive is a bit out of my league . But I suppose if you floss with clothesline ….

IMO, Cabelas Gun Library has been going downhill since BP took over and has gotten even worse since the Covid debacle. Their gun department suffers from lack of personal and at my closest store you take a number and wait for an hour or more before you can even look at anything.
I've been calling one store for three days now to speak to them about a gun they have. No answer at the firearms dept, and when the switchboard finally picks up, they say the firearms people are "with customers". Policy is now, because of the riots, that all guns go in the vault every night before closing. As a result anything on display gets beat to he!! when they chuck them in a shopping cart and wheel them back and forth. I think they'll be out of the used gun business soon. Really sad.

Bass Pro Shops has made Cabela's a shell of what it used to be. I wouldn't take their cheap azz line of chinese made Red Head brand clothing if they gave it to me. It's crap with a capitol C ! No ammo, no loading supplies, no gun library no reason to even go in the place anymore. Just another instance of a competitor buying a business with the sole intention of putting them out of business. I'd say the plan is working, I don't see Cabela's still being in business a year from now. Just another casualty, last year it was Gander Mountain/Gander Sports, next year Cabela's.

I went to the Hamburg Pa location about a month ago, and was shocked at the lack of new and used guns. They used to have 6 or 8 big 2 tier racks out in front of the gun library that probably held 30 guns per rack. Those were replaced with small single tier racks that held about 10 guns each. They also only had a little over half of their new gun racks filled. I was looking for a new O/U shotgun and the options were slim. I saw a few boxes of primers on the shelf, all Federal, lg rifle mag, and lg and small pistol mag. My dad wanted a crossbow and the archery dept was slammed. I will have to say that we had great customer service at the gun counter and in the archery dept. Still Bass Pro is running them into the ground, only reason we went is we had a ton of Cabela's points and gift cards.

Bass pro made Cabela's about what Cabela's made Gander Mountain. The agreement between Gander Mountain and Cabela's about no GM mail order is over. Maybe they'll take up as front runners again. I know GM has expanded their retail stores in MN recently.

Nobody is selling used guns at the moment.

All the new guns have been bought as soon as they come in for the last 6 months.

I’m 15 min from the Cabela’s Wheeling WV store. One of their bigger locations. Was a regular there for years. Carried a Cabela Black VISA. Spent most of my gun, hunting, outdoors money right there.

Base Pro ruined that location for me. Many of the knowledgeable staff are gone, replaced by clueless twits. Selection is poor, pricing much higher. Promotions all but disappeared. I haven’t crossed their threshold in almost 2 years. Mostly shop online now.

I'm the odd man out. I've never set foot in a Cabela's, nor have I ever bought anything mailorder from them. There's a Bass Pro about 20 minutes from where I live. I went in once when they first opened maybe 15 years ago, haven't been back since.

I happened to see one of our local (Lehi, Utah) Cabelas Gun Library managers in another local gun store about 1 1/2 weeks ago and asked him what was up? He said that Cabelas had recently let go ALL of the Library Managers company wide!!!
The main manager in Lehi, Cory, had been there since the store opened 16 for 17 years ago. He was good and very knowledgable to say the least... too bad for sure. Bass Pro has really ruined the place.

Democrats are the best thing to happen to gun manufacturers since gunpowder. If I was a manufacturer I'd ride that wave and smile. Until they make guns illegal and sue them out of existence.

It’s too bad the Cabelas’ family saw fit to sell to GM. I was given a gift certificate sometime after the transaction and finding little I was interested in sprung for some of the Redhead brand clothing (made in China which I hadn’t noticed at the time).

It is some of the cheapest, ill-fitting crap after washing I’ve ever seen or willfully purchased.

Everything changes I guess. Locally, those that remember Sullivan’s miss them terribly. I read often of a place called Herter’s that was beloved by those who remember its existence. Gander Mountain was our first big box chain and very popular.
It seems change is inevitable. What’s next? Online has many options but doesn’t replace the the brick and mortar experience. My bet is someone will figure it out and the next big outfitter will be along shortly.

Amazon will swallow up the whole world and send it back in two days, (and shipping will be free)

Herter's--Waseca, Minn. Around 40 miles NW of Albert Lea. In the early 60's my Dad started getting Herters catalogs. Besides "The Holy Bible", Herters catalogs were a sportsman's bible. Had everything ya needed from hunting, bows, guns, boating, fishing, reloading, camping, etc. As a 12-13 or so old, I devoured every page and believed every word George Leonard Herter wrote about his 'World Famous' this and that, about all of the junk from Japan on the market in the US. Not for 'real' sportsmen, but for 'the drug store outdoorsmen' who don't know what they're doing. Had three of his books--a hoot to read. Prior to around 1966, all we did was mail order form Herters, then one day I went with my Dad and his cousin to Waseca, around a 90 mile drive from our North Central Iowa home. I was afraid I was going to wet my pants walking into their retail store. Like a kid in a candy store!!! Still have a number of Herter camping stuff, knives, fishing lures.

After I got to be around 20-21, some friends and I used to make the trip to Herters 3-4 times a year on a Saturday afternoon. Fun trip and fun buying. Sad when they closed down. Retail experts say it was the changing times, the 1968 gun control act, and the springing up of stores more like Herters. Herters was the seed though of all of the Cabela type stores though I believe. A real treat in sporting goods history. Over the years I've bought three old Herters catalogs just for remembrance of the good ol days. (a 1961, a 1965, and a 72)--Fun just to sit and leaf through them. Sometimes I see them at junk shops, flea markets, and gun shows. They're getting a pretty good price on them.