One reason Cabela's ran into difficulties even pre-Bass Pro: Too many stores and too difficult to find people who know not only classic shotguns but also handguns and rifles. I bought a Belgian sidelock that they had marked as "German" even though it said "Liege" on the barrels. Never mind the proofmarks, which were pure Belgian. When Cabela's started the whole Gun Library deal, they hired some pretty good people. The expansion and all the new stores also meant that it was difficult to fill the racks in the Gun Libraries with guns that actually belonged there. I think of it as "the good old days" when I'd drive to Owatonna, MN (only a couple hours for me) just to look at what they had. They didn't have just one rack with classic doubles. They had one WALL. And (for better or worse), it was seldom they didn't have at least a couple guns that grabbed my attention. And a great guy to deal with when Bill Taylor was in charge. I bought a 16ga Greener from them. Station 1 skeet on its maiden voyage, the stock split at what was a almost invisible crack in the wrist. I knew I'd get my money back, but I liked the gun. Asked if they would restock it for me. They did.

But it's not only Cabela's that suffers from that problem. I remember seeing a 20ga Superposed in a Scheels Premium Gun Room. The tag said it was a 1930's gun. I pointed out to one of the employees that there weren't any Superposed 20s until after WWII.

It's worth spending a bit more if necessary and dealing with someone who knows their business and makes an effort to learn about the guns they sell. If they can also repair them if needed, that's another plus.