It looks like Cabela's is about the update their Gun Library. From what I can see, the revised Gun Library is going to suck.

Read all about it on my blog.

http://www.dogsanddoubles.com/2010/10/dear-cabelas-please-dont-screw-up-the-gun-library/

If you agree with me and you want the Gun Library left alone, please contact the people mentioned.

I'm dropping them a note at the email addresses I posted. I'm asking them to leave the site as is. Join me, before they screw everything up.

Thanks

OWD

Man, are you RIGHT! I just went through 4 pages of "fine rifles" and it was a real PITA to get through it with any kind of enthusiasm or genuine sense of being "on the hunt" for that special gun that just might pop up.

The old library set-up was beautiful - why do people constantly fix what ain't broke?

I'll be writing them tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll get a good night's sleep. Best Regards - Marc

I'm with you on this:
http://bbs.shootingsportsman.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=43084
JR

I have heard that it is in switch-over limbo...should be even better when sorted out than it was before.

Not a very graceful transition but hopefully for the best when all said and done....change is not allways for the worse!

Hoping for the Best,
Mark

Before, any gun under $600 was listed without pictures and did not show up when using the search feature.

I am seeing guns under $600 now with pictures. This is good. Cabelas often mis-identifies or under values some guns.

Most guns I saw had multiple photos that could be enlarged and zoomed.

The search feature is gone. Not good. It was easy to search for "damascus", "greener", etc and quickly locate guns of interest.

Their current category system is screwed up. This is because it depends on human input. If I choose "European Shotguns" it has a sub-category, "Belgian". When I choose that, it does not show the very nice Dumoulin sidelock they have. While it does show a Christophe. The Dumoulin has a picture of the proofs, the Christophe does not. The Dumoulin description says it has 2 3/4 chambers, the proof marks say 65mm.

When I choose "English Shotguns" and narrow by "Misc", I get Harper, Wilkes, Golden, Lisle and Garden.

Now, none of this is really that important. Except they end up burying $23,000 worth of guns under "Misc". Not a smart move if you live by selling guns. So, in the end, I do not see this as an improvement, but more of the same from Cabelas. Just wish they had left the "Search" alone.

If they want to "fix" their gun libary, they need to start with the people who describe the guns.

They need a standard form that must be filled out. One that has things like "Country of Origin" so it does not matter if some one describes the gun as "London", "Birmingham" or "English".

They need a standard set of photos. Any stamping, trade marks, or proof marks, should be photographed and made available. A collector can usually tell more than their staff from these. That Dumoulin was made in 1930 which is not in description.

The problem is internal to their company. Sales should be driving this. They need some one internally with enough gun smarts to write the requirements. I am sure they have already thrown a lot of cash into this redo. They just did not start with the right people. If they want to do it right. They should contact collectors and let them view, play with and comment on a beta version. Then incorporate the recommendations.

Pete

Hi all, well I think the GL has there minds made up and I doubt that they will change in mid stream. Cost is a factor as well as ego.

Like anything else, people resist change, good or bad. Once it's up and running and the bugs worked out, it maybe an excellent site. Time will tell. Afetr a few months, we'll get used to it.

IMO, this is now a moot subject.

All the best!

Greg

I can see all the under 600 dollar junktiques I wish to see at Harrisburg or Wheeling. Why would I want to see the same crap from all the stores on the website? I wouldn't describe the current situation as a switchover. More a brownout.

Gun Library descriptions were hit or miss on the previous incarnation but one could tell a bit about the guns from the photography. A red X in a square seems pretty retrograde to me.

jack

I looked, didn't like what I saw or how I am required to use the sight. My solution is simple. I will wait for them to be listed on GunsInternational and use a system I am already pleased with.
Best,
Ron

I have likely been in more Cabels's Gun Libraries than anyone else in my 73,000 miles in the past three years in the Road Trek R/V. I am Parker-centric and can't speak for guns of other makers, but in my area of expertise I think it is fair to say that I have never seen a Parker worthy of owning myself, and if asked by a potential buyer about any particular Parker I would have cautioned that certain marginal guns were severely overpriced.

On my way home from the Vintage Cup to the farm on the IL/WI state-line I stopped at the Cabela's in WV to get a Doyken Duck retrieving dummy for ParkerDog, and I, of course, cruised the Gun Library. They had a Parker DH ca.1910 with a Trojan fore-end for about 3-grand, which would be a waste of $$$ at any price. I couldn't find anyone to unlock the case so I could see how they had reworked the barrel attachment to accept the wrong sort of fore-end.

Meanwhile, there must have been more than a hundred Parkers at the Vintagers' Game Fair. I recall that the famous bank robber Willie Sutton when asked by the world's dumbest journalist why he robbed banks replied: "...'cause dat's where the money is." I believe that the Cabela's Gun Library, being an adjunct to the retail dry-goods store, is the exact wrong place to buy a fine shotgun. I have never met a "Gun Librarian" who knew much about guns other than perhaps what he favored. I have seen too many blued-over Damascus guns, and have read too many critiques on this very website...but there's more to the story...

Cabela's must be doing something right! Back in January 2009, we were cruising the South in the R/V, hitting the Bass Pro's and Cabela's as they appeared in out travels. Things were pretty bleak in the retail trade, or so the pundits said, for Xmas 2008, so I'd ask sales people and check-outers how the Xmas "rush" had played out. They were universal in saying: "Real good." So I checked out Cabela's stock (CAB) and it was hovering at $6.00, but paid no dividends--strictly a play on growth, so I passed...and Friday's close was $19.17 (been as high as $21.52!); the stock more than tripled in 21 months. They must be doing something right, maybe not marketing expensive used shotguns in collectible condition at a fair price, but a worthy store to stop and shop in our travels.

So I agree with gjw: "...cost is a factor as well as ego." The "ego" is the display factor: The Gun Library is no more economically viable than the massive taxidermy displays and aquariums; Background noise, not really calculated to contribute to the bottom line. Nice to browse to kill time, but I have never yet met anyone who has actually bought a Parker gun at Cabela's. As to buying a Parker shotgun, however, there are at least 20 major fine gun dealers that I know who would not consider stocking, even on consignment, 99% of the Parkers I have seen in the Cabela's Gun Library, or at Gander Mountain, or Bass Pro stores. I have long suggested that fine gun aficionados take Willie Sutton's sound advice...

You need a Doyken Duck for your Yellow Lab: Cabela's;

or camo clothing: Cabelas;

or Rem.870: Cabela's;

or a fishing rod: Cabelas...

But if you are going to fish for trout with that Cabela's rod, I think most everyone would intuit that a trip to the Mississippi River would be ill-advised. Why the intuition fails at the fine-shotgun/Big-Box-Store/Gun Library level is an amazement. EDM

Interesting to note here that Bill Taylor, Wes Dillon, and Dave Sanders--all currently of Julia's, a pretty highly regarded fine gun auction establishment--are Cabela's Gun Library veterans. They've lost a lot of expertise there, but they still come up with some pretty decent guns. I'd note that they are NOT doublegun specialists, as are some dealers. Therefore, it's incumbent upon the buyers to know something. A good friend made an excellent buy on a Trojan 20 from a Cabela's store, and I picked up a pretty nice VH 12. But you will not find the Parker expertise you'd get dealing with someone like Jack Puglisi either.

And I believe that's a Dokken Duck, Ed . . . which goes to show that everyone has his field of expertise.

Cabelas?.....They don't need a site; practically own Gunsinternational.

I've purchased 8 shotguns from Cabela's Gun library in St. Louis, but none from their web site. I've been pleased with each one.

Some of their shotguns are indeed overpriced, but it is easy to just ignore those. In a few instances, I've bought guns that had lived in their showcase for a year or so, by offering a much lower price. After the sales person discussed it with their manager, they sometimes accepted my offer. As long as you do so politely, they don't seem to be offended by the lower bids. Sometime they accept, sometime they do not.

Most of the longgun Gun Library showcases in St. Louis are not locked, and one can easily examine the merchandise. The pistols are locked up.

One friend bought a used Guerini from the Gun Library, and the buttstock broke the first day it was fired. Cabela's sent it back to Guerini, and it returned with a new, and fancier, buttstock at no cost to my friend.

Another friend bought a high grade older American classic,and encountered a trigger problem. Cabela's tried to have it repaired locally, and that didn't work, so they refunded his money.

Generally, I have been quite happy dealing with the local Cabela's Gun Library, and think I've made several decent purchases.

Jerry Goldstein
St. Louis, MO

I never thought I'd hear that folks were rallying to preserve an endangered website configuration.

hi, live within 100 mi. of the bass pro in harrisburg, pa. wife and i stopped to do some shopping. i headed for the gun library, fancy room, wainscoating, etc., now filled with cardboard boxes. talked to a salesman, asked what's up he says in feb. the big shots came in and closed it, no explanation. so much for that one. jeff

Cabela's

Please find a way to designate which guns are NEW. Make them the fist selections or mark them. As per my phone conversation with customer service I do not want to scroll through all the doubleguns to find the new ones. The old site is far superior to this new one. Guns America found out when they redid theirs. I now use Guns International most of the time.
I am a disappointed Cabela's Gun Library fan that has bought several guns from various locations.

Guys-

Keep the input coming.

I've heard that the site is in a stake of flux right now. Customer opinions may stand a chance of influencing the new site's look and features.

Someone is listening, so start talking.

Thanks

OWD

Hey Guys, ignoring EDH's usual arrogance, we should realize that there are a lot of people at Cabelas do know what they are talking about. The world does not revolve around Parkers, which many of us consider an overcomplicated-overpriced gun. There are lots of good doubles out there, many of them at Cabelas. I have bought and sold a lot of guns there, and have ALWAYS been treated fairly. I was in Cabelas, Sidney today, visiting with Tom Bryant, a good friend and shooting companion. Tom let me know that there are about 190,000 pics to be converted with thousand more being added all the time.....SO, give them some time, they will get it fixed. EDH? shop elsewhere....

Well the search function is back. That is an improvement.

Pete

LD, you have sinned by insulting Parkers. Go to confession--immediately--or risk being struck by lightning. Or hit on the head by a falling Parker.

Ma Paa'ka might put him on his ignore list

Well, I actually own one (or two)...BUT! They aint ALL that bad...