Went into Cabela's in Utah last week and visited the Gun Library. All I saw were crappy new guns and Tristar shotguns. What gives? There used to be an occasional gem. Where are all the classic double guns and what has happened to Cabela's?

What happened? Bass Pro.

Yep, Ass Pro destroyed Cabelas.

Is Bass Pro not gun friendly or is it part of their overall business model? I can't find a good gun on Cabela's website anywhere in the country.

They don't have the trained and experienced gun people that Cabela's had... or if they do they're told to cater to new gun customers, not guys like us who know what we want and what we should be paying.
Mergers suck for the customer and in the long run for the corporation itself. One day the investors/stockholders and directors will wonder what happened... after all, their business model was perfect... on paper.

It's run by an egomanic billionaire who simply does not care about anything except getting hs face in front of you and selling fishing equimpent.

He bought an overexpanded Cabela's to eliminate competition.

The only surprise is that it has taken him this long to destroy the brand.

Gander Mountain was lost to a camping store and Gamaliel to greedy monopolistic Crow Shooting Supply. They also own Brownell's.

All of this stifles competition and jacks up prices.

.....and gives us crap!!

One by one all the Cabellas near me have closed their gun rooms. They just do not have the staff to run them well and could use the space for all their extensive ammo selections along with pallets of reloading supplies. Cabellas is a better place to buy a pair of socks or shirt than guns these days. If it comes in plastic-camo you might be at the right place.

My papaw used to get the hardback catalogue every year from them. I would read through that and put myself to sleep with those catalogues. Since then all I have done is worked. A few years ago my buddies let me tag along to Canada for a duck hunt. Wow what a trip! I saw a cabelas and asked them to please stop. They were kind enough to do so. I ran in expecting to see all of the glory that was in those catalogues right there in front of me. Right at my fingertips but no......it was a Bass Pro Shop.

Cabela’s took a big hit circa 2005 when they went public, the Bass Pro takeover was the death blow.

The good news is it has opened an opportunity for smaller outfits to enter the fine gun business.

I’m glad I at least got a small taste of what a big store, fine gunroom was. I’m too young to have experienced all the fine gun sections of the big sporting goods stores of yesteryear.
Omaha in the early 2000’s, both Cabelas and Scheels maintained very nicely stocked fine gun rooms, and Guns Unlimited usually had a few nice guns as well, what a treat!!! I can only imagine that it was mildly reminiscent of what the old gun counters of places like Abercrombie & Fitch, Griffin & Howe, etc. were like. My kids still talk about going in those gun rooms and checking out all the cool stuff.
It’s extremely sad that all of that seems to be history now. One of my favorite stops heading east from Utah, back to the Midwest to hunt birds was stopping at the Sidney Cabelas and checking out all of the nice guns. I bought a few too. On one trip, we got to handle 4 different Fabbris, a few rare Purdeys, a few Boss & Co, H&H’s, best grade Scotts, Churchills, Harkoms, Dicksons, even a matched pair of Westley Richards best sidelocks made for an Indian prince….all of this in one visit.
Stopping in there now is so depressing these days, I usually just drive right on by.
Sad.

I was in Cabela's last fall looking for exploding targets for my dad (of course they were out). The Gun Library was closed and empty of guns. I asked a guy working in the ammo section (which was empty) what was going on. With a straight face (and a bit of disgust) he said they were making room for either a Santa's workshop or a lady's underwear department. I haven't been back since, so I don't know how the Redhead brand corsets are selling.

I stopped in a Virgina Cabela's for the first time in quite a while.

The Gun Library consisted of imported, military surplus rifles and some well used sporting arms. Little to no ammunition.

But there was a great selection of candy and anything your dog would ever need...

By far the BEST gun store I have ever visited was Lolo Sporting Goods in Lewiston Idaho, I don't know if they are still operating--Lewiston lost their clay target range a few years ago.

I attempted to purchase several Cabelas heavyweight chamois shirts, since older ones after a decade are wearing thin, still good but… Customer service phone representative mentioned now not heavyweight fabric as in olden days, but medium weight. Added “a quality shift since the buyout on all accounts…”. I passed.

Clothes are no longer made in the USA. Years ago, there was a clothing manufacture located in Cambridge MD, who made a lot of clothes for LLBean and other name brands. I loved stopping by their outlet store. The ladies there could tell you what was on the production schedule for the next month and would set aside things for your return. I bought many a pair of khaki pants for $ 5&10 when they retailed for $30-35, heavy weight shirts were $10 and under. Sadly that plant is long gone and most of my well worn apparel as well. My middle son decided he liked my LLBean stuff when he grew into my size so he still might have a few items. But todays clothes are not made to the heavy weight or quality standards that those item were made to. Sad but imported stuff is too often junk with buttons which seem to come off after just a few washings.

The owner just got indicted on federal drug charges…distributing Methamphetamine and pretty much every other illicit drug on the planet. Don’t think that place will be around much longer.
https://lmtribune.com/northwest/lol...6af9432-1e06-5b8c-8c64-3a4d41b5219b.html

I was, among other things, in the footwear business starting in 1976 and had a ringside seat to watch the New England footwear manufacturing industry collapse over the next 25 years. Just the way the clothing industry did. Consumers made their choice, deciding that fast fashion and price were more important than quality. It's sad, in a way, but I get a kick out of those same consumers decrying the lack of choice, the lack of quality and the lack of domestic production now. They got exactly what they demanded through their choices at the cash register. There are always consequences to one's actions.

Out of chaos there is opportunity. Hoping the demise of the "big box" stores will encourage the small, sole-proprietor gun shops to give better guns a try again someday.

Seems that Bass Pro has perfected the ability to turn anything they touch to crap.

In another take on it, I think 'we' contribute to the demise of brick and mortar places of all sizes, by looking for our classics and antiques, online.

I was a kid, and went with my Dad to the hardware store, on a mission to buy an adjustable wrench. There were two available, in the size he wanted, a Diamond forge, from Duluth, MN. and I believe a Taiwanese wrench, less then half the cost. Dad told me one day, in my lifetime there would be just the cheaper version, and it would cost what the Diamond did.
Diamond went under just a few years after that. Can’t fault Dad, he bought the Diamond, which, I still have.

I remember the Herter’s catalog, never saw a Cabela’s catalog in my life. I never walked out of a Cabela’s store with a gun, or without being disappointed with what I saw in it. There are two of those stores within 20 minutes of my house, and I haven’t been in either for years. My last purchase was a Cabela’s branded coat, purchased from the bargain cave at the insistence of my wife, who said it looked “nice”. It was advertised as being warm and waterproof, and, I can assure you it is neither. She got a pair of flannel girl jackets from the same cave, likely because she can wear a juniors size and that stuff doesn’t sell well in either of those two stores, and she was very happy with them.

I am not totally sold on the notion that the change to crap at the retail level was “my” fault, as I am well stocked on Filson and Pendleton clothing and Snap-on and Matco tools, that I had to go out of my way for, and happily did.

Some great guns went through the Cabela's gun library in the past, I bought a couple from them, including the very last gun I will ever sell.

Ted people like you and I are outliers when it comes to retail shopping. Few and far between. And the retailers must cater to those who pay the bills. For a while, smart specialty retailers can compete. Because some of us think the way we do. But as the years go by it gets harder and harder for them. And Craig is correct. On line shopping makes it even harder for them. There are NO stores selling the kind of hunting gear I like to buy in my whole damn country. Or so few as to not matter. Certainly none within a days drive. So I have to shop on line to get what I want. It’s a vicious circle. In a way, on line helps small start up manufacturers as there is no retailer “gatekeeper”. He can access his consumer base directly. But it’s deadly for retailers.

BTW, in 2000 I bought some Cabelas private label camo duck hunting clothing. At the time, it was quite good quality for the money. I still use it and it still works great. It wasn’t always all shit.

Yet another example of the "Great Reset"?

Price is long forgotten after quality has been compromised

Cabelas is just the current example of the general race towards mediocrity that appears to be today’s standard of American business. One sees this frequently in restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, etc. Mediocrity started with the over expansion of Cabelas 30 years ago. The Gun Room died shortly after it opened in too many outlets and as their stock of good, high quality guns diminished to overpriced new guns. As merchandisers often do the company followed trends and maximized immediate profits never thinking about the longevity of the business. Without a sense of what the business does, or an attachment to the business, a hired Harvard MBA will likely drive it into oblivion fully believing that a short term gain, then dumping the company, is success. The MBA just moves to another company who’ll give him/her a buy out clause.

I don’t know if the quality shops that I visited in my youth will ever come back. I certainly hope they do, but survival in today’s business environment will be challenging for the under financed attempting to get into it.

I remember when Cabela's had seasoned veterans working in the Gun Library that had 20-30+ years of old world and general firearms knowledge. I think over the years that valuable knowledge has left and was not replaced probably because Bass Pro/Cabela's wanted to hire people off the street for $12 per hour. Seems like a lot of specialty businesses have gone that route. That is my theory anyway.

I found a single shot break action german rifle at one in WV through their guns international listing. Hopefully it ends up in GA ok. The ones down here had mostly ww2 military surplus but no sporting guns

I bought the first gun sold out of the Cabela's Gun Library in their then brand new Owatonna MN store. And bought and traded a lot more guns after that. I got an invitation to attend on "media day", before their official grand opening. Ran across a nice little 16ga Ingram. Asked whether they were actually selling that day. They were. It was about a 2 hour drive from my house in northern Iowa to that store. I always checked to see who'd be working in the Library when I was planning to make a trip. I'd go if it was Bill Taylor or one of the other guys I'd come to know and trust.

A real shame how that's changed. One problem: They expanded too fast, especially after going corporate. There are only so many people that have the knowledge to run a fine, collectible gun operation. Especially one that includes shotguns, rifles, and handguns.

Here's an example of the way they stood behind the guns they sold back in those days: I bought a 16ga Greener from the Owatonna store. One of a pair. Broke at the wrist on station one during my first round of skeet. I immediately called Bill Taylor. I knew they'd refund my money, but I asked them if they'd restock it for me. It had come from the Kansas City store, and Bill contacted B.C. Kinsey. They did, and turned it around fairly quickly.

I used to really like the gun library. I bought an LC Smith and a Sauer from the Dundee store. The people were knowledgeable and friendly. Always liked to stop there if I was in the area. Different story now.

It is sad to see the state of Cabelas these days. They used to sell products of reasonable quality and the prices weren’t to bad compared with some of the competitors. The selection and quality now is bad.

Since I live in Ohio, I am lucky to be 2 1/2 hours away from Jaqua’s. You can always find some nice guns there. Hopefully, they continue to be successful.

The Gun Library certainly is not what it was, but a friend recently bought a nice Greener at a decent price, so there are still nice guns that show up there from time to time.

The Gun Library certainly is not what it was, but a friend recently bought a nice Greener at a decent price, so there are still nice guns that show up there from time to time.

Found a few good deals in the Cabelas Gun Library before their demise. I miss going there, too bad.

I loved the sales rack outside the Gun Rooms. Bought several guns for about a quarter of their true value. Favorite is a Remington Model 12 in near mint condition, for way less than $200.00. Reason for the low price, was it was in Remington .22 Special, which I was told was not longer available. No ammo, cheap price for a real near mint gun. So I bought it and was very happy. Remington Special was their, Remington's, name for the Winchester version of the same cartridge called .22 WRF by Winchester. I had several hundred of both in my ammo stash at home. In total I think I bought six guns off the sales rack, outside the Gun Rooms, and maybe three inside them. But the three nearest Gun Rooms to me are closed.

This drug bust article is over 15 years old. Anybody have a current idea if the store is still in operation?

Not that hard. A quick google search turns up a active Facebook page

Haha! Whoops. My bad. 🤭. I missed the date!! Never mind me, carry on!

I used to spend a fair amount of time and money at Cabela's prior to the Bass Pro Shops acquisition. Bought a couple of very nice guns there (an AYA 4/53 28 gauge) and a Ferlib 12 gauge, plus a ton of outdoors clothing, most of which I still wear. Since the Bass Pro acquisition, the quality has deteriorated so much that I don't even try anymore. It's sad.

I've seen the same thing with Woolrich, which was originally based about 20 miles from our deer camp and whose factory outlet store (in the town of Woolrich) was a must-stop on either the trip up or the trip home. I have a number of heavy wool Woolrich shirts, fleece vests and hunting pants. These days, their product line is insanely expensive and appears to be geared to the user whose idea of an outdoor adventure is a walk in Central Park. They don't even try to market to their older base, which was people who worked outdoors, particularly in rural areas and occupations.

Other than Carhartt, who still seems to be making quality clothing you can actually wear when it's cold, I'm at a bit of a loss to find sturdy outdoors clothing.

You might try Duluth Trading, at least for shirts. I have a couple of theirs that are still serviceable after many years.

Imported, but sturdy.

Caveat: these may not reflect current production.

Other than the cheesy advertising and high prices I've been happy with them.

Sign of the times sadly. L.L. Bean wool products used to be very good. Today they are all from Southeast Asia. Even another historic company that claims Made in USA is using imported wool. The items are cut and sewn here so Made in USA is mostly true.

Whenever I pick up something and it says Made in China I just put it back down. I'll gladly pay more for an American or Canadian made product.

I miss the days when Wes and Dave ran the Gun Library in Sidney. Not cheap, but honest and quality. By far the best deal I ever made, however, was at the new Bass Pro in Denver shortly after it opened and the Fine Gun Room was stocked with a dozen Bulino engraved Italian guns priced at$50K that I ignored. One time they had a pair of Parkers, and I picked up a 95% CHE marked at $5000. I held my breath and asked the guy if he had any flexibility and he unhesitatingly said he could take $500 off. I walked out with the CHE for $4500, and a new Boyt Estancia soft case which was free with my Cabelas points from the gun purchase. The guys there were my age, but were clueless as to vintage guns. I can only surmise that they probably bought that CHE for $2500 from an old guy who needed the money, or his widow. All of Bass Pro's Fine Gun Rooms closed a year or two after that, but that's another story.

Wes Dillon was and still is the best. He was the brainchild of the Gun Library concept. Whatever auction house he has worked for I always make it a point to try and buy a gun from him and get his opinion. Bass Pro doesn't seem to get that you need to pay for quality knowledge. Hiring off the street for $12 per hour doesn't seem to be working for them.

Wes and Dave are both great guys, knowledgeable and easy to deal with.

My one and only dealing with a Cabela's gunroom was when Tom Bryant was in the Sydney, NE store. I contacted the store to inquire about ordering a .410 Dickinson to my specs and Tom is who helped me. He was and is a gentleman, and the transaction was smooth and satisfactory. I'm scheduled to shoot the S X S event at the U S Open with him. It will be good to finally meet face to face. Cabela's lost a good one when Tom left.

Indeed, Tom is one of the good ones. We miss him out West but I'm sure it feels good to be home.

You guys understand that crooks infiltrated the Cabela’s gun libraries, and cost the company a few mil, right?

CZ, tell us more. My understanding was similar to what has been laid out above. Expanded too fast, not enough quality employees. I am not familiar with crooks in the story.

I’m aware of one guy at one store. Were there more?

Crooks? I know for a fact that happened at the gun dept of a Scheels store in Iowa. Never heard any similar news about Cabela''s GL.

Tom Bryant is for sure one of the good guys.

That may be info known only to the society of "grey men".

The original charge of fraud in 2009 involved a salesperson in the Gun Library in Hammond, Ind. who was accused of buying the same high dollar guns from friends, repeatedly, for kickbacks. I couldn't find a report of a conviction and the charges may have been settled with restitution.
Buying at inflated prices at other Libraries was also rumored to be taking place.

As said, there were most certainly honest and ethical managers in some of the Libraries.

Here's a thread from 2010
https://doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=173197

Yeah the final ticket for all of that was couple of million dollars just goes to show you what happens when organized crime infiltrates a business that doesn’t know what they’re doing.

I can’t believe there was a Cabela’s in Hammond...,


Best,
Ted

Crooks have infiltrated every corner of society, just as big profit corp have infiltrated every corner of retail.

I've mentioned my pleasant library surprise in the past, just a few years ago I walked out with a low four hundred dollar 44/40 Colt Lightning. I had to sign an as is disclaimer because it didn't have the trigger guard slide latch, but it may not have been sent out of the factory with one, back in 1880 something. It's rough but not beat, and was amazing find in my mind, among the other odds and ends. This was well after the the crooks had taken over, as well as the bass folks, but now that particular library is gone.

Without hesitation or regret, my fun purchases have swung almost fully to things that are repeatedly mentioned for banning. It does not impress me at all that classic laid out doubles are supposedly not targeted by the grab.

Stan- this "grey men" gruppen. Could they be like my "goombahs"-- they believe in: (1) Heavy Vigor ish-- (20 Code of Omerta (3) La Vengaza y La Familia-- Years ago now, in the Grand Rapid MI area-you could often play Cabela's Gun Library against the Gander Mountain operation(s0, as GM had 2 outlet stores in the area, both with good used top-end firearms from which to make a hoice, of whatever struck your fancy--The L.C. Smith 3E (32" VR F&F-HOT) that I sold to you back in April 2019, if memory serves, came from the GM Gun room in Grandville (near the Cabela's-which, as we sadly know it today, is ruled by the idiots of Bass Blow Shop--FWIWIP amigo, I mainly bought it for the original 28" London Steel ejector barrels and mating forearm, original to the gun when made in 1911-- Glad to have read on your occasional postings that you seem to have had some days at the clays with it also--RWTF

Here you go Fox,

https://premeditatedsurvival.com/gray-man-skills/

Do you ever wonder why all the young people are carrying those backpacks in and out of their offices every day?

If you really want to play the part of an unobtrusive "Gray-Man", don't you think you should refrain from openly supporting anti-gun Democrats when posting on a firearms forum???