Buying a gun at Cabelas / Bass Pro

I used to surf the Cabelas Gun Library a lot. Most of my Ruger revolvers came from there.

Then I found Grab A Gun. They are local to me so no shipping and it's easy.

But I found a CZ on the Cabelas Gun Library up in MN.

So now you pay over the phone in advance. BEFORE filling out the 4473.

I just went up to the Allen, TX store to pick it up.

They have this weird system of checking in to the gun counter. You scan a QR code with your phone. Only the gun counter is in the back of the store with very bad cell phone service.

Nobody, and I mean nobody working smiled or made small talk or was even remotely friendly. I would have walked out only I already paid for the gun.

They treat everyone like a criminal who is going to shoot someone. It's good to be safe, be they take it to an extreme.

I tried to be nice and make small talk and just be friendly. It didn't work at all. Zero eye contact and nothing even close to a smile or friendly comment.

Sad, and I won't be back.

I bought a shotgun at a BassPro once. It took hours. Never again.
I know some of the guys who work in Cabelas so I like it better.

I waited for probably 15 minutes, then the paperwork process took 20 minutes or so.

Some guy ahead of me got turned away. There wasn't a reply after fillin out the 4473. They said after so many days it gets deleted and he would have to fill out the application again.

They didn't give him a reason.

My information was processed in about 3 minutes. Then they doubled checked everything twice. I'm not making this up. Almost like they were looking for an excuse to turn me away. Asking me several times my city and state of birth.

Yes, several times. And twice to double check the answers, very slowly too!

Working on a similar purchase…also with a CZ Shotty. Everyone has been great…so far. We'll see how it winds up. I chose to use up all my points so I could plan on cancelling the card as soon as the transaction was completed because they're so overpriced on most things.
I'll know soon.

I have never tried Cabela's or Bass Pro Shop, but (FWIW) I've had good luck at my local Sportsman's Warehouse: good prices, friendly & courteous service, and quick turn-around. I suspect it all might depend on who's running the individual store - some folks are better suited to beating dead horses than managing a retail operation.

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

I've bought a couple at Cabela's. One was an 1892 in 38-40. Another was a Krag-Jorgenson, made in 1898 (an antique).

I was at the one in Fife (Seattle). There was line and we had to numbers. Besides the fact that the salesman was a complete idiot, they bypassed a young man to help one of their buddies and were quite rude to the boy's dad. This happened TWICE!! I gave my number to another person and walked out!

BTW: They required I go through the whole background check for a lemon squeezer that was discontinued in 1878!! I pointed out that I didn't need to and the idiot responded that I had to because of Federal law!

Last time I was in Bass Pro I waited at the counter for 20 minutes for someone to wait on me. The handgun ammo is behind the counter so you have to ask for it. Two of the clerks were just standing there talking and didn't seem interested in waiting on me. I finally got another clerk's attention and he got the ammo for me. I told him that if I hadn't had a gift card from them and was using it to purchase this ammo I would have walked out a long time ago. He was apologetic but I told him unless I have a gift card or something I will not be back. From what the rest of you are posting this is SOP for them.

Kevin said:

I waited for probably 15 minutes, then the paperwork process took 20 minutes or so.

Some guy ahead of me got turned away. There wasn't a reply after fillin out the 4473. They said after so many days it gets deleted and he would have to fill out the application again.

They didn't give him a reason.

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Might be a corporate reaction to Biden's "zero tolerance" policy - one mistake and ATF can pull their FFL. And/or maybe the store manager is paranoid. It really is amazing how different FFLs can be, in how they do business! I used to go to a small shop for transfers - the owner/operator was the only employee. And strange as it sounds, he charged be a different amount every time he handled a transfer! Probably thought it was funny, but he knew his stuff & was a retired Marine, so I liked doing business with him! Just made things really unpredictable.

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

I bought a 30/40 Krag Jorgenson last year at Cabelas I'd found via the gun library. It was in Nebraska, iirc, and had it shipped to the Allen store. The store in Nebraska had problems running the credit card , no reason given they just failed at doing it. I called the Allen store got a manager on the phone explained the issue and he called the Nebraska store to run my credit card.
It was infuriating and comical.
When the rifle arrived, the manager I'd spoken with called me and told me to come up and he'd take care of me. I went, he walked me back to do the paperwork, yep old gun still required the background check, and apologized for the problems .
The free shipping and no ffl fee saved me about a hundred bucks , not enough for me to consider doing it again.

The last time I was in BPS (last October), a guy was asking the gun counter guy about a denied 4473. I've been out of the gunshop business since 2009 but I had better answers than the counter person. I kept quiet and moved on to another area but could still hear the buyer ranting across the store.

I haven't purchased any guns from Cabelas in several years. When I last did so,, it was fairly easy.

But as noted above,, due to the gestapo types of tactics that the BATF has been using over the last 1-2 years,, it doesn't surprise me that many store clerks are overly cautious, or downright rude in confirming all the tiny details they need for the 4473.

But if I have a bad experience at any store,, I seek out a manger or owner. I politely explain my issue(s) and let them know how dissatisfied I was with their customer service.
But I also quite often let managers & owners know how pleased I am when I have a good experience as well.

Just today,, I took extra time to seek out a few employees at a rehab/living center to express my thanks for caring for a friend I lost there on 2/27. One girl,, she just lit up when I thanked her. She allowed how sweet the lady I knew had been & how she enjoyed the time she worked with her.

I always look at it like; "If I complain all the time w/o a balance of praise,, I am defeating the purpose of life." Trying to keep things in balance.

But a firearm purchase should be fairly easy for EDUCATED & ATTENTIVE sales people.

Bass Pro is on the list of places I don't go into.

I try to avoid Cabela's for many of the reasons above, and they are never my first choice. That said, sometimes Cabela's has the gun I'm looking for, so I'm stuck with them. I cringe, but eventually I get through it. Their process is uncomfortable.

fiasconva said:

Last time I was in Bass Pro I waited at the counter for 20 minutes for someone to wait on me. ......... Two of the clerks were just standing there talking and didn't seem interested in waiting on me.

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I've had the same happen in a local gun store. I went in to buy a certain shotgun. They talked and talked and I left. Their loss then and in the future. It wasn't a special shotgun but a run-of-the-mill current production model. Oh well.

Kevin said:

I waited for probably 15 minutes, then the paperwork process took 20 minutes or so.

Some guy ahead of me got turned away. There wasn't a reply after fillin out the 4473. They said after so many days it gets deleted and he would have to fill out the application again.

They didn't give him a reason.

My information was processed in about 3 minutes. Then they doubled checked everything twice. I'm not making this up. Almost like they were looking for an excuse to turn me away. Asking me several times my city and state of birth.

Yes, several times. And twice to double check the answers, very slowly too!

Click to expand...

Bass Pro ruined Cabelas

Kevin said:

I used to surf the Cabelas Gun Library a lot. Most of my Ruger revolvers came from there.

Then I found Grab A Gun. They are local to me so no shipping and it's easy.

But I found a CZ on the Cabelas Gun Library up in MN.

So now you pay over the phone in advance. BEFORE filling out the 4473.

I just went up to the Allen, TX store to pick it up.

They have this weird system of checking in to the gun counter. You scan a QR code with your phone. Only the gun counter is in the back of the store with very bad cell phone service.

Nobody, and I mean nobody working smiled or made small talk or was even remotely friendly. I would have walked out only I already paid for the gun.

They treat everyone like a criminal who is going to shoot someone. It's good to be safe, be they take it to an extreme.

I tried to be nice and make small talk and just be friendly. It didn't work at all. Zero eye contact and nothing even close to a smile or friendly comment.

Sad, and I won't be back.

Click to expand...

I thought GaG was in Coppell, at least it was when I picked up my .327 SP101 there before the pandemic.
Didn't notice any rudeness, nor had to do the odd check in.
But then again, I am not much of a socializer.
That was the 2nd time I had been in their storefront.
Otherwise, all of the 20 or so other transactions with them have been online with FFL & home deliveries.
No complaints there.

Never have bought anything from Cabelas or Bass Pro, but like to walk through once every 2 or 3 years just to gawk…..if I'm in the area.

In 2008 I went to Cabelas with my son looking for a .22 Mag. rifle. I recently learned that Ruger had stopped manufacturing them. However, at the gun library, I found a Remington 587m for $200 in what looked to be in very good condition. Unlike an LGS I frequent, they must clean their firearms before they are put out on display. I later found out a lot of things about the rifle. The price was just below the original price, but turned out to be worth it to me. I read that the rifle had some probs, but with a new Voltquartsen Extractor, a good cleaning of all the magazines (4 different 'models') and some newer ammo, it worked just great. I am usually reluctant to purchase used items, but I have always been lucky when I have. It always seems to be slow when I go out to Cabelas as it is 15-20 miles out of town, soon to move closer/into town according to the newspapers, so the sales people are always friendly and want to help you find whatever you are looking for.
Once while I was out shooting in the desert, I met the supervisor of the gun department. He told me about the GP-100 which I had been thinking of purchasing. When I went out there another time, the sales man was eager to please, after I told him I met his boss out in the desert. I have only had good experiences out at Cabelas, even meeting and having my picture taken with a Miss Reno Rodeo and with Santa Claus one Christmas. My beard at the time was almost as bushy as his. One other thing Nevada has, if one has a valid CCP, most LGS forego the $25 phone call for a background check. That speeds up the transactions. Good shootin' to y'all, police your brass/shells and STAY SAFE!

I have 2 buddies that work at Cabela's. I know they are heavily scrutinized over any mistakes on the printed 4473 forms. Their federal compliance guy has stated they are over checked by the Government, with the intention to penalize the chain ( probably one of the largest purchasers in the country)
It unfortunate the feds try to penalize, instead of attempt to help or assist large company's, that hire many local people, and provide a lot of products people enjoy.

I know Idaho is pretty laid back, and the folks at my local store are easy to talk to, and most, except the young newbys, are knowledgeable. I purchase one or two a year there.

I have had 99.99% good experiences at both BPS and Cabela's. I have a Cabela's Mastercard and enjoy using my points to buy new stuff to use in my outdoor pursuits.

They will ship used guns from distant stores to my local BPS for free. If you don't like the gun you can refuse for a credit, although you may have to pay some shipping/restocking, but that is not unreasonable.

Even our good sellers on here expect you to pay the freight if you refuse a gun that they shipped to you to purchase, the old 3 day non-firing inspection provision.

The only time I was a little frustrated was when I bought a used shotgun, had confirmation from FedEx that it delivered and after a couple of days, no one called me. I went to the store and realized it was the week of Thanksgiving and the place was a madhouse with holiday shoppers packed elbow to elbow. I went home and waited a few days, went back and the crowd had thinned and I completed the purchase of my shotgun.

I did prefer Cabela's for hunting and shooting gear before the merger.

Presenting the seller my Texas License-to-carry ID card has made all of my firearm purchases in Texas go very quickly. I guess this either eliminates, or at least dramatically streamlines the background check requirements. Some of the sellers have the forms pre-loaded on a computer, so I can fill out everything myself (avoiding paperwork). Every time I've done this, the elapsed time between form completion and sale is no more than a couple of minutes.

I've bought (and sold) a couple of pistols at the Allen, TX Cabella's store Kevin mentioned (above). Selling the pistols was straightforward, and really didn't take much time at all. Of course, the store has very limited liability/risk on such transactions. My purchase transactions at that Cabella's (in the pre-COVID years) also went fairly smoothly.

In recent years, I've bought ammo at Cabella's a couple of times. The good news is that all of the ammo is in shelves on the floor, readily accessible to customers. Those purchases went without a hitch. But Cabella's ammo pricing is only average. So unless I'm at Cabella's for other reasons I don't buy their ammo.

Like Kevin, I now buy my weapons primarily through Grab-a-Gun; their retail storefront is a 25 mile drive (avoiding any FFL fee, this is cost effective). GaG's prices tend to be lower than most anyone else's advertised prices, and they tend to have virtually all of the new firearms I'm looking to buy. And with no transaction (FFL) fee for in-store purchases, GaG is about as good as it gets.

I also buy occasionally from a mom-and-pop gun shop in Anna (Good-4-Guns). It's closer to my home than GaG, and its prices are always lower than even GaG. G-4-G's downside is that they are a "short-line" seller, and don't always have the pistol I'm then looking for. The store owners (husband and wife) are the only two employees. They are very courteous, and buying from them is the most pleasant experience.

I have bought several used guns on-line, and use the Frisco Gun Club (indoor pistol range with 30 pistol lanes and 4 100-yard rifle lanes) as my FFL. Since I also shoot there, those guys know me pretty well. Their FFL fee is on the high side ($50), so I use them only if I'm going there anyway. Their ammo stock is very limited and expensive.

My other FFL is a local gunsmith - 1911 Academy in McKinney, TX. It's about 3 miles from my house. Their FFL fee is more reasonable. The real upside to 1911A is that they offer classes on basic gunsmithing. I can go there and do my own work on my 1911s or other pistols, with one of their gunsmiths always looking over my shoulder. And they have a "fire pit" in the back of their store, where the gunsmith fires rounds to confirm the work done. Their fee includes access to all of their tools/equipment. So, this is about as good as it gets.

I generally buy my ammo from Freedom Munitions (Lewiston, ID). The make their own ammo in virtually all of the calibers I shoot. They also sell several of the major brands and offer them in +P and similar specialized configurations. When they're offering special pricing (which happens a couple of times each month), I buy in $200-or-more lots - that rings the bell for free shipping on top of sales pricing. It's hard to beat $12/50 round 9mm FMJ pricing. I tend to buy Freedom's 9mm, 10mm, 357 SIG and 45 acp ammo.