cabelas gun guys! sheesh!

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Axis II

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So i went to cabelas tonight for primers, press light, bullets and to check the bargain cave and also look at one of those savage model 12FV and of course you have to take a number and wait in line so while waiting a couple walks down towards me and the guy comes out of the back room and unboxes what appears to be a walther and while hes waving it around while talking he asks the husband if he plans on shooting hollow points through that gun? It caught my attention like why would it matter? I listen and he locks the slide back and proceeds to tell the husband that he can shoot as much FMJ through the gun as he wants but cannot shoot a lot of hollow points because its a free floated barrel and grabs the barrel and jiggles it and says you see how that's loose and doesn't touch anything that's the free floated barrel and you can shoot as much FMJ ammo but no hollow points!

I'm standing there like what in the hell!!! I so wanted to say something to the husband but figured no one is going to hit the range with hollow points to it wont matter anyways. I walked around the counter waiting to see the savage but the other 2 counter guys were hovered around the two 21-23yo blonds and probably telling them some gibberish!

I just lost all faith in cabelas gun counter. I truly hope one day no one get hurt from someone's nonsense at that store.

Oh and no primers, got my press light and they used to carry a lot of Hornady z max but now no .224 but a lot of .204 and used to have a large selection of Berrys and Extreme but only had 2-3 boxes of each.
 
I would guess that most retail outlets are priced higher on just about most items - the same item usually can be purchased cheaper on the net. My local Cabelas has a sales tax rate of 9%; even if there is a rare matching price, the item will still cost 9% more at the register. Retail jobs are difficult with horrible hours, turnover is high and experience is low - Cabelas is no different at the gun counter than any other big box outlet - all sad but true - we are on a race to the bottom.
 
I believe it , had to explain to a Cabela associate what a Magpul Hunter X 22 rifle stock was. I wanted black stock for 10/22 and after waiting 30min brought out a FDE takedown. I now only buy ammo on sale or something out of the bargain cave
 
I get its a minimum wage job but my post was more so I hope one day someone doesn't tell someone something that will get them hurt or worse. I can see not knowing about a particular stock, scope, etc but what in the world would this guy read or hear about free floated handgun barrels and hollow points.

After giving it a little thought I wonder if he associated hollow points with higher velocity such as +P which most guns aren't rated +P like say my 38spl 642 but that still doesn't make sense with the barrel being loose when the slides open.
 
The individual store matters more. I've seen dumb remarks in plenty of smaller stores. I bought a rifle at the Kennesaw GA store on Wednesday. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
 
jmr40 said:
The individual store matters more. I've seen dumb remarks in plenty of smaller stores. I bought a rifle at the Kennesaw GA store on Wednesday. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
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Oh I agree when gander mountain by me was open and this was before they fired all the full time people and hired all part time people they had knowledgeable people in there which was kind of shocking.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
I figure guns are just like an other durable good. The customer needs to educate one's self in what they are buying and it's proper operation whether it be a gun, chainsaw, or toaster oven.
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100% agree! This was a husband and wife and at first I figured it was for her but he handed it to the husband.
 
Oh and another one that caught my attention was in the gun library which is now my stores used rack there was a good condition savage model 10 in 7mm rem mag with decent scope rings and a hardwood stock priced at like $275 I said yep someone definitely didn't know what they were doing pricing that thing! Had a rolling block in there too which was roached with dents and dings and rust but also very, very cheap. Found a DPMS HB magpul tricked out 308 AR10 for $800.
 
Unless there is some screaming deal or you want to handle a gun before purchasing it I just can't understand why anyone would bother shopping at stores such as Cabela's. I guess I'm lucky.....we have several local mom and pop's that sell reloading supplies.....and the prices are very good in spite of the very high sales tax here......

Department stores that happen to sell guns are more of a destination for me than anything else.....deals are rare.
 
I have had good and bad experiences with Cabelas.

The good I is have brought three used guns at fair prices to me. One is a police trade-in S&W Model 10 4" heavy barrel for $200.00. It checked out ok in the store but shorty after I brought it the cylinder started binding when shooting. I ended up sending it to S&W and they charged me a little over $100.00 to fix it. So I have a finish worn Model 10 with new internal parts and action for only a little over $300.00 investment.

My other deal is a Colt Positive Special in 38 Special. Not near as good of price and we discovered later that it had a habit of skipping a chamber making it a 5 shooter. I had it repaired by Frank Glenn and have a 95 - 98% gun. I am not angry at Cabela's for the problems the guns had as they checked out for me in store when I brought them. And considering what the gun market demand is now for basic 4" barrel revolvers I have two in-demand keepers.

Last gun they sold as used but I don't think it has ever been shot. It is a Pietta Single Action 357 Magnum with bead blasted matte blue finish and brass grip frame. The brass was discolored and had green stuff growing on it. I spent a slow day at work with WD-40 and paper towels cleaning the brass. I sprayed it down, let it soak for a while, then rubbed it with a paper towels. It took several treatments over several hours to get all of the grime off (I don't think it had ever been wiped with a little oil and cloth) but it cleaned up well and left me with the patina on the brass. It is not a particularly desirable gun for most shooters but I wanted a lighter weight revolver than my Ruger Vaqueros and, as Taffin says, is a Perfect Packing Pistol.

Actually all three of them are Perfect Packing Pistols. The Colt P.P.S. especially has the lightest weight and smaller of the three.

The other good is Cabela's sales. I have got some really good deals on their merchandise.

The bad is, of course, their sales help. Not much to add other than some are totally clueless. I order much of my merchandise on-line with in-store pickup just to avoid trying to deal with some of the bums. However I did violate my rule yesterday, went into the store and brought three boxes of ammunition off the shelf. Quickly found what I was looking for, quick pass through the gun library (nothing to see) and out the door in less than 15 minutes.
 
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I only go for the laughs. Most recent one was hearing a customer looking at a 1911 clone in ".45 acp" ask "What does 'acp' mean?" The idiot behind the counter didn't hesitate when he said, "It means 'All Cops Prefer'. This is what all cops want to carry, but they're not allowed to 'cause its too powerful."
 
I've bought two guns from Cabela's and both experiences have been miserable. The first time it took over an hour to purchase the gun. After getting a salesman he finds the gun I want for me in the back which was awesome since they didn't have one on display. This is where the problem starts. He rips the box badly trying to open it, but that wasn't a huge deal. Then he asks me to fill out the paperwork on a tablet. Again, not a problem. I do so and he tells me that I have to now go to a separate counter to fill out the state form. I go stand in line there and get to the front, fill out the state form on paper, and they tell me they will now enter it in and give me a pager to keep so that I can shop while I wait. I'm pretty sure their whole plan here is to make me wait as long as possible so that I'll find more stuff to buy. I shop for an hour and still haven't been called. At this point, I'm getting pretty fed up. Had I been delayed I could understand, although I've never been delayed in the past. So I go back to the counter to see what's going on. Turns out they haven't even entered my info into the computer to do the background check. This seems odd since I had to fill it out on the tablet to start with. After telling them I don't even want the gun anymore they convince me to wait while they enter it in. I'm approved instantly, but then have to wait again for them to get someone to come tape up the box before I can leave with it. Overall this process was very lengthy when I had other things I wanted to spend my Saturday doing.

Then a couple of months later I get a letter in the mail from them letting me know that they were doing an audit and realized they filled out something on one of the forms incorrectly and they needed me to fill out a new form for them. Seriously, all of that time and they couldn't even fill out the form correctly?

Because of the great deals they have had on the 12FV I gave them a second chance. This time I back ordered the gun online and once it came in I went to pick it up. While it didn't take as long as the first time, it still took entirely too long. They have to search for the gun, then I have to do the paperwork again, then they ask me to go shop while I get it entered into the computer (even though they had no other customers trying to buy a gun at this time). I shop for a bit and head back over and just tell them I'll wait. After a while they finally get around to entering my information into the system and again I'm approved instantly.

I'm really convinced that their whole plan is to wait to enter your info until you've had time to shop around there store.

Now, for other items I love Cabelas. Their prices are generally high, but you can usually get gift cards on eBay for 18-20% off which make the prices much more competitive with online pricing. When you combine these with some of their sales (like S&B primers for $20), it makes for some great deals. Buying anything other than a firearm is pretty hassle free. Plus they do usually have some interesting items in the gun library. I hope it's just my store that is a pain with firearm purchases, but I've never tried to buy one at any other stores. I much prefer dealing with my local FFL if I can get the gun for a similar price or cheaper online and have him transfer it. It takes 10-15 minutes versus an hour +.
 
At my local cabelas they had a rabid glock guy working. He pushed all his great glock stuff and talked down the other brands (like hk and s&w) like they were trash. He even tried to argue with me. I was amazed.

The prices on used pistols are high, in some cases higher than in the new cases.

I did buy a taurus pistol there last summer but had the terrible more than hour wait to get the damn thing.
 
slowr1der said:
Then a couple of months later I get a letter in the mail from them letting me know that they were doing an audit and realized they filled out something on one of the forms incorrectly and they needed me to fill out a new form for them. Seriously, all of that time and they couldn't even fill out the form correctly?
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That's their problem.....I would have not made a special trip unless they offered me some kind of incentive.
 
Yep another store chain that was bought out and now has low wage brain drain of employees.:cuss:I now do not feel bad if they make a huge mistake pricing their used firearms. Good for me. The new owners truly do get exactly what they pay for. Not a penny more;) The local one is getting to be more like the Dicks Sporting chain every day it seems. YMMV
 
Steve S wrote:
Cabelas is no different at the gun counter than any other big box outlet...
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The people behind the counter at the Cabelas in Allen, Texas behaved just like the ones the OP was describing. The times I tried to buy a gun there, I couldn't get anyone to help me.

On the other hand, while it existed, the guys behind the counter at the Frisco, Texas, Gander Mountain were pretty good. They weren't experts and I didn't always agree with their opinions, but I never heard them say something that was demonstrably wrong.

And the guys behind the gun counter at the Frisco Academy have likewise had good general knowledge and a great willingness to be helpful. And even when the guy clearly thought I was making a mistake with one purchase (you could see it in his body language) he didn't argue, although he did ask some pointed questions that had I been using any criteria other than "what's the lowest price" would have helped me make a different decision.
 
I have seen the same poor service at the main BassPro in Springfield, MO. I wanted to look at a couple of rifles but the salesman acted like I had the plague. On another visit I wanted to buy a fish locator. Same response. Maybe it is just me, but I had a shower and put aftershave on before going shopping. Looks like I will find a new store.
 
Cabellas has been purchased by Bass Pro Shop... not sure if that's a good thing or not. The last thing I bought from Cabellas was a Zeiss scope, overall, I think it was a good experience. I also saw an old Remington Model 11 in 12 gauge for like $800. I didn't pick it up and really look at it, but I thought, that's probably a pretty good deal considering how great of an old semi auto 12g that gun truly is.
 
When I bought my Savage 223 at the KCK store,just before Christmas, the fellow who helped me was polite and helpful. Was he and "expert"..? Well, based on his youth I'd say maybe not so much but he knew what he was selling and I already knew what I was looking for. The paperwork went fine too. There was a line but I filled out the form on one of those tablet thingies and the folks helped me out when my old fat fingers hit the wrong spot.
A month or so later I was there to buy a new scope and had good help at the counter that time as well.
 
I have met a few salesman that know what they are talking about. They are generally owners or retired and just looking for something to do.
 
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