Cabela's unbelievable

357smallbore said:

It just amazes me at the cost of firearms today. I mean I'm an old school shooter from way back and just can't fathom the dollar amount that a handgun goes for that matter a rifler and shotgun.

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It's all relative. I bought many a gun NIB for less than $100, but my weekly take home pay was no more than that. When I made $2.35/hr (Union Job) $100 was a hell of a lot of money--now not so much. When wages go up, the price of goods and services necessarily follow. There are plenty of good quality handguns available in the $400-$500 range which is, again a week's pay for the average worker.

Cabela's is also over priced on many things. I saw primers at Sportsman's Warehouse for 60 and some change per thousand, limit to 200. I bought some from Midway at 90 per thousand a few months ago.

You are right though, things have gone up in price quite a bit. I remember buying .22 for 10 bucks per 500 box in the early 2000s, and that was expensive for a man making 6 dollars an hour. I make more now, and things have relatively kept up in price. Shooting now seems a rich man's sport; I've gone back to shooting .22 even though I reload.

On the price of primers, I have noticed at a few different stores, Cabelas being one, Murdoch’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse being the others, small rifle primers have been $140 while right next to them, on the same shelf, CCI magnum small rifle primers have been $90.

357smallbore said:

A new shooter got to have a thick wallet and deep pockets

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Or shop elsewhere... Cabela's isn't known for great prices on guns. Quite the contrary.

Would you sell your home for what you paid for it? Just wondering...?

I wouldn't even sell my guns for what I paid for them. LOL.

I bought my first handgun in 1983. It was a Colt Combat Gov’t series 70, 1911. I bought it on sale for $317. I think the normal price was $425.
$317 in 1983 would be $906 today.
$425 in 1983 would be $1214 today

That info comes from this website. https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=317&year=1983

Prices are high right now as compared to just 2 years ago, but I have hope and faith things will get better.

The other day I was talking with some folks about guns and ammo and the high prices. I mentioned that when I started out with only one handgun I went to the range at least once a week and I shot monthly competitions. I was happy with that.
I mentioned that it’s my opinion today that people don’t seem to appreciate what they have and always seem to want to acquire more. More guns. More ammo for the guns. More different kinds of guns and ammo that aren’t like what they already have. Maybe it’s a good time to appreciate what we have and work within our means to enjoy it.
You would have thought I told these guys that I was an alien from another planet judging from their reactions.

More is better

The Cabelas in Wheeling WVA had CCI primers for $8.99 per 100z

357smallbore said:

It just amazes me at the cost of firearms today.

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Here's a copy of a page out of one of the 1962 Winchester-Western catalogs my folks had in their country store/gas station. As you can see, if you were around back then, you could have gotten a brand-new Winchester 70 ("pre-64" naturally) for $139.00. Of course, I was only making $1.00 and hour (minimum wage) working in the apple and peach orchards back in those days. A better comparison though might be what my dad was making as a boiler operator - he was making a whopping $1.65 an hour! So, if Dad would have had to pay list price (which he didn't because he could buy guns wholesale through his and Mom's country store), he could have paid for a new Model 70 "Standard" (or a "Featherweight") with just a little over 2 weeks wages.

How many weeks wages are "pre-64" Model 70s going for now? I'm asking - I don't really know. I have a pristine one sitting in the gun safe that I promised to our oldest daughter's youngest son as soon as he has a place of his own where he can keep it.

Shanvanvocht said:

It's all relative. I bought many a gun NIB for less than $100, but my weekly take home pay was no more than that. When I made $2.35/hr (Union Job) $100 was a hell of a lot of money--now not so much. When wages go up, the price of goods and services necessarily follow. There are plenty of good quality handguns available in the $400-$500 range which is, again a week's pay for the average worker.

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You're right, wages up, rent up, goods up, taxes up. But Cabelas is also spendier than needed. Every time someone buys something from us and they were at Cabela's first, they're like, "Oh you're a way better price." I did used to like Cabela's store-brand chamois shirts though. Maybe I'll get out of the gun business, and into the weaving business.

Cabela’s was much better before Bass Pro took over. At least they had decent sales and a decent Gun Library. The prices in the gun library were high but one could find an Easter egg on occasion.

Back in 1982 after I got out of the military I bought a full auto M-16 for under $1000. When I sold that same gun last year I got over $25k for it.
Bought numerous mil-surp guns for $50-$300. Most of those today couldn't be found under $500

Pat Riot said:

Cabela’s was much better before Bass Pro took over.

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+1

I used to live within a 20 min drive of that Cabelas in Kansas City, within a 30 min radius I had about 12 gun stores and 4 of them had indoor ranges. If you were buying guns at that Cabelas you were at the wrong store.

Shanvanvocht said:

It's all relative. I bought many a gun NIB for less than $100, but my weekly take home pay was no more than that. When I made $2.35/hr (Union Job) $100 was a hell of a lot of money--now not so much. When wages go up, the price of goods and services necessarily follow. There are plenty of good quality handguns available in the $400-$500 range which is, again a week's pay for the average worker.

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Good point.

May I add that one should be prudent in purchase of everything? I have a very nice automobile. It's a 2011 (model year) Mustang. I did not pay for (or get) the monster 900 horsepower option, not having a use for such. I like beer, I like Guinness (may change to Burning Skye) but I do believe there are more expensive types available. Same with clothing, I get what fits me looks good (in my opinion) and wears well. I do not buy a new car or clothing every year on the basis of impressing neighbors with my income.
I'm not buying expensive stuff to flaunt.

Cabelas used to have items I liked - mostly used guns and some reloading supplies - but not currently. It seems to me the sale of Cabelas initiated a change in the store and the COVID panic and subsequent inflation employment upheaval continues the economic problems.

And I refuse to buy a new gun simply because it's "new and improved". All my arms were designed or are based on designs from before WW2.

Shanvanvocht said:

It's all relative. I bought many a gun NIB for less than $100, but my weekly take home pay was no more than that. When I made $2.35/hr (Union Job) $100 was a hell of a lot of money--now not so much. When wages go up, the price of goods and services necessarily follow. There are plenty of good quality handguns available in the $400-$500 range which is, again a week's pay for the average worker.

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+1... My FIL grew up in the depression without a dad... He observed that a eatable meal was worth one wage hour over his life... ($/hr = a big Mac meal...or R/C cola and a moon pie...lol) so I see your point on everything else as well... I guess big Mac meals will be $15 soon... And gun stuff has already seen the jump... And may not actually come back down much... Maybe a better supply though...IMHO

Think prices are high at Cabelas now (or fill in the name for any other gun shop) just think how high prices will be in 10 years. Remember the value of goods is not increasing that rapidly, its that the value of the US dollar IS decreasing that rapidly.

Lennyjoe said:

The Cabelas in Wheeling WVA had CCI primers for $8.99 per 100z

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Same here. The OP is no doubt talking about the CCI BR (Bench Rest) primers, which are more expensive. My local Cabela's (now converted into a Bass Pro), has both on the shelf.

I too liked Cabela's more pre-BP buyout. But I'm still glad to have the store local to me. If you watch for sales/specials, you can still find deals there.

In 1970 the average annual salary was $9,870.
A $100 firearm was a little over one percent of that salary.

Now the average annual salary is $69,717.
A $1,000 firearm is about 1.4 percent of that.

So they really haven't went up that much, if any.

Arkansas Paul said:

In 1970 the average annual salary was $9,870.
A $100 firearm was a little over one percent of that salary.

Now the average annual salary is over $69,717.
A $1,000 firearm is abou 1.4 percent of that.

So they really haven't went up that much, if any.

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a lot of things are like this. we forget to calculate inflation in our minds when thinking about how prices change over the years. I bought a few things over the last few years and a couple at our Cabela's, they were competetive in price, and as used prices were going nuts, I found a few firearms there that had not gone up much in price and decided to just buy new when I usually buy used because they are less, but the prices were so close between new and used, I just went with new.

I went up to KC specifically for those primers on Monday night. The $139 CCI Small Rifle Primers are the BR4’s, not 400’s or 450’s. Those were $80-90/k before covid, and currently, $139 is actually $20-40/k CHEAPER than many sites are running them. That same Cabela’s had CCI 450’s priced at $90/k.

High primer prices aren’t new, and Cabela’s price on them isn’t as bad as many places right now.

Reminiscing about 20, 30, or 40 year old prices on things isn’t really relevant. But even pre-covid, getting out of a store with a new pistol, new rifle, and new shotgun for under $1000 would have been a feat - or you were buying rot gut models of all 3. Inflation is what it is, and macro-economics are what they are - prices of consumer goods increase with time.

What folks who post this kind of thread tend to neglect: for MOST models which have had contiguous production under the same ownership are CHEAPER than their historical prices when corrected for inflation.

as a pack rat i have always bought two or three when i only needed one, and it has done well for me over the years allowing to skate over the lows offered by supply chain downs.

My wage hasn't gone up in years... I remember buying bricks of 22s at that very Cabelas for 20 to 35 bucks depending on what they were. And that wasnt all that long ago. Primers were half what they were.

Depending on who you got in the gun library, you used to be able to haggle a bit. I hear that isnt the case anymore.