"Big Box" Firearms Retailers: Best, Worst?

[whitefeather]

By "big box", I mean major sporting goods retailers. They include, but are not limited to, such retailers as Dicks, Gander Mountain, Cabella's, Bass Pro, etc.

In my area, Dicks gets my vote for the worst. The store nearest me is on the Northwest side of Indy. They carry only long guns and their selection is very limited.

Ammo choices are very limited as well, especially handgun ammo and the counter help (when someone is actually on duty) is generally lacking in firearms kowledge.

A few years ago, they bought out Galyan's sporting goods. Galyan's was a company based in central Indiana. They carried a decent assortment of long guns and handguns, had knowledgeable people working the counters and treated their customers well.

Dick's only like-sized competitor in my area is Gander Mtn.

Gander gets my vote as the best in my area. Gander has many times the selection of guns and ammo that Dick's has and the expertise of the counter people blows Dick's away. The attitude is much better as well.

There were plans for a Cabella's to be built just south of town, but those plans were shelved when the economy began to go south.

 

[mcwjr13]

The Gander Mtn. off of 59 South in Houston is not too bad. I have also used their in-store gunsmith and had a positive experience.

 

[Tom Servo]

We've got a Bass Pro Shop down here that deals a bit in guns. I'm not the sort to need advice at a gun shop, unless it's very specialized, but I've heard them give customers some good advice.

Bear in mind, most of the folks working in big-box shops are not hard-core "gun people." Those shops simply don't pay enough to attract them. It's like asking literary advice from the person working the bestseller section at Target.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

I couldn't imagine buying a gun at any of those places. I'm not saying people DON'T, or that they shouldn't. It's just that, to me, it's so totally NOT the experience. It would be like going to a German Biergarten and ordering a Budweiser -- or touring Busch Gardens and asking for Spaten. Man, I once bought a 20 gauge at Kmart and once bought a .22 at Walmart, both many years ago. It was like wearing a T shirt at the Kirov, or showing up at a Halsted Street Blues club in a prom tux. Just -- not right. Treated like an interloper, and felt like one, too. Despite the great prices, then.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

When I was in Glendale, AZ, I liked the Cabela's and Sportsman's Warehouse there. I have not dealt enough with Bass Pro and Gander Mountain to form a firm opinion.

 

[whitefeather]

Tom...

I realize that most of the people working at the "big box" stores don't have a lot of firearms knowledge/experience.

I generally don't need help when I go shopping for a new gun, but I do appreciate being able to converse inteligently with the help.

It just annoys the bejeezus out of me when the counter help doesn't even know about standard calibers of ammunition. Basic stuff.

There have been times where I've gone to Dicks (because it's closest) looking for handgun ammo and the counterperson didn't know the difference between 44 mag and 40 S&W (I actually benefitted from that one time and bought 100 rds. of 44 mag for the price of 100 rounds of 40 S&W).

I sometimes get to the point where I just want to jump over the counter and help myself.

I don't think it's asking too much for the help to have a basic command of ammo calibers. Dick's is the only place near me where that is an issue.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

The guys at my local academy sports and outdoors are great.

http://www.academy.com/


Worse Wal -Mart since Mr Sam died they act like your a criminal.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I just have a Bass Pro in my area. The prices on new guns are a bit high but I have picked up a couple of used guns well worth the money. The guy who runs the gun counter now talked the powers that be into carrying reloading supplies. He got them all set up and it seems to be going over real well. That being said, I still shop most of the time at two small local shops.

 

[Coyote_Hunter_]

Gander Mountain has been mmy source for two rifles, a used Remington M700 BDL .308 Win in like-new condition for $350 and a new Savage 111GNS in .30-06 for $300. Both were good deals IMHO.

Dicks was my source for one rifle, a Remington M700 Special Purpose Wood for $425. They will not, however, get any more of my business. The reason is they have a form you must complete before they hand the gun over. The form asks “Number of children under 18 in the household ______”. It then asks “Did you receive a/purchase a trigger lock with this firearm?” Frankly, they already know whether or not the firearm comes with a trigger lock and whether or not I purchased one, but the number of children or adults or anything else about my household is none of their damm business.

 

[MaterDei]

+1 on Academy.

 

[Runningman]

Dicks was my source for one rifle, a Remington M700 Special Purpose Wood for $425. They will not, however, get any more of my business. The reason is they have a form you must complete before they hand the gun over. The form asks “Number of children under 18 in the household ______”. It then asks “Did you receive a/purchase a trigger lock with this firearm?” Frankly, they already know whether or not the firearm comes with a trigger lock and whether or not I purchased one, but the number of children or adults or anything else about my household is none of their damm business.

that sure sucks, guess I will add Dicks to my list of places I won't be going to.

I don't buy guns from box stores. It seems like every one of them has a policy that walks you out the door with a gun. Now I don't care if they walk you up to the cash register to pay for it. But why after you have just payed for it do they escort you to the door???

And whats up with box stores that only sell rifles and not hand guns.

Prefer to do business with local small gun shop and not be treated like some sort of criminal.

 

[Tamlin]

The best big box store here (Tucson, AZ) is Sportsman's Warehouse. I've found they have surprisingly reasonable prices, even in this panic market. Gun selection is not huge, but it's ok. Very good ammo selection - although in the last couple of months they have had trouble keeping handgun ammo in stock (not their fault!). I've found the counter help to be, well, helpful. A few months ago I was looking at scopes, and the guy helping me was very knowledgeable.

Worst big box is Big 5 Sporting goods. Selection sucks, and customer service is non-existent.

 

[Ala Dan]

I wouldn't know, cuz I don't shop at any of these retail outlets~!

 

[SudSlinger]

I know Dicks only sells long guns but they always seem to have the hard to find SPX in. + for academy and gander for all around good service and selection. Cabelas ain't bad either

 

[arcticap]

I'll vote for Dick's.
I bought a new rifle from them the last 2 Black Fridays after Thanksgiving.
I couldn't have gotten a better deal if I had paid the wholesale price.
This last gun was a Remington 700 .308 Varmint SP bull barrel combo. with a 3-12x scope for what ended up being about $449 after receiving gift cards & rebates & using a coupon. It was $549 on sale with a regular price of $599.
The year before last I bought a Mossberg Plinkster .22 for a net of $59 with a coupon along with the special sale price.
Plus they award certificates after the purchases for having a Dick's Scorecard. So I also bought 2 Crosman spring air rifles combo's. at considerable savings at Dick's. Since I shoot one of them almost every day it was a very satisfying purchase. And they do offer an optional 1 year replacement warranty on air rifles for $10 extra.
I do shop at a Cabela's store nearby where I have bought several used guns, and I really like browsing around there. But Dick's is the place that usually has the best deals on new Remingtons & Mossbergs.
Plus I went through Dick's gun catalog and I saw a Marlin lever action that was cheaper than anywhere else around here too.
Dick's really tries to give the best deals possible if you wait for a special sale with rebates etc...
Cabela's has some good deals on accessories and I'll probably buy another gun from them too. And they do take in trades. But more of the new guns that I like and are also on sale have been at Dick's.

 

[elkyote]

Academy's Monarch ammo is great, and cheap! Wish they sold 7.62x54R though...

 

[Delford]

My local Dick's doesn't have the most informed staff but they are helpful. They often have the best prices on long guns, for example a Marlin 30-30 with scope for $379. That may not be a great price but better than anywhere else I looked including the local gun shop.

Bass Pro Shop is in a smaller town north of here and although they are situated near the freeway and down the road from Lowe's Motor Speedway, the staff there are pretty well informed and if they don't know an answer they always go to an old guy who does have the answer.

I think because of my geographical location, with a lot of hunters and shooters and no stigma attached to firearms, that translates to employees who aren't ignorant in most cases and in some cases even knowledgable.

The local gun store is pretty large and has 2 smiths (maybe more) and has the best customer service so even though their prices are a little on the high side I give them first chance.

 

[Grassman]

Gander mountain is about 20% higher than anyone. At least in my area they are.

 

[davera]

The Academy Sports in Auburn has a pretty large selection of long guns, hand guns and various accessories, the best selection in the area IMO. A very good selection of ammo in light of the current run on things. I was able to stock up on .30 carbine JSPs that no one else carries (albeit at a high price), they had Win WB .223 for a while. The do have the Monarch .223 at decent (for the current condition) price.

 

[CoRoMo]

Sports Authority.

I don't even know why they bother.

 

[CManT1914]

My take on three big ones.

Academy, I love Academy, and they usually have a decent selection, and for the longest time, the best prices around. However their counter guys sometimes are VERY uninformed. When looking for a hunting rifle recently, I asked the guy at the counter about various models (including Savage 110 and Stevens 200), he said he didn't know what the 110 was and I might be thinking of some other model, and had never even heard of Stevens! He also didn't know anything about scopes, even what a good brand was. Very bad choice for a guy working at the gun counter, yet this is what I find quite often at Academys.

Cabelas, AWESOME store in regards to selection and knowledgeable staff, however the prices are quite high, and I don't buy too much stuff from them (except my 10/22 cus they're the only ones around that have any). Probably my favorite store to go to and browse though.

Dick's, fairly new to my old hometown, and the first one I went to. Selection is pretty limited (as they only sell rifles, and even then they don't have too many different ones). Though what they do carry they have a lot of, and they can order a LOT more stuff with no extra charge. Prices are actually BETTER than the local Academys. I'm talking about 10% or so generally. The lady I talked to a week ago was VERY knowledgeable, and what she didn't know, she was very eager to hear from me. Very friendly and helpful.

So to me, good prices are great, but knowledgeable and helpful staff are equally if not MORE important. So I like Academy best mainly for selection, but Dick's is right there with them. Cabela's is definitely third. Past that, places like Sportsman's Warehouse and all that don't really matter too much to me.

 

[Gambit88]

I Baught one of my guns from Gander, and the other two from gun shows. I dont really have a bass pro by me so I cant vouch for them, But I like Cabelas as well. Gander does seem to have higher prices on alot of thinks, like 150 for a M44 mosin. Other then that, The used prices seem more then fair. Gander had very helpful and relitively knowlageable salesmen, most of which suggest things on experence. More often then not though, I find myself browsing and priceing at the local range/shop

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I don't know why people gripe about counter help in box stores. You're getting what you aren't paying for.

I don't like any of them. Every time I go to Bass Pro Shops, the counter is flooded with bubbas eyeballing each other like it's the school lunch line.
Dicks is like a ghost town. Hard to get help.
Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart.
K-Mart sold out under pressure from Moore.
etc.

Local Indy shops are where I spend my money, or I buy from classifieds.

 

[chuckusaret]

Gander Mountain has most products that I need and buy, helpful employees, but their prices are outrageous. For example 250 rounds of 40 cal FMJ=$114.95 while the going price in the other local stores ranges from $150 to $175 for 500 rounds. The same with their new weapons , most are priced at the MSRP with no exception.

 

[LoneCoon]

My experience at Dicks has been one of mostly contempt, at least when i was there a few years ago.

Gander Mountain wasn't terribly helpful but I did find a Savage Semi auto 16 gauge for $150 there, so I really can't complain.