Indiana's Cabela's

[ARGarrison]

Indiana's first Cabela's is ready for it's grand opening this Friday Oct. 19th in Hammond IN. I got to go there today and have a look around. I'll say it is nice to have a store in Indiana, but having been to the Owatonna and Dundee store, well the Hammod store is small. I feared the worst a clothing store with a tackle and gun counter. I was relived to see it wasn't so.

This store has the the camo clothing, archery and firearms departments are all on the second floor/balcony. They have a great setection of ammo. Incontrast they had what I thought a poor selection of reloading stuff. The Lafayette Sportsman's Warhouse may have me spoiled.

They have an aquarium, the conservation mountian, and a small african animal section (including a elephant and rhino). They had a room called "Deer County". It had Bucks and Does taken from around Indiana from Switzerland County to White County. They had both typical and non typical racks displayed.

I'll say the store is nice. It is not the catalog come to life, but the Dundee and Owatonna store didn't have everything in them either.

 

[Hypnogator]

They're opening a new store near Hartford, CT, this weekend also. According to the news, the CT state police are expecting traffic jams clear to MA!

 

[Plumber576]

If Cabella's turns into Bass Pro, being small and having a weak gun counter...I will lose faith.

 

[lionken07]

Im going to the one in CT soon. I hope they have a good selection of ammo and are decent price too. That way it give us more options than getting them at walmart or online.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Cabela's has cost me a lot of money over the years. (I even have a Cabela's Club Visa. ) The store in Glendale is celebrating its first anniversary. It has a large gun counter with a decent selection, albeit a bit higher ($20 or so for a given gun) than the other locally owned stores, and I could wish for a few more brands of handguns. (For instance, they have no CZs -- a brand I am very interested in right now -- or Springfields.) Ammo prices are not as cheap as Wal-Mart, although the S&B is roughly the same as WWB. But, you can just take it off the shelf and up to the cash registers, unlike Wal-Mart where you have to wait -- and wait, and wait -- for someone with the key to the ammo cabinets.

 

[El Tejon]

Wait, hasn't it been open for months??? I was there in August.

Was I at a Bass Pro??? Where the heck was I anyhow?

 

[damien]

If Cabella's turns into Bass Pro, being small and having a weak gun counter...I will lose faith.

The brand spanking new Cabela's in Hoffman Estates sells AR's and M-1As. They have a very good selection of CCW guns and a decent used selection. Of course they have a fantastic selection of sporting rifles and shotguns. I don't think Cabela's is going soft on us like Bass Pro.

I should note that the Bass Pro in the Chicagoland area has Beretta 92s for $449 and Beretta 92 Inoxs Stainless Steel for $549. So they have some good points, even if their selection stinks.

 

[Seancass]

how would you compare their gun selection to that of Sportsmans Warhouse? that place has me really spoiled too. and i love it. they guys there are sick of seeing me all the time and i never buy anything, gun wise that is.

 

[strat81]

The two Cabela's I've been to in Nebraska have left me very unimpressed. Guns and ammo were both over priced and the service was terrible. Scheel's was much nicer and the sales guys there aren't uppity or look at me like I'm a martian when I ask for Winchester small pistol primers.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

I had to settle for a Gander Mt.:banghead:

 

[ARGarrison]

El Tejon, Cabela's is just south of I-80 at US 41 South Hammond/North Highland area. The traffic light turning into the drive way was a SNAFUed mess. Two turn lanes on US 41, but neither one open and workers trying to hang lights. They dedicate the store today and unveil the tarpped brass sulpture out front. Hope Micth is there to see the traffic mess. Bass Pro has a new store at La Porte I think.

Seancass, The firearms are in step with Sportsman's. Didn't look at the prices that close, but seam to think the few handguns I looked at were in line. They did have at least one CZ in the gun counter. The one new rifle, I remember was the short barreled Springfield M1A $1,500 something. Yes they do have ARs. They do have used rifles in a new store. Gave them the quick once over. The Gun Library was stocked more so than the one in Owatonna when I was there. Oh, to have money. A nice broomhandle mauser in 30 Mauser with stock. A first generation Colt SAA. A Colt Buntline in a presitaion case.

I belive Cabela's have the Warehouse beat on ammo selection. I remember seeing the big three as well as Blackhills, Hornady, Wolf and S&B. Could have been more. Shotgun ammo stock was double that of the Warehouse, easy.

I didn't see a single primer. May have had them hide from me. The powder selection was, well, a joke. Maybe spoiled by the Warehouse, but I think I could have put it all in one cart and that is including Muzzleloader powder too. They had no reloader set up, but had stacks of Lee anversery kits. They had lots of shotshell wads, but never seen any lead shot.

Stopped at the Gander Mountian in Merellville on the way back. I don't see it staying open long with Cabela's so close now. Their gun prices $10 or more than Cabela's, but it wasn't like the Gander Mountian in Indy/Castleton in the first place.

 

[ARGarrison]

I'll admit when I'm wrong. Bass Pro has a store in Portage, IN. At least I got the Port part right.

Looking over Cabela's web site the Hammond store is 185,000 sqft. That is bigger than Owatonna, but not as big as Dundee at 225,000 sqft. I guess the size of the second floor/loft is bigger than I thought. I will say if you haven't seen a Cabela's store it's well worth seeing.

 

[Soap]

That's awesome that one opened relatively close by. I've already spent an insane amount of cash at Sportsman's and the Cabela's in West Virginia...I don't need to take any roadtrip up to Hammond in 2007!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I might also mention that they have racks of used rifles and shotguns just sitting in the middle of the floor. Although they have trigger locks on them, they are not even tethered. Handguns and more collectible long guns are in the Gun Room.

And I just got a flyer in the mail for up to $100 off a Club Visa purchase.