Kynoch
member
If you could have any one of these national chain stores close to your own home, which would you choose for some of your firearms and accessories purchases? Please add your own favorite if it's not on the list.
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OTASCO is what we called them in Arkansas. One was next door to the Safeway where I worked after school.....I bought many a box of .22's from that Otasco.zoom6zoom I think the last time I bought a gun from a chain store was from Oklahoma Tire & Supply back in the early 80's. I prefer to deal with locals.
The only Academy I know of around here opened not too long ago. I haven't been there yet.
There's 2 Bass Pro Shops within a reasonable difference, the one I've been in didn't impress me much firearms wise, but they did stock a few brands of firearms that I typically don't see at Cabelas unless Cabelas has a used model they've taken in. Bass Pro's reloading section was a bit better than Cabelas in some aspects but not worth the further drive for me.
The local Dick's never carried anything I'd call good quality years ago when I would go in there, haven't been back in 7-8 years and don't think I ever will.
I don't go into a Wal Mart too often but the ones I do shop at from time to time don't carry firearms, just limited selections of ammo. Back when the Wal Marts close to me did carry firearms I received a Remington 870 20ga for my 13th birthday, that's been 16+ years. Some in my area still carry them, but they're the furthest away (30+ miles) and not worth the drive.
Gander, Sportman's Guide, and Sportman's Warehouse may as well not exist for me, don't think there's any within a 50+ mile radius.
I prefer Cabela's. It's close. Great selection on new and used. More calibers, brands, types, and quantities of ammo than any local gun shop around here has ever thought about carrying. Prices aren't always great but they're typically reasonable. I can always find the firearm I'm looking for at an LGS cheaper, but I might have to visit 5 shops to find the lower price, and with the price of gas these days....Their guys at the gun counter aren't always the most knowledgable, but I'm okay with that. When I want a new firearm I typically know exactly what I want, and if I dont, well Al Gore invented the Internet so I can find out what I want to know. I've never had a Cabela's employee treat with with anything less than a great deal of respect either. I can't say that about some of my local gun shops. There's one LGS that I've spent what I consider a good bit of money at, usually because they had a good price on a firearm. But every time I go in there these days the employees act like I'm burdening them. The couple local shops that always treat EVERY customer right, well they seem to run out of stock all the time.