I hadn't been to Cabela's since the announced merger with Bass Pro. I burned all my Club points and never looked back. I'd been to several Bass Pros in the past and had an idea of what was coming. Well, I happened to need something that Cabela's had in store and figured I'd pop in see how the store had changed. It was honestly so much worse than I thought.


1.Guns and Ammo aka "Hunting". What a shell of it's former self. Maybe an aisle and a half of shotgun ammo, some rifle, and (maybe) 3 different handgun calibers. All guns wearing hideous trigger locks. Most rifles looked bolt action, most shotguns looked pump, and the majority of handguns were black powder revolver or derringer type. The counter area that used to be filled with pistols was now mostly scopes spread out to fill out the space.  Honestly Dicks has more ammo then this Cabela's. No bins around the aisles filled with 556 or 22LR.

2.  Bargain Cave. Gone and replaced with archery targets and accessories. Honestly I had heard the cave was gone but they replaced it with nothing?

3.  Fresh fudge.  Gone. The little general store with food and fudge is filled with fleece blankets you'll never buy and scented candles.

4.  Black Rifle Coffee. Everywhere. Every where you look. Black Rifle Coffee tables and aisle endcaps. Dosent matter the department, you'll find Black Rifle Coffee.

Just close already. Opening in Hoffman Estates was a mistake to begin with anyway. I'm sure the Cook county firearm and bullet tax did their guns and ammo sales no favors. I see no point in ever returning.

Lol at you expecting to find 5.56 and .22LR at all let alone bins full of it.

I have a friend that works there and he says they are still getting their regular ammo shipments.  There are 50 guys waiting outside for the doors to open every morning and the shelves are bare 5 minutes after the store opens, even with limits on how many boxes people can purchase.  Guns have been flying off the shelves for the last 5 months.

Cabelas always had those even at height of panic circa 2008. You just could only buy one box and pay their price.

The bass pro in East Peoria has all of the things you say are missing from the store you visited with the exception of bargain cave. Tons of rifles and pistols of all types. Maybe it’s the shit county and not the name on the front of the store. Doesn’t explain the missing fudge...

<----  Last time I was in the Bolingbrook store it was loaded with pistols of every description, and a few black rifles IIRC.  I suspect it's just particular to the Hoffman store being in a lib hell hole.

I haven't been there in about a year, but things went down hill.
Having their credit card means nothing anymore.  They used to send good offers for you to use in-store before BPS took over.
Now they rarely come in the mail, and it seems when they do, most things in the store are "off sale" and firearms are exempt from the discounts.
Most discounts are laughable.
The closing of the "bargain cave" was nutty too.  I don't know what they now do with returned or discontinued stuff.
Most of the gun guys years ago there would give you $25 off a used gun if you really were a buyer and not a tire kicker.
Not anymore.
The decision to locate in Crook Co. was a big corporate mistake.  (admittedly made by Cabela's not BPS)
The gun/ammo tax starting in 2013??, really made most firearms purchases not financially worth it.
I notice it's hard to find any discounted BPS/Cabela's gift cards, like there used to be on ebay ($80-85 for a $100 card), or with Discover Card points.
The new IL state licensing bill I think has also complicated things there.  (unnecessarily)
Online, even when I have a coupon, Cabela's won't let me buy magazines or even let me buy a gun with pickup in store, the last time I tried.
There aren't many good used guns anymore.  I think when they first opened, people in the geographical area had older guns that their families had that they would bring in for cash.  I think that market has dried up.  They would need new customers coming in  to make that surge 2008-2015? happen again.   I was always excited to see the old rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns, and would often drive quite a ways once a week or less to check out the constantly changing inventory, hoping not to miss out on someone's recently turned in collection.
Last few years things like that rarely happened.
It was one of the few local gun shops where used inventory would change, and new stuff come in.  Those days are gone apparently.
The gun counter used to be full of people buying.
I'm sure the pandemic/riots/election year, has kept it going this year, but I think the future for their gun dept. is grim, especially when state legislators with their super majorities in both the IL House & Senate get started passing stuff like the FOID fingerprint scam and gun bans by types.

they have quite a few guns in stock, plenty of match ammo and hunting calibers. no 22,223 or 9mm though (I visit the store once a week)

Good supply of quality 6.5CM if anyone needs it.

That’s everywhere. Big box stores aren’t the place to be buying ammo right now in my experience.

I made the mistake of shopping there once.  When I got home I looked at the receipt and saw the ~10% sales tax.  

I was driving to the cabelas in IN but no longer since the merger.  My kids did enjoy the huge fish tanks and laser range.

store has been sad and useless since they closed the second floor.

Damnit! I just got a $50 gift card to Cabela's.

take it to Bass Pro and you're good.

When that happened I was glad they didnt just close. Now i wish they had.

Won't matter to me Bolingbrook Bass Pro is easier for me to get to anyway.

Did they ever open the upstairs again? I havent been in years but I remember when they first opened the upstairs was actually utilized and the gun counter was there. The closed it for "construction" i think and then just never put anything back upstairs

Been a while but not open last time I was there. I seem to recall reading something about reopening not happening had something to do with extra cook county "stuff"  going to make it cost prohibitive.  They may have been doing some CCL classes up there though.

No retail space upstairs to reduce taxable space. Shooting gallery, classroom, taxidermy display, and restaurant, (closed),are upstairs still.

I stopped going when they got rid of the bargain cave.

Is it easier to order ammo online at Cabelas or is it still a pain, where you have to order, call, wait, get transferred, then get approved, and then get email two days later that says out of inventory?  They had an update to site, so I was checking to see if they have made it easier for FOID members. I actually can’t figure out how to find any ammunition in stock, so that I could test this.

They've since streamlined the process. Per the website, they no longer sell ammo online to IL.

Just close already. Opening in Hoffman Estates was a mistake to begin with anyway. I'm sure the Cook county firearm and bullet tax did their guns and ammo sales no favors. I see no point in ever returning.


I concur...I live in Palos Heights. Been to the Hoffman 2 times since they been open. Never would have built a store in Illinois .....Ever. Had $80 in gift cards, Used them on a wet tumbler. They had it with in a week .    BTY Never will go back to a case vibrator these cases come like GOLD!.

At least you are closer to the one in Hammond anyway.

I usually stop at Hoffman Estates as it is on the way back from GAT and not much of a detour from DSA

Why would you open a store dedicated to hunting, shooting, and general outdoor sports, in Cook fucking county IL.?

I live about 8-10 minutes from Cabelas,haven't been there in months.

Got my first gun there back in 07. Got a nice used Beretta 92FS for $350. A used AK for like $200. I used to love going there when the upstairs was open. Now it's a ghost town with overpriced clothing and camping gear. I still have around $400 cabela's bucks that I have to use.