Cabela's Ammo Sale

[Vortex]

Well it's not technically just an ammo sale, but I thought this title might get more attention going into a slow Fourth of July weekend.

I'm a long time reader, first time poster and was waiting for something that would be worthy of starting a thread. I'm posting this under "General Discussion" as I think it's more about "What's Going On" in terms of a Cabela's Sale than it is about ammo. I guess the Mods will move it if I'm getting started off on the wrong foot.

Anyway, here's the story. Driving back from Harrisburg on Saturday (6/23), it seems almost sacrilegious to drive back on 78 and not stop at the Cabela's in Hamburg. The Readers Digest version of the story is that the Greeters (through an odd series of unrelated events) convince me that there will be an automatic deduction of $30 on any sale of $150 or more. No credit card application required, applies store wide and only payment by gift card is excluded.

I was only stopping on general principle and it seems like I now have the challenge of scraping together a purchase of at least $150. What's the one thing you can never have too much of? That's right . . . . Ammo !!! So I wander over to the gun department and spy an endcap of Federal Power Shok rifle ammo. Let's see, what looks interesting? A 20 round box of new manufactured .30-30 (150 gr SP FN, 170 gr SP RN) is on sale for $7.99. Huh???

Well the quickest way to put an end to this foolishness is to actually try to buy the ammo (at this price) and see if they will let me leave the store with it (plus the $30 discount). I pick out a mix of twenty boxes and sail throught the checkout line (automatic $30 deduction) without so much as the door hitting me as I leave. Hmmmm, that was too easy. So I get another twenty boxes and try again with the same credit card. Same result and the cashier advises me that there will be an automatic $30 deduction without me having to ask.

I'll leave it up to the math majors and the accountants to figure out the true cost basis of this ammo, but it feels like I'm getting .30-30 ammo at .45 ACP prices. Of course there is always a catch and when I go back for the third time I run into trouble. It seems that I have bought all the .30-30 Power Shok on the endcap and there doesn't seem to be any more inventory in the store at the moment.

What to do, what to do? I wind up picking out a TruGlo 2X Red/Green 42mm Four Reticle Dot Scope. Arrrrrrgh . . . . it's only $149.99. I can see now the Gods are against me for tempting fate. Some quick thinking on my part, add a $3 replacement battery and I'm golden again (another $30 discount). The store closes at 9:00 pm while I'm in the checkout line for the third time and this puts me out of my misery. Had I stopped at Cabela's on the way out to Harrisburg, I don't think I would have ever made it to Harrisburg.

So what else was on the endcap, you ask? I went back yesterday (to confirm it wasn't all just a dream), picked up another thirty boxes of .30-30 (cleared the shelf again), two bricks of Aquila .22 LR (amongst other things) and wrote down the following prices:

07.99 (11.89) .30-30 . . . . 150 gr or 170 gr
09.99 (15.99) .270 Win . . 130 gr
09.99 (14.99) .30-06 . . . . 180 gr
09.99 (15.99) .308 Win . . 150 gr

16.99 (21.99) .300 Win Short Mag . . 180 gr
12.99 (17.89) .300 Win Mag . . . . . . 150 gr Speer Hot Cor

All the Power Shok ammo was marked Soft Point and the few boxes I opened appeared to be semi-jacketed as well. (Perhaps redundant on the semi-jacketed, but I'm not that familiar with .270 Win or .300 Win rifle ammo.) The first price is the sale price and the price in parenthesis is what they have marked as the regular price.

A few caveats. By my observation, they had at most between 25 to 50 boxes on the shelf of any single caliber (Federal Power Shok endcap). When I asked, they said no more in the back and the computer says none in transit (basically Cabela-Speak for we don't have any more and don't expect to get anymore.) Yet three days later the empty .30-30 shelf had more .30-30 before I emptied it again the second time (YMMV of course). Multiple adult assistants would appear to streamline the checkout process (each taking a $150 chunk), unless of course they want the same ammo you do.

And the the number one caveat (with apologies to David Letterman), the $30 off of a $150 purchase ends July 4th 2007. From the Cabela's web site -

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...lasflyers/0hg/

Since there's a good chance that the above URL got trashed, to check the Hamburg Cabela's flyer, go to http://www.cabelas.com and select the Hamburg store under "Choose a Location". Click on the link to "Cabela's Fourth of July Sale Circular" and then zoom in on the first page where it says "Take $30 Off".

The moral to the story is that it's basically a 20% off sale (for anything) if you can group your purchases into chunks of $150. It doesn't work so well if your purchase is a single item for say $500, but the savings will still pay for your gas to get there (and then some). Anybody that has been to Cabela's will tell you that weekdays are better than weekends as far as checkout lines are concerned. Also, go early in the day and run the risk of bankrupting yourself with savings, go later in the day and you may get there five minutes after the knucklehead in front of you cleared off the shelf (D'oh !!!).

[PisnNapalm]

I just got a flyer in the mail yesterday that says the $30 off deal goes until July 15th. Perhaps it's a general deal until the 4th but with this flyer you can get one $30 discount until the 15th.

My problem is that I live nearly an hour and a half away. Gas alone would cost me about $30 to get there and back. Shazbot!


EDIT:: I forgot. Nice story you posted up there BTW. I found it amusing.

[MarcS]

hmm. there's some good hiking in the area that's worth the hour and a half drive. Go there with some family. Grab 1000 rounds of 223, get discount. dad grabs 1000 rounds of 7.62, gets discount....mom grabs 1000 rounds of 9mm....gets discount. We all meet back at the car, i square up with everyone and save $90.

Sounds good to me.

[ChamberedRound]

Nice find, now I have to come up with an excuse to go up there

[rev214]

MarcS, where do you hike in the area?

hour-and-a-half trip for me as well,
but i'll always tie it in with the kutztown festival weekend...tell my wife its only up the road a few minutes...

[MarcS]

Originally Posted by rev214

MarcS, where do you hike in the area?

hour-and-a-half trip for me as well,
but i'll always tie it in with the kutztown festival weekend...tell my wife its only up the road a few minutes...

It's right by a stretch of the AT which includes the pinnacle and pulpit, also hawk mountain.

[XD45]

i'm about 45min to an hour from cabelas in wheeling... i'll probably try to get down there tomorrow, i got the flyer in the mail the other day

[dnar]

Thanks Vortex for the info!

I will need to go to Cabela's in the near future to get bulk ammo. I need 1500 rounds of pistol ammunition and 1000 rounds of carbine ammunition for a 5 day Pistol/Carbine course that I will be taking at Blackwater in North Carolina this coming Fall.

Take care,

Rand

[carterbeauford]

The store in Wheeling is in a nicer location, planning on going down there and getting some .223 components.

They KNOW if they send me a $20 or $30 coupon, I can't NOT buy from them, good scheme they have going on.

[rev214]

The store in Wheeling is in a nicer location, planning on going down there and getting some .223 components.

i agree...i stopped there on the way to zanesville OH last year...come to think of it, i stopped on my way back, too...