16ga.com ~ View topic

They're too big to fail... where have I heard that before?

Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 728

Cabelas probably has some 16 ga Estate left over from last fall when lead prices were sky high. Vote with your feet. Bass Pro and Dick's are selling 1oz 16ga RGL for $6.99. Dick's offers a 10% discount on case quantities (I haven't purchased/asked at Bass Pro). Even my local gun shop which only has 1-1/8oz 16 ga Estate field loads for $7.99/box will throw in two extra boxes if you buy a case. If the 16's at Cabelas sit on the shelf long enought they'll discount them to clear the space.

I also watch the price of 16 ga shells in our area and am disgusted with the price increases. I live in Southern Illinois and don't have as many options as some of you may. My choices are limited to Remington and Winchester shells of the 1 oz variety. We have a number of Walmarts, a Dicks store, one remaining gun shop and a few farm stores called Rural Kings. The Remington shells are regularly priced at $6.99 but go on sale at Dicks, usually in the Fall. The Winchesters are another story. They used to be always a dollar a box more than Remingtons. But no longer. They range from about $9 a box at Walmart to $10.49 at Rural King. The funy thing is the price just keeps increasing on the Winchesters and they are the same shells that were there the week before. I'm in these stores all the time and I know its the same shells. They just keep putting higher price tags on them. Our one remaining gun store has two cases of Winchesters on their shelf. The only 16's they have and I've watched the price increase twice on the same cases. Since the Winchesters are made in Australia, I thought the exchange rate for the dollar had something to do with it. Then, I found two cases at Zanders, a wholesaler in the area, for $6.50 a box. I bought both cases. I don't understand the increases as the price of all raw materials and shipping should have driven the price down. Does anyone have an explanation other than gouging?

Member Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 450 Location: Indiana

Everybody want to get on the band wagon and make a big profit for the big box stores.
Its to bad the Manufactures are geared up to sell in hugh volume at discount prices to the big boys and not the same price to the little business which run the small gunshops out. In the very long run though the mfg. hurt themselves by letting the big chains control them. You see now where we are at. Industry way down. People out of work, and the big chains are still trying to skin every bit of currency form you they can get.

I refuse to shop at many of those places even if prices fell back to reason. Just because the little guy still can't catchup.