A Trip to Cabela's

[djbuck1]

. . . and it wasn't pretty.

The same batch of M91/30s that have been there for weeks is still there, fewer in number, being the ones most cosmetically deficient. No new ones have been put on the rack unless they were, but were immediately snatched up. The outfitters say that's not the case. No new rifles have come in.

And the price is now up to $180, an all time high.

[Lotema]

I was at ours last weekend and it was pretty much the same. Same rifles still there including the 1947 exsniper. Price is $199 though, you guys have it Bette in that regard!

[husker51]

I paid $179.99 twice last year. But decided that was a little high so just shopped around. Sometimes they are as low as $129.99 at Cabela's in the Nebraska locations I frequent. I always miss out on the 5 line rifles. I did get a 1929 Russian 91/30 last year at a Cabela's. My first 3 91/30s from Cabela's were from Ukraine. The rest have been Molots. I haven't been seeing other than mostly wartime produced examples recently.

[Joeinthehills]

With what's happening over there at the present time we'll be lucky to see anything that wasn't in the pipeline already.

I just pray for the people of the Urkaine as that part of the world has seen it's share of harrows for a century.

[Rongo]

I was at ours last weekend and it was pretty much the same. Same rifles still there including the 1947 exsniper. Price is $199 though, you guys have it Bette in that regard!

I would pay that for a 47 dated 91/30.

I hit the new Cablas near home last week & was not impressed. Bought a few small items, browsed the Gun Library, handled a nice RIA 1911 Tactical, fondled the used guns & left.

[Deadheadmatt]

The Boise Cabelas had a few for $179. Nothing special about any of them. I asked the gun library guy if they were received in crates from the distributor and he told me they usually come in boxes of 1 to 2 rifles. One of the rifles had Molot markings, so maybe that's where they are getting them Nevertheless, the guy said he hadn't seen a crate and talked like they never get them that way. I left him my card and told him to call me if a crate does show up.

Matt

[Lotema]

I was at ours last weekend and it was pretty much the same. Same rifles still there including the 1947 exsniper. Price is $199 though, you guys have it Bette in that regard!

I would pay that for a 47 dated 91/30.

I hit the new Cablas near home last week & was not impressed. Bought a few small items, browsed the Gun Library, handled a nice RIA 1911 Tactical, fondled the used guns & left.

Believe me, with my non-ex sniper '47 already in the collection, that ex sniper is really tempting me. Unfortunately I don't get any more gun money from the wife until July 1st. If it's still there then, well, it might just come home with me. I doubt it'll sit there that long though. The stock condition is pitiful and there is some rust on the metal along the woodline. We'll see what happens in July I guess!

[Lotema]

Went to the Cabelas up in Tulalip Wa with some friends last night and surprisingly they had a new batch of 91/30's sitting on the racks. There was something very odd about all of them though, it looked like 80% of them had the years scrubbed off of them. The serial numbers were all still stamped reasonably deep, just couldn't make out the dates on them anymore. It certainly makes me wonder a bit with that batch...

That said, there were two that were at least interesting. One was a 1938 Tula (with decent stampings, one of the few) in a gorgeous dark war time stock. The other was an unknown year Izhevsk in a stock with some really oddball repairs pretty much all over the place. I would have considered that one just because of all the repairs on it. Very interesting.

[djbuck1]

I went back this morning to correct a non-Mosin related mistake. All are neatly arranged awaiting today's crowd. But now, the empty slots that used to be refilled with Mosins are being filled with other used rifles (not milsurps).

[qz2026]

I'll tell you... There are a couple crate buyers on GB that have just as good quality rifles as those for much less and haven't been able to move many in the last several months. Of course there is the shipping and transfer fees to consider. That taken into consideration, if you want one, Cabalas would be such a bad deal. I don't know - seems to balance out. The closest one to me is about 300 miles south. Never been to their gun rooms.

[djbuck1]

There are only a couple of M91/30 refurbs that I am still looking for, but I report on the Hamburg, PA Cabela's as a matter of general information and by way of comparison. And while I don't think that the store is an accurate barometer of Mosin availablity even within their own chain (or is it?), it is interesting (to me) how they have screeched downhill.

The place used to be a nice little honey-hole. I'd say that I bought ten of my dozen ex-dragoons there for about $120 each. And there were always ample "others" on the racks.

But since the beginning of the year, the stock has been going down and prices have been going up. Not so long ago, $120 plus a little luck and you could walk out of there with a very presentable Tula five-line or Izhevsk ex-dragoon. Now, $180 will get you a cosmetically substandard 1942-1943 Izhevsk (and I am talking wood and metal both).

On Sunday, I spoke with a fellow whom I know would have been a first-time buyer if anything halfway decent had been on the racks. But $180 for a milsurp that looks like it was put in a barrel full of sharp rocks and rolled down a long hill? Nuh uh.

Like I said, I basically have all the M91/30 refurbs I want/need, and I was able to secure those without having to buy on-line.** But now, that may be the way of the future, and anyone just starting a collection will be looking at higher costs plus logistical issues. I'm not sure how it could even be done without a C&R.

It may be that this particular store has decided that they just aren't going to deal in Mosins anymore, but they seemed to make a lot of money from them back in the day-- which wasn't long ago. And someone buying a Mosin might pick up all sorts of other goodies while they were in the store. If it's a management decision that is driving this and not a lack of rifles, I'd say that it's a pretty piss poor one.

**If the price was reasonable, and I found an interesting M91/30, I'd probably pick it up, the fact that I have a fair number already notwithstanding. For example, that 1943 Izhevsk "in the white" that I bought on GB. Did I need another 1943 Izhevsk? Not really, but it was interesting and very affordable, so someone made some money, and I'm happy.

But that was on-line.

[zeebill]

The Cabela's at Hamburg is the flagship store of their whole organization and is slightly bigger and maybe better than all the others. That being said I have checked through the library and years ago knew the fellow who was in charge of it. I got a few nice Finn's from there many years ago only because I was a known buyer of them and was called. This doesn't happen any more and they have no real collector Milsurps anymore either. Everything I saw there last year about this time were Molots and mixed around with nothing of interest in anyway. More than likely will be passing through there on Thursday for a quick look see on the way some place else and will check through there at least. Last time through the only thing of interest at all was a K-31 common type for $399 and needless to say I walked out empty handed. Use to like the food there but it has gone sky high so I hit another old SS diner a ways down the road for grub now. Oh JYD this place used to have a Spam and egg sandwich!

I think everyone knows my thoughts on Refurbs but I still look and try to find something very rare but nothing lately comes close. Many of the distributers that handle the Cabela's accounts get their rifles in wooden cases and then send them on to Cabela's in card board boxes one or two to a box. That is the way it works now.

I have great sympathy for any beginning collector as things are way too expensive and the really good stuff is getting very hard to find. But it is very wise to buy fewer of greater value than to buy dozens of marginal collector value only to see them really never get worth much more than you paid for them . I am at the point in life where numbers really don't impress me much, but the quality of those numbers does! Bill

[Tennessee_Mosin]

I think everyone knows my thoughts on Refurbs but I still look and try to find something very rare but nothing lately comes close. Many of the distributers that handle the Cabela's accounts get their rifles in wooden cases and then send them on to Cabela's in card board boxes one or two to a box. That is the way it works now.

I have great sympathy for any beginning collector as things are way too expensive and the really good stuff is getting very hard to find. But it is very wise to buy fewer of greater value than to buy dozens of marginal collector value only to see them really never get worth much more than you paid for them . I am at the point in life where numbers really don't impress me much, but the quality of those numbers does! Bill

Bill I hear you and agree to a extent.I and am a kinda starting collector, but the way I look at it is.
1st is it in my budget I think that is basically everyone here's 1st priority.
2nd is what type of Mosin do I like,I personally don't like the M38's or the 91/30 sniper PU with scope I think they are ugly.But bueaty is in the eye of the beholder.

I did not come into this collecting milsurps to try and make money and invest for future profit.When I'm gone there will be no auction to sell off my guns everything I have will be divided up among my 5 kids.

I have said this before and I will say it again even if it makes some people cringe but this milsurp collecting is exactly the same as collecting vintage pre 1980's baseball and football cards.I was born in 1968 grew up in the 1970's and the 1970's cards is what I used to collect.When I learned more I collected my 1950's and 1960's Mickey Mantle's and Hank Aaron's Ted Williams and even had some Babe Ruth Cards I found in a Dumpster but that is another story.

You guy's are searching for that rare 1952 Topps Micky Mantle in someones attic that is near mint condition.That you can send off to get graded by a outside source and then it is worth mega $$$$ the grading of baseball cards is what drove me out of the hobby even though I still have 100,000 thousands of cards still left.I have been selling them off the last 10 years and replacing them with different type of guns that interest me.

So Bill you are at a point in your collecting that now you are looking for that T206 1906 Honus Wagner Rifle I really hope you find it.Here is a link you might find interesting. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/91409 ... ction-mark


The main thing is do this milsurp collecting for fun because all it will ever be is a hobby.

[husker51]

I hear you Tennessee. But I get into the history of these old rifles! I have learned more about the Russians than I ever planned on. Plus I developed a soft spot for Mosin Nagants. I just focus on WWII rifles for now. Its nice to know that there are so many more options in collecting Mosin Nagants though. I also learned a lot more about Finland. Never planned on that either!

[Tennessee_Mosin]

I hear you Tennessee. But I get into the history of these old rifles! I have learned more about the Russians than I ever planned on. Plus I developed a soft spot for Mosin Nagants. I just focus on WWII rifles for now. Its nice to know that there are so many more options in collecting Mosin Nagants though. I also learned a lot more about Finland. Never planned on that either!

Yes Yes Yes the history is what attracted me to milsurps.

I have always loved history and like you said I have already learned more about Russian's than I every thought I would.

I basically quit collecting cards in 1985.But boy I had a lot!! I am now almost to the point I am going to put them all in a lot and sell them in one big auction.I have basically got rid of all my valuable stuff.

[Gunowner99]

That's a high price!

[zeebill]

I had the coveted Mickey Mantle rookie card at one time and when I went away to camp for the summer we moved and it stayed behind Oh they also left my American Flyer electric trains and my Signed Mantle bat behind too! So the kids who moved in would have toys to play with! They were all in a large toy box in the cellar my Dad built by hand. I can still see that thing in dreams and I always wake up crying! I also never had a chance to say goodbye to all my school chums and neighbors either. I just reacquainted myself with one I had not talked to in 52 years at a High School reunion last year in NJ. I somehow never forgave my Mom for that even late in life I still think about it and wonder what was in her mind for doing it?

My guns will all go to a guy with two kids that loves to shoot and so do they, my kids are not into guns at all. No auction he gets everything associated with guns I own period. That way I am sure they will be shot and more than likely at least kept in the same family. They can raise their kids the same way and they may be shot and enjoyed for generations I hope! That will be my legacy I guess. Bill

[Tennessee_Mosin]

Thanks for sharing that Bill,I really respect that.

Look at this link for a Mickey Mantle Rookie card http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251535504178?lpid=82

[bunkysdad]

I know Bill probably remembers last year when I walked into Cabela's at just the right time and found my New England Westinghouse Finn M91 for 120.00! It was just one of those freaky things that may never happen again. When I picked it up and looked at it I never put it back down.

[Gunowner99]

Bought my 2 there. Both under $129 as I recall.