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- Treat every gun as loaded
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target and what’s beyond
Bass Pro Shops is the Springfield, Missouri, outdoor chain that Johnny Morris started in 1972 in the back of his father’s liquor store. Today it runs nearly 200 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s stores across North America, and both websites sell guns you pick up at one of those stores. So is Bass Pro a good place to buy a gun online, who actually owns it, and are its prices any good?
To find out, I read its return, firearm, price match, rewards and discount pages on October 25, 2026, went through the Cabela’s merger filings at the SEC and Bass Pro’s own press releases, checked its Trustpilot profiles, and then used our own retailer feed, which tracks prices at the stores in our best online gun stores ranking. That let me compare its prices on 34 identical new guns.
Last updated October 25, 2026
Table of Contents
Bass Pro Shops Review: The Short Answer
Our Rating: 7/10
Pros
- Nearly 200 Bass Pro and Cabela’s stores, and online gun orders ship to a store for pickup
- 60-day returns on most gear, at either chain, whichever one you bought from
- Matched or beat the lowest price on 13 of 34 identical new guns, including most of the Sig Sauer pistols we checked
- 5% off guns and ammo for military, police, fire and EMS
Cons
- Higher than the cheapest rival on 21 of 34 new guns, up to 25% on one shotgun
- Only new guns sell online, and only for pickup at a Bass Pro store
- No returns on guns or ammo
- Scores 2 (Bass Pro) and 1.4 (Cabela’s) on Trustpilot, with no replies to complaints
Yes, Bass Pro Shops is legit. It’s a privately held company that bought Cabela’s in a deal first valued at about $5.5 billion, every gun goes through a licensed counter and a background check, and online gun orders ship free to its stores. It’s at its best for hunters near a store: you get a huge range of shotguns and rifles, staff at the counter, and a 60-day return window on everything except guns, ammo and a few other items. On price it came within $2 of the lowest price on most Glock and Sig Sauer pistols, but it ran higher on shotguns and some handguns, and the whole basket came to 5.7 percent over the cheapest store for each gun.
Bass Pro Shops at a Glance
| Headquarters | 2500 E. Kearney St., Springfield, Missouri (Bass Pro and Cabela’s) |
| Founded | 1972, by Johnny Morris |
| Owner | Privately held; Bass Pro bought Cabela’s in 2017 |
| Stores | Nearly 200 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s locations in North America |
| Listings in our feed | 4,138 guns and 1,137 ammo listings |
| Gun shipping | New guns only, shipped free to a Bass Pro store for pickup |
| Returns | No guns or ammo; most other gear 60 days, at either chain |
| Rewards | Outdoor Rewards, about 2% back in points; CLUB Mastercard 2% to 5% |
| Trustpilot | Bass Pro 2 (385 reviews), Cabela’s 1.4 (459 reviews), October 25, 2026 |
| Our rating | 7/10: best for hunters near a store, average on price |
Who Owns Bass Pro Shops?
Bass Pro Shops is still privately owned. “Bass Pro Shops is privately owned and stock is not offered,” its help center says. The parent company has gone by two names in public filings. In Cabela’s 2017 merger proxy it’s Bass Pro Group, LLC, “a privately-held Delaware limited liability company that serves as the holding company for the operations of Bass Pro Shops, White River Marine Group and Big Cedar Lodge,” per the proxy statement. In a 2020 SEC filing, it was the Great American Outdoors Group, described as the parent of Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, White River Marine Group and a group of nature resorts.
Here’s what sits under that parent company, from the filings and Bass Pro’s own press releases:
- Cabela’s. Bass Pro agreed to buy Cabela’s on October 3, 2016 at $65.50 a share, about $5.5 billion. The price was cut to $61.50, and the deal closed on September 25, 2017, per Cabela’s final SEC filing. Goldman Sachs and Pamplona Capital committed $2.38 billion in preferred equity to help pay for it, per the proxy.
- White River Marine Group. Johnny Morris launched the first Bass Tracker boat package in 1978. The boat group now includes Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Sun Tracker, Regency, Ascend, Tahoe, Triton, Mako, Hatteras and Hobie. It bought Hatteras in 2021 and Hobie in 2025. It also sells Tracker Off Road ATVs, built with Textron.
- Resorts. Big Cedar Lodge in the Missouri Ozarks, and Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, Florida, which Bass Pro bought in June 2026. On October 14, 2026, it announced a partnership with Schulte Hospitality Group to run Cheeca alongside the nearby Islander Resort.
- Mack’s Prairie Wings, the Stuttgart, Arkansas, waterfowl outfitter, joined Bass Pro in a partnership announced in May 2024.
Two things are linked to Bass Pro but aren’t owned by it. Capital One issues the CLUB Mastercard; it bought Cabela’s credit card business when the merger closed. And Wonders of Wildlife, Dogwood Canyon and Top of the Rock are run by Johnny Morris’ not-for-profit foundation, not by the company. One more you’ll read about online: Bass Pro’s parent agreed to buy Sportsman’s Warehouse in 2020, but the deal was called off on December 2, 2021, after FTC pushback, so the two chains are separate. Our Sportsman’s Warehouse review has that story.
Is Bass Pro Shops Legit?
Yes. Bass Pro is one of the biggest outdoor retailers in North America, and every gun it sells is handed over at a licensed counter in one of its stores, where you fill out the federal form and pass a background check. Online, “Bass Pro Shops will ship it to your nearest Bass Pro Shops retail store for pickup,” per its firearm FAQ. It never ships a gun to your door.
Its online reviews are poor, though. Bass Pro scores 2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 385 reviews, and Cabela’s scores 1.4 from 459. Neither profile is claimed, and neither company replied to any of the recent negative reviews we read. More on what those reviews say below.
Selection: Hunting Guns, Collectibles and Used Guns
Bass Pro had 4,138 guns in our feed on October 25, 2026. To test the range, I searched our feed for the same 42 models we used in our Guns.com review, from the Glock 19 to rare collectibles. Bass Pro had 31 of the 42. Only Guns.com, with 41, had more. Bass Pro had every popular model on the list, plus collectibles like the Colt Python, Colt Single Action Army, M1 Garand and M1 Carbine. The misses included the Luger P08, HK P7, Sig P210 and FN FAL.
Used guns are the surprise. Our feed doesn’t flag any Bass Pro listing as used, but 316 of its listings carry a different style of name, like “Ruger ~ Mark II ~ .22 Long Rifle” or “Winchester ~ U.S. Rifle M1 Garand (mfg. May 1944).” Many are models that went out of production years ago, so they’re used or collector guns, at an average of $1,080. Bass Pro’s help center also says most stores can appraise and buy or trade in a used gun.
New Gun Prices vs Other Stores: 34 Identical Models
Bass Pro’s feed doesn’t list the maker’s model number, so I matched 34 new guns by hand: same model, caliber, capacity, barrel and finish. Then I compared Bass Pro with the cheapest other store in our feed on the same day. A gap of $1 or less counts as a tie.
Bass Pro was lower on 3, tied on 10 and higher on 21. Bought there, the whole basket comes to $21,279.73. Bought at the cheapest store for each gun, it comes to $20,127.58, so Bass Pro ran 5.7 percent over. When it was higher, the median gap was 7.9 percent.
The pattern follows the gun. On models sold at a fixed advertised price, Bass Pro stayed close to the field: 4 of the 6 Glocks were tied or within $2, and 4 of the 6 Sig Sauer pistols were tied. Shotguns were its weak spot, which is odd for a store built around hunting. The Benelli M2 Field ran 17 to 17.3 percent over in three versions, and a Winchester SXP Defender cost $349.99 against $279.99. Its best result was a Taurus G3C at $249.99, 10.7 percent under the next store.
| Gun | Bass Pro Shops | Cheapest other store | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glock 19 Gen6 | $620.00 | $620.00 (Brownells, MidwayUSA) | Tied |
| Glock 19 Gen6 with Aimpoint COA | $1,059.99 | $1,053.00 (MidwayUSA, KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 0.7% higher |
| Glock 43X | $449.99 | $448.00 (MidwayUSA, Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 0.4% higher |
| Glock 43X MOS | $485.00 | $484.00 (MidwayUSA, Sportsman’s Guide) | Tied |
| Glock 48 | $449.99 | $448.00 (MidwayUSA, Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 0.4% higher |
| Glock 48 MOS | $499.99 | $484.00 (Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 3.3% higher |
| Sig P365 XL, X-Ray3, 12+1 | $679.99 | $629.99 (Sportsman’s WH, KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 7.9% higher |
| Sig P365 XL manual safety | $679.99 | $629.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 7.9% higher |
| Sig P365-XL Comp .380 | $729.99 | $729.99 (Brownells) | Tied |
| Sig P320-M18, 10+1 | $699.99 | $699.99 (Brownells, Sportsman’s WH) | Tied |
| Sig P365-XMACRO, X-Ray3, 17+1 | $729.99 | $729.99 (MidwayUSA, Sportsman’s Guide) | Tied |
| Sig P365 X-Macro manual safety, 17+1 | $729.99 | $729.99 (MidwayUSA) | Tied |
| S&W M&P9 Shield Plus, no thumb safety | $399.99 | $399.00 (Brownells) | Tied |
| S&W 642 No Internal Lock | $549.99 | $506.58 (MidwayUSA) | Bass Pro 8.6% higher |
| S&W 642 Ultimate Carry | $659.99 | $629.00 (MidwayUSA) | Bass Pro 4.9% higher |
| Springfield Hellcat OSP 9mm, 10+1 | $599.99 | $554.99 (MidwayUSA) | Bass Pro 8.1% higher |
| Springfield XD-M Elite OSP 10mm 4.5-inch, black | $619.99 | $589.99 (Brownells) | Bass Pro 5.1% higher |
| Springfield XD-M Elite OSP 10mm 3.8-inch Compact | $619.99 | $627.99 (MidwayUSA) | Bass Pro 1.3% lower |
| Springfield XD-M Elite OSP 10mm 4.5-inch, FDE | $669.99 | $629.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 6.3% higher |
| Ruger LCP MAX, black nitride | $329.99 | $329.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | Tied |
| Ruger MAX-9 | $249.99 | $243.99 (KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 2.5% higher |
| Taurus G3C, 12+1 | $249.99 | $279.99 (EuroOptic) | Bass Pro 10.7% lower |
| Taurus GX4 Carry T.O.R.O., 15+1 | $299.99 | $269.99 (EuroOptic) | Bass Pro 11.1% higher |
| Ruger Wrangler, silver Cerakote | $219.99 | $199.99 (Sportsman’s Guide) | Bass Pro 10% higher |
| Ruger Wrangler, black Cerakote | $219.99 | $215.00 (MidwayUSA) | Bass Pro 2.3% higher |
| Ruger Wrangler, burnt bronze | $219.99 | $220.22 (KYGunCo) | Tied |
| Henry Classic Large Loop .22 | $379.99 | $399.99 (Sportsman’s WH) | Bass Pro 5% lower |
| Mossberg 500 All-Purpose Field 12 ga (56420) | $429.99 | $409.99 (EuroOptic) | Bass Pro 4.9% higher |
| Winchester SXP Defender 12 ga | $349.99 | $279.99 (Sportsman’s Outdoor) | Bass Pro 25% higher |
| Beretta A300 Ultima 12 ga, black | $899.00 | $899.00 (KYGunCo) | Tied |
| Beretta A300 Ultima 20 ga, black | $899.00 | $829.99 (EuroOptic) | Bass Pro 8.3% higher |
| Benelli M2 Field 12 ga 28-inch, black | $1,499.00 | $1,280.99 (KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 17% higher |
| Benelli M2 Field 20 ga 28-inch, black | $1,499.00 | $1,280.99 (KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 17% higher |
| Benelli M2 Field 12 ga 28-inch, Mossy Oak Bottomland | $1,599.00 | $1,362.99 (KYGunCo) | Bass Pro 17.3% higher |
Does the Bass Pro Price Match Help?
Bass Pro’s price match promises, in its own words, “We refuse to be beaten by any price currently offered by a local retailer or on a qualifying website.” That’s from the summary of its price match page, as of July 2025, the last version we could read. Which websites qualify is up to Bass Pro, so ask before you count on it. Its pricing policy also says “No rain checks,” and it can cancel an order if a price was listed in error.
If a match works, it closes the gaps in the table above. The stores that beat Bass Pro most often in our check were MidwayUSA on 7 guns, Sportsman’s Warehouse on 4 and KYGunCo on 4, so ask whether those count. A $70 gap on a pump shotgun is worth asking about. For more ways to pay less, see our guide to buying guns online for less.
Buying a Gun From Bass Pro Online
Bass Pro only sells new guns online. You pick the gun, and it ships to your nearest Bass Pro Shops store for pickup, per its firearm FAQ. If the gun you want isn’t online, the store can check whether a special order is possible. Used guns are sold at the stores.
- Shipping is free. Ship-to-store orders carry no shipping charge, per Bass Pro’s ship-to-store page, which we could last read in January 2025. It said orders arrive within 5 to 10 business days.
- Bring ID. You need a printed copy of the order confirmation and a valid photo ID, and you pass the background check at the counter.
- Pick up on time. If you miss the pickup date in your “ready for pickup” email, the order goes back to the warehouse and you get a refund.
- Plan on a store. Bass Pro’s firearm FAQ only describes shipping guns to its own stores, so you need one within driving distance. See our FFL transfer guide for how buying from other online stores works.
Bass Pro vs Cabela’s: Is There a Difference?
They’re the same company. Both chains share a headquarters in Springfield, the same returns policy, the same Outdoor Rewards points and the same CLUB Mastercard. “You may return your items to either company, regardless of whether you purchased from Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s,” per the return policy. The help center even answers for both brands.
Whether a gun costs the same at both, I can’t tell you: our feed carries Bass Pro’s gun listings but not Cabela’s. If there’s a Cabela’s nearer to you than a Bass Pro, check both sites before you order, and remember that online gun orders ship to a Bass Pro Shops store.
The Bass Pro Shops Return Policy
Most items bought online or by catalog can come back “by mail or at the store within 60 days of purchase with valid proof of purchase,” per the return policy. After 60 days, returns are on an inspection basis only.
Guns aren’t covered. “For safety reasons the following items are not returnable: Firearms, Ammunition, Black powder firearms, Black Powder, Primers, Reloading Lead, Brass or Bullets,” among others, and suppressors are non-refundable. A damaged or defective gun goes through customer service. Two more catches: online orders paid with PayPal can only be refunded or exchanged as a gift card at a store, and items returned without a receipt are refunded at the lowest sale price as a gift card.
Ammo at Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro had 1,137 ammo listings in our feed. Ammo can’t be returned at all: “Due to ATF regulations, once ammunition or other hazardous materials leave our facility (whether our distribution center or a retail store) we are unable to accept a return,” per its ammo return answer. If ammo arrives damaged or wrong, call customer service at 1-800-227-7776. For the best prices on common calibers, compare with our best ammo deals before you buy.
Bass Pro Rewards and Discounts
- Outdoor Rewards. Free. You earn 1 point per $1 at Bass Pro and Cabela’s, in store or online, and each point is worth 2 cents, so about 2% back. Boats, food, restaurants and resort stays don’t earn points.
- CLUB Mastercard. 2%, 3% or 5% back in CLUB points at Bass Pro, Cabela’s and its resorts, depending on your yearly spend. Points don’t expire.
- Military and first responders. 5% off guns and ammo and 10% off most other items for verified military, police, firefighters, EMTs and fish and wildlife agents.
- Gear Guard. A protection plan sold in stores, with a 2-year replacement plan or a 3-year repair plan depending on the item’s price.
Selling a gun instead? Most Bass Pro stores can appraise a used gun and offer cash or trade-in credit. Compare that offer with our guide to selling a gun.
What Bass Pro Customers Say
Bass Pro’s Trustpilot profile has 385 reviews and 300 of them are one star; Cabela’s has 392 one-star reviews out of 459. Of the 20 most recent Bass Pro reviews, from August to October 2026, 15 were one or two stars. Only one was about a gun, a used Sig Sauer Mosquito. Three were about boats and two about bows, and the rest were about online orders, shipping, stock and the CLUB program. The five positive reviews mentioned helpful staff, fast delivery and stores that are fun to browse.
Keep the sample in mind: a few hundred reviews for a chain with nearly 200 stores is small, and unhappy customers post more. But the company hasn’t replied to any of them. If something goes wrong, call 1-800-227-7776 or go to the store.
Bass Pro vs Other Online Gun Stores
| Bass Pro Shops | Sportsman’s Warehouse | Guns.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stores you can walk into | Nearly 200 (with Cabela’s) | 147 | None |
| Gun shipping | New guns, free to its stores | Free to its stores, or $15 to your FFL | To your FFL |
| Used guns | In stores and listed online | At select stores | Yes, online |
| Price vs cheapest store | +5.7% on 34 guns | +5.6% on 29 guns | +4.2% on 22 guns |
| Returns on gear | 60 days | 30 days | Mostly guns; final sale |
| Trustpilot | 2 (385 reviews) | 1.6 (96 reviews) | 3.7 (4,216 reviews) |
Use Bass Pro if there’s a store near you, for hunting shotguns and rifles, or to find a collectible. For the widest choice of used and hard-to-find guns shipped to any dealer, read our Guns.com review. If you’re out West, compare with our Sportsman’s Warehouse review, and for parts and gunsmithing gear, our Brownells review. Shopping for a hunting shotgun? Our Beretta A300 Ultima review and Benelli M2 review cover the two we priced.
Final Verdict
Bass Pro Shops earns a 7/10. It’s a legitimate, privately held company that owns Cabela’s, a big boat group and resorts, and for buyers near one of its nearly 200 stores it’s an easy place to buy a gun: free shipping to the store, a counter to check the gun at, and 60-day returns on the rest of your gear at either chain. It came within $2 of the lowest price on most of the Glock and Sig Sauer pistols we checked and carries collectibles that most online stores don’t. It loses points for prices that ran 5.7 percent over the cheapest store on our basket, shotguns that cost more than they should at a hunting store, no gun returns, and poor online reviews.
Who should buy here: hunters with a store nearby, buyers after a collectible, and anyone who already earns Outdoor Rewards or CLUB points. Who should shop around: anyone buying a shotgun, and anyone without a Bass Pro store close by, since its online gun orders only ship to its own stores.
FAQ: Bass Pro Shops
Is Bass Pro Shops legit?
Yes. Bass Pro Shops is a privately held outdoor retailer founded in 1972 with nearly 200 Bass Pro and Cabela's stores. Every gun it sells goes through a licensed counter at one of its stores, with a background check.
Who owns Bass Pro Shops?
Bass Pro Shops is privately held and was founded by Johnny Morris. Its parent company appears as Bass Pro Group, LLC in Cabela's 2017 SEC filings and as the Great American Outdoors Group in a 2020 filing. That parent also owns Cabela's, White River Marine Group and resorts including Big Cedar Lodge.
Does Bass Pro own Cabela's?
Yes. Bass Pro bought Cabela's in a deal that closed on September 25, 2017, at $61.50 a share. The two chains share a headquarters, returns policy and rewards program.
Does Bass Pro own Sportsman's Warehouse?
No. Bass Pro's parent agreed to buy Sportsman's Warehouse in December 2020, but the deal was called off on December 2, 2021, after FTC pushback. Sportsman's Warehouse is still an independent company.
Is Bass Pro cheaper than other online gun stores?
Not on most new guns. On 34 identical new guns, Bass Pro was lower on 3, tied on 10 and higher on 21, and the basket cost 5.7 percent more than the cheapest store for each gun. It came within $2 on most Glock and Sig Sauer pistols and ran higher on shotguns.
Can you buy a gun online from Bass Pro and ship it to your house?
No. Bass Pro sells new guns online and ships them free to a Bass Pro Shops store, where you pick the gun up with photo ID and pass the background check. Its firearm FAQ only describes shipping to a Bass Pro store, never to your home.
Can you return a gun to Bass Pro Shops?
No. Guns, ammo, black powder, primers and reloading components can't be returned. Most other items can come back within 60 days with proof of purchase, at a Bass Pro or Cabela's store or by mail.
Does Bass Pro give a military discount on guns?
Yes. Verified military, police, firefighters, EMTs and fish and wildlife agents get 5% off guns and ammo and 10% off most other items.
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