270Win
Member
Today was a decent size show maybe 15 minutes from my house... and although most tables were "the standard fare" we all see at shows, I did see a few unusual things worth mentioning.
One table was excusively oriental doo-dads, including a few knives (to somehow stay relevant, I suppose), but mostly statues and chopsticks and fans and whatnot. This table was, by far, the most frequented by the wives and younger children who felt abandoned by their zoned-out husbands. I can't tell you how many women I saw beeline with a relieved look for the book table, only to have their faces downcast at the sight of "Telegraph Codes of the Third Reich" and "The True Story of the M1 Carbine."
The jerky guy was absent, to my disappointment.
One table featured Pro Mag 50-round Ruger 10/22 mags (not legal to sell in MD), but with a cheap hole drilled through it at the 20-round mark, with a plastic stop-piece superglued in place in a clearly homemade job. I must've seen a dozen people jog up when they saw the extended 50-round banana clip, only to notice that glued plastic stop and immediately put it down and walk away in disappointment. While I considered it might be removed with a good punch, I thought the risks too high to bother with.
A lot of bargain-bin ammo at this show, notably Fiocchi (spelling?). Fiocchi 9mm and .45ACP were flying off the tables. Brown Bear and Silver Bear were completely gone by the time I arrived (2 pm, show started at 9 am), in every available caliber including 7.5 Swiss! 7.62x54R was moving rapidly. As expected, 7.62x39 was nowhere to be found except some overpriced Wolf stuff.
Speaking of 7.5x55 Swiss, prices were horrible today as "The Ammo Guy" who usually sells the big black bricks for $145 or so was absent as well. Prices I saw today ranged from $176 to $208 for the big black brick.
I noticed a LOT of older shotguns and rifles today. By "older" I mean 40s, 50s and 60s. Many, however, were worn out looking and some had bores that would've qualified them as shotguns - almost smooth.
I noticed some Mosin-Nagant M38s for $109 that were in pretty decent shape, nicely refinished stocks, but I decided pretty quickly that I'd pass - they weren't so excellent that they were Must Have Nows, and for their condition I think they were ~$20 too high.
In relation to a recent thread, I saw yet another man struggle to get a decent grip and steady aim with a monstrous Desert Eagle.
Anyone know if it's at all possible to find a good quality gun safe for under $400? My best friend lucked into a great SentrySafe at the Tractor Supply Co. (go figure) for $250, deal of the century as far as I can tell. I simply can't afford an $800 safe, which is the minimum I've seen at the shows so far. All the "sale" safes at Dick's, Bass Pro Shop and WalMart are cheap, cheap flimsy pieces of junk that you could easily destroy, let alone just pick it up and carry it off. So that was disappointing...
Lastly, speaking of disappointments based on budgetary situations, I saw an AR chambered in .50Beowulf, which was VERY attractive... but $1100. Damn.
On the plus side, I picked up the latest "Cartridges of the World" for $10, and have almost totally read my way through Current Rifle Cartridges. Very interesting!
One table was excusively oriental doo-dads, including a few knives (to somehow stay relevant, I suppose), but mostly statues and chopsticks and fans and whatnot. This table was, by far, the most frequented by the wives and younger children who felt abandoned by their zoned-out husbands. I can't tell you how many women I saw beeline with a relieved look for the book table, only to have their faces downcast at the sight of "Telegraph Codes of the Third Reich" and "The True Story of the M1 Carbine."
The jerky guy was absent, to my disappointment.
One table featured Pro Mag 50-round Ruger 10/22 mags (not legal to sell in MD), but with a cheap hole drilled through it at the 20-round mark, with a plastic stop-piece superglued in place in a clearly homemade job. I must've seen a dozen people jog up when they saw the extended 50-round banana clip, only to notice that glued plastic stop and immediately put it down and walk away in disappointment. While I considered it might be removed with a good punch, I thought the risks too high to bother with.
A lot of bargain-bin ammo at this show, notably Fiocchi (spelling?). Fiocchi 9mm and .45ACP were flying off the tables. Brown Bear and Silver Bear were completely gone by the time I arrived (2 pm, show started at 9 am), in every available caliber including 7.5 Swiss! 7.62x54R was moving rapidly. As expected, 7.62x39 was nowhere to be found except some overpriced Wolf stuff.
Speaking of 7.5x55 Swiss, prices were horrible today as "The Ammo Guy" who usually sells the big black bricks for $145 or so was absent as well. Prices I saw today ranged from $176 to $208 for the big black brick.
I noticed a LOT of older shotguns and rifles today. By "older" I mean 40s, 50s and 60s. Many, however, were worn out looking and some had bores that would've qualified them as shotguns - almost smooth.
I noticed some Mosin-Nagant M38s for $109 that were in pretty decent shape, nicely refinished stocks, but I decided pretty quickly that I'd pass - they weren't so excellent that they were Must Have Nows, and for their condition I think they were ~$20 too high.
In relation to a recent thread, I saw yet another man struggle to get a decent grip and steady aim with a monstrous Desert Eagle.
Anyone know if it's at all possible to find a good quality gun safe for under $400? My best friend lucked into a great SentrySafe at the Tractor Supply Co. (go figure) for $250, deal of the century as far as I can tell. I simply can't afford an $800 safe, which is the minimum I've seen at the shows so far. All the "sale" safes at Dick's, Bass Pro Shop and WalMart are cheap, cheap flimsy pieces of junk that you could easily destroy, let alone just pick it up and carry it off. So that was disappointing...
Lastly, speaking of disappointments based on budgetary situations, I saw an AR chambered in .50Beowulf, which was VERY attractive... but $1100. Damn.
On the plus side, I picked up the latest "Cartridges of the World" for $10, and have almost totally read my way through Current Rifle Cartridges. Very interesting!
