Local Gun Show was a Joke.

I keep telling myself it’s a waste of time and it is. Just something to get us out of the house for a few hours. Never bought anything gun related from the ones I’ve been to. Mostly knick nacks w a occasional knife. Everything is over priced.

That sounds like the show I went to in the spring. I had one mission and that was obtaining primers. I brought some of my "extras," swapped 3k LRPs for 3k LPPs, bought a book and called it a day.

Low expectations.

That is the key to gun show enjoyment.

I treat it like a museum. (where everything has a price tag) I hope there will be nice stuff on display for me to look at. That is what I enjoy.

Sometimes you find something you can’t live without at an agreeable price.

I think there are still a pretty good number of panic buyers out there, but for all the scalpers, the wind won't blow their sails for very long now that availability is getting better. If things keep trending down and availability keeps getting better along with price, by the time the next show comes around the scalpers won't be able to cover their table with those type of inflated ammo+gun prices. So long as there are no big disastrous events, shootings, etc... I see things getting a helluva lot better than they were.

Eventually people lose interest or run out of money, then it's just us again. The dedicated gun guys who shoot and browse ammo on the regular, unprompted by any mass catastrophes or political garbage. When it gets slow, and the panic buying ends, that's when they start competing heavily and lowering prices....

With our current bout of runaway inflation, $500 guns are now $800. I dont see prelock Smiths, old Colts, or milsurps going back down again. They are expensive from here on out unless another huge hidden stash gets discovered and successfully imported.

I actually did quite well at the last local show, but I was realistic about the new price paradigm.

Nearly every gun show I attend has something to offer. At this stage of my life, age 74, I have most guns I want and the ones I'm still looking for never show up at gun shows. Inevitably I find something that makes the time worthwhile. I love the atmosphere of gun shows and I almost always learn a few things. The ones I attend typically cost $10 and parking is free. I spend more than that on lunch, so it seems well worth the entry fee. And every once in awhile, I find a real gem. I now have lots of "gems" in my gun room. Definitely worth the price of admission.

The regular show I’ve been attending for decades now has a competitor with a venue just a few hundred yards down the road. You’d think the promoters would get together and agree not to hold shows on the same weekend, but apparently that hasn’t happened as they both held their show this weekend.
Made the mistake of going to my regular show and it was an absolute joke. I breezed through it in 15 minutes flat. It wasn’t the prices (I knew what to expect). It was the astounding absence of, well, guns!
Apparently the more serious dealers chose the new promoter.

I haven't gone to a gun show for at least 10 years because of the attitudes and unrealistic expectations of both a lot of the vendors and the clientele. Haven't missed them yet.

This forum like many gun related forums has endless threads about gun shows. Going to a gun show, any gun show with great expectations is pretty much a fools errand, this is especially true during the current times. You are not going to find a box of 1,000 primers for $30 or a S&W 586 in perfect condition with original box for $500. That is a given so forget high expectations. Personally I like large shows with 1,000 tables and shows where I find people with a table covered with gun parts. I also watch people just entering a show for guns they are looking to sell and see if a good deal can't be had. The decision to go to a show and pay admission solely rest with me so if I go to a show, especially these days and complain about it I should have exercised common sense and stayed home. Nobody to blame for my disappointment but myself. Threads condemning gun shows all pretty much repeat the same thing and a simple forum search will reveal that.

When it comes to the beef jerky and other non gun related stuff I suggest that be taken up with the show promoter. The people selling jerky pay the same table fee as everyone else. Years ago when my wife and I actively worked shows to promote our shop the good show promoters always asked what we were selling and for those selling non gun related items the tables were limited and were grouped in one section of the show. So the complaint here is not with those selling the beef jerky but the promoter of the show.

Ron

Be glad y’all are only whining about guns. The same thing is happening with houses, and I need to upsize. Gun market and housing market are both crazy, and I don’t see either one changing very quick anytime soon.

DustyGmt said:

If things keep trending down and availability keeps getting better along with price, by the time the next show comes around the scalpers won't be able to cover their table with those type of inflated ammo+gun prices. So long as there are no big disastrous events, shootings, etc... I see things getting a helluva lot better than they were.

Eventually people lose interest or run out of money, then it's just us again. The dedicated gun guys who shoot and browse ammo on the regular, unprompted by any mass catastrophes or political garbage. When it gets slow, and the panic buying ends, that's when they start competing heavily and lowering prices....

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Your an optimistic person. I applaud that, but totally disagree with your theory. There's going to be an upswing? Only a few years ago guys were saying "these SKS's will bed back down".

Also, who is losing interest by the way and running out of money? Democrats are the biggest gun salesman's of all time. Prices while continue to climb as long as there is a Democrat in office.

WestKentucky said:

Be glad y’all are only whining about guns.

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It's a gun forum.

The last few gun shows I've attended were mostly for the people watching. I'll run into several people I know so it is also a social event. I have fun.

At the last one I attended, a gentleman had merchandise in old cigar boxes. I asked about those. He said they weren't for sale. He also said I wasn't the first to ask.

Mn Fats said:

Your an optimistic person. I applaud that, but totally disagree with your theory. There's going to be an upswing? Only a few years ago guys were saying "these SKS's will bed back down".

Also, who is losing interest by the way and running out of money? Democrats are the biggest gun salesman's of all time. Prices while continue to climb as long as there is a Democrat in office.

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The people I was referring to losing interest + running out of money were those that were only mobilized by an "event", whatever it is be it the panic, election, riots. Etc. The people who don't shoot and buy guns and ammo regularly. One of the other factors, I believe anyway, was alot of people had extra disposable income via the raining stim cash. Alot of them will and have moved onto other things by now, probably alot of them have already sold the gun they had to get because the sky was falling.

And I suppose you could call me optimistic, but I have seen these things play out a few times, maybe not on this scale but I've personally already seen ammo go way, way down in price, about 5x less than it was during the lock down periods. Everybody gets their ---- in an uproar (myself included although this time around I was more cushioned with ammo after having learned from past experience) and after just a bit it goes back to business as usual. It will keep going down, I'm pretty sure of it.

DustyGmt said:

And I suppose you could call me optimistic, but I have seen these things play out a few times, maybe not on this scale but I've personally already seen ammo go way, way down in price, about 5x less than it was during the lock down periods. Everybody gets their ---- in an uproar (myself included although this time around I was more cushioned with ammo after having learned from past experience) and after just a bit it goes back to business as usual. It will keep going down, I'm pretty sure of it.

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So prices have went "way, way down" in Vermont. Not so much in my area. And "way down" is relevant to what? Just because you're sure of a price drop dont make it so. Gas is up. Guns are up. Taxes are up. Ammo is up. Democrats that hold office tend to do that. That's the trend.

Mn Fats said:

Your an optimistic person. I applaud that, but totally disagree with your theory. There's going to be an upswing? Only a few years ago guys were saying "these SKS's will bed back down".

Also, who is losing interest by the way and running out of money? Democrats are the biggest gun salesman's of all time. Prices while continue to climb as long as there is a Democrat in office.

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"Way down" is relevant to the price it was before, and the price it is now.

It could also be that in my area I have gotten lucky in that things look to be on their return to "somewhat normal" although I have seen other posters tell of how much better things have gotten in their LGS's so it isn't just me. If you were to check out my LGS's sales page you would see what I'm talking about. Not long ago I purchased a 550rd brick of .22lr for $22 and a box of Federal 7mm-08 for $25. 9mm @ $18/50rds. Same with guns, $450 for new Mossberg 590's, used glocks $350, New for $485-$550.

Alot of stuff is back where it was and what isn't looks like it's on its way, at least where I'm at... so that's why I'm optimistic.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

With our current bout of runaway inflation, $500 guns are now $800. I dont see prelock Smiths, old Colts, or milsurps going back down again. They are expensive from here on out unless another huge hidden stash gets discovered and successfully imported.

I actually did quite well at the last local show, but I was realistic about the new price paradigm.

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A huge stash won't even stem the tide of milsurp prices. Midway sold every M1 carbine they had for twice the going rate of just a couple years ago within SECONDS.

Captcurt said:

Shelled out $7 Saturday to see guns priced way out of reach. $500 guns selling for $800. 22Mag ammo for $50 for a box of 50. There was more jewelry and knives than there was guns. Plenty of ammo if you wanted to pay 3-4X the normal price. That is the only show that I have been to that I wanted a refund. Didn't get one though.

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Imagine how the vendors feel...They pay their entry fee hoping to bring home a profit , instead they hear whining all day from people that know the current environment/prices that just like to hear their own whiney voices .

Different points of view one supposes. Gun Show: where guns are shown for purchase by some, for viewing, admiring and discussing for others.
In 45+ years I’ve bought perhaps three guns and sold one, but I’ve seen touched and learned about thousands. JMO.

whughett said:

Different points of view one supposes. Gun Show: where guns are shown for purchase by some, for viewing, admiring and discussing for others.
In 45+ years I’ve bought perhaps three guns and sold one, but I’ve seen touched and learned about thousands. JMO.

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Cheap entertainment for you, waste of time for vendors .

Support your local shows, REGARDLESS OF COSTS

Why? The Anti's alll across the USA want them to GO AWAY BYEBYE

Oh, BTW, they ALSO want to end ALL (that means, ALL) internet sales of gun parts, so called kits, and ammunition.

So, in their perfect world, there will be no internet transactions and no show to go to.

Then the whine with the cheese will be,''gee, the local store prices are 5X higher then just a few years ago ''

I mean, whudda thunk it


Ending the shows ALSO ends comradery, learning from observing different items, other etc.
Getting to see old friends and WWII Korea Vet buddies of mine at the snack bar for a bowl of EXCELLENT chicken & noodles

When I go to gun shows, it is with a view
_ to find parts or accessories for guns I own
_ to see guns I have read about (Krag, Remington Model 8)
_ ammunition and reloading supplies: we had two popular dealers whose markup was just above their wholesale cost
_ unlike internet ordering, no $15 shipping & handling.

Dale Alan said:

Cheap entertainment for you, waste of time for vendors .

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True enough. But the vendors are relying on large crowds for that small percentage that are buying guns. I’ve never attended a gun show without buying something other than a gun. A great deal of my hand loading stuff, molds for bullet casting and the tools required came from gun shows.
And let’s not for get the beef jerky. Smiths of Maine. Best dang jerky east of the Mississippi.