Went to a Local Gun Show, No real surprises

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Skgreen

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Hadn't been to a Gun Show in 2-3 years,,, up until today.
No real surprises. Prices on everything way up,,,

I admit that Primers and Powder were in greater supply than I had anticipated.

Couple dozen different types of Powders available.
2 kegs of Alliant 15.5 (High $300's if I remember correctly)
Keg of Staball 6.5 for $299. (not great/not horrific)
Keg of IMR 4451 for $320. (not great/not horrific)
Keg of Varget for $479,,,, ( :rofl: )

Primers were $129 a brick,,,

Left the show empty-handed, like I do 99.7% of the time anyway.

Went to Bass Pro afterwards. Large Pistol, Small Pistol Mag, Small rifle*, (*CCI and Federal) primers in stock. $90/brick/limit 1. I brought a brick of SPM home with me. (I don't ~enjoy~ 90 dollar primers, but they beat the pants off of $129 primers!)

1. Are these 'Gun Show' prices similar to what y'all are seeing?

2. Has anyone seen a keg of Varget advertised for more than $479? :eek:
 
There is NO COMPARISON between gun shows 20+ years ago, and gun shows today.
You could actually find good deals and a wide variety of stuff back then. Nowadays, it's just the same new stuff... all at ridiculous prices.
No cheap mil surp, no cheap ammo, no cheap anything... Almost all regular gun dealers just bringing their normal store inventory at jacked up prices. Very few regular guys/collectors. Use to be mostly regular people and very few dealers that you had to do paper work for.
 
Skgreen said:
1. Are these 'Gun Show' prices similar to what y'all are seeing?
Click to expand...
Yeah, within ten bucks of prices at the Ft Worth (Premier) Gun Show the last 2-3 trips.

My LGS has been better for reloading components, if in smaller selection.

n2omike said:
No cheap mil surp, no cheap ammo, no cheap anything
Click to expand...
To be fair, all that "cheap" stuff sold 20 years ago, and the supply dried up.
If something costs you $10, you can't sell it for $5--just the nature of the beast.

And, 20 years' ago, the tables at a show were $40 apiece; $86 per table at Ft Worth this year.
 
Skgreen said:
Hadn't been to a Gun Show in 2-3 years,,, up until today.
No real surprises. Prices on everything way up,,,

I admit that Primers and Powder were in greater supply than I had anticipated.

Couple dozen different types of Powders available.
2 kegs of Alliant 15.5 (High $300's if I remember correctly)
Keg of Staball 6.5 for $299. (not great/not horrific)
Keg of IMR 4451 for $320. (not great/not horrific)
Keg of Varget for $479,,,, ( :rofl: )

Primers were $129 a brick,,,

Left the show empty-handed, like I do 99.7% of the time anyway.

Went to Bass Pro afterwards. Large Pistol, Small Pistol Mag, Small rifle*, (*CCI and Federal) primers in stock. $90/brick/limit 1. I brought a brick of SPM home with me. (I don't ~enjoy~ 90 dollar primers, but they beat the pants off of $129 primers!)

1. Are these 'Gun Show' prices similar to what y'all are seeing?

2. Has anyone seen a keg of Varget advertised for more than $479? :eek:
Click to expand...
Dad and I have an FFL and we do gun shows here in the OKC/central Oklahoma area and prices are about the same here. The real frustrating part is seeing OLD packages of primers for stupid money like 12 bucks a sleeve for primers that they paid at most 3 bucks for. I'm on the Discord reloading thread and I get notifications off and on for about 100/1000 plus shipping. And powder basically doesn't exist around here unless you want to pay with your first born son lol. I also see OLD ammo, like it looks like it's been in someones truck bed outside in the rain for 20 years, for wayyyyyy to much money. Sigh......
 
We have a big (1300 tables) show happening this weekend too. I’m not going and have only been once since the pandemic started. Prices were high for ammo but firearms didn’t seem outrageous.

Drove through parking lots and they were PACKED. I’m not going since I don’t need anything and I doubt any reloaders are there anyway.

I will say the number of apparent firearm straw purchases had been increasing in recent years—you can smell em, see em, sense em a mile away, but confronting the actors of course requires probable cause for law enforcement.
 
CQB45ACP said:
We have a big (1300 tables) show happening this weekend too. I’m not going and have only been once since the pandemic started. Prices were high for ammo but firearms didn’t seem outrageous.

Drove through parking lots and they were PACKED. I’m not going since I don’t need anything and I doubt any reloaders are there anyway.

I will say the number of apparent firearm straw purchases had been increasing in recent years—you can smell em, see em, sense em a mile away, but confronting the actors of course requires probable cause law enforcement.
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Yeah I sadly have seen many people come up to our tables and ask if we do background checks, and we of course reply with, YES, as if the official signs and official shirts and credit card machine and actual signs for info and pricing on items didn't give it away that were were an actual business??? I swear these people are ATF informants or something half the time. Oh, just yesterday we had a guy come up and want to get us to take 25 bucks off a Ruger stainless 10/22 takedown so he would only be paying 300 cash and that's dads department, so I went and asked him, (note, he was with another customer working on HIS background check the whole time this other guy is admiring the 10/22) he was like ok I'll do it but you have to do paperwork, and the guy was like what??? I will pay 300 CASH, no paperwork. Dad's like, you have to paperwork, we are an FFL. So that guy was pissed. Like we literally have 4 8ft tables arranged in a U shape so it's not like he couldn't tell what was going on... Maybe he was thinking he could use the infamous gun show loophole? Lol. Some people, man... Also dad is retired OKC Police so he's pretty good at determining sketchy stuff like straw purchases and stuff like that.
 
270OKIE said:
Yeah I sadly have seen many people come up to our tables and ask if we do background checks, and we of course reply with, YES, as if the official signs and official shirts and credit card machine and actual signs for info and pricing on items didn't give it away that were were an actual business??? I swear these people are ATF informants or something half the time. Oh, just yesterday we had a guy come up and want to get us to take 25 bucks off a Ruger stainless 10/22 takedown so he would only be paying 300 cash and that's dads department, so I went and asked him, (note, he was with another customer working on HIS background check the whole time this other guy is admiring the 10/22) he was like ok I'll do it but you have to do paperwork, and the guy was like what??? I will pay 300 CASH, no paperwork. Dad's like, you have to paperwork, we are an FFL. So that guy was pissed. Like we literally have 4 8ft tables arranged in a U shape so it's not like he couldn't tell what was going on... Maybe he was thinking he could use the infamous gun show loophole? Lol. Some people, man... Also dad is retired OKC Police so he's pretty good at determining sketchy stuff like straw purchases and stuff like that.
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That’s way more obvious and stupid than what I was even thinking about. Amazing.
The girlfriend purchases are red flags…female by herself buying a Glock and a sketchy guy over in next aisle watching everything.
In Virginia the ffls of course do checks and the State police are there to do them for any other transactions at $2.00/each. Gunshows are the most efficient place to conduct lawful transactions in Virginia and since we now have the “universal” check law, they’re especially helpful.
 
CapnMac said:
And, 20 years' ago, the tables at a show were $40 apiece; $86 per table at Ft Worth this year.
Click to expand...

There’s the problem. The venues should increase the space rentals to vendors 10x. It would motivate them to price their stuff to sell in order to recoup their costs for being there. That’s my contrarian view.
 
Nature Boy said:
There’s the problem. The venues should increase the space rentals to vendors 10x. It would motivate them to price their stuff to sell in order to recoup their costs for being there. That’s my contrarian view.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree but don’t profess to be an expert on the economics of selling in a store vs. loading up a crap load in a truck and driving hundreds of miles to a show.

Here are the prices from our show’s website:


1,300 Tables
8 Foot Tables
$125.00 Aisle Table
$130.00 Wall Table
Electricity: $95.00
Telephone: $195.00
 
CQB45ACP said:
I tend to agree but don’t profess to be an expert on the economics of selling in a store vs. loading up a crap load in a truck and driving hundreds of miles to a show.

Here are the prices from our show’s website:


1,300 Tables
8 Foot Tables
$125.00 Aisle Table
$130.00 Wall Table
Electricity: $95.00
Telephone: $195.00
Click to expand...
$195 for a freaking telephone?????? What the actual HE double hockey sticks????
 
CQB45ACP said:
That’s way more obvious and stupid than what I was even thinking about. Amazing.
The girlfriend purchases are red flags…female by herself buying a Glock and a sketchy guy over in next aisle watching everything.
In Virginia the ffls of course do checks and the State police are there to do them for any other transactions at $2.00/each. Gunshows are the most efficient place to conduct lawful transactions in Virginia and since we now have the “universal” check law, they’re especially helpful.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I haven't noticed any of those around here, usually the guy is right next to his girlfriend or wife and SHES the one wanting a gun cause he works nights ori s away alot for work or whatever. And having state police there probably cuts a lot of the theft and stuff. We used to shows in Tulsa but vendors were getting stuff stolen all the time and someone broke into our truck overnight at our hotel so we're we're like yeah we gonna stick with central Oklahoma cause we can drive back Saturday night and not worry about it.
 
270OKIE said:
Yeah I sadly have seen many people come up to our tables and ask if we do background checks, and we of course reply with, YES,
Click to expand...

If I wanted to go to a gun store to buy a gun that involves a paper trail... I'd save my entry fee and go to a gun store.
If I want to buy a gun WITHOUT a paper trail that nobody is going to come knocking on my door for, I'll buy it off a private individual.

Use to be very few dealers at Gun Shows back in the day. Now it's almost all dealers. I don't go anymore. I'll buy stuff of MeWe, etc.
Dealers have ruined gun shows. They bring all their brand new inventory at marked up prices, and expect people to pay extra... just because they are at a gun show, and the business was 'forced' to go there and pay $86/table.

When Gun Shows return to their roots... regular guys showing off their vintage collections, liquidating their deceased parent's collection, thinning their own collections/hoards, etc... I'll start going back.

I think they should charge certified businesses 2-3X the cost of private individuals for their tables.
 
270OKIE said:
$195 for a freaking telephone?????? What the actual HE double hockey sticks????
Click to expand...
Hey man this is Fairfax County where even the unemployed are wealthy:)

But seriously that may be a legacy of old dedicated lines for register terminals? Pre square? I don’t see Wi-Fi listed but know they used to charge exhibitors for that as well.

All of this is why no individuals nor no or few small clubs set up tables to sell stuff. I’d love to sell a couple of firearms and some reloads and ends but my profit would just pay for a table.
 
n2omike said:
If I wanted to go to a gun store to buy a gun that involves a paper trail... I'd save my entry fee and go to a gun store.
If I want to buy a gun WITHOUT a paper trail that nobody is going to come knocking on my door for, I'll buy it off a private individual.

Use to be very few dealers at Gun Shows back in the day. Now it's almost all dealers. I don't go anymore. I'll buy stuff of MeWe, etc.
Dealers have ruined gun shows. They bring all their brand new inventory at marked up prices, and expect people to pay extra... just because they are at a gun show, and the business was 'forced' to go there and pay $86/table.

When Gun Shows return to their roots... regular guys showing off their vintage collections, liquidating their deceased parent's collection, thinning their own collections/hoards, etc... I'll start going back.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to lie, I completely understand your point. However we are new and can't really get a shop yet so we do shows till we can build a customer base and get funds for a building. Cause right now we are pricing basically barely more than what we are paying for stuff cause we have to pay more to get stuff people actually want cause we don't have the buying power of the big guys. We sell 5.56 55gr FMJ for 11 bucks a box with a 50 cent discount per box of you buy 10 or more boxes. So we are probably loosing money after paying for tables and gas to drive there and back 4 times and stuff like that. Just trying to be honest here. Now, MOST of the people there that are in fact bringing their actual shops stuff to the show are totally marking that stuff way the heck up cause I've seen it with my own eyes lol. Like 30-06 hunting ammo that is 26 bucks at Walmart is 60 bucks at the show. Like ok, idk what kind of sucker is going to buy that from you...
 
I’ve developed a low opinion of gun shows over the years. If I wanted to spend a day looking at guns I can’t buy I’d go to a museum.

I would have also thought that loading and unloading all that stuff and dragging it to a gun show would be motivation enough to get it sold, but apparently not. I saw the same overpriced stuff for sale from the same vendors, show after show.

Last time I went I had a vendor tell me, “don’t waste my time” when I made a fair offer on one of his items that he had priced above retail. I took his advice so I don’t waste his time or mine at anymore gun shows
 
CQB45ACP said:
Hey man this is Fairfax County where even the unemployed are wealthy:)

But seriously that may be a legacy of old dedicated lines for register terminals? Pre square? I don’t see Wi-Fi listed but know they used to charge exhibitors for that as well.

All of this is why no individuals nor no or few small clubs set up tables to sell stuff. I’d love to sell a couple of firearms and some reloads and ends but my profit would just pay for a table.
Click to expand...
Lol Fairfax county, that's basically DC outskirts so I'm not surprised with all that government money running around... I find that hilarious that y'all have a massive gun show right outside DC where they try to take away our rights to own such things... Idk if that's getting too political so I'll leave it at that. I know we don't do politics here on THR.
 
n2omike said:
If I wanted to go to a gun store to buy a gun that involves a paper trail... I'd save my entry fee and go to a gun store.
If I want to buy a gun WITHOUT a paper trail that nobody is going to come knocking on my door for, I'll buy it off a private individual.

Use to be very few dealers at Gun Shows back in the day. Now it's almost all dealers. I don't go anymore. I'll buy stuff of MeWe, etc.
Dealers have ruined gun shows. They bring all their brand new inventory at marked up prices, and expect people to pay extra... just because they are at a gun show, and the business was 'forced' to go there and pay $86/table.

When Gun Shows return to their roots... regular guys showing off their vintage collections, liquidating their deceased parent's collection, thinning their own collections/hoards, etc... I'll start going back.
Click to expand...
I hear you but disagree to this extent…

In Northern Virginia there are a few gun stores (very few) with almost no selection. But at the big gun show dealers from as far south a Georgia and north as Pennsylvania show up and the selection is amazing.

Before the pandemic there were two dealers with more than a dozen Wilson’s, Nighthawks, Les Baers, etc. where in the world can you see that? Not around here anyway.

And three or four reloading suppliers (again, pre-pandemic) from hundreds of miles away. One from New Jersey of all places.

So it depends. I have stuff to sell too and am priced out but the demand also exists for the big show like this. There is/used to be another much smaller show at a VFW lodge, but it’s gone.

One more thing, in Virginia we can no longer buy without a paper trail/background check. Oddly, I can give away a gun (nothing of value of any kind) to a stranger, but can’t sell to a family member.
 
Nature Boy said:
I’ve developed a low opinion of gun shows over the years. If I wanted to spend a day looking at guns I can’t buy I’d go to a museum.

I would have also thought that loading and unloading all that stuff and dragging it to a gun show would be motivation enough to get it sold, but apparently not. I saw the same overpriced stuff for sale from the same vendors, show after show.

Last time I went I had a vendor tell me, “don’t waste my time” when I made a fair offer on one of his items that he had priced above retail. I took his advice so I don’t waste his time or mine at anymore gun shows
Click to expand...
Geez, this guy had a gun above MSRP? And still wouldn't come down at all? Yeah forget that. Like we had a guy come up and was like is that Glock 17 used? We were like no that one is factory new, and then he said yeah a local shop has the exact same thing for $700 whereas ours is $499!!!
 
270OKIE said:
Lol Fairfax county, that's basically DC outskirts so I'm not surprised with all that government money running around... I find that hilarious that y'all have a massive gun show right outside DC where they try to take away our rights to own such things... Idk if that's getting too political so I'll leave it at that. I know we don't do politics here on THR.
Click to expand...
Fairfax wasn’t always like this—it is the physical national home of the NRA after all.

I’ve lived here most of my life. It’s home. I’m first stop light outside beltway and just inside not too many years ago were two gun shops, a tiny range, and a reloading store. Today they’re Korean bbq, pho noodles, poco loco. Love the food but it’s different for sure.

The gun show is a great event at a huge venue. Lines nearly a mile long in the past. Bentleys, Range Rovers, and lifted F-150s side by side. Lots of DC tags.

Last year, the venue was used for the Afghan refugees. Little did they know.

Oh yeah and it’s not just government money anymore…it’s data farm millionaires. Everywhere!
 
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db_tanker said:
was this the conroe show?
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Nope. On the Pasadena Convention Center property in Pasadena. As it was a 'Six Guns' promotion, it was held in a smaller building located off to the side of the main Pasadena Convention Center bldg, and not in the main Pasadena Convention Center building, like other Promoters do.
The smaller venue was ~full~ regarding the amount of floor space occupied by Vendors. Crowds were 'mild', and not quite as 'shoulder to shoulder' as the other promotions can often be .
 
Nature Boy said:
I’ve developed a low opinion of gun shows over the years. If I wanted to spend a day looking at guns I can’t buy I’d go to a museum.

I would have also thought that loading and unloading all that stuff and dragging it to a gun show would be motivation enough to get it sold, but apparently not. I saw the same overpriced stuff for sale from the same vendors, show after show.

Last time I went I had a vendor tell me, “don’t waste my time” when I made a fair offer on one of his items that he had priced above retail. I took his advice so I don’t waste his time or mine at anymore gun shows
Click to expand...
I saw a guy asking $4500 for a plain jane, mixed-parts, fair-condition Remington 1903 at a show yesterday. He was one of the larger FFL dealers who is always there, but usually with tables full of brand new and marked up Glocks- which is why the Springfield caught my attention.
I had to look at the tag twice and when I did, he wandered over and said something incoherent like "Thats what they used in the first World War."
"Well, yes and no, this one was made in 1942," I replied. "Does that say forty-five hundred?" I asked, flipping over the tag.
"Yes."
"Thats four-thousand five-hundred dollars?"
"Ya, thats what they go for."
I straight up started laughing as I walked away. The look on his face was priceless.
There was another fella across the hall with 2 nicer ones for $1200 each....smh.
 
270OKIE said:
people come up to our tables and ask if we do background checks
Click to expand...
My local FFL has the same problem in his shop. :(
The 'wink-wink, nod-nod' code relative to background checks used here at Texas Gun Shows is indicating you are having an 'Estate Sale'. I'm certainly no authority on laws or rules, but I've read that by indicating you are having an 'Estate Sale' in TX, it may allow you to circumnavigate the background check rules. (somewhat along the lines of a 'person to person private sale' vs. a 'Vendor at a Gun Show' sale)
 
nevadabob said:
Yeah but you can't get Indian turquoise jewelry at Cabela's!
Click to expand...

….or rare coins, or healing crystals, or macramé crafts made from paracord?

The whole vibe of these shows is depressing and a bit weird. Dudes with questionable hygiene sitting behind stuff they don’t care about selling while people circle the tables unlikely to buy anything.

I guess I better stop before someone asks, “show me on the doll where the gun show vendor touched you”

:rofl:
 
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