Gun Shows worth it?

For entertainment, yes. A "deal" is generally a bonus these days and not the norm.

I go more or less something to do, get to walk around and check out some cool stuff.....

i dont really go with the intent on buying anything.....if i see something and the price is right, ill pick it up, gotten a few good deals at gun shows.......but i dont expect that going in.

I bring my kids and they like the overpriced beef jerky. Other than that I don't remember the last time I actually bought something at a show. Sometimes I meet my class 3 dealer there to pick something up. Otherwise its usually a waste of gas.

Not financially.

I've been to a few, going back 20+ years, and while I have often been amused, I have never felt like I recovered my entrance fee in strict financial terms.

However, if you look at the entertainment side they can be fun and a reasonable value.

I bought a very nice Winchester 1892 takedown style rifle at the last gun show I attended. I paid no more for it than I would have at a gun store.
OTOH I will say I have attended many shows without buying anything. But it was still fun.
I agree many were better in past years, but they're still fun.

I stopped going to gun shows seven or eight years ago. I don't miss going, no not one bit.

I go to just about every gun show around here. There are regular vendors who have deals to get people to their stands, and always a few folks wandering around with guns for sale that may be priced very well. If nothing else, I like looking at the milsurps that show up now and again at reasonable prices.

The last show I went to, I walked away with 8lbs of HP-38 powder @ $169 (man, it's good to have W231 again!), 4000 CCI #41 primers at $32/k (usually go for $40+ around here), and 1000 Hornady 150gr .30 FMJs for $175. I left broke, but happy. All the "Good Stuff" was gone in the first hour. I was in line 30 minutes before it opened.

They are fun but more often than not the prices suck.

Last one I went to, there was a ND, a Savage 99 in .308 went off and it was a miracle that nobody was hit. Gunshows are normally very loud but after that shot when off, you could have heard a pin drop...

I go for fun if I have nothing better to do.

That being said, if you're looking to buy something, know what you want and know what it's worth.

Last Allentown show I went to, bricks of .22LR were going for between $70 and $100! All the ammo was above the price I could get locally.

But for old stuff that's hard to find, definitely fun!

It's usually a fun day out---bring cash as it will spend better than plastic when it's time to deal. If you look at it as entertainment in itself you won't be disappointed. I always find small odds and ends that I have been wanting but not needing that someone has--like a set of sling swivels for a rifle that came with just the studs. You will see---and sometimes smell--all kinds of folks. The aroma of gun grease, people (almost all men), and cured meats is often overpowering. If it is the usual show it will be filled with decent folks except for the one guy in the leather vest with Nazi paraphernalia and copies of The Turner Diaries for sale; if the media shows up, they'll interview only him and video just his table. All kidding aside, it's almost always a fun day if you have no hope of finding anything in particular. At the gun shows nearby us in Iowa, they even have a decent snack bar and beer for sale(!).

Go just to kill time. Even if you don't find what you want or need, $8-$10 (typical entry fees in my area) is cheaper than a movie.

Not worth it to me.

Cheap entertainment potential.....

I usually go to one a year (maybe- two?). Almost nothing is a good
price and the security feels overwhelming at times. A few years ago though
(even here in Maryland) it was very different.
I bought an excellent "EG MAK", a very good ++ Russian SKS and several
other great finds all at local gun shows. "Tuna can" ammo in 7.62 X 54,
7.62 X 39 and 7.62 X 25 was dirt cheap.
Now it's more "people watching" and new product curiosity at best....
P

I live in an area that has limited choices when it comes to buying used or antique guns so the biannual show put on by the rod and gun club is a good place to see a little more variety. I've purchased few nice older .22's at the show. I always buy powder and primers, and maybe brass to save on shipping and hazmat fees, so that makes the trip worth while.

devils4ever said:

I've never attended a gun show even though I've been actively shooting for 20 years. I'm mainly interested in ammo, primers, powder, bullets.

In general, are they worth it?

I see there's one Sept 12-13 in Allentown, PA. Is it worth going to? Any good deals?

Click to expand...

Really depends on what you may be looking for and the show itself. Behind every show is a promoter and a good promoter runs a good show. A good show means guns and gun accessories. A good show is typically a 500 to 1,000 table show with a minimum number of tables covered with flea market crap and beef jerky.

I look for things at my regular shows like paper targets and have a target guy. I also look for rifle pieces and parts, currently seeking a Remington 700 short action bolt. I also like a good selection of older quality revolvers and guns like Series 70 Colt Government guns.

Anyway, a show can be good or lousy depending on what you are looking for, admission cost, and the promoter as well as size (# of tables).

Ron

I haven't been to one since about 1990. It was fun then, when there was a surplus of money and energy. Not so now. Both are at a premium. I kept hearing from the "dealers", "I'm not coming back next year", for a long time, but they did return.

Comme ci, comme ca.

In general I would say they are worth it, I often find good deals if I really look and haggle. The dealers seem to be a bit high price on powder, primers, and bullets tho.

I think it can still be fun to go to a big one maybe once a year. Any deals to be had are more often or not to be had from people on the floor or standing outside and not from the tables. If nothing else you probably see something you have not seen before and it can be fun to trade stories with the guys at the tables. They sure have changed since I was a youth.

Whether or not they're "worth it" depends on what else you'd be doing if you weren't there.

If you're looking for an arena with lots to look at, most of the ones I've been to are worth going to.

If you're looking for a genuine bargain, well, I've not bought a gun at a gun show since 1980something, and that was from a guy before he made it to his table.

As long as you're in tune to values, you probably won't regret going to one.

Who knows, you may enjoy it. Have to try to see.

Double post.

You won't be finding $79 SKS's or Swedish Mausers anymore, that's for sure.

After I bought 2 each of those and plenty of cheap ammo to feed them, that may have been the last era I saw any bargains at a gun show.

The camo clad commandos continue though.

not in the tampa area. mile long lines. inflated prices. gestapo at the door. what a joke.

If you've never been to a gun show...go. Generally the $5 or $10 entrance fee is worth all the gawking and gun fondling.
Here's what you might find:

*Tables with interesting old obscure beat up/worn out guns for ridiculous prices.

*Tables of blade/knife/edged weapons. And reloading stuff. And shooting clubs/training/lobbying. And t-shirts. And flee market crap. And homemade trinkets.

*Couple vendors will have decent prices on common new guns and there may even be a manufacturer there to promote a brand.

*Chances are good there will be one old curmudgeon smelly guy with lots of 'Nam and Nazi paraphernalia and military surplus, grumbling endlessly about "the way things used to be".

Aaaannnd if you're lucky, you might find a deal or two, but likely not, but you could, but chances are it'll be something small, but at least you had fun, right?