Luckily i am going with two others who have experience, and i too have somethings in the back of my mind but i wont underestimate those happy surprises as you mentioned. Oh also its sometimes hard for me not to fall in love but im gonna try to do my very best haha. and yes Im aware of that $10 dollar make or break pretty well aha. Thank you for your reply.
My First Gun Show (What to expect)
- Thread starter Valko
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Will definitely be sure to do both. Thank you for your reply.
Woah yeah preciate the heads up. I hope to score a crazy deal like that to but definitely not counting on anything. Thank you for your reply.
Definitely bringing the cash and yeah the super expensive stuff is always fun to see. Ill check out that site to. Thank you for your reply.
newfalguy101
Member
From a former gunshow dealer:
Dont be afraid to ask questions and engage in limited small talk.
On the flipside, if you have no intention of buying something, dont waste time negotiating a price just to see how low you can go, then walk away.
An example, I once had a guy spend 20 minutes talking me down $15 on a cheap scope, then walks away over the sales tax....wasted 20 minutes and walked over a buck fifty sales tax....
Had another guy, an accountant, talked me down from $15 to $12 on a set of dies....then walked over sales tax...84 cents....
Have fun, enjoy the crowd watching and keep in mind, many of the actual dealers, are there to make money, you know, a living...
Dont be afraid to ask questions and engage in limited small talk.
On the flipside, if you have no intention of buying something, dont waste time negotiating a price just to see how low you can go, then walk away.
An example, I once had a guy spend 20 minutes talking me down $15 on a cheap scope, then walks away over the sales tax....wasted 20 minutes and walked over a buck fifty sales tax....
Had another guy, an accountant, talked me down from $15 to $12 on a set of dies....then walked over sales tax...84 cents....
Have fun, enjoy the crowd watching and keep in mind, many of the actual dealers, are there to make money, you know, a living...
Ignition Override
Member
Hope you enjoy the variety at any shows.
This is the reason I have gone to many, plus the ability to handle unfamiliar guns which we seldom or never find in retail shops.
Are you considering future carry only with polymer handguns, or even an older 'all-metal' type?
This is the reason I have gone to many, plus the ability to handle unfamiliar guns which we seldom or never find in retail shops.
Are you considering future carry only with polymer handguns, or even an older 'all-metal' type?
Yeah I plan to waste nobodys time that's forsure and lord help me if i ever walk away from a deal due to a buck tax... Thank you for your reply.
Oh yes for sure, definitely looking forward to seeing the higher end, antique , and stuff i can only dream about even
Thank you for your reply.Ignition Override
Member
You're welcome. Maybe you are already aware that some sellers of milsurp collectibles might claim that a gun was Not refurbished, when in reality it was.
You might know that the swap of a minor component (from different manufacturer) can seriously drop the value of certain true collector guns. Some very knowledgeable sellers will remain quite mute about this, among other issues, maybe shrug their shoulders.
Or for plausible deniability, other people never knew the difference but still claim (with very earnest looks on their faces) that a gun has the highest collector value, with any given condition taken into account.
You might know that the swap of a minor component (from different manufacturer) can seriously drop the value of certain true collector guns. Some very knowledgeable sellers will remain quite mute about this, among other issues, maybe shrug their shoulders.
Or for plausible deniability, other people never knew the difference but still claim (with very earnest looks on their faces) that a gun has the highest collector value, with any given condition taken into account.
MosinT53Hunter
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Remember to bring some aspirin for after the show, unless you enjoy listening to tasers going off every 3 seconds. I don't.
Hahah I didnt even think of this. Thank you for your reply.
MosinT53Hunter
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Welcome. Been to many a gun show in the past. I know a thing or two.
Deus Machina
Member
I've gotten a couple reasonable deals at a show on things I wanted. Not amazing, but with the competition sometimes you can find things cheaper than the local big stores will sell for if your private shops don't carry it.
I'm lucky in that my local shows always have a Georgia Arms table. Acceptable price and wonderful ammunition. The only place that beats the 50-round cop-shop Gold Dot that I usually have to order online.
The only real screaming deals I got were when I went in with money and an open mind. It helps that I like a project at least as much as a great working gun, because it will be when I'm done. Used to see box-of-parts guns cheap. Stuff that someone took apart, couldn't get back together, and the shop offered scrap price instead of dealing with it. May need a spring, but for someone with the internet and a whole drawer of springs--and a tube of varied spring wire, if it came down to it--rarely a problem.
Got a Carcano that needed a magazine, and cost me $45 all told. Unfortunately sporterized, but a few boxes of rounds still with the stripper clips cost me more. A friend got a DAO Beretta 92 for $200, and a Star Model B for $120.
Less so now that online sales are so big, but it at least used to be you could get lucky with the small shops and their occasionally odd offerings, or the larger ones trying to clear out the trade-ins and estate guns that the counter jockeys don't know anything about.
Also a shame you don't see the pallets of ammo cans for the same price any more. I bought an armload of them because mismatched lids and scuffed paint got them marked down to $5. A can of Krylon 'outdoor' paint in 'moss', and you'd never know they weren't fresh off the back of the supply truck.
The local jerky booths seem a little expensive, but it's good stuff. Don't always get a chance to try gator, ostrich, or buffalo, and elk is rare here.
No clue what the booth selling sugar gliders was expecting. Targets, maybe?
I'm lucky in that my local shows always have a Georgia Arms table. Acceptable price and wonderful ammunition. The only place that beats the 50-round cop-shop Gold Dot that I usually have to order online.
The only real screaming deals I got were when I went in with money and an open mind. It helps that I like a project at least as much as a great working gun, because it will be when I'm done. Used to see box-of-parts guns cheap. Stuff that someone took apart, couldn't get back together, and the shop offered scrap price instead of dealing with it. May need a spring, but for someone with the internet and a whole drawer of springs--and a tube of varied spring wire, if it came down to it--rarely a problem.
Got a Carcano that needed a magazine, and cost me $45 all told. Unfortunately sporterized, but a few boxes of rounds still with the stripper clips cost me more. A friend got a DAO Beretta 92 for $200, and a Star Model B for $120.
Less so now that online sales are so big, but it at least used to be you could get lucky with the small shops and their occasionally odd offerings, or the larger ones trying to clear out the trade-ins and estate guns that the counter jockeys don't know anything about.
Also a shame you don't see the pallets of ammo cans for the same price any more. I bought an armload of them because mismatched lids and scuffed paint got them marked down to $5. A can of Krylon 'outdoor' paint in 'moss', and you'd never know they weren't fresh off the back of the supply truck.
The local jerky booths seem a little expensive, but it's good stuff. Don't always get a chance to try gator, ostrich, or buffalo, and elk is rare here.
No clue what the booth selling sugar gliders was expecting. Targets, maybe?
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guyfromohio
Member
Prepare to disarm before you go in....there will be a huge sign stating that loaded firearms (even those legally concealed) are prohibited. Then you will see about a dozen booths selling cards that you should leave at businesses stating that you won’t do business there because they prohibit legally carried firearms. Then you will see the typical bumper stickers and t-shirts with “Molon Labe”, “Cold Dead Hands”, “Tree of Liberty”...blah blah all while disarmed by a sign at the door. And those vendors are paying money to the venues that are prohibiting your carry. “Insurance....safety...”....blah blah same nonsense the store owners give us that makes us actively boycott. Seems rathe4 hypocritical to me.
Welcome to THR, Valko!
I've never gotten The Legendary Great Deal at a gun show, but I still enjoy them. I have gotten many a decent deal. As others have noted:
-Take cash
-Know your prices
-Wear comfortable shoes
-Chit-chat, but don't waste vendors' time
-Enjoy the jerky.
this is what you will find at a gun show. really really nice people, really really sleezy people. really good buys and buys that will skin you. be very observant as to the difference. lots of eye candy. if your selling something or trading something, know the value of it before hand. ive even found some who dont even know the value of what they have. it will be interesting, be very very careful.
bannockburn
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I use to go to a lot of gun shows with a couple of buddies of mine; made for a good time even if we didn't buy anything. Always brought cash and a credit card because you never knew when you're going to find that one great deal but came up short when it was time to pay for it (found Wolf Match Target .22LR ammo at a fantastic price and bought all ten bricks of it that the vendor had with my credit card).
If it's a big show you might want to bring something to write with so you can jot down where you saw something that interested you and go back to it later (for instance: "main hall, row 4, halfway down on the right, Colt 1911") .You'll find lots of stuff that you're not going to ever see at your local gun stores!
Don't be afraid to offer less than what the dealer has it priced at; it never hurts to ask. Likewise don't waste a dealer's time if you have no intention of actually buying something. Be prepared to haggle a bit for a good deal and always ask questions if you're not sure about something. I have actually made some decent deals at gun shows and have a lot of fun doing it!
Some my better deals:
If it's a big show you might want to bring something to write with so you can jot down where you saw something that interested you and go back to it later (for instance: "main hall, row 4, halfway down on the right, Colt 1911") .You'll find lots of stuff that you're not going to ever see at your local gun stores!
Don't be afraid to offer less than what the dealer has it priced at; it never hurts to ask. Likewise don't waste a dealer's time if you have no intention of actually buying something. Be prepared to haggle a bit for a good deal and always ask questions if you're not sure about something. I have actually made some decent deals at gun shows and have a lot of fun doing it!
Some my better deals:
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Hokie_PhD
Member
I’d say just go to take it all in. Talk to people and learn.
Bring cash and only buy to that limit. Better yet don’t buy anything your first show.
After that go take a gun safety class.
Then go take a range class.
Then go to different stores, go to online sites and then go enjoy the shows.
Bring cash and only buy to that limit. Better yet don’t buy anything your first show.
After that go take a gun safety class.
Then go take a range class.
Then go to different stores, go to online sites and then go enjoy the shows.
Zaydok Allen
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If you’re looking at a gun with passing interest and the vendor tells you to go ahead and pick it up, don’t unless you might actually buy it. Otherwise you get trapped in a sales pitch.
Do research ahead of time on reasonable pricing.
Don’t expect to find any great deals.
Do research ahead of time on reasonable pricing.
Don’t expect to find any great deals.
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I've never had to disarm before going into a gun show.
guyfromohio
Member
They will wand you here in Ohio...at least the ones I’ve been to in past 20 years.
One google search of one show...
http://ohiogunshows.com/wp/rules/
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
DO NOT DRINK BEER while at the gun show.
Save the brews for later. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen my buddies drink two or three beers then buy something they later decided they didn’t like or need.
Though they’d never admit it was the beer that bought the thing...
Save the brews for later. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen my buddies drink two or three beers then buy something they later decided they didn’t like or need.
Though they’d never admit it was the beer that bought the thing...
Skylerbone
Member
I forgot one thing, two really, and this is probably for posterity as I’m sure the OP is currently swimming in jerky and buy 2 get 1 free Chinese Tactical Knives; I like to split money and here’s how I do it. Find what I want, figure the price in my head that I think the dealer will accept. Leave that amount in the wallet, stuff a few small bills in one pocket, and the rest in another.
After taking a lap then discussing the firearm with the seller, I can pull out my wallet and count, showing him I’m short of the asking price. If he bites he bites, “my wife sees the credit card bill”, and if it’s close, I still have “change from the tenderloin I bought at lunch” to hedge my bet. Second thing I forgot to mention, they made more than one.
After taking a lap then discussing the firearm with the seller, I can pull out my wallet and count, showing him I’m short of the asking price. If he bites he bites, “my wife sees the credit card bill”, and if it’s close, I still have “change from the tenderloin I bought at lunch” to hedge my bet. Second thing I forgot to mention, they made more than one.
JONWILL
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True. A lot of private sellers will have better prices
2 things you can get good deals on. Buying from people walking the isles and the last day about 2 hours before the show ends. That is when people who haven’t sold enough discount to pay for the tables
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