Just checking in and sharing my perspective about the gun show this weekend. For the first time in 15 or so years I was really disappointed. I've been a staunch defender of the show in the face of some criticism over the years. The show this weekend was dominated by discussions (mostly with great bitterness) of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and vaccine, the vile White House assault on guns and gun owners, and the pricing on ammo and reloading components. It all combined to make it a very sad event.
I did learn there is no shortage of ammo; only a shortage of reasonably priced ammo. In all my years of attending the show, I've never seen that much ammo. There were some ammo dealers with stacks of ammo but hundreds of tables with some portion of their table space dedicated to ammo. With few exceptions, nearly all of it was priced 200%-300% above prices of a year ago. I wanted to buy one box of 30-30 ammo for a family member. The $2 per round stuff disappeared quickly and left only the $4 per round and not much of it. I declined to pay that much.
Primers were worse; for example, small rifle primers typically sold in the recent past for $30 per 1,000 were tagged $200+. Most powder was $25-$30 per lb at shows a year or so ago, was marked $60-$100 today. It was scary how much impact the virus and the White House has had and will habve in the coming months.
I did learn there is no shortage of ammo; only a shortage of reasonably priced ammo. In all my years of attending the show, I've never seen that much ammo. There were some ammo dealers with stacks of ammo but hundreds of tables with some portion of their table space dedicated to ammo. With few exceptions, nearly all of it was priced 200%-300% above prices of a year ago. I wanted to buy one box of 30-30 ammo for a family member. The $2 per round stuff disappeared quickly and left only the $4 per round and not much of it. I declined to pay that much.
Primers were worse; for example, small rifle primers typically sold in the recent past for $30 per 1,000 were tagged $200+. Most powder was $25-$30 per lb at shows a year or so ago, was marked $60-$100 today. It was scary how much impact the virus and the White House has had and will habve in the coming months.