jad0110
Member
Hello all,
I am a resident of NC, and have been to most of the gun shows in my state. Though nice revolvers can be found for very good deals, they are relatively few and far between. I end up passing on the vast majority of S&Ws, Tauris and Rugers I come across because either the asking price is outrageous (ie, S&W Model 10-6 for $750, Taurus Model 66 for $500, Charter Arms .38 snub for $550) or they are completely beat to crap (A 2.75" Ruger Speed Six with about .006" of endshake in the cylinder). Or both (that shot to crap Speed Six was $475, IIRC)
In fact, most of the revolver purchases I have made in the past few years have come from one dealer out in the western part of the state.
Last year I took a couple of revolvers to Matt Almeda (out of Suffolk VA, IIRC) to have some work done, and the Hampton Gun Show was the same day. So I dropped in to check it out. I was amazed at the relatively high percentage of revolvers that were there, as compared to ALL the NC gun shows I've been to. Not only that, most were priced so well that even having to pay for shipping and a $25 FFL fee on my end still made the prices far better than most anything in NC.
I ended up buying a 2.5" S&W 66-1 (P&R) for $430, plus $15 shipping and $25 transfer fee. The best price I had seen on a 2.5" 66 in NC in the previous 2 years was $550 for a real beater. So I was all over that 66. One table had dozens of Ruger Police Service Sixes much like my own for $250 to $275. I recall seeing a 5.5" Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag for $400, and a nice 4" S&W Model 10-5 for $200. If I my budget had been higher, there were probably 3 other wheelies I would have purchased.
But doing research online, the Hampton gun show is only considered so-so by VA residents.
So I ask you guys that may have experience with this, which gun shows in VA would be the best place to locate nice used S&Ws, Taurus and Ruger Revolvers? I've heard Chantilly is nice.
And yes, I realize shipping and FFL fees are involved for me as an out of state resident. But like I said, the deals and selection I saw in Hampton compared to my local prices more than offset that and gas expenses.
I am a resident of NC, and have been to most of the gun shows in my state. Though nice revolvers can be found for very good deals, they are relatively few and far between. I end up passing on the vast majority of S&Ws, Tauris and Rugers I come across because either the asking price is outrageous (ie, S&W Model 10-6 for $750, Taurus Model 66 for $500, Charter Arms .38 snub for $550) or they are completely beat to crap (A 2.75" Ruger Speed Six with about .006" of endshake in the cylinder). Or both (that shot to crap Speed Six was $475, IIRC)
In fact, most of the revolver purchases I have made in the past few years have come from one dealer out in the western part of the state.
Last year I took a couple of revolvers to Matt Almeda (out of Suffolk VA, IIRC) to have some work done, and the Hampton Gun Show was the same day. So I dropped in to check it out. I was amazed at the relatively high percentage of revolvers that were there, as compared to ALL the NC gun shows I've been to. Not only that, most were priced so well that even having to pay for shipping and a $25 FFL fee on my end still made the prices far better than most anything in NC.
I ended up buying a 2.5" S&W 66-1 (P&R) for $430, plus $15 shipping and $25 transfer fee. The best price I had seen on a 2.5" 66 in NC in the previous 2 years was $550 for a real beater. So I was all over that 66. One table had dozens of Ruger Police Service Sixes much like my own for $250 to $275. I recall seeing a 5.5" Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag for $400, and a nice 4" S&W Model 10-5 for $200. If I my budget had been higher, there were probably 3 other wheelies I would have purchased.
But doing research online, the Hampton gun show is only considered so-so by VA residents.
So I ask you guys that may have experience with this, which gun shows in VA would be the best place to locate nice used S&Ws, Taurus and Ruger Revolvers? I've heard Chantilly is nice.
And yes, I realize shipping and FFL fees are involved for me as an out of state resident. But like I said, the deals and selection I saw in Hampton compared to my local prices more than offset that and gas expenses.
; you can get a 4" S&W 19 or 66 for that price if you are patient. The Ruger Sixes seem to sell for around $300 to $350 with a 4" barrel and closer to $400 with a 2.75". Speed Sixes with their round butt do seem to command a $50 higher premium. However, most of the ones I've seen have been completely shot to crap. They are tough guns for sure, but not invincible. Seems the Ruger image of industructibility leads folks to load up with homemade sticks of atomic dynamite and blast the living tar out of them.
