Great Gunshow Weekend!

[Langenator]

The SC Arms Collectors show was in town this weekend, so you know where I was going on Saturday. The only bummer was that my wife had Guard drill so she couldn't go with me. So I got to carry my son (2.5 months) in the front-load bundle-of-joy carrier. Unfortunately, I forgot my Molon Labe hat.

Actually, the day started off excellently even before I got to the show. Earlier in the week I had seen an ad in the Thrifty Nickel offering an SVT-40 for sale. Stopped by the gentleman's house on the way to the show. Beautiful rifle. 1941 Izhevsk arsenal, non-sniper, Matching #s on receiver and stock, re-arsenaled bolt EP'd to match, great finish on all the metal. Minor chipping in the shellac on the wood. $400 and it was mine.

Then on to the show. The SCAC shows are pretty good for their size. Nobody selling beef jerky, and minimal folks selling old militaria. On the downside, there wasn't much in the way of ammo (GA Arms and one other) or reloading supplies. One cool display of WWI stuff, just a display, not for sale. Not as many milsurps for sale as the last time they were in town, with the reduced numbers especially dramatic in the Yugo SKS department. But I did find one good deal on another rifle high on my Wish List. Guy had two Finnish M39s for sale-a 1944 Sako for $200 and a 1941 VKT for $160. Given that I'd already spent $400 on the SVT and only had $200 in my pocket (and 7.62x54R isn't in my ammo inventory) I grabbed the VKT. Beautiful metal, very nice wood (one good ding in it though). Also bought 100 rounds of Czech silvertip to go with my new toys.

Lesson learned: If you have a C&R license, always take a couple of copies to the gunshow. Buying the M39 was as simple as hand the seller the cash and my license, he hands me the rifle and a copy of his license. Awesome.

Interesting side note: this show was actually advertised on local cable TV. I did find it interesting that while the ad had plenty of shots of hunting rifles, milsurp rifles, knives, etc., there wasn't a single solitary picture of an EBR or any modern pistols.

 

[LiquidTension]

Lang, I saw a guy carrying a kid around in a front carrier...perhaps we crossed paths. I, however, DID remember my Molon Labe hat and wore it proudly...didn't get a single question about it though.

I was disappointed, as usual. The Class III table with the G36 was cool, but those guys are INSANE. They wanted $20,000 for a select fire M16 Impact Guns has one for $5k less at this very moment. I went in search of reloading supplies, mainly bullets. I found nothing worth buying. I needed some 7.62x39. Guy wanted $90 for a case...silly me, I thought the price on that had gone down recently to $65 Cold Steel OSS - zero. My brother did pick up a new MecGar 15rd 226 mag for $29. There were some Yugo SKSs in near mint condition for $169, but InterOrdnance has excellent condition Yugos for $99 and SOG has some for a little more. Found some Carbon Creations grips (damn you Skunk) that I would have purchased had they not been $90 - Brownell's has them for $55.

Now, I know better than to expect fantastic prices at a gun show, especially around here. I don't think that reasonable prices are too much to ask though. The dealers don't agree with me. I will gladly pay a little more to buy from someone local or at a show, but I'm not paying 30% more, that's just silly. One guy had SAW stocks for the FAL that he obviously got from Tapco. He wanted $29. That is DOUBLE what Tapco sells them for. I understand that he needs to make a profit, but by having a ridiculous price he lost at least one sale. By the time I left he still had the same number of those left, so he may well have lost several sales. Why is it that many dealers don't understand that when you make just a little less profit, you get many more sales to make up for it??? I went to the show ready to spend at least $200, but because of people not understanding the free market, I came home with $194 (it was $6 to get in). The guy I usually buy reloading stuff from wasn't there this time Anyway, it was worth the admission price just to see all the Class III stuff that's starting to pop up here.

 

[Langenator]

LT-if you were there mid to late afternoon Saturday, it was probably me. didn't see any other guys carrying babies in front slings. Couple in strollers-maneuvering those has got to be a pain. I don't remember any Molon Labe hats, but most of my attention was either on the tables or on Jr.

I agree that there weren't any really great deals. The M39 was a good enough one for me to pull the string on it though. If I'd have about $40 more in my wallet, I would have gone for the Sako, but I didn't, and I still got a great rifle.

One thing I do really like about gun shows in this part of the country, as opposed to my legal home in WA, is the presence of GA Arms. Great prices on JHP ammo for anyone who doesn't mind theri bullets in a bag.

I agree the Class III guys' prices were insane. $20k for an M-16? I saw a full-auto M-60 at the show in Charlotte two weeks ago for the same price.

 

[BluesBear]

Langenator, Miwall has been having GREAT prices at the local shows. And it comes in real boxes.
I may be wrong, but it appears there might be a small price war between them and another dealer.

How long will it be before you return to the Great Pacific Northwet?

 

[Langenator]

IIRC, GA Arms price for their 165 grn Gold Dot JHP in .40 was $11 for 50 rounds. 10mm was around $13, and .45 around $11 or $12. Been a while since I bought any SD ammo (thus why I was buying it now), but I know the Winchester Silvertips in my Delta were around $11 for 20.

I'm going home on leave from 5-13 June. The earliest I might be back to stay is around June next year, and that depends on a whole lot of factors. "Needs of the Army" and all that.