Gun show observations

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I went to the Baltimore Antique Arms Show (an annual event) this weekend. The impression I got was that prices for collectibles have leveled off, if not actually fallen.

I was in the market for some original M1855 (Civil War) bayonets. I was prepared to pay about $160 each, if in nice condition. The first vendor that I saw, that had them in suitable condition, had them marked at $150. He dropped the price to $125 each when I said I wanted two. Deal. Then I found another vendor who had one marked $125. I had my money out already when he said there was a 20% discount, so I got my third one for $100. (This compares to $40 for junk reproductions.)
 
Hi...

I go to a few gun shows a year here in southcentral Pennsylvania.
Usual cost to get in the door is $8...I consider it a fee for a couple of hours entertainment.

I get a bit annoyed wading my way through the cheese and bologna dealers, the junk jewelry dealers and the like, but I see no way to avoid them.
I don't usually buy anything at a gun show other than some commercial cast bullets. I have bought a few guns at gun shows over the years but I sometimes go years without buying anything at a gun show. The best deal I ever got on a gun at a gun show was a Dan Wesson .22LR revolver with an 8-3/8" barrel for around $400-450, IIRC. I bought that from a private dealer who seems to show up at that particular show every year selling his personal firearms.

Most of the time I pick up a card from a dealer and then go check out their shop a few weeks later. I usually find the gun I was interested in their shop for less than it was on sale at the gun show.

I typically buy my guns from a couple of shops where they know me and that have gunsmiths on staff as well as reloading components for sale.
Better deals than gun shows and it keeps local businesses going which is important, IMHO.
 
Berger.Fan222 said:
Gun shows seem to me more of a form of entertainment than a reliable way to purchase sporting equipment at lower prices. There's always a chance of stumbling on something interesting or a "good deal" but I view it as more an opportunity to get out and see what's happening at gun shows.

If you aren't satisfied with the entertainment value of seeing what's going on at the gun show, odds are you may walk out unsatisfied.
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I gotta agree with that. I've bought very, very few guns, or gun related supplies and such at gun shows, but I've ran into a lot of old friends that I hadn't seen in years at them. And as an avid reader, I occasionally pick up a book or two from the stacks of old books for sale - the same books I complained about in my previous post.:)
 
.308 Norma said:
I gotta agree with that. I've bought very, very few guns, or gun related supplies and such at gun shows, but I've ran into a lot of old friends that I hadn't seen in years at them. And as an avid reader, I occasionally pick up a book or two from the stacks of old books for sale - the same books I complained about in my previous post.:)
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I've gotten some really neat books/magiznies at gun shows. For example a 1917 issue of national sportsman for $3. Lots of year old gun digests for 1/4 cover price.
 
375supermag said:
Most of the time I pick up a card from a dealer and then go check out their shop a few weeks later. I usually find the gun I was interested in their shop for less than it was on sale at the gun show.
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I actually have a kinda funny version of that story. My wife and I were at a gun show down in Salt Lake, Utah (we live in Idaho) a few years back. She spotted a Smith .38 Special she just "had to have" on one of the dealer's tables. But seeing as how it would have been a handgun sale across a state line, she told the dealer she'd like to buy the gun but couldn't because we live up near Pocatello, Idaho. Well, it turned out that the dealer's actual brick and mortar gunshop is in Pocatello, and we'd just never been in there.
Anyway, the dealer put the .38 Special under the table and told my wife he'd take it back to Pocatello with him when he went. Come Monday morning, my wife went to his shop and picked it up. She still has that gun, but I think it's the last one we bought from that dealer even though we now know where his shop is.:)
 
illinoisburt said:
My son was home for spring break over the weekend so I got an excuse to check out a half dozen local guns stores and stop in at the Alabama Gun Collector Association gun show. Interesting is putting it mildly. It's beautiful weather and folks must be feeling spring as then stores were busy. The gun show seemed well attended Sunday morning but I the one things that stood out to me was we weren't seeing much buying. The last time we had a gun browsing weekend was back in August and it seemed like everything that wasn't nailed down was going out the door.

So a few observations:

Ammo and reloading supplies are abundant. Just about every caliber of ammo was in stock at all the stores including 22LR. Prices were all over the place from cheap to crazy high. One store in particular was literally so full of ammo it was hard to walk in the door as it was piled up in the middle of the room creating aisles. I was tempted to snap a pic as the boxes had a variety of prices stamped on them - $19.99 for 100 CCI hollow points for the boxes on top, boxes further down the stack marked $14.99 and $10.99. Hmm.

Multiple stores and a bunch of vendors had 1000 sealed boxes of Tula steel ammo in 223, 762x39, and 9mm. The huge tables of "white box" ammo at the gun show was marked low but no one appeared excited by them.

Powder, primers, and components were reasonable if not a little cheaper. I picked up some unique for $22 a pound at the gun show. One of the vendors had a bunch of 5 pound jugs of trailboss - first time I have seen the big container anywhere the past few years.

Gun prices are an odd duck. Hunting rifles didn't seem to have changed a bit. Still have cheap plastic stocked bolt guns and expensive wood and blued steel. Very inexpensive pump shotguns up through nice higher end doubles.

Where things were strange was milsurps, ARs, AKs and other what I will call military-styled rifles. If it was old it was high. AKs started around $650 and went up. SKS $450+. Mosin Nagant (lots with "rare" tags) $350-800. Garands $900-1200.

The AR market was different. One store has M&P sport 2 on the shelf for $689, while literally the guy next door was at $525. At the gun show one of the larger displays had them for $469 along with Ruger AR for $519. Bunches of them available but didn't see many people buying. There were quite a few folks walking around with Colt ARs of various flavors trying to offload them. I don't think I heard any takers.

Think I'm going to just hang back and let the dust settle until later this summer. I know people loaded the boat in anticipation of a Hillary win. Once the squeeze is on and things get to actual loss prices the true bargains will show up.

What have you all been seeing in your area?
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Very nice analysis - thanks. I need to be more observant. I usually focus I what specific item I am looking for and everything else is decoration. I will say one thing though, and that is that I am not going to pay more than $7.00 to be allowed the privilege of spending more money in a gun show. since they are mostly fun raisers I think $3 - $5 is fair....
 
Maybe the reason sales are so slow at gun shows these days is because the younger generation of shooters is biding their time.
They might be waiting for more us grumpy OF gun owners to die off and then buy up the guns from the widows for the prices that we had told our wives that we paid.. ;)
 
Some good comments here and some I can't agree with.

1. The price of entrance and the price of the product reflects the costs incurred by the business. The door charge at my shows is $6.00 yet every show I get people complaining about the price. Yes you used to be able to buy a new rifle for $100 at a show but you drove to the show in a new $2,000 Ford full of 25 c/gal gas.

2. Just because you are not interested in something doesn't mean other people aren't. If you only want to talk to people who agree with you, there are lots of Internet forums for that.

3. Gun shows can not survive without customers. Before you start complaining about the sad state of the shows ask your self when was the last time you help introduce a youngster to shooting? If it has been a while then stop bitching and start working.

IronHand
 
It has been 10 years since I graced the doors of a local Gun Show. Entrance was 5$ and I was looking for Personal Protection ammo. I already had plenty of stuff to reload all my calibers. Never found it and ordered off the internet with delivery in 9 days. 5000 rounds of Winchester Ranger T +P+ which you cannot find anywhere now. Nuff said.
 
In about thirty years of firearms interest, I've attended about 25 gun shows. I've bought precisely three guns from then. The first was a Jennings J-22, new, for about $55 OTD, in 1987. It's a nickel-plated neat little shooter I still have. The second was a Stevens Model 89 "fake" lever rifle in .22LR, a single-shot made to look like a lever gun. I paid $30 for it OTD in 1988, and still own it. The third didn't come along until 2014, in December, and it was a Bulgarian Makarov pistol in VG condition for $275 OTD. I find that one well worth the price, too.

I've bought ammo on a few occasions, as well as a couple of cheap knives and a hat or two. But usually, I'm just buying entertainment.
 
If your gun show doesn't allow private sales/tables, its probably not going to be very good. Like others have stated, you can get most new stuff online for cheaper without the hassle. It's the older stuff and the knowledge that makes gun shows fun (for me and many others anyways). Not a lot of dealers have that collection of old Colts & Smiths, or the Mausers & Garands that they're willing to sell at a good price because they bought it 20 years ago and its been in the safe ever since. Or those 3 tins of sealed surplus ammo because they got 10 more sitting at home.

We just had a local gunshow and it wasn't great but it was OK. I did get to see a neat Enfield converted by Navy Arms to .45-70 and I got some old parts for dirt cheap. Even had a guy give me six Garand en-bloc clips for free because nobody seemed to want them (I kicked him a few bucks as a thank you anyway). Got to see an old Norinco .22 mauser trainer and some other goodies too.
 
I hadn't been to a show in years; one too many beef jerky dealers, guys selling new nazi memorabilia, junk knife dealers, salsa, etc. Salsa, really?

Decided to give it another shot a few months ago, i.e., momentarily bored, and had a good visit. When I pulled out my wallet to pay the $9 entrance fee, the woman collecting saw my retirement shield and said no charge. I told her I wasn't active and wasn't looking for free admission, she said it didn't matter, thank you for your service. Thank you!

Looking around with no particular gun in mind, I came across a Uberti Cattleman that just intrigued me. In the back of my mind I had wanted a .357, also somewhere in the murky depths there, not having a single action, I though one might be nice. Two birds...... , and a price I couldn't refuse. Grabbed it.

Saw some powder I hadn't seen for a while, at decent prices, same for some 9mm ammo, though I didn't buy either. Did pick up some .308 at a good price.

Overall, not a bad show. I'm going to attend again this coming weekend. If it goes well once more, that is, if I'm not repulsed, I may start attending again on a semi regular basis.
 
I've only been to a couple of shows and I'll go again. I too look at them as sort of entertainment and something to do for a few hours. The ones near me are usually about $5 to $6 for entry and have free parking, so I'm not out much even if it's a dud. The last one I attended was good for me. It was over a year ago and primers were hard to find in person. One vendor had CCI for $30 a thousand, which I felt was a really good price then, so I picked some up. Now this has peaked my interest, so I'll have to check on when the next show is scheduled.
 
Interesting. I do thank God for living in Nebraska. The gun shows here and in the two neighboring states (South Dakota and Kansas) I've attended are lots of fun.

Yes, prices have gone up. They have ever since I was but a wee tyke and my late parents reported the same. Everything costs more. Price of admission is quite often tied to the cost of renting the venue.

I belong to the club putting on the Gun Show in Hastings, Nebraska. We do two a year (spring and fall, more or less). Our show - and I do not know if this is due to excellent planning or Divine Intercession - always has a good mix of 'stuff'. Guns from muzzle loaders to ARs (in varied chamberings and calibers) collector's items and high volume new sales. One or two good quality jewelry vendors. At least one vendor selling "home security" - cameras and alarms, but no 'contracts'. Surplus GI clothing and 'bits', including cleaning gear and pup tents; ammo cans in all sizes. Of course there's a jerky guy. One table - along side the collectable WWII handguns - had fudge!

Some of the vendors have a great deal of knowledge - as do some of the older, mustachio'd "staff" - about a lot of things related to firearms, ballistics, reloading, holsters, legal history and general history.

Much of one's enjoyment depends on what one expects or seeks. I collect old .32 Automatics (1900-1940, more or less) and WWI rifles. Most gun shops and pawn shops - with a few exceptions - even take them in trade anymore; they're not fast sellers. One finds them on the internet, but usually at "auction syndrome" prices. So I'm stuck with gun shows. ("Stuck" being pleasant in this case.) I do find the odd guns and bits from time to time. Every place, every time? No. Nor at prices I'm willing to pay always. But it becomes possible.

At the gun show last weekend I was 'chatting' with a vendor, when I mentioned '...odd old rifle clips...' He turned, grabbed a well handled box from somewhere and said, "You mean like these?" So I returned his kindness and bought a Mannlicher type en bloc loader and two Carcano (Mannlicher) en bloc loaders for a very reasonable price. I met another fellow who had some 'handful' of similar clips at home. Including some I've been seeking.

Like I said, it depends on what one seeks. And 'seeking' is a good bit of the fun.
 
Our state collector's association had their biggest show of the year last weekend. I tried to talk myself into going but no luck. I have more than a bit of extra ammo around and that would be all I would be interested in buying. The internet has added greatly to my assortment of items to shoot with, so not really looking for anything much... the main item of interest to me would be to see how many of the guns I could recognize that the same guys have been flogging for years, with no luck, as they are so overpriced.
 
I was at the same show as the OP this past week end. I thought it was a decent show. I didn't buy a gun but I was able to pick up a few pounds of H4350 at a fair price, something I have not seen in several months. All in all it was a good day. I think I had way more than $8 worth of enjoyment.
 
I'll be going to the Oaks Pa show tomorrow. 2,000 tables, and its usually a minimum of junk dealers (jewelry, jerky, etc), but the show is very redundant. I'll bet there are 400 tables of black rifles.. How different or better can they really be??? It's $10 for the privileged of buying from garage dealers at full retail or higher prices.
I'll bet tomorrow I'll be able to buy Sgt. York's rifle (he must have had a lot of them) John Wayne's SAA (he had a bunch of em too) and even Jed Clampet's musket.. (Made in China)

I really hate that show.... only going because my hunting partner wants company..

They have a dollar off coupon online.... I printed about 50 and will give them out at the door as I wait in line.. just "because"
 
Just In case people are in Minnesota and care, I went to the MWCA show in St. Paul last weekend and it is (in my inexpert opinion) the only show worth going to, reliably, in the Twin Cities metro area. Lots of quirky stuff, I didn't see any of this "jerky" everyone talks about, and some people are just there to show off interesting historical stuff.

I almost bought a CZ-52, which I'd never thought of before. I also thought briefly about a PMR-30, but it was $60 above Gunbroker even after shipping and a transfer fee. But it was well worth the $5 to wander around a few acres of tables for a few hours.
 
Ah, the gun show...

The aroma of fresh pop corn wafting by, the echo of clicky-sparky zappers being demonstrated at a booth on the far side, and that strange chubby guy wearing a mismatched collection of ill fitted military surplus camo.

Good times!

Edmo
 
Agate jewelry and Rambo knives.
In regular stores where shoppers expect to find just that type of tourist merchandise, do such stores also sell Yugo M59 (it is Not a 59/66), $375, straight from S.O.G., VZ-58s (7.62x39), CZ-75 Compact handguns (can't try ergos/DA trigger by viewing an Internet photo unless you reeel goood), Finnish M39 rifles in 7.62x54R? Maybe they have German WW2 Sauer 38H handguns...I somehow missed noticing those while handling jewelry in small downtown shops.

Maybe those small shops also exhibit SAR-1s or WASR 10s, with Romanian barrel/receiver steel quality much better than the US-made Century RAS, or they display a decent Albanian or Russian SKS.

Most guys can afford $10 for a few beers. Or an entrance fee, or could stay home with the dusty, grass-encrusted lawnmower. Look at them bellies (mine too). Ain't just from :)...eh, the beer or double cheeseburger with bacon/fries.
Extortionate entrance fees are Such a disgrace. Pardon my upbeat gun show comments, retiring March 29th! :) :)
 
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Gun shows are certainly not what they once were. A good portion of the reasoning behind that is the advent of sites like gunbroker, armslist, florida gun trader, Davidson's, j&g, slickguns et cetera...ad infinitum. I see some rather insane/unscrupulous pricing at some shows. Last one I went to a vendor was trying to sell an iver Johnson m1 carbine for $750, stating it was gi surplus.
However, I still like to go. I do not begrudge the $9 parking and the $12 entry fee. I like to go because it's a fantastic place to meet other members of the shooting community in my local area. Also, there is a great wealth of information there. It's often not behind the tables, but in the isles, or at a table near the concession stand. I haven't found many great deals at the shows for the past few years, but I have had some great conversations with people, learned a lot about some firearms that I knew little about. Picked up some good advice on reloading, and got to handle firearms that simply don't show up at my LGS.
I hope the jerky sellers and the folks hawking cheap knives and stun guns can keep the doors open long enough so I can one day be one of the old timers sitting in the concession area, griping about how in my day, you used to be able to pick up AR15's for $500 and Mossberg shotguns for less than $300. And have the time to sit and talk to a new guy about why case volume and burn rate are very important topics in reloading...or why that iver Johnson m1 carbine is a far cry from gi surplus;)
 
At local gun shops I can expect to pay retail for new, and whatever the local market will bring for used. The only times that I have "won" an online auction is when I have been the "highest bidder." Most of my best deals have been had at gun shows. I love gun shows.
 
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