Gun Show Shock

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Stevie-Ray

Stevie-Ray

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Well, my buddy and I went to the gun show yesterday for 2 reasons. It was free and it was something to do. What I wasn't prepared for was the prices. Gun prices were no different than they have been for the last couple years, other than a few black rifles that are still commanding a premium similar to what they were back after the AWB. HK-91 types and FALs come to mind. But the ammunition!:eek: I was horrified to see .22LR Remington GB 525 round bulk packs for $99.95. Single 50 round boxes of cheap crappy .22LR going for 9 bucks each. A brick of T-bolts for $140. My buddy found a box of 9mm ball for $20. Good thing too, because most others wanted $40. Shotgun ammo has gone up a tad, but not much. Seemingly anything else was completely outrageous, and I refuse to be a party to keeping these prices artificially high. Guess I'll be making do with what I now have.:uhoh:

And of all things, the cheapest ammo out there is Weatherby. .340 WMAG for $35/20, was one of the best deals I've yet seen. .300 WMAG was $20/20, while just behind them 5.56 PMC was going for $40/20.:rolleyes: I was thinking about buying a Weatherby to just be able to shoot high-power inexpensively.:D But naturally, they didn't have any.;) I bought one of those cleaning mats with the exploded AR-15 on it.:p
 
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I have been going to gun shows for years. Very rarely is there a deal to be had. I usually go to just eyeball stuff or maybe look for something used. For the most part gun shows are a rip off.
 
Was planning on going tomorrow but you guys have convinced me to rake leaves and do some other yard work instead until the greedy bastards go somewhere else.
 
I go to shows to look for odd stuff that's been discontinued or no longer mfg'd. Last show I attended, I picked up a S&W model 19 and a Savage model 170 pump gun in the good old 30-30, both very reasonable trades. I don't think either one has been made in 30 years or more.
I don't worry about center-fire ammo as I reload, but those 22lr prices are freakin ridiculous. Can't wait for these prices to settle back down.
 
^^Guaranteed that's where some of it went. But I went to the Wanamaker about 4 years ago in Tulsa. Their Remington cor-lokt 30-06 180 gr. was $38 for 20 rds. Cheapest I found was $32/20. Same ammo at Walmart was $16/20. It was mind boggling. Gun shows are really only good for browsing and finding "odd-ball" stuff. Occasionally you find a few deals. But generally speaking its not the place to buy unless it's from an individual.
 
I hate to say it but I think the gun shows/Internet/local gun stores will lag behind the "big box" stores as prices start returning to something more of a sane level because
a)the greedy will still be trying to make big bucks off of those too uninformed/lazy to shop around
b)the new owners who ran out and paid humongous amounts for their gear will not want to take a huge loss as they try to resell.
I'm already seeing a lot of "NIB" or "LNIB with only a few rounds through it" guns coming back on the local market still with stupid prices. I think ammo will take a bit longer.
 
I think we should should shun retailers who line up to buy ammo at WalMart at end-user consumer prices then turn around as sell it at usorous markup to end-user consumers because the shelves have been kept bare by retailers and hoarders.

I am glad that the threats of ammo bans in the 1980s, and my experience with seasonal unavailbilty of some of my fave calibers in the past, have led me to stockpile a two or three year supply, replenished only when ammo is available and prices are sane.

That said, I go to gun shows for parts, accessories and bargains. And for amusement at some of the overpriced stuff.
 
43 years

Been going to gun shows since about 1972 [ moved Western NYS ].

The prices are about as you stated here too,but NO AR-15/M-4 platforms as the Gov outlawed them and they cannot be sold !.

Ammunition hunting was THE order of the day at the last show and I lucked out as a friend who got in early to set up found CCI at 65.00 per brick and I told him to take all he could get for me.

Now I have enough to shoot for a 'while' and hopefully this B.S. will end.

BUT in NYS they will tax or outlaw internet sales.

SO its a "road trip" for any that shoot and want to keep shooting !.
 
Stevie, the 22lr prices make me want to slap the beotches for greed, God and Country.

That said, I am happy I got the 5250 Federals from Palmetto for 175 plus shipping to add to the Aguila stock I have.
Would I sell any? Heck no, not even for those inflated prices. Would I give a box to a fellow shooter or two at the range? Sure.

It'll come back, but not like before. Not until the political winds have shifted and people revolt against.......say the Obama Care monster right around the corner.


What I got now in terms of supply and capability will be used for my two boys, my wife and I and the friends I take up plinking and paper punching.


By the Way, we have a wholesaler goes by the name of MiWall out of Grass Valley California. These are the heavywheight distributors here in the California gun shows. They do have the3 supplies, but being the main game in town, what kills us folk is the wait to be served. It is literally three hours in line to get through. Man...............I can't do it!
 
Went to gun show in tulsa yesterday. AR prices back down to pre-panic prices. Saw several windham, dpms s&w15 in the $700 range.22lr still high, but coming down. Nobody buying it at $75/550. Did find bargain that i boughr. Hornady 52gr A-MAX $19/100. Bought 2. Surprised me as anything 224 cal has been outrageous if you could find it. Bought tula lrm primers $43/1000 only cause that what my 22-250 likes best.
 
Last one I went to was similar; few ridiculously-priced guns and plenty of ridiculously-priced ammo.

I did regrettably pass on a S&W M10 I looked at, which was listed at $200, and I think, from talking to the guy, he would have gone lower.

I picked up a cheap, small airsoft pistol I think will make a good trainer for my four-year old daughter (and maybe my wife until she gets to a live-fire environment.)
 
Almost bought a 1911 airsoft. All steel, bout same weight as my sig. All functions, blowback, even breakdown the same. Anyone use one of these? $139 a fair price?
 
I go to gun shows for parts, accessories and bargains. And for amusement at some of the overpriced stuff.
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And that's about the size of it. During the days of yore, when Bill Goodman's Gun Show was still in town, deals could be found easily. In fact, I got probably most of my guns from that show. I sure miss those days. It's no longer here, and I don't know if it's any better now, wherever it is. Could be the same as these rinky dink shows. I've bought a gun or two from this show as well, but now at least I know what is available and what I'm willing to pay.

You should've seen some of the looks we got from vendors whenever we unabashedly exclaimed, "Are they out of their MINDS?":D
 
As long as people keep paying high prices the stuff is not going to change price. If you are paying $50 for a $25 box of ammo you are part of the problem. Admittedly I do not have as much .22LR as I would like but I'm saving it for a rainy day. Honestly I'm not shooting as much as I was before things got nutty, but that's okay, I have had no trouble picking up other lost hobbies. Go fishing or something and stop buying high priced ammo or it is never going to come down.
 
The was a huge gun show about 8 miles from my house & I don't know a single person who went. I even asked in my local gun forum about it and nobody posted anything.
This is the same gun show that usually attracted sell-outs by noon and Georgia Arms had 10 tables. Shoot Straight usually has 20 tables, no joke.
 
I finally gave up on gun shows. By the time I spent the drive time, fuel costs, the admission fee, and parking fees (where applicable) it didn't add up. There were/are deals to be had, but really really hard to find. I shop mostly online and find good deals on whatever I need. Gun show table dealers get mighty proud of their stuff and it seems like they don't want to sell or move in volume. I would make reasonable offers on stuff that would cost the same online (less shipping) and they would not take it. Finally, I gave up and just look online and pay the shipping. Now I save gas money and admission fees and spend more time shooting than visiting a gun show! Gun shows, good luck with 'em.
 
No you know where all the WalMart ammo went.
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This. These guys are speculators, and they are one of the reasons that all the shelves are empty everywhere you go. There may be nothing illegal about what they're doing, but let's face it: by profiteering on the panic, they are worsening and prolonging the shortages. It works out better for them and worse for the rest of us. I know all about the free market, etc., but these guys are ruining the shooting sports, in my opinion.

Don't pay their prices. That's the only way to end it.
 
On the bright side, the tight supply and high cost of ammo locally translates to fewer shooters at the range, which translates to time to make much needed repairs to the range. Went out to shoot yesterday and had the range to myself. Gotta stay positive and look for those silver linings. :)
 
"...fewer shooters at the range."

This has been my obseravtion as well. I have an all day unlimited membership at my range, so it pays to go for a day, take your time and make very shot count. I will not take my son to the range anytime soon as lately all he does is point the gun in the target's general direction and pull the trigger fast as he can. Told him next tme he does that he can buy his own ammo!

Gun shows around here in Northern Virginia are still huge far as I can tell. I stopped going but when I drive by I see long lines of folks waiting to get in.
 
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