gun shows-sheeeshhhhh!

[Ignition Override]

Danoobie: plenty of gun show people seem to assume that when you/I carry a gun on a sling, we Must be desperate for cash.

And not to accept their insulting offer, we are fools, because we need any cash that could be tossed in our direction.
They would not comprehend the possibility that there are people who retire early because they want more free time, and could have worked three more years (to the max. allowed age), or simply want to sell a rifle, to have quick cash for another new rifle.

 

[Guitarmike]

I never by nothing from the no touch tables, I won't even look at them. Those guys should just stay home.

That's the whole point of the show!

Zero,

I do not understand why some people have a desire to touch. I ran into this all the time when I sold Lionel trains at train swap meets. All ages were guilty. The point of a gun show/swap meet is to buy and sell guns. It is not an interactive educational event. If you do not have the money to buy something, don't pick it up just because you never saw one before.

If you are handling a $2000 gun and you drop it, are you prepared to pay for it?

Mike

 

[Reloadron]

There is, however, another outfit which does much smaller shows in the area and has been quietly doing so for decades. Many more private sellers and mom n pop tables with all sorts of interesting old stuff - you never know what you'll see. These are the shows I love to scrounge through-

That's what I like to see and look for.

Ron

 

[fpgt72]

Zero,

I do not understand why some people have a desire to touch. I ran into this all the time when I sold Lionel trains at train swap meets. All ages were guilty. The point of a gun show/swap meet is to buy and sell guns. It is not an interactive educational event. If you do not have the money to buy something, don't pick it up just because you never saw one before.

If you are handling a $2000 gun and you drop it, are you prepared to pay for it?

Mike

Yes.

IMHO things like model trains are different....for firearms, if I am interested I am going to touch it. You bring something like that to a show expect that. Now if you have a sign that says please ask I will ask.

But otherwise on the table fair game.

 

[13Bravo]

^ sept 16 Warren/Niles gun show

Not to bust in and invite myself necessarily, I'm in Geauga county and will attend the Warren Niles that Saturday morning if anyone would like to meet up. Also, I usually shower and put on clean clothes for a gun show.

 

[AlexanderA]

Tire-kickers are a serious bane for gun show sellers, especially those who bring high-end stuff. "Do not handle without permission" signs shouldn't even be necessary. To my mind, gun show etiquette demands that you ask before picking up any gun.

Recently, I was at a gun show, chatting with one of the dealers, whom I have known for more than 40 years. He had a nice display of high-end U.S. military weapons, and a "do not handle" sign posted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very scruffy-looking 20-something picking up an original M1A1 carbine, folding the stock and racking the action. I didn't say anything, but I rolled my eyes in that direction for the benefit of my dealer friend. That young man got a verbal reaming that he will not soon forget. (That carbine was worth thousands of dollars, and if you don't know what you're doing, folding the stock the wrong way could cause damage. It was perfectly clear that the kid was in no position to buy it.)

In my experience, reasonable dealers will let you handle a gun, if you ask and if you seem to be a serious individual who might have the wherewithal to actually buy it. (This doesn't extend to field-stripping the gun at the dealer's table.)

 

[Axis II]

So what if i don't look like i know what I'm doing will i be told no i cant touch? I get it if its a very expensive firearm but when you have some Ruger 10/22 and a couple Winchester pumps i mean come on!

Just because i don't look like i have the cash or know what I'm doing shouldn't be a reason to be told no. When i first started getting more into guns i found a nice wood stocked savage 22lr at a dicks sporting goods and i asked if it had the accu trigger and was told yes and then not sure. I asked the trigger lock be taken off to test it cause i don't want a 8lbs trigger on a rifle and was told no but he could test it. The kid tested it and said it was like 2lbs. when they brought the one i did paper work for out i said i want to see it. i was told no i couldn't remove it from the box cause it had no guard on it. well seeing how with score card points and it being on sale i was paying $100 out the door i decided to bite and man did i get bit bad. that trigger is the heaviest, nastiest trigger I've ever touched.

IMO if you have low to medium priced guns and signs everywhere do not touch or ask before touching you either don't want to sell them or your on a power trip. sorry just IMO. One thing that does piss me off is when your at a range and someone decides to walk over and touch your stuff. I had someone do that a few years ago my boss pulled the bolt on his custom ruger hawkey and we went down range. I turn around and this guys standing next to the bench and turns the gun over on its side to look at it. If you bring something to a show expect for people to want to touch it and yes keep a close eye on them to make sure they aren't going to screw up your stuff but it sounds like some will tell you know cause your not dressed in an Armani suit or over the age of 40 if the gun has a certain price tag.

 

[fpgt72]

So what if i don't look like i know what I'm doing will i be told no i cant touch? I get it if its a very expensive firearm but when you have some Ruger 10/22 and a couple Winchester pumps i mean come on!

Just because i don't look like i have the cash or know what I'm doing shouldn't be a reason to be told no. When i first started getting more into guns i found a nice wood stocked savage 22lr at a dicks sporting goods and i asked if it had the accu trigger and was told yes and then not sure. I asked the trigger lock be taken off to test it cause i don't want a 8lbs trigger on a rifle and was told no but he could test it. The kid tested it and said it was like 2lbs. when they brought the one i did paper work for out i said i want to see it. i was told no i couldn't remove it from the box cause it had no guard on it. well seeing how with score card points and it being on sale i was paying $100 out the door i decided to bite and man did i get bit bad. that trigger is the heaviest, nastiest trigger I've ever touched.

IMO if you have low to medium priced guns and signs everywhere do not touch or ask before touching you either don't want to sell them or your on a power trip. sorry just IMO. One thing that does piss me off is when your at a range and someone decides to walk over and touch your stuff. I had someone do that a few years ago my boss pulled the bolt on his custom ruger hawkey and we went down range. I turn around and this guys standing next to the bench and turns the gun over on its side to look at it. If you bring something to a show expect for people to want to touch it and yes keep a close eye on them to make sure they aren't going to screw up your stuff but it sounds like some will tell you know cause your not dressed in an Armani suit or over the age of 40 if the gun has a certain price tag.

Bingo....and I don't look like a "gun guy".

Smallish, halfway balding, glasses.....and you get the questions that are condescending from people that are better then thou. F-You you know it all jack wagon. That is the time you pull out your $3000 in 20's count them in front of him....then he is all nice and polite.....that is when you put it back in your pocket and say you are a ____ and I would not buy from you if it was the last item on earth.

That door swings both ways, Bane of sellers....screw you, you are selling a product....you want MY money and unless you treat me with respect and be polite bye.

And also don't sit there and tell me your G43 is worth $3500.....that is when I turn to my wife and say....see I told you that rifle I bought for $1600 was a good deal, and mine has a wartime stock not a polish repro like this one....and you hand it back to a blank look. Jackwad sellers think they know everything....many are just used car salespeople that are going to to try to rip you off for anythign they can get.

Your item is on a table it is to be picked up....don't want it to be put up a sign or put it under glass your pretentious fks.

At a rage that is very different....in the first place no touchey if someone is down range....that will get your a$$ beat. Second that is mine....my personal property and I am not in a sales setting....you want to play with it...ask, likely I will say sure and hand you a magazine. That is the fun of going to clubs....and I have odd stuffs...people like odd things, not your normal run of the mill things.

 

[Reloadron]

Zero,

I do not understand why some people have a desire to touch. I ran into this all the time when I sold Lionel trains at train swap meets. All ages were guilty. The point of a gun show/swap meet is to buy and sell guns. It is not an interactive educational event. If you do not have the money to buy something, don't pick it up just because you never saw one before.

If you are handling a $2000 gun and you drop it, are you prepared to pay for it?

Mike

I hear you from both sides of the table. If I have an interest in a gun especially a higher end gun I always ask the seller if I may handle it, in the case of for example a Colt Series 70 gun like a Gold Cup I make it clear I am interested and would like to handle the gun, open the slide and in some cases take the gun down to make sure the internal parts are all Colt and all original. When I had an interest in for example M1 Garands I carried a little ME and TE gauge and would ask if I could field strip the rifle. I only handled a gun if I was seriously interested and by the same token I was not about to hand someone fifteen hundred bucks for a gun unless I see the guts.

Ron

 

[huntsman]

Not to bust in and invite myself necessarily, I'm in Geauga county and will attend the Warren Niles that Saturday morning if anyone would like to meet up. Also, I usually shower and put on clean clothes for a gun show.

Yeah I'll be there on Saturday, right now I'm rounding up pennies so I can have a little fun and buy something.

 

[AlexanderA]

A gun show seller's goals are (a) to sell the guns that he brought, or (b) failing that, to bring them back home in undamaged condition. Where does accommodating obvious non-buyers who want to "try out" the actions fit into this picture? Letting people handle the guns makes sense, from the seller's point of view, only if those people are very real sales prospects. Not just casual browsers. Sellers soon learn to tell the difference.

I've experienced this from both sides of the table. Now, as someone who goes to shows to buy, and not to sell, I don't even look at guns closely unless I am seriously considering buying them. I don't need to learn how the action works, at someone else's expense.

 

[GBExpat]

"Do not handle without permission" signs shouldn't even be necessary. To my mind, gun show etiquette demands that you ask before picking up any gun.

This.

 

[dekibg]

This.

My general observation is that those with "Do not handle without asking" signs are also the least friendly ones, too.
They act like they don't want to be there, either : they sit behind the table with 1 or 2 friends, just talking to each other, typically not selling anything (wondering why), having just a small inventory of mostly used guns ( nothing exclusive there), that God forbids, somebody "touches without permission".
I completely exclude from this people that are selling Python's for example, and have them even inside big wooden case with a glass lid , or anyone that may be selling something rare or expensive.
Bigger dealers, may not be necessarily cheaper than LGS or online gun shops , but they seem to mean business on gun shows:
security cable in all guns, guys working their tables are wearing a T-Shirt with company logo, going from one customer to another asking if they need help with anything.
Not being able to put at least a security cable on your gun to me is just a pure laziness - which is supposed to be offset somehow by "Do not handle without asking" sign.

 

[Zerodefect]

Zero,

I do not understand why some people have a desire to touch. I ran into this all the time when I sold Lionel trains at train swap meets. All ages were guilty. The point of a gun show/swap meet is to buy and sell guns. It is not an interactive educational event. If you do not have the money to buy something, don't pick it up just because you never saw one before.

If you are handling a $2000 gun and you drop it, are you prepared to pay for it?

Mike

Yes. I break it, I'll buy it.

No touch tables are weak sauce. [Every zoo should be a petting zoo.] I never told a newb that he can't shoot my gun, and I never will.

 

[AlexanderA]

My general observation is that those with "Do not handle without asking" signs are also the least friendly ones, too.

That's the "old curmudgeon" persona, that is cultivated by some of the older sellers who have been on the gun show circuit for a long time, and have seen it all. This is a defense mechanism against the jerks and scumbags that all too often populate gun shows these days. Some of these "old curmudgeons" turn out to be quite friendly once you break the ice with them. For example, the last No. 4 Enfield that I bought was from a table that had a large "Do Not Handle Guns Without Permission" sign. At first, I didn't even ask to look at the gun; I simply began to ask specific questions about it. When the seller saw that I was knowledgeable about Enfields, he not only let me make a detailed inspection of it, but he also volunteered all sorts of additional information. When I see this seller at shows now, I always get a smile and a wave from him.

 

[Ironicaintit]

The old curmudgeons are the fellows I'm looking for when I go to shows! They've loved the hobby for a long time, and usually turn fairly friendly once they realize you aren't just some geek off the street.

As to the "don't touch" signage...
My parents taught me, "you didn't put it there, it isn't yours. You will first ask if you may handle it"
Whether it's posted or not, seems like good common courtesy, to me.

 

[Ignition Override]

Some of you will understand the idea here (at "AKfiles" I would need to explain it to many people).

Years ago the Memphis BBQ Contest was a competition between companies such as Autozone, Fedex etc.
But No food samples were available to sell to the visitors. Imagine how bizarre that was. They later decided to use common sense.

 

[rogerwil]

I always find that going to show at the very beginning of the show and quickly cruising up and down looking for what I want is the best way to get anything really good and special. Then again, going at the last few hours is a great time to pick up the ordinary stuff, when people don't want to bring it home.

Unfortunately or fortunately, gun sales - new and used - seem to be down in my area in northern Ohio.

 

[SeanSw]

I like talking to most of them because the stories and guns are pretty cool but for instance. one meeting an old timer stands up and starts yelling about aholes and idiots leaving lights on and coffee pots on. The next meeting 2-3 of them are talking in the back and i cant hear what the meetings about but when i say something to my buddy next to me about shooting afterwards I'm scolded like a little kid and should show some respect when people are talking. If the younger guys ask for something to be purchased for the club such as new archery targets, new benches, etc we are either ignored, told its stupid or we will look into it and never hear anything again but let someone else ask for a dang leaf blower to leaf blow the snow off the sidewalk and they drop $600 on it.

One thing i was told years ago was older people are set in their ways. well sometimes another way is the right way and their way isn't always right.

Again i am not being rude about older people or being disrespectful. someone above mentioned the older crowd being grouchy or rude and i see it all the time. to be yelled at by the guy in Wal-Mart and be told I'm the reason this country is screwed up is just mind blowing! Ive been told by a few of them when i ask them to follow the rules about signing in, no shooting when im cutting the grass, etc that they have been there 40yrs and do what they want.

This mirrors some of my experience as a "younger man" dabbling in a small local club run by people more than twice my age. Membership is inexpensive and amenities are sparse. There are some organized events, trap shooting, turkey shoots, fishing pond, monthly meetings, some cookouts, etc but nothing that appeals or fits within my work schedule. I've been a member more than a decade but am rather timid when it comes to involving myself or making new friends. Many of my chance interactions with the leadership and other members have been negative. Lots of scorn and definitely some suspicions about me, senseless card checks, accusations about leaving trash on the berm or damaging equipment, and lots of "nay" votes when I introduced my brother at a club meeting in an attempt to gain his membership. I found that rather offensive as a member in good standing. My grandfather was even a member at the clubs inception decades ago though anyone that would remember is long gone. The environment is obviously scornful and particular about fresh blood and there's simply no attempt whatsoever to modernize anything, there's not even an email list! It's no mistake. That's exactly the way they want it. I appreciate that the club is available but I don't feel welcome, let alone as part of a team, and I suspect my membership would not be reinstated if it lapsed or that I would be allowed at all if I applied today.

Gun shows? For me they're somewhere between a trip to the zoo and the humane society. Occasionally something will follow you home but it's most likely a souvenir.

 

[Axis II]

This mirrors some of my experience as a "younger man" dabbling in a small local club run by people more than twice my age. Membership is inexpensive and amenities are sparse. There are some organized events, trap shooting, turkey shoots, fishing pond, monthly meetings, some cookouts, etc but nothing that appeals or fits within my work schedule. I've been a member more than a decade but am rather timid when it comes to involving myself or making new friends. Many of my chance interactions with the leadership and other members have been negative. Lots of scorn and definitely some suspicions about me, senseless card checks, accusations about leaving trash on the berm or damaging equipment, and lots of "nay" votes when I introduced my brother at a club meeting in an attempt to gain his membership. I found that rather offensive as a member in good standing. My grandfather was even a member at the clubs inception decades ago though anyone that would remember is long gone. The environment is obviously scornful and particular about fresh blood and there's simply no attempt whatsoever to modernize anything, there's not even an email list! It's no mistake. That's exactly the way they want it. I appreciate that the club is available but I don't feel welcome, let alone as part of a team, and I suspect my membership would not be reinstated if it lapsed or that I would be allowed at all if I applied today.

Gun shows? For me they're somewhere between a trip to the zoo and the humane society. Occasionally something will follow you home but it's most likely a souvenir.

I absolutely hate it!

We have cookouts, shoots, etc. I quit going to the shoots cause its a giant click and everyone is total aholes to you.when i took a good friend of mine and they kept pronouncing his last name wrong so he spoke up and corrected it and they still did it. I then said hey its ....... and they got it right after that and then started saying it wrong again. I took that as a giant F you to both of us. Cookouts are the same way. No one is very friendly, all the talk is politics, or you get a couple short responses when you try and talk to someone almost like because your 30yo your beneath them. there is a small group of guys that i get alone great with but that's about it. A few of us think they are skimming money because if we need to spend money certain people that are vested in the club get all upset and usually shoot stuff down. if we have 70k in the bank why not spend some of it on making the place nicer.

Im still there cause its cheap and close to home and 99% of the time im alone.

 

[justice06rr]

I haven't been to a gun show in maybe 7-8yrs. Its just never really been my thing cause I don't really like AR'S and old military stuff and well I'm poor too. Lol.

I'm wondering why everyone wanted his rifle and was drooling over it but wouldn't touch it for almost half of what crappier ones were going for? this is why I don't like gun shows. everyone thinks their stuffs worth hundreds more than it is, if you pass they get all crappy. id rather just slap a sign up at the gun club with pics and a price.

You'd need to have a couple hundred dollars at least to enjoy a gun show esp if you want to buy something. If not, Bring a credit card at least. Stuff is mad cheap again.

Sure the entrance fee or parking may cost you, but that's the price of admission. The vendors and sellers there had to pay a fee, so the cost is passed on to the show attendee. It would be nice if it was free, but if it was, anyone can just walk in there for no reason.

Another thing to consider is that the cost that a buyer bought an item, may cost hundreds less than what its suppossed to be valued. For example, I have a nice modified AR15 that I built for $900. Its worth maybe $600 now, but only because of the current political climate. I can't sell it for $600 because its a huge loss for me, and the gun is still in great shape. $750-800 maybe is the lowest I'd take if I was to sell it.

And vendors are there to make a profit. Its a business after all, you have to make money.

 

[AlexanderA]

I can't understand why people complain about parking fees at gun shows. Around here, the parking is usually free. And, if not, you can find a free space a few blocks away. Walking is good for you. Why try to fight your way into a paid parking lot?

 

[Sniper66]

I can't understand why people complain about parking fees at gun shows. Around here, the parking is usually free. And, if not, you can find a free space a few blocks away. Walking is good for you. Why try to fight your way into a paid parking lot?

I don't get that either. I went to downtown Boston and they charged me $16 to park for 2 hours. Now THAT is rip off. Sure glad it was a brief visit.

 

[pharmer]

After almost 40 years of gun shows, 2 things emerge (opinion, not fact). The first 20 years were great, partly due to 13 years in possession of an 01 FFL. Folks really enjoyed wheeling and dealing, no hurt feelings. The last 20 are different, no reason to go except for entertainment. The internet gives everything needed and the few times an FFL is necessary, stop being a cheap *&^%$#@! and pay a "mom and pop shop" for that new gun. Joe

 

[CapnMac]

And, if not, you can find a free space a few blocks away.

Sadly, not really the case for Fort Worth shows--they are tucked int othe museum disctrict, so, even the street parking is on meters.
Just life its own self.

downtown Boston and they charged me $16 to park for 2 hours.

Parked near the Charlestown Navy Yard, and it was $26 for 70 minutes. Ouch.