Gunshow question

[BryanP]

The last couple of trips to the gun show all I've bought is ammo and a flashlight, before that Whatever it is I'm looking for, nobody has it or it's outrageously priced. The last time I was seriously looking for a gun at a show I hunting for a Ruger 22/45, knowing what it would cost me at my local store. Nobody even came close, the markups were ridiculous.

But yeah, I'll go again. It's a fun way to kill an hour or two even if I don't find anything worth buying. Of course, I still need some magazines, and I just ruined a range bag last week ...

 

[LeadPumper]

Prices in MD...

Slimjim, remember, you're in Maryland. The prices here are usually 10% higher than our neighboring states.

Also the cost is based on what the owner paid for the piece, not what you think it's worth. Worth is subjective.

I've seen identical guns at a show, asking price was the same on both. But the dealer could haggle more on the first because he paid less for it.

Here in MD, the prices are pretty firm. Law of supply and demand- fewer guns = higher prices.

Used guns, especially pre-gunlock and pre shell casing, are going for a premium.

Best advice I can give is: get to know the dealers. If you prove to them that you're an OK guy, with good gun-handling skills, and knowledgeable enough to ask good questions, they will be more likely to deal with you.

If, on the other hand you immediately demand to see a ceramic Glock 7 'cause thats what Bruce Willis used..

...good luck.

-LeadPumper

 

[Slimjim]

Slimjim, remember, you're in Maryland. The prices here are usually 10% higher than our neighboring states.

Also the cost is based on what the owner paid for the piece, not what you think it's worth. Worth is subjective.

I've seen identical guns at a show, asking price was the same on both. But the dealer could haggle more on the first because he paid less for it.

Here in MD, the prices are pretty firm. Law of supply and demand- fewer guns = higher prices.

Used guns, especially pre-gunlock and pre shell casing, are going for a premium.

Best advice I can give is: get to know the dealers. If you prove to them that you're an OK guy, with good gun-handling skills, and knowledgeable enough to ask good questions, they will be more likely to deal with you.

If, on the other hand you immediately demand to see a ceramic Glock 7 'cause thats what Bruce Willis used..

...good luck.

-LeadPumper

Well, im not looking to buy a gun this time, just cases of ammo. And maybe some accessories like a Brrel, or BSA red dot scope.

Anyway, i wouldnt ask to see a glock, the first handgun ill buy when im 21, will be a 1911.

 

[G1FAL]

Sorry maybe stupid question, but there are some pleces where gun-shows are organized at regular intervals? I'm interested in Indiana/ Kentucky "area"?

I know its not exactly what you're looking for, but there is one in Lima, OH, the first full weekend of every month during the winter. By first full weekend, I mean its not the 31st of one month being Saturday, the 1st of the next being Sunday. I think Lima is a little over an hour from Ft. Wayne, IN.

There is also the Bill Goodman shows in Dayton, and Dayton is right there on the border.

U havent been to a Goodman show in a few years. It was pretty damn good last time I went, but I've heard that its not so good anymore. Cant speak from experience, though.

The Lima show basically sucks, IMO.

As to the topic, it seems to me like most of the people selling at shows mark up when they leave the shop, with some exceptions. Last one I went to, I saw a preban SAR48 FAL HB for $1300, and a couple of pistols that were about right, or even a deal. Wish I had had money to get anything aside from a little ammo.

I dont go very often, because of lasck of large quantities of spending money, and the fact that I work on weekends. I have to either trade shifts with someone else, or burn a vacation day. And if I dont have a big bag full of money to take with me, its kind of pointless. Plus prices being higher than what I can order non-FFL things off the net for, and for FFL items I have a buddy/neighbor.co-worker that has an FFL and charges $20 for transfers.

 

[Loach]

Most everything said so far is true of the shows around these parts. I go to shows for two specific vendors. One sells reloading supplies just a little more than I can get them for online, but by the time you factor in shipping and the hazmats fees its cheaper at the show. Another vendor is a pawn shop / gun shop out of Greenville that comes to Columbia shows and has the best brick-and-mortar prices I've ever seen. So if I want to buy a gun, I often wait for a show and then go stright to their table. Saves me the trip upstate.

The rest of the time I spend poking around looking for that rare good deal on other stuff (C&R stuff, parts, books, etc...)

There's a show this weekend and I'll be looking for LE SMLE stipper clips, little things like that...

 

[spartacus2002]

Best gunshows I've ever been to have been Houston, TX, and Hampton, VA.

Do your homework on Gunbroker.com first. Find out how much a gunbroker.com order plus FFL transfer fee plus shipping is, and use that as a baseline.

I've found BIG gunshows are the best place for hard-to-find parts (i.e., M14 rear sight elevation pinions) and ammo. The internet is the best place for actual guns.

I attended a gun show in Cincinnati, OH, two months ago. WEAK, OMG, SO WEAK. after 5 mins, I was ready to RUN.

Go to a Hampton, VA gunshow, and it will take you 2 hours just to walk past every vendor.

 

[Majic]

Spartacus, take a ride up to Richmond this weekend if you can. The gun show at the Showplace is usually good. It's the one in this area that everybody attends.

http://www.cegunshows.com/richmond.htm