gunshows

[bdhawk]

i went to a gunshow in amarillo, texas this past weekend. i love gunshows. me not going to a gunshow is like the pope not showin' up for easter mass.
gunshows have sure changed over the years. i have little problem with "other stuff" being exibited at gunshows. if this allows the promoters to make money, he is more likely to have more gunshows. this gunshow, though was only about i'd guess 60% gun related.
some items that were sold that were not gun related:
candy (chocolate covered just about anything you can think of)
jerky
mounted butterflies(i am not kidding)
animal skins
cigars
salsa
animal horns
stuff made from railroad spikes
loads of jewelry
assorted used knives and other kitchen tools
i could go on and on

only one guy was selling new reloading dies
no one was selling bulk bullets with the exception of one bag of 500 185 gr .45acp swc
good prices on glocks($475.00 or so)
most used guns were overpriced
good prices on powder and powder
SKS's waaaaay over priced
AK's over priced
great price on 9MM brass
bunch of great knives some fairly priced
great price on cleaning
some decent deals on AR's
more 1911's than anything. most overpriced. there was a great price on a tricked out 1911, but it was in .38 super.
i saw only one 10MM in the whole show. a beat-up colt delta elete
steyer M9 for $450.00
lots of fake guns, one HK-MP5 looked very real
a sweet .50 BMG grizzly i think. i want one for ground squirrel huntin'
anyway i still had fun. saw some old friends ans spent too much money.
lookin' foward to the next gunshow.

 

[VictorLouis]

I'd pay MORE...

If the promoter BARRED all non-firearm/accessory related vendors. The shows would be smaller, and I could navigate them quicker. Anyhow, multiply a buck or two(extra admission) times the thousands of gun-folks that attend the show wanting to see....er....um........lemme see now.....GUNS, and it would MORE than make up for the table fees the promoter lost to the candied-peanut vendors.

 

[blades67]

The swap meet you described is exactly the reason I don't bother going to (using the term loosely) "gun shows."

 

[Joe Demko]

Internet auction sites, lots of gunshops in my area, and a complete lack of willingness to tolerate even one more smelly lout shoving past me or sweeping me with a muzzle have all combined to make me bid the gun show scene adieu.

 

[Ian]

The last show I went to was almost 100% guns, but they were so expensive that I was afraid to look at them too hard, much less pick any up. It was a Colorado Gun Collectors' show - nothing more modern than 1945 was allowed in, and most of the stuff was turn-of-the-century or earlier. Five-digit prices were hardly uncommon, and most stuff was well into the fourth digit.

Lots of neat stuff, though. I saw a LeMat revolver, a bunch of Colt Lightning rifles, a couple Winchester 1887/1901 lever-action shotguns, and an SAA worked on by Tombstone's only major gunsmith. Also a bunch of proto-1911 autoloaders.

 

[HankB]

bdhawk - for your information, the Austin, TX gun shows usually include Barbie makeup, genuine (!) Klingon daggers and Highlander swords, home remedies like colloidal silver (uh, yeah, like I'm going to drink some chemicals some grubby guy mixed up in his garage), and lots of stuff straight out of the pages of the Midway & Berry's catalogs, only marked up 50% - 100%.

It's remarkable how much the local shows have deteriorated in just the last 5 years.

 

[Ol' Badger]

Mmmmmm Jerky. Did it look any good? What kind of stuff were made from Rail Road spikes? I made my own knife that way once.

 

[bdhawk]

railroad spikes

there were forks, spoons, ladles, and yes knives. i strolled past that table and did not give it too close a look. the workmanship was very nice, at least at a glance.

 

[prezzz]

Where are the good deals at Gunshows anymore???????

The prices I've been seeing are no better than my local gun shop, and the gun shop will be there for me if I have a problem!!!

 

[badgerrr]

Bdhawk observes:

"no one was selling bulk bullets ..."

This is one of my major beefs with Gunshows of late. Used to be that one could find a wealth of cast lead, plated, and jacketed products at the shows.

Last show I attended, there was no significant presence of Cast lead at all. The few bullets available were usually partial boxes the table renter thought he could dispose of from his private stash.