I'm cured! No more gun shows for me...

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I go and often find nothing. However, my very best gems, grails of the most rare, have come from gun shows. Sometimes the seller knows what he has, sometimes not. You don't find a Van Gogh unless you go into alot of junk shops. I find gun shows to be relaxing walks and occasionally I pick something up. Going to one is cheap therapy for a hard work week.

Ash
 
The only really decent stuff is being carried in by someone looking to trade or sell, for the most part.

The last best decent deal I saw was a Colt King Cobra, beautiful blue, strong 98-99%, for 525.00. Shoulda probably bought it. :banghead:
 
Don't go to a gunshow expecting to find guns, ammunition, and gear for internet prices. I think most of the sales there are aimed at people who don't know what the "internet price" for stuff is and who will pay more for the same merchandise.

That's actually ok though, because you can actually put your hands on different merchandise and hold it/try it, which you can't do on the internet. Most people will haggle with you if you want to try to negotiate them down. And you'll find a much wider selection of stuff than you will in any one store.

I go maybe 2x a year or so now, when there's something specific I want. I'm like Ben Shepard in that I want to hand-fit spare magazines I buy. At the show I'll bring pistols I want to get extras for, and I can actually try the mags out before I buy. (I learned the hard way once not to just trust the guy when he says "oh yeah, these will fit that!") I like the herkey jerkey table (if you're in a gun show in FL you HAVE to try his local-made spicy venision sticks) and I like browsing. Once in a while if I'm already there I'll find a good deal on powder or primers. Pay cash and possibly get a price break. Where else are you going to pick up a half-dozen $2 pocket knives so that you can have one in your car, in every drawer, in your desk at work?

Enjoy gun shows for what they are, not for what you wish they were.
 
I go once a year to buy powder and primers. As you say, most everything else, especially guns, are pretty ridiculous.
 
Some people gamble in the Casinos knowing they will lose yet do it for fun. In reality the gunshows don't cost much till you find something you got to have.

There are good deals to be had yet, patience is best.

jj
 
camslam: everything you said is true ... but I'm going anyway. :) A Hamilton and a Washington compares favorably with other forms of entertainment, e.g., watching a movie or eating a meal out. The $7 for parking does rankle a bit. There are $3 parking lots on private property, but the proprietors seem an untrustworthy lot.
 
I was a little disillusioned by the last show I attended in Middletown NY last week.

There had been shows in Westchester County NY, at Yonkers Raceway and the Westchester County Center. Unfortunately, the PC pendulum hit them hard and they ceased to exist.

Now it's an hour drive each way, that's 4-5 gal. of gas round trip plus a $9 entrance fee and a bridge toll. So I'm in the hole for $30 before I even walk in the door.

What did I find once I entered that door? Not much. Ammo for the same caliber from the same vendor was up $10 a box in less than a year. Holy inflation, Batman! The one guy who had Trailboss reloading powder wanted $26 for the 9 oz. bottle. Let's see, that's only about a 100% premium from anywhere else!

If I saved any postage by buying local, it was eaten up by the gas consumption. Yes, it's nice to see and touch, but I'm not sure if I'll attend another for a while.
 
Gun shows used to worth going to. But these days it's 1/3 BATF, 1/3 criminals and 1/3 people thinking they can get a bargain. Too high priced. www.budsguns.com
 
Wow, all this talk is making me feel really lucky. I can usually find decent deals at the shows here in Houston. It just takes a little practice to sort the deals out from the outright fraud.
 
Enjoy gun shows for what they are, not for what you wish they were.
Click to expand...

Therein lies the problem. It isn't so much enjoying them for what they are, I am lamenting the fact that they are no longer what they once were.

I bought 2 of my Glocks and a boatload of other merchandise at gun shows, but that was 4 to 5 years ago, where I was paying good prices for things. I just haven't found compelling reasons to buy much since.

As long as there are guns, there will be gun shows, but as I mentioned, I probably won't see much of a reason to go any longer. For those that enjoy spending the money and browsing around, enjoy it. Just not for me anymore.

Plus the sheer volume of crap that is being sold or advertised, has gotten to the point of ridiculous.
 
The only reason I go anymore is for the ammo and hard to find magazines. So you to found their only purpose, interesting...
 
Here in California, the mere presence of the gun shows provide a friendly reminder to everybody that there are lots of people into guns in these here parts. Also, the gun shows are a good place to meet a variety of different gun owners under one huge roof. Besides all that, the deals at the gun shows here are not that good.
 
Well, I'm stuck down here on the Tex-Mex border. Gun shops down here are pumped dry of normal and popular used guns by the folks that buy them up for their friends across the border. Only the oddballs and the retirees' milsurps last long enough for me to see 'em.

So used gun prices that would make most of you faint from shock are the norm down here. Compared to that, gun show prices are pretty reasonable.

-But you gotta get there early, before the straw men get there!
 
Hmmm. Just went to the Syracuse, NY gun show this weekend.

$108 for a Double Star stripped lower. That's Tax included. Cheaper than online. ($99 at Buds, but then I have to pay transfer fee of $15 to $30.)

$15 a pop for Thermold 30 round AR-15 mags. Cheaper than online? No, but right around the goign rate, PLUS - and this is big for me - pre-ban 30 rounders in NY. It's not like I can get anybody to ship me 30 round mags here, even if they are pre-ban, so I rely on shows for these.

$18 for a British military AR-15 steel, pre-ban 30 round magazine. It was new in the package. I don't know why, but I thought it was cool and bought it. (And it was much nicer than some USGI USED mags that were pretty beat up that were going for $25-40 each!)

$7.99 for Wolf 9mm Luger ammo. (50 count box) ABout the same as online, but this was tax included and no shipping, so gun show wins. Bought 2 boxes.

$50 for DPMS lower reciever kit. $6 cheaper than I have seen online, and no shipping. (Also was tax included.) Saw them at other tables for $65 - $90(!?!).

Other deals that I saw that were awesome but that I couldn't afford:
$1899 - FS200 - new.
$475 - GSG-5 - new. I almost put it on a a credit card.
$575 - AR 5.7 upper. Again, had to hit myself to stop from charging it. Across the room it was $760.

Other than that, quite a bit of stuff was priced about internet price. Shipping vs tax, it probably comes out the same. Of course, there was a lot of overpriced stuff too, but if you know what you want and look it up before you go, you can come up with some great deals.
 
I go primarily for social reasons, and also a bit of entertainment. Like to go with newbies, since there is lots of opportunity to do "hands on" with a lot of different guns. I don't really go expecting to find deals.

But ... there is always that chance! Last show I went to had a couple. I walked out with a very nice condition Savage 24 in .22LR over .410. It wasn't a steal, but the price was fair to both parties, and I hadn't been able to find one like I wanted on line. This one I was able to check out carefully before buying.

So I'll keep going to shows for a while.
 
"-As I mentioned before, I don't begrudge anyone making money and a profit, but the prices that were available to me today tell me that these are not very good businessmen."

Roger that. As mentioned above, it appears that most gun show dealers are hobbists just killing time. They don't seem really interested in selling much of anything, if you want it and it's there it's up to you. The "dealers" are mostly a bunch of old fat guys with pony tails who want to visit with each other on the show circuit I guess. I'm not really interested in buying anything at their prices.

I don't go to gun shows much anymore and then only if I have nothing else to do that day, which is rare! Cutting gun shows was no big loss from my life, I pretty well have what I want and know where to purchase what little I need from time to time from legitimate gun shops and mail order.
 
I maintain that you shouldn't go to gun shows solely to "get a deal," but to have a good time.

If you are investing all that time to find a deal and you aren't going to have fun, you are actually losing. Spending 3-4 hours to save $50, plus driving and gas and parking and the gunshow ticket, equates to a LOSS in my book. My free time is worth way more than $7 an hour!
 
$7 for parking is enough to stop me right there.

It's free parking and $5 to get in around here and I still feel like a sucker for paying that.
 
You have to understand that here in Phoenix, just about the only income for the fairgrounds for 11 months out of the year is the Crossroads show and some antique show.


-T.
 
The only reason I go to gun shows in my area is to stock up on reloading supplies without having to pay HAZMAT fees.

Other than that, it's all overpriced trash. And the shows that have been around for a while? All filled with the exact same vendors, every year, in the same spot, with the same worthless 18th-century trinkets and priceless collector Winchesters and Colts. If I was interested in paying those prices for a gun, it'd better **** well come with my name on it, engraved from the factory.

Unless you're looking for something weird, or for reloading supplies, most gun shows are a waste--unless you're there with something that you're willing to sell, in which case two of my buddies at the last show walked in the door, and within 15 minutes each left several hundred dollars richer.

If the shows keep up the way they are with all the idiots selling worthless, overpriced, non-firearm related crap, then we won't need the Brady's to continue their soulless work to deprive us of the BoR--the vampires at gun shows will suck all the money out of everyone and drive up prices so no one can afford to shoot.
 
I actually found some good deals at a gun show this weekend - first time for everything!

I found an Arizona Response Systems AK-47 for a reasonable price. Better deal than the WASRs and cheaper than the Arsenals I've seen at area gun stores and other tables at the show. This was exactly the type of AK I've been looking for.

Also, I found a no-lock 642 that was cheaper than ILS 642s I've seen in stores. Plus, no tax and no credit card charge.

I also saw a CZ 527 .223 w/ gorgeous blonde wood (which I've never seen before) and rings for a decent price. Alas, you can't buy everything you like, so it couldn't come home with me.

Otherwise, it was a sea of beanie babies and beef jerky.
 
I still go to the shows because I can see a big variety, and sometimes get a deal. One thing I always notice a decent deal on is Mosin Nagants. I'm a big fan and I just bought my second one, a 91/30 with all matching numbers and a gorgeous bore, today at the show in Little Rock. I paid $97 out the door. Every time I see a Mosin at a gun shop or even one of the big chains, they're at least $120 before taxes, fees, etc.
The one today was still kind of disappointing. I couldn't find a plain 10/22 at a decent price. There were fancy rainbow stocks and old beaters but they were all overpriced. I was also looking for AR parts. There were plenty of accessories, but I didn't see any uppers, LPK's etc and I only saw a handful of mags. Ammo, as usual, is overpriced, even considering shipping costs for online purchases.

Overall, this wasn't the best one I've been to, but I still found a decent deal and came home with a new rifle. I'm happy.
 
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