Indy 1500 gun and knife show

[Geegolly]

Gotta love Indiana. Indy 500 this weekend, and then the Indy 1500 gun and knife show the weekend after.
www.indy1500.com

The Indy 1500 gun and knife show is held about every 3 months. And each time I tell myself no new guns. And each time a gun ends up following me home. This time, I will be looking for an SKS if the price tickles me just right.

However, this gun and knife show usually has the same vendors that are there every time. I think I see maybe one or two new booths. But for the most part you can expect all of the exact same stuff you saw at the one they had just three months prior. Three consecutive shows this guy had three East German Makarovs, all three shows had the same price on them, and all three shows they were still there. The third show I finally bought one of them, after I got the price down a bit. Im curious if he still has the other two sitting there in a couple weekends.

All in all, it is a great place to pick up some reloading supplies, or pick up a couple more magazines for your guns, or get some of those awesome roasted almonds.

Anybody else plan on going to the race or the gun show? I'll be at the gun show, but not at the race. I'll be watching it on the TV, and listening the the cars from my apartment. I live over by 465 and rockville road, but can still hear the track as clear as day.

 

[El Tejon]

Going to Michigan this weekend (martial arts tournament).

Will be at the 1500 next weekend with my brother and two of his sons.

I'll be scooping up magazines, doing some horse trading (a couple of dealers from Missouri are meeting me so we complete some trades) and be on the look out for any targets of opportunity.

Who has what for sale?

 

[rxraptor02]

I will be going on sunday with my g/f and her co-worker and her boyfriend. I would rather go today but they want to go tomorrow because we were told the croud is smaller. I hope I can find some good deals on sunday.

 

[El Tejon]

Check out the ammo, decent prices. A guy was selling a bunch of Yugo CKCs for $145.00. I caught a break because I bought multiple copies and I had a C&R.

Decent show, got a Smith M63, a few Yugo SKSs, a bunch of AR mags, ammo, books, new grips for a Ruger Blackhawk, a Chairman Mao tote bag (no, really, it's great) and had a used Glock 21 inspected by Nick while I shopped.

 

[Match14]

I like to go to the Indy 1500 as well. Lately I have been seeing alot of M14 parts for sale but very few M14/M1A rifles. I am biulding up parts so that I can eventually get a couple nice ones biult up early next year.

 

[rxraptor02]

I was shocked at how large the show was. I have only been to a few small ones in the past. I will be saving some cash for the next one and plan to check it out on a friday if possible. I would like to find a deal on a revolver of some flavor.

There was a lot of cool items.

The funniest thing I seen was a guy had these LED flashlights for 5 bucks. he was talking them up big time. I chatted with him for a minute then moved on. A few tables down from him they had the same flashlights that they were selling 3 for 10 bucks.

 

[mrmeval]

Sales were pretty low for everyone at the show this last weekend. I help the owner of Cloak and Dagger sell knives and it was pretty bad. It always is slow, this was the 2nd worst I've seen.

Of course as a buyer it was great and I picked up some magazines, an Iver Johnson .38S&W in excellent shape and some ammo. I could have spent a LOT more but restrained myself.

 

[Geegolly]

The show is going on again, it had it first day today already. The show will go on Saturday and Sunday also.

 

[El Tejon]

I'm leaving after I meet a new client at 8:00 AM.

If sales are low then that is the fault of the dealers.

Last show my brother and I went together. We approached a knife dealer who was bitching and moaning to another dealer about how slow yesterday was.

My brother asks for straight razors. He doesn't have any.

My brother asks for a certain model Benchmade. He doesn't have any.

I ask for a certain model Spyderco. He doesn't have any.

I ask for another model of Spyderco. He doesn't have any.

I am continually reminded that the gun business is the only business around where people do not want to make money.:banghead:

 

[El Tejon]

Solid show. I bought: a bunch of .308 at .24 a round (Bless those Baltic Staters), couple of ammo cans full of .357, a bunch of AR15 mags with the Magpul followers installed at $10 a pop, cleaning supplies, and some books from the book dealer by the pretzel stand.

What did you guys get?

 

[YodaVader]

I had been going to the Indy show for a lot of years and made the trip down yesterday after work. Over the years have run into a lot of good deals with some great vendors.

The admission price is now up to $9 now and the show , at least to me , is not nearly as good as it has been in the past. More and more flea market items.

On vendor with a small collection of older Smiths , (a lot of 27s) seemed to be annoyed that I was looking at his revolver display. His partner even came from behind the table to basically stand in my way as I was looking down the display. Like the above post said , the gun business is one where the sellers seem to care less if they make money or not.

The show to me was not worth the price of admission.

 

[Match14]

El Tejon, where was the 308 at? I went on friday and saw some surplus 30-06 but didnt see any 308. Anyway I did pick up a pretty nice M1A at a decent price though.

 

[specwar451]

I went Sunday morning with my g/f, bought some AR mags, and parts for her AR that we are putting together. One guy had some S/A 308 ammo, $60 for a battle pack, 1981 issue. He also had some .223 Belgium ss109, 63gr $60 for 150rds or $350 for a sealed ammo box, 880rds I think. Looked all over for some Sig P220, .45mags, none to be found.. The show did have some empty tables, first time for that... Generally all the tables are full... kinda makes you wonder what is going on. But all in all, pretty good show.

 

[El Tejon]

What's going on? It's August, always an off show, at least the dealers think. Of course, if they treated their business as a business and customers as customers, they would be surprised.

BTW, I saw the knife dealer who was moaning last show about how slow it was last show. I asked him for four knife models that he did not have and then asked him if he was "doing any good this time." He frowned and said "no, people just don't want to buy anything." I replied, "well, maybe if you and the other dealers would actually bring stuff and sell instead of sitting in your lawn chair demanding people to spend their money on things that the customers do not want, you would have a good show." I always make friends.

Match14, the tables near the side by the pretzel stand that had the two young guys (brothers?) selling nothing but ammo. I made an offer for all their Lithuanian .308 and they let me use their two wheeler to wheel it out. Including the .308, .45, buckshot and .357, I bought so much ammo that I had to make 4 trips to the car, good thing I had my father's Cadillac with the big trunk.

Yeah, the guy with the $60 RSA ammo quoted me a price of $460 for 1,000 rounds of Black Hills .223 and get this, denied my reasonable counteroffer. Oh, well, can't win on every deal. I find more .223. I have good karma with cheap ammo.

Mags and ammo this time, no guns. I think this is the first time in 10 or so years that I have been to a gun show and not purchased a firearm.

 

[MrHoppes]

Hey Guys!

Maybe next show in INdy We all from the High road could do a get together at some meeting point? or wear something? I look at your posts and many of you are close states wise and I figure when near to each other an oppertunity for a photocup o' Joe? Nothin too all envolved, no working at it , just meetin up saying hi, putting the face with the names..

Just an idea. I am new to this area relatively,( Indiana 7.5 yrs ) and hope to make some real life freinds along the way to, beyond the internet.

Later

 

[El Tejon]

Sounds like a plan to me.

How about meeting at that Starbuck's on 38th Street near the fairgrounds?

Next show is the first weekend in November. Let's do it then.

 

[Christianninja]

I'm just a young buck, and more of a lurker than a poster, but I'd like to join in on the Hoosier High Road Shenanigans. I'd be there.

 

[savetheclaypigeons]

this ole whipper snapper might have to ride up on his horse!

 

[Geegolly]

haha, that starbucks seems really out of place for that part of town.

I'm in for a cup of joe. Just let us know a time and date.

 

[MrHoppes]

Too Cool I will post more as we get closer to the date, Star bucks on 38th? lol I used to live walking distance to the fair grounds and there wasn't coffee short of McD's back then..

 

[Fergy35]

Starbucks

I'd be up for a cup of coffee before the show.

 

[El Tejon]

Yeah, that whole area around the fairgrounds is going through a slow motion gentrification. It's one of those neighborhoods that has painted houses with golf course lawns on one end of the block but on the other end there are houses with gutters falling off, plywood over windows, unexplained metal and tires in the yard and kids jumping off the roof onto old mattresses (very strange, I've seen this there and in Mars Hill).

Great, next show is first weekend in November. I'll start a thread 10 days or so before then. See you Hoosiers then.

 

[snorko]

Sounds good to me as well. I have been going to the Indy show for many years and this last one seemed much improved. I enjoyed the increased number of dealers with mostly used, interesting firearms.

 

[Match14]

Hey El Tejon would you be willing to sell any of that surplus ammo you bought?

 

[El Tejon]

Hey, do you know how many .308s I have? Not at this point, but never say never. Don't worry, we'll find more in November, I have a nose for ammo.

Buy it all and stack it tall.