Finally had a gun show again here. Some observations: Zillions of magazines for sale, perhaps more than I've ever seen at one show. Not that many guns for sale compared to past times. Little reloading stuff for sale. I was able to get 2 lbs of IMR 4350 for $35/lb. Passed up another table asking $80/lb for the same thing. There was quite a bit of ammo for sale in many calibers. .40 or 9mm around $300 (sometimes more) for 500 rounds. Personally I was looking for .41mag, which is never easy to find anyway, and I did find one whole box -- $50 for 20 rounds. Pass. Luckily I did find a few boxes of .41 bullets and some brass. I had the sense that many of the tables were selling bits and pieces of inventory the seller had lying around. Is this the kind of gun show we're going to be seeing, at least for a while?
My snapshot of a gun show today
- Thread starter wgp
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.308 Norma
Member
Probably, but was there any beef jerky or agate jewelry for sale? What about cheap knives?
Just kidding around, wgp. I like gun shows, and I'm looking forward to when they get going around here again. The last one I know of around here, and actually went to was pre-covid.
My wife bought a small (about 9" tall) pewter statue called "The Gunfighter" at that show. She talked the dealer down from $25.00 to $20.00. So counting admission fees, we only paid $50.00 for what is probably a $15.00 pewter figurine.
But you know what they say...happy wife, happy life!
WheelGunMan
Member
That's great news...good to see they're still alive and well. Waiting for one to make its way to reality in my neck of the woods.
CapnMac
Member
Maybe.
A lot of that depends on where you are, too.
So, far the big shows in DFW have been about having everything out there.
The Dallas show, everything seemed to be moving.
Ammo prices were under $1/round, but only just barely. Availability was reasonable. Magazines were spendy--PMag AR-13 30s in the $15 each range. Almost nothing for sale for blades. Also, really almost no taser/gimcrack sellers, either.
The FW show a week later was mostly handguns and ammo. From the amount of product selling, it looked like Peak AR had been reached, prices and availability were right at the level where only a few (a very few) were willing to buy at that price.
FW show was chock full of people trying to sell their shooters, though. Some decent blade tables there, with good selection--and not much crowding.
Saw no private sales tables at either show.
After last week's snowmageddon? Won't know until next Saturday in Grapevine.
Riomouse911
Member
I have never been to a gun show... and news like this makes it even less enticing to go to one anytime soon.
I do hope things get better soon.
Stay safe.
I do hope things get better soon
.Stay safe.
Ignition Override
Member
Well, if politicians have more luck in prohibiting gun shows in more cities...
... will this finally make people who were forced to go to gun shows...
happy?
... will this finally make people who were forced to go to gun shows...
happy?
GBExpat
Member
Howland937
Member
I haven't been to a gun show since before the Covid mess. There have been some shows somewhat nearby though. Well, about as nearby as anything else is for me. Seems like I get emails about every other week advertising one, along with the requisite "show this for $1 off admission".
Gonna try to hit one next weekend that's only about 20 mins away. See if I can get a deal worth bragging about on here.
Gonna try to hit one next weekend that's only about 20 mins away. See if I can get a deal worth bragging about on here.
Tampa show is this weekend here in Florida. Pay day is a few days before. Seems like its time to at least go and browse. Though most videos ive seen of Fl Gunshows lately is big gun vendors with inflated prices and non gun vendors selling cleaning stuff and other trinkets, didn't really seem like any private sellers with tables
Bush Pilot
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Went to a gun show today. A friend picked up a Ruger SR1911 in 45 and a stainless single six (both cylinders) for pre covid/Biden prices. I did
buy some Winchester 357 brass (unfired) for $120/1000 and several boxes of jacketed handgun bullets for prices 10 years old. I can't say either were really needed but who knows what the future holds.
buy some Winchester 357 brass (unfired) for $120/1000 and several boxes of jacketed handgun bullets for prices 10 years old. I can't say either were really needed but who knows what the future holds.
ozarkhillbilly
Member
I am some what surprised that we have not had a run on mags during all this.
My guess, the mags do nothing if you have no ammo to fill them up with.
Tommygunn
Member
They will patiently wait for more ammo to be manufactured.
mk25roberts
Member
No gun shows here in eastern wa/N-ID till last month. Been about a year. If you’re interested in primers for .30 each or 9mm for a buck a round get it there. I did find some good deals on dies and some grips but firearms and ammo were terribly priced. The osprey booth was there and I might try one of their scopes, they seem to be decent quality for the price. The cheap knives are plenty to be had. I always pickup a butterfly knife and a pair of brass knuckles cause you just never know when you’ll need them.
D.B. Cooper
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Is that the one at the Fairgrounds?
Yea. There is also the machine gun shot in Weeki Wachee and I kinda want to attend both
I went to the gun show here on Saturday morning. Not much there. I did find some of the products missing (taken) from the retail stores, now priced at multiples of original retail. I did purchase four tubs of powder at almost normal retail form a nice fellow who was not a gouger and some .44 Magnum Starline brass (probably from Cabela's shelves) at about 50% over normal retail. I also bought an inexpensive 2.5X scope to play with for $45 and a beautiful belt knife at a proper price. I did not see a thing I was interested in for guns. Frankly, and I am sure folks will get mad at me, but I am really tired of tactical and ARs and all of that. Too much of that and not enough of the other.
.455_Hunter
Member
The huge Merchandise Mart venue in Denver Metro that had hosted the quasi-monthly Tanner shows and the annual Colorado Collectors Show for decades has been foreclosed due to lack of events during COVID and will probably be torn down.
D.B. Cooper
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That used to be a really good show back in the late 80s and early 90s. Bought and sold several guns there. Bought all my first reloading kit there as well.
AZAndy
Member
That's how they do it here, too, and is why I walked away before paying admission. Anti-gun gun shows are weird. One of my favorite shops around here has a "no loaded guns" sign, which is even weirder. I haven't actually seen the sign, you understand, just heard about it, if you know what I mean.
Lucky for me, my concealed carry is concealed.
FFGColorado
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Same around here in the big Tanner shows PLUS, just about every exhibitor(of guns) was open carrying..seemed a little 'odd'...
And BTW, no loaded guns or magazines. At the entrance two officers checked guns. I had unloaded the round from the chamber of my .380 S&W Bodyguard but the magazine was still loaded. I told the officer as he put a tie-wrap though the action that I had a loaded magazine and he said just keep it in my pocket and sent me on my way.
Dunross
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We just had out first ever (that I know of) gun show in my small North Florida town.
The show turned out to be smaller than the size of the building suggested it would be, but seeing as how it was our first one and we're in The Panic right now I was happy they had come. Maybe the next one will be larger.
Given the circumstances of the last year I knew ammo prices were going to be crazy and they were. But, there was ammo available if you wanted it bad enough. No reloading supplies, but given the size of the show I wasn't expecting any. There was one table with some used dies and a press. Reasonable amount of magazines. Seemed to be a good number of guns. Came across a Savage 99 in .308 that gave me gun lust bad, but seeing as how it would not keep me warm at night after my wife threw me out for spending an unplanned $900 I regretfully had to leave it.
My one purchase was a new SKS stripper carrier chest rig for $15. I modified the one I got with my SKS back in the early 90s and had since decided I wanted one still intact. My buddy who was with me bought some Turkish 8mm on strippers for $2 per which I thought was a good deal considering the strippers are worth about a buck apiece.
It was a tiny show even by small show standards and the ammo prices were crazy, but I was happy there had even been one. I'm hoping they come back and will be larger. It was nice to go to a show and still have time to do my usual Saturday errands then come home to get some more time in on building my bullet casting bench.
The show turned out to be smaller than the size of the building suggested it would be, but seeing as how it was our first one and we're in The Panic right now I was happy they had come. Maybe the next one will be larger.
Given the circumstances of the last year I knew ammo prices were going to be crazy and they were. But, there was ammo available if you wanted it bad enough. No reloading supplies, but given the size of the show I wasn't expecting any. There was one table with some used dies and a press. Reasonable amount of magazines. Seemed to be a good number of guns. Came across a Savage 99 in .308 that gave me gun lust bad, but seeing as how it would not keep me warm at night after my wife threw me out for spending an unplanned $900 I regretfully had to leave it.
My one purchase was a new SKS stripper carrier chest rig for $15. I modified the one I got with my SKS back in the early 90s and had since decided I wanted one still intact. My buddy who was with me bought some Turkish 8mm on strippers for $2 per which I thought was a good deal considering the strippers are worth about a buck apiece.
It was a tiny show even by small show standards and the ammo prices were crazy, but I was happy there had even been one. I'm hoping they come back and will be larger. It was nice to go to a show and still have time to do my usual Saturday errands then come home to get some more time in on building my bullet casting bench.
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