Tampa gun show prices.....WOW!!!

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Stubert

Stubert

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Went to the Tampa show yesterday, I knew stuff was going to be overpriced but......I could buy a box of .416 Rigby ammo for less than a box of 9 mm? That's insane! 3 years ago I bought a new Colt .45 Defender for $829.00, saw a used one that the dealer was asking $1099.00 for. Small pistol primers $20.00/100. It cost me $6.00 to park, $12.00 to get in. I bought 1 bag of .38 target ammo for $65.00 It cost me a total $83.00 for the day. I think I'm done with the big shows. On Sat. I went to a small show put on by a gun club in the area (more like a swap meet) I bought a 50 round box of Winchester 125 gr. +P JHP..38 for only $50.00. Stu
 
Hate to say it , but primers at 200 for a brick is deal right now. I still have about 3200 spp left , but I'd buy a thousand right now for 200 if I could.
 
Yeah, there’s a guy that’s been parked on a corner of 47 and 276 every nice weekend taking the spot of the tamale salesman with a sign Thats says “ammo” on it and what’s sitting on the hood is likely worth more to the car, for those that will pay the price.

I just keep on driving by (after coming to a complete stop) leaving it for the desperate. Knowing that the more folks do the same, the quicker prices fall back to normal.
 
grammontS said:
Hate to say it , but primers at 200 for a brick is deal right now. I still have about 3200 spp left , but I'd buy a thousand right now for 200 if I could.
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Come to think of it, maybe I should get there early next weekend and make up a sign that says “primers”. :)

IIRC the last time I stocked up on primers (that’s what they call it before people get into a panic) they were $99/5000.
 
Have you priced what tables at gun shows now go for? The seller is in the hole a lot before sale 1. And yes they are padding the price because of the panic, but it is an ASKING price, not necessarily a selling price. They're hoping someone will buy at the high price; but if no one does, they you should be able to offer less if they want to make a sale and cover their weekend costs.
I looked at renting a table at a big gun show once. By the time I factored in 3 days of table rent, hotel, meals, gas; I was in the hole over $600 before I would have sold anything. The biggest crook is the show operator charging to park, get in and then renting tables.......IMO, they are killing their golden goose and I suspect gun shows will soon be a relic from the past.
 
I wanted to go this weekend. Figured it would be the only chance to find. Beretta 92x Performance, a 96A1 and a 1911. I know im going to regret not going to one soon, theres some oddball magazines I need extras of.
 
magyars4 said:
People sure can be foolish... buying when price are insanely hi....kinda like the stock market or silver / gold...buying into a feeding frenzy and sitting on cash when times are good....
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Problem is, for us new firearm owners, there isn't much choice. And, especially if one is motivated to become proficient, what other option is there?
I often wonder what the idea is to have hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo sitting in a basement or garage. Lots of YouTube say they have tons of ammo, and aren't practicing because they don't want to use what they have. As a new shooter, I often question the purpose. Yes, if TSHF, you have plenty of ammo to protect yourself with, but if you haven't shot your firearm in a year, don't you lose some of that proficiency? And how much ammo can you possibly use before you are overwhelmed anyway?
 
NuShootr said:
Problem is, for us new firearm owners, there isn't much choice. And, especially if one is motivated to become proficient, what other option is there?
I often wonder what the idea is to have hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo sitting in a basement or garage. Lots of YouTube say they have tons of ammo, and aren't practicing because they don't want to use what they have. As a new shooter, I often question the purpose. Yes, if TSHF, you have plenty of ammo to protect yourself with, but if you haven't shot your firearm in a year, don't you lose some of that proficiency? And how much ammo can you possibly use before you are overwhelmed anyway?
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It's like money, you can never have too much. better to die and leave some for the next generation than to run out too early. I suspect those folks are still shooting, just not as much. I know I am shooting more shotgun and .22 than 9mm because I do not trust the current climate and what might happen.
 
NuShootr said:
Problem is, for us new firearm owners, there isn't much choice. And, especially if one is motivated to become proficient, what other option is there?
I often wonder what the idea is to have hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo sitting in a basement or garage. Lots of YouTube say they have tons of ammo, and aren't practicing because they don't want to use what they have. As a new shooter, I often question the purpose. Yes, if TSHF, you have plenty of ammo to protect yourself with, but if you haven't shot your firearm in a year, don't you lose some of that proficiency? And how much ammo can you possibly use before you are overwhelmed anyway?
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Your correct, you do need to practice and nothing beats trigger time with live rounds.
There is another aspect of the "stash".... As the 2nd amendment was created for a despotic government....some feel those extra rounds may be needed....that's all I'm gonna say about that.
 
Many hobbyists (across many pursuits) may have a "threshold" for extras, spares, parts, and replacements.
Some firearms enthusiasts may not like dipping below 100 rounds for various calibers they possess.
Others may not like dipping below 1000 rounds for each caliber in their collection. It is all personal preference.
 
Stubert said:
Went to the Tampa show yesterday, I knew stuff was going to be overpriced but......I could buy a box of .416 Rigby ammo for less than a box of 9 mm? That's insane! 3 years ago I bought a new Colt .45 Defender for $829.00, saw a used one that the dealer was asking $1099.00 for. Small pistol primers $20.00/100. It cost me $6.00 to park, $12.00 to get in. I bought 1 bag of .38 target ammo for $65.00 It cost me a total $83.00 for the day. I think I'm done with the big shows. On Sat. I went to a small show put on by a gun club in the area (more like a swap meet) I bought a 50 round box of Winchester 125 gr. +P JHP..38 for only $50.00. Stu
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Not going to argue with you.. I have noticed the shows that are in the Larger Cities and on the east coast in the more populated areas just really crazy. Hugh lines to go in.. Hugh prices etc etc etc.

But the smaller gun shows have really been alot more reasonable and not so frenzied and even laid back. Yeah yeah everything is different every time but just a gut observation.
 
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Pat Riot said:
It will all settle down eventually.
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The current BS is my 4th, yes I’m old, and hopefully like the past this too will find it’s plateau sooner or later. The problem unfortunately is “PEOPLE” are basically self serving and greedy. Just our nature I suspect.
 
Easy to vilify the Show promoters (and some are pretty shady).
But, they have to rent the entire venue and get permits and the like--often having to fight virtue-signalling politicos. They also typically have to pay full rates for security, too.
They are on the hook for all the promotion, ads, etc. (marketing term-of-art is "exploitation").
So, when you are dropping $80-120 per table, you are supposed to be getting a cut of that, so you can park your trailer in the dealer lot and not worry about it going missing while you are inside; that the locals have seen billboards or radio ads for the show, and the like.
It tends to be self-correcting. Hold a show and promise the vendors "full exploitation" and then not run a single ad, and only a hundred people walk the hall, the promoter will not get people to rent any more tables, and quickly.

Dealer at the Dallas show just this last weekend drove the 360 miles (about 6 hours' drive) from Beeville, and dropped for 22 tables. He was priced to sell, too, and had a pretty good line of sold stuff. You don't do that for a sketchy promoter.
 
The next Orlando fairgrounds show is coming up on March 20th and I'll make the two-hour drive to get down there.

I fully expect the prices to be outrageous, but that's the times we're in. I go to these things as much for the entertainment value as anything I might buy. I often come out with something I had no idea I wanted - 6.5 Swede dies the last time.

For new items that I know what I'm getting it's nearly always cheaper - often much cheaper - to simply buy them online. It's the used stuff that draws me. Never know what I'll find, but I nearly always find something worth looking at.
 
The Tampa shows have really gone downhill, and not just as of late. Back in the day, there were some great shows in Tampa at the old national guard armory in West Tampa. I have high hopes for the show I am going to in Ft Walton Beach this weekend coming up, but I am prepared to be disappointed again.
 
FL-NC said:
The Tampa shows have really gone downhill, and not just as of late. Back in the day, there were some great shows in Tampa at the old national guard armory in West Tampa. I have high hopes for the show I am going to in Ft Walton Beach this weekend coming up, but I am prepared to be disappointed again.
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PM me the details of that; that area is about a 3 hour drive from me.
 
I love gun shows, been going to them since the 60’s.
More often than not I’d be more interested in the “gun stuff” more so than guns, I have bought guns but mostly I’d go for hand loading components, beef jerky, leather goods and used equipment, magazines and parts. In the days before the internet it was ones best source for many items.
With this pandemic I’ve barley left the house in “20”, and have no intention of changing that until I get the vaccine.
Reading thru this thread and remembering the “cheek to jowl, crowds in the isles and around the tables I’m wondering how one maintains the social distancing recommended.
 
George P said:
better to die and leave some for the next generation than to run out too early.
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Problem is, in order to have a "well regulated militia", you need as many people as possible to participate. With the "better to die" ideology, the "next generation" may not be able to use the ammo people are hoarding. With this many new gun owners out there, especially if (emphasis on if) they are dedicated to proficiency, it is imperative that we make sure our "well regulated militia" has what they need. One person/family can only use so much ammunition at a time in case of crisis. They would be quickly overcome. Just my two cents.
 
There's a small local show here every Sat. From what I hear, if you have a pistol you can sell it there easily and make some profit, so my FFL friend tells me.
 
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