Are Gun Shows really worth attending?

[Gun Master]

Gun Shows - Shows What ?

I suppose it depends on your locality, promoter of the show, your economic status, physical and other limitations, etc., et al ......,But it doesn't sound like things have changed much in the last 20 to 30+ years.

At one time, a person could find bargains or something of interest, at gun shows. That time has past for me. I see no harm in others going, if they enjoy it, however.

I finally got tired of wasting my time and money.

The net has partially filled that gap, that I previously enjoyed, but it is not the same. Not as much fun as the shows used to be.

Oh, three things I used to find to be true (but not necessarily so now) were :
1. If you wanted to have your pick of the crop, go early on the first day (duh), and
2. Your best bargains were during the last few hours of the last day (also a duh), and
3. If you did #2 above, you were risking not getting what you wanted in the first place (the final duh).

 

[pearsonm]

Went to a RK show in my neighborhood this morning. $10.00 to get in (after a $2.00 coupon). Bought a $15.00 pocket holster. Confirmed I made the right choice two weeks ago buying a G19 from my local, family-owned dealer.

I brought a wad of cash intending to pick up a case of 9mm ammo. I considered a 500 pack from Ammo Kan but chickened out when I couldn’t find a review on Maverick ammo. I asked for a deal on a 500 pack of Remington from another vendor and got lectured about how good his prices were. I don't think he's familiar with places like www.sgammo.com.

That may have been my last gun show.

 

[Old Fuff]

The Old Fuff learned long ago that if you go to look for what's hard to get you will likely be disappointed. He looks for what he doesn't expect to find, that hopefully no one else is likely to be interested in.

On holsters: I once bought one that no one else noticed. Spent the same $15 you did, and didn't even have a gun to fit it. Sort of dumb, but on the back it was stamped S.D. Myres - El Paso, TX. That made it worth at least $100. Ya have to learn to look.

 

[Candyman87]

Just got back from one today. The ONLY reason I went is to get a 25 lb. bag of shot and some powder. Prices are a little high but cheaper than shipping and hazmat.

Walked around for a bit. Found nothing worth while. A couple of nice Mosins at a fair price but not too much else.

Everything else was above retail. Ammo? Forget about it. I was seeing bricks of CCI .22 Std. Velocity for $85. Screw that.

 

[Blue Thunder]

It has been 15+ years since I graced the front door of a Gun Show. That said, when I went I was looking for components, brass, powder, sometimes primers. I bought a few here and there but no major anything like a gun or holster or any reloaded ammo. I don't miss them and will not pay an entrance fee ever again...

 

[kudu]

Was at one today, $5 to get in, not a large show. Took me about 25 minutes to make the rounds of all the tables skipping beef jerky and apparel tables and barely looking at knife tables. About the second to the last table I came across a couple of what I thought were decent deals. I talked a guy down on an 870 Special Field 12ga to $525, in very good to excellent shape, barely had a mark on the pump slide, had choke tubes as well. He also had a very nice Ruger Bearcat blued that if I would of had more money I could of picked up for about $350.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Some of my best gun show purchases happened outside the gates.

Some guy walking in with his grandpa's 1916 Mauser, or some woman with a bag of old holsters, scopes, and other accessories.

I just arrive at opening time, walk the place and pick up anything that interests me, then settle down out front with a cold drink and a good book... and an eye out for anything different.

 

[Jim Watson]

It isn't worth the time and money to me any more.
There is nothing much I would be looking for, and consider that Mark Twain was right "A bargain is something you don't need at a price you can't resist."

Plus, I figure a winter auditorium crowd is pretty much a germ farm and there is a strain of flu circulating that is not covered by the 2014 vaccine.

 

[hot chili powder]

Gun shows....don't need to go

Went to one yesterday in Green Bay, tons of AR's and parts for'em, high priced 22 ammo and the rest of the stuff was pretty to look at but hard to part with that much cash.

 

[CornCod]

Nah!

Here in Arkansas the guns shows sometimes have good deals on ammo, but generally speaking the prices on the used guns are every so slightly more than what you pay for new firearms. We are talking like 5 or 6 dollars less. Attending a gun show might be a good thing to do on a rainy Saturday just to gawk at the toys, but serious firearms purchases? Nah!

 

[Panzerschwein]

Round these parts, eastern Kansas that is, most shows ain't so hot.

I go to 'em fairly regular just cause I haven't much better to do, but I rarely find a deal or even the gun I'm going for... even the "little stuff" can be had for much cheaper from Amazon or Midway, and the guns I want can usually be had from Gun Broker, so honestly they are more of a pastime for me than anything else. Like someone else has said, it seems many of the gun shows are more like flea markets. About half the tables are guns n' ammo, you know, the stuff most people go to a GUN SHOW to find... while the other half is table upon table of junk Chinese toys, goofy T-shirts, beef jerky stands, the list goes on and on and on. It can sure raise your blood pressure when your walking around trying to find that special gun you want when you have to wade through all that trash.

Now some have all the luck in the world at gun shows... I see it every day on here and other forums where someone walks out of one with a mint Colt Python they snagged for $500 and a pack of jelly beans. There must be some good deals at certain shows out there...

But I haven't been very lucky at finding them!

 

[SC Shooter]

When I go to shows, it is to buy reloading supplies, holsters, etc. The few guns that I have bought at shows, were from dealers that I know locally.

 

[sappyg]

There was on here last weekend I think. Didn't bother. Same dealers and same stuff I've seen for the last 5 shows now. Same people trying to scalp 22 LR bricks for $80 according to my father who usually works the show on. Saturday's.

 

[Rusty59]

In my area they something to do for the day. Nothing quite like a eating beef jerky and looking at guns in a room packed with sweaty men in the middle of summer ! Also living in an anti-gun state its fun to see all the signs, shirts, and hats people make dissing politicians

 

[Twiki357]

I like the local gun shows. I’ve gotten a few good buys in the last few years, very few, but I usually find some kind of junk to buy and then have to figure out what to do with it.

Mostly I go for the people watching; runs rings around Wally World.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Metro area gun shows....

My metro area has a large gun & knife show about 8 times a calendar year.
In the early 2000s, I would attend about 1/2 times a year, just to see any new guns or maybe to see any ammo deals, new products.
After about 2006 or so I cut way back on going. I've only been to about 2 gun shows in the last few years.
A new gun & knife show is set for 01/04-05/2015. I may go by but there's no huge rush. The vendors aren't that friendly and some used stuff is marked up.
Patches and stickers are now cool, in the shooting sports/personal defense industry. I might check those out.

 

[rcmodel]

I stopped going a few years ago.
(Except for a few little local shows where you still find some good stuff occasionally.)

The big shows all turned into big buck gate fee, beef jerky, T-Shirts, and teenage mall Ninjas swinging fake swords around in the aisles.

Plus, I got real tired of the last two ND's leaving bullets bouncing around the show hall.
And seeing a red laser dot on my chest from two aisles away every time I looked down at a table from three rows back!

Crowded aisles isn't a strong enough word for it!
More like a cattle herd heading for the feed trough!

rc

 

[rszwieg]

I go looking for odd stuff or parts.

At the Fond du Lac, WI show, a fellow two tables away recieved a negligent discharge...in the shin.

 

[DeepSouth]

I go occasionally but it's mainly just to brows with a buddy or two, I may buy a little something but I've never bought a gun at a gun show. I was about to once but then remember I was across a state line, and it was a handgun so I just passed.

I guess you could say I go to look, not to buy.

 

[leadcounsel]

I think it's more about the human interaction. I made some friends at shows over the years. Also met a woman I really liked and dated for several months.

I've gotten some phenomenal deals at the shows, even in the last few years, but probably most of them from other people attending the shows, not with vendors. I will keep going to support the shows. We need to keep the pro-gun hobby thriving even if it's just a thorn in the side of the antis.

I have been to shows and walked around for hours and did not find a single deal. But that's the exception. There's almost always something of a deal to be had, even if it's just leather, mag carriers, etc.

So there's the element of randomness.

They are worth attending, but you have to have patience and cash ready for an instant deal, and know values and deals when you see them.

I have seen a trend where it's less guns, and more supplies, clothing, accessories, etc.

It's particularly bad where states have eliminated face-to-face sales. Little point in going to a show. The anti-gunners are slowing winning. Keep going though, even if it's just a social event.

Come to think of it, I suspect that gun show deals were better in the past because it was more about a social event, and less about scoring the best price on an item. The internet has somewhat ruined the art of human interaction and not caring about squeezing out the thinnest margin possible on every item - hoarding stuff versus developing friendships and relationships... Folks who just want to pop in and score a deal and pop out miss the point of a gun show, in my view.

 

[Crisisbill]

I don't go as often as I did in the past, but still go from time to time.
Sometimes I pick up a few rare or hard to find items, it's always nice being around like minded people.

 

[Sav .250]

Was a regular for several years. Went with a couple of friends. Met for breakfast. Then the Gun Show.

The local show was fairly large. Lots of vendors.

If you needed a special item, the show was the place. Might take a few trips but sooner or later , you`d find it.

Seems like the shows were getting more like knife shows. Some really high quality ones (hand made by locals) but a ton of cheap, Chinese crap.

The, I just hit the wall. Stopped going, cold turkey.

 

[Sniper66]

I went to the most recent show in Kansas City. Was disappointed by the number of non-gun related merchandise. That said, it still beats sitting at home watching football. Over the years, especially at the Wanenmacher show in Tulsa, I have found more really nice guns than I could afford and at reasonable prices. The last Tulsa show, I found an Anschutz 1502 .17Mach 2 with 1,000 rounds of ammo for a reasonable price ( after some negotiating ) and have been killing lots of squirrels with it. Same show found some Remington SR 7.5 BR primers priced at $35. I offered him $100 for the 3 boxes he had and no tax; he accepted the cash offer. Cabela's sells them for $39.95 + tax. Also bought a brick of 17 HMR at just below current retail. Found a really, really nice Cooper 17 HMR, but didn't have that much cash. But, having the opportunity to handle it convinced me that I have to have one....some day. To me it is worth every bit of discomfort and annoyance I might experience to have the chance to be among gun people and wall-to-wall shooting products.

 

[RussellC]

I went to the recent gun show in KC, it wasnt bad at all, better than the one before. The one before that was a really good one. You just have to go with the right attitude and a willingness to bargain. Figure out who the chief person is at the table and come back and only talk to them about price. I looked at knives where one person said "very firm Price" then by standing around a little while and listening, you figure out who the boss man is. They came down 20 to 25 bucks. These were 300-400 dollar knives...and online was just over that...do your homework on online prices for knives!

There is always a guy or two with pistol powder, and that usually goes in my sack. Couple of guys with reloading press parts I dont order online because the shipping is as much as the item, so I get it there. Yeah, there is an entry fee, but online coupons trims 2 bucks off that, and the parking is free.

Prices fluctuate widely, so I make a pass through first. P-mags from 12 to 19 bucks, same piece. Magpul CRT stocks from 75 to as low as 54. .22 long rifle, same brick from 40 to 70, and so on. Haggling will usually get you somewhere. Brass? I usually do better with guys on this forum. Bullets? depends, as a rule I do better online. Powder? usually better at the show than on line, or about the same. I passed on BL-C2 8 pounder for 189.00. Recobs has it now for just less even with shipping and hazmat. 1680? I paid 189.00 for 8 lbs because I havent seen any since!

Meet lots of people, met a guy who does 20 dollar transfers that lives just a couple of blocks away from me!

If you are just going to run through, you happen to hate crowds, are not willing to talk and work into haggling, just look at prices turn your nose up and leave, they probably are not for you. A $300 High point? Look closer, it likely came with a bunch of accessories or something, a brand new one is under $200! If you really wanted one, just tell them. A new one is $199, this one is used I'll give you a hundred...if no, walk on, go to another dealer and buy it new for $200. At $300, he will be taking it back home.

I dont like crowds, but at least they are like minded people, which makes it a little more tolerable. There is at least one guy selling Glocks, or whatever your poison is, for less than the area gunshops, and a bunch selling for more!
You just have to take time to look, and cash always helps.

Russellc

 

[george burns]

As mentioned, it depends on who is putting on the show, and what dealers are going to be there.
I call up and check before hand, and if one of two dealers is not there, I pass. In FL Shoot Straight "up my way" is the only one that you can get a decent price from. The est are usually nasty and 30% higher than retail