Are Gun Shows really worth attending?

[pearsonm]

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!

Yes, and there is that. Some hillbilly at yesterday's show was carrying a deer rifle over his shoulder like a pair of skis after a day at the slopes. Someone grabbed the business end of the barrel and titled the butt into his gut. He just kept going like it was standard operating procedure.

 

[Nanook]

The show in Princeton IL is usually pretty good, but very crowded. Especially since the insanity of recent years. It's like a bar on St. Patrick's Day these days.

Otherwise, in northern IL there aren't many good shows, unless you really like beef jerky and trinkets.

I usually go for loading components and powder, for the same reason as many others, to save hazmat fees. But a couple of years ago a store opened up not far way that carries loading supplies and Dillon gear.

I haven't gone to a show since. Next month there's a show at Princeton. I may go if I'm not doing anything else. It's a really long drive, but it can be worth it sometimes.

 

[Candyman87]

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!

And hearing tasers going off every 5 minutes... occasionally followed by a scream.

 

[fallout mike]

But they aren't loaded guys.

 

[Surly]

I sell parts at the local shows. I search out good deals, buy, store and set up for a weekend. I make enough to perpetuate the cycle. I don't travel to out of town shows, though there have been requests that I do so. I do take requests for parts and I usually locate and buy them for the next show.

I am the exception and not the rule. I sell parts that I otherwise keep for personal consumption and use the show as an opportunity to rotate stock and share the wealth with the deals I find on line. I break even most of the time and it's strictly a hobby thing for my hobby.

There are more like me out there and you're never going to find us if you don't go. Just sayin'.

 

[Candyman87]

I sell parts at the local shows. I search out good deals, buy, store and set up for a weekend. I make enough to perpetuate the cycle. I don't travel to out of town shows, though there have been requests that I do so. I do take requests for parts and I usually locate and buy them for the next show.

I am the exception and not the rule. I sell parts that I otherwise keep for personal consumption and use the show as an opportunity to rotate stock and share the wealth with the deals I find on line. I break even most of the time and it's strictly a hobby thing for my hobby.

There are more like me out there and you're never going to find us if you don't go. Just sayin'.

Guys like you are the reason I still go on occasion.

Finding parts for modern rifles? Not gonna happen at a good price.

Finding hard-to-find parts for vintage gear? That's your best bet.

Thanks for doing what you do!

 

[elhombreconnonombre]

When xyz ran the gun show at the Travis Co. Expo Center it was pretty good...a large show with lots of interesting stuff. Now that the Co. fathers have declined to book gun shows xyz moved to a much smaller venue in Dripping Springs and the number and quality of vendor offerings seemed to have dropped.

 

[Baron_Null]

Paying $6 for admission to look at a massive number of guns that I would normally have to spend $20 on gas to see in brick-and-mortar shops? Sounds more than worth it to me.

For myself and my friends and family, the key has always been to know what you're looking for if you're going to buy. If you have a specific goal in mind with a specific limit and a specific plan, you can still find good deals.

Example: My girlfriend wanted to buy a 5" RIA GI 1911. We very deliberately worked our way from one side of the show to the other isle-to-isle in order to find the best price. She ended up finding a seller that was asking around $50 more than the best online base-price, and ended up getting a $25 discount because it was just after her birthday. Considering the online price did not include shipping and transfer fees, she actually ended up getting a better deal than any internet retailer could offer! However, had we not had a plan, we could have easily missed that amazing deal and she could have ended up empty handed and biter about the quality of the gunshow.

Of course, it's not all fun and games, and having the item you desire in your hands can warp your perception of how much you're willing to pay. I was almost willing to trade my M44 plus $400 for a VZ2008 which can be bought from PSA for $379.

 

[Awsomepossum]

life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Been to good shows and to bad, you have to know market values and have a fistful of cash ready. Don't forget to talk to the people bringing guns in to sell, but maybe let the dealers low ball first.

 

[we are not amused]

There sure are a lot of whiners and complainers here.

If you don't like gun shows, then don't go!

I like them for a variety of reasons.

I can see and handle a great variety of guns from a great variety of gun sellers, all in one spot!

For you all you grouches and whiners, put a sock in it! Most of us don't care.

 

[hso]

Sometimes. It depends if you go to find bargains on the tables or if you're going to see what people are carrying around for sale or if you're interested in seeing firsthand what people are blathering about on the internet.

For me it is a matter of seeing old or interesting items I'd never see or handle. Sort of a hands on museum experience. Sometimes you pick up a good deal in the bargain.

 

[DammitBoy]

I love em. Bad karma insures a bad outcome. If you go looking to be disappointed, you will be.

Like others have said, go with a plan if you want to buy. If nothing else, you stretched your legs and looked at lots of guns and accessories. A good day in my book.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Just bought a set of like-new Lee 45 Colt dies at one for $20. I'll keep going.

 

[Warp]

As a seller, probably worth attending if you have something in demand.

As a buyer, probably not, unless you are willing to pay a premium for something you don't think you can find somewhere else.

Or unless you are happy just to browse and check things out.

 

[Potatohead]

I very much enjoyed my time at the last one I attended. Found some cheap primers too.

I recommend taking a loved one that you don't get to spend much time with. Had a great time laughing at my pop.

 

[Frank Ettin]

I used to go to gun shows all the time. But I haven't been to a gun show in years.

 

[gojuice101]

I go to most of them around here. I mainly go for loading supplies, since there really aren't any well-stocked stores within 30 miles. It is cheaper and easier to get that stuff at gun shows than to drive down to Ashland to Bass Pro or Greentop. However, I have bought guns from time-to-time at shows. They are sometimes more expensive themselves, but again it is usually cheaper and much less hassle than buying online. I find the process of buying online a hassle, and expensive around here, with the exception of C&R guns that I can have shipped directly to me and avoid the hassle altogether. Still sometimes cheaper at our local shows than online with shipping, but it just depends on the local market at that particular time.

The only problem I have with them is that they are usually crowded. I'm a very anti-social, reclusive person so I don't do well with a lot of people around. That kept me away from local shows for a while, when the panic was going on. Lately they've thinned out a little though, and prices have definitely come down at the most recent shows. They were heavily inflated for a while.

 

[OcelotZ3]

The more local ones happen maybe every 3 months or so and so I go to those. I usually find something really good 1/3 of the time. Other times I pick up odds and ends that are useful and I can't find in any local stores, and would be way more expensive on-line with shipping. So they have been worth it to me.

A few shows ago I picked up a muzzleloader rifle worth ~$2500 and paid $400 for it...

 

[Ignition Override]

My only complaint is that one of the two gun shows near Memphis stopped. The mayor of Southaven MS Shutdown the gun shows there.

Plenty of THR members would not mind if their shows also disappeared-due to irrational politicians or losing sales to the Internet.

From my humble perspective, people with economical/easy access to gun shows in Atlanta, Dallas and Tulsa are envied, and might want to count their blessings.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Hey, where else are you gonna score a Swedish 1894 Mauser carbine handguard for $5.00?

You just have to know what it is when you see it.

 

[Thermactor]

I had a good experience at the Bill Goodman gun show in Sharonville recently. Picked up some reloading stuff and a couple holsters.

As far as gun selection went, it was miserable - but I didn't go to buy a gun. I still took notice;
Lots of Jennings, Jimenez and Hi-Points on offer. All were dealer items needing the 4473 check. I didn't see any private parties selling guns FTF with no BG check as Bloomberg likes to portray.
A Saiga-12 rifle was on offer for something like $1,600.
There was a table selling SAPI steel body armor plates for 2.5x as much as the going rate for AR500 online.
Ammo prices were uncompetitive. Lots of mystery meat gunshow reload ammo for retail prices.
Some stupid odds and ends were around like Soviet medals, tables full of cheap no-name knives and pocket knives that had company logos on them and were formerly freebies from trade shows. Soda cost $2.00, a bag of chips $1.75, a hot dog was $3.00 or so.

Admission to the show was $8.00 and parking was free. It was worth it overall for the people watching aspect and especially for the rare good deal on things like $25 brand new reloading die sets. I backed up the truck on that one and got something for all of my calibers.

 

[mnrivrat]

I started to go to gun shows in the second half of the 1960's. Much has happened since that time period and a lot of what was, will no longer be.

Much of what a show was in my younger years was many private sellers in the local area setting up to sell guns they no longer used, guns they inherited, partial boxes of shells for guns they no longer had, and tons of misc. They weren't out to make money as their main motivator, just to get read of stuff and perhaps trade or buy somehting else.

That said ,I would love to be able to go to gun shows today. Being handicapped to a level I can't, makes me miss them all that much more. I spent very little at the last guns shows I attended, but it's one heck of a better way to spend time than sitting in a bar, or whatching anything on TV.

I have a lot of great memories born out of attending gun shows.

 

[Paul7]

I haven't been to a gun show in years. I did like going to hang out with a friend or two to look at all that is at the show. It was a great way to handle dozens of guns that otherwise might hassle the living crap out of a gun store.

Yet, I've never ended up buying a gun a gun show. I've bought some ammo and accessories but that's it. My local gun dealers have always been real close to gun show prices in the past. I'm not sure how it is now.

No tax at the gun show, correct?

 

[pearsonm]

Much of what a show was in my younger years was many private sellers in the local area setting up to sell guns they no longer used, guns they inherited, partial boxes of shells for guns they no longer had, and tons of misc.

So a swap meet for guns. Now THAT would be helpful. Sites like ARMSLIST is better than nothing but arranging meetings for each transaction sucks.

 

[hso]

No tax at the gun show, correct?

Where'd you get that idea? Vendors are expected to pay either sales tax on each sale or they're expected to pay a single tax like a flea market tax.