Zeke Menuar
Member
Just in case y'all were wondering why we're getting out of the gun show biz, ya buncha skinflints...
I am a skinflint on a good day. Most of the time I am the cheapest, SOB on the planet.
Here in Monsoon Central there is really only one outfit that does shows. Same vendors, same stuff. $300 Yugo SKS's. $150 Mosin-Nagants with the CAI billboard. The prices on new guns are the same as in the gunstores so there is no point in shopping for a new gun at a show. Used guns are about the same. In ten years of trolling gunshows I bought only one gun, a really good quality Ishapore 2A for $125 dollars. But I think a find like that is the exception rather than the rule. The only real advantage I can see is that many vendors are in one place making shopping a bit easier. The prices are usually the same or higher than a regular gunstore.
I notice that the gunshow crowd seems to be different than the crowd that hangs out here at THR. These folks read the gun rags and pay attention. Buy a lot of there stuff at big chain stores and have never heard of Midway or Brownells. They don't seem to be as saavy about guns as we are. I watched in horror as a guy at the Canby show bought a cosmo soaked Yugo SKS for $299. I bought a better quality Yugo from AIM for $80 including shipping. So the vendors may be catering to a different group of firearms enthusiasts. Maybe the gunshows vendors count on potential buyers that aren't very informed about what they are looking for.
I must point out there is a once a year show in Rickreall OR that is a great show. It is an independent show, separate from the travelling circuit shows usually seen here.
This is my opinion, your opinion may vary
ZM