Gun Shows worth it?

[CajunBass]

My wife and I go to gun shows a couple of times a month. We buy mostly earrings and such for her. She finds a couple of pair every trip, and they're cheap so she doesn't worry about losing them. We buy jerky from time to time.

Once in a great while we'll buy something related to shooting but almost never a gun. Since most of the guns there are some kind of plastic semi, or Ruger and Taurus revolvers, and AR/AK type rifles, and I don't have much if any interest in those, well I don't even look at many guns.

We go mostly for the fun of it. It's something to do, and we'll travel for a couple of hours to get to one. On the way back we'll usually stop for dinner.

Cheap date really. Worth it? We think so.

 

[skoro]

Not around here, they aren't.

Pay for parking, then pay to enter.

Lots of cheap junky "jewelry" and velvet Elvis paintings.

Lots of Nazi paraphernalia and rusty milsurps at crazy prices.

I'm done with gun shows.

 

[Savage99]

When I have nothing to do some frozen winters day I might go to one again.

 

[Tommygunn]

Savage99, you ought to send that photo to some rabid antigunner like Senator Schumer, or Feinstein, or that ex Mayor of the Naked City, Bloomberg .... they'd have a cow.

 

[MechAg94]

There are some decently sized gun shows around Houston. I like to go occasionally as it is just entertaining to browse around the tables for a couple hours. Yeah, many of them are overpriced, but not all. There really isn't as much surplus stuff out there any more so most items are new guns. However, different tables have more unique new guns that few gun shops carry.

Negatives: Ammo was scarce so all the ammo resellers are still trying to sell overpriced stuff. It is sad when you walk through a smaller show and the 2 or 3 ammo sellers have obviously already compared their prices and are all exactly the same (usually high). Rimfire is just way overpriced.

Ammo isn't really scarce any more, but the gun show prices have never really come down a great deal. They seem to find any excuse keep prices up.

One ammo item I do look for is 50 round boxes of self defense pistol ammo. It is harder to find now, but I used to find 50 round boxes of Speer Gold Dot and Federal HP ammo for $40 or less. They are at least normally cheaper than what you find at sporting goods stores.

 

[svaz]

Most of the gun shops around here carry the same inventory - Glocks, S&W M&P, AR-15s w/ rails, lights, lasers, foregrips, & can opener, etc.

I go to the gun show to see something new and different, or older and scarce. The ammo deals are usually pretty good around here, too.

But also, I take the kids so they can enjoy the experience (some day they may not get to), and because .. I think of the children.

 

[Dframe]

I've loved gunshows since I was a kid. Almost always go to any one within a reasonable driving distance. I don't often find bargains but every once in a while you find a gem.

 

[HOWARD J]

I used to go to the gun shows to see all the old gun parts.
The last couple did not have any old gun parts.
They did have many things I could purchase at the local gun store at a much better price.
Last one I was at was about 25 years ago
I do not miss them.
BTW--the last one I was at had a guy selling the 7 parts to convert an M! carbine to a M2 carbine---he had this 10'x 10 sign sticking out like a sore thumb---The FBI flooded in as I was leaving & he was taken away--sign & all

 

[jcwit]

So for 25 years you have no idea whether there was any old parts, or any good deals!

Am I missing something?

Logic, It's called logic.