View Full Version : Went to the local gun show....
I have not been to a gun show in at least 2 years. I decided to go to a fairly large one about an hour from my house. I was amazed at how expensive things were. I saw a couple deals on some Hornady ammo, but that was about it.
The real shocker to me was the price on M&P's. The cheapest one that I saw was selling for $550 (without night sigths)! :eek: Now I don't know if they were selling for that price, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I imagine that gun shows will eventually go away as people become wise to the fact that they can get much better deals online.
C4
The quality of them here in Colo Springs has gone downhill the last 7-8 years. You used to have several tables that had quality stuff, now the majority is old parts and crap, a table or two with some BM/DPMS stuff, a table or two with an odd Colt that they're asking $1,600 and up for, untold quantities of beef jerky, salt lamps, cheesy Indian art, gun rugs, old as the hills beat-to-shit gen-u-ine Colt 30 round mags for $25, and what have you.
The only reason I go anymore is to get deals on reloading components. I can usually get decent deals on powder, primers and bulk bullets, but even our last one I was a bit disappointed.
It's really sad.
Alpha Sierra
12-08-07, 15:58
I imagine that gun shows will eventually go away as people become wise to the fact that they can get much better deals online.
I stopped going to them with the intention of buying anything years ago. I think I went to one in Dayton last year just because I had cabin fever. I didn't buy anything.
Failure2Stop
12-08-07, 16:10
I go to them (when in CONUS:( ) for a few reasons, though they are not to purchase firearms from the tables.
1- Face to face gun sales. Have gotten a few good deals.
2- Ammo. Can usually get prices down by buying multi-case with cash. Best deals on Sunday. No shipping costs.
3- Hands-on guns that aren't on my favorite dealers' shelves.
4- That rare find where the guy doesn't really know what he has, superbly rare. Offset by the volumes of sellers that think that everything they have is super-valuable, despite the fact that everyone is selling the same item.
5- Laughs. You know what I mean. From the Ninja weapons tables to the Nazi uniforms guy, there are pleanty of golden moments that I could never fabricate, and cherish deeply. Yup, had some guy working me over on a CavArms poly lower, said it was the ideal platform for a tactical carbine :rolleyes: . I literally laughed in his face. Loudly.
I always hit the gunshows around here because they're the only non-internet source for surplus weapons, ammo and accessories.
John_Wayne777
12-08-07, 17:23
Oddly enough, I went to one today too.
Which leads me to post JW777's helpful gunshow observations:
1. It's perfectly fine to visit and shoot the sh*t at a gunshow....just do so in an area that does not obstruct the flow of traffic.
2. No, you cannot give the dealer a rusted Astra .25 auto and 50 bucks for that brand new Colt M4....ever. Further, telling the guy that it's a "rare" gun because you "never see many of these!" is kind of silly when he has TWO of them in better shape than yours at the other end of his table for sale at 150 bucks. No, the cheap holster doesn't make a difference.
3. No, the special forces DO NOT use a bastardized 5.45 AK with a tiny barrel, no rear sight, and some ungodly home-made fake silencer poorly welded to the end of it. If you showed that to a guy who served in Iraq or Afghanistan they would tell you that even the basement gunsmiths would be so ashamed of having made such an abortion that they would kill themselves.
4. No, I don't want to sign a petition to put Ron Paul on the ballot for the primaries. And you know what? Following me and asking me why isn't going to make me any more likely to do so. In fact, it's going to make me wonder about how long I can pistol whip you with that Hi-Point over there before the cops come and taser me.
5. No, these H&K P30's are NOT "overpriced pieces of plastic sh*t". I don't care if your cousin told you they were. If your cousin was REALLY a Navy SEAL then I'm Charlize Theron. Besides...I don't know you, and I wasn't talking to you. I was merely looking at a pistol....why you felt the need to interrupt my lustful repose is beyond me, but for God's sake cut it out already.
6. Twirling a Glock doesn't impress anyone. It just makes you look like a retard.
7. Soap is not expensive. For the price of admission to this show you could have bought enough soap to stay clean for a month. Priorities, fella. Priorities.
8. No, the BSA red dot being sold for 50 bucks is NOT just as good as an Aimpoint. It should be legal to pull you out from behind your table full of "fantasy knives", beanie babies, overpriced cheap scopes, and overpriced cheap holsters and pistol whip you into a coma for saying something like that.
9. If you don't stop your 10 year old child from shining laser sights in people's eyes for a lark, I am going to take off my belt and beat YOU with it. He's ten...what the bleep is YOUR excuse, butthole?
10. I don't have a problem with the fact that you are trying to sell your Mauser rifle. I don't have a problem with the fact that you're trying to sell a bayonet with it. Hell, I don't even mind that you are walking around with the bayonet MOUNTED to the damn rifle.
You know what I mind? I mind that you don't have the bayonet (which you have sharpened) in a SCABBARD while it is mounted on your rusty rifle. And I REALLY mind that you don't have the sling adjusted so your sharp pointy rifle is flopping all over the place....ESPECIALLY WHEN THE POINT OF YOUR SOCKPLUCKING BAYONET ENDS UP JAMMED INTO MY BLEEPING FORHEAD.
NO, YOU SH*THEAD, GRINNING AT ME AND GOING OOPS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAID YOU ARE SORRY, YOU ARE A STUPID MONKEY AND YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR ASS KICKED. YES, THERE REALLY IS A REASON FOR ME TO BE THIS UPSET. I AM BLEEDING FROM THE FOREHEAD. YOU ARE LUCKY IT ISN'T LEGAL TO TAKE YOUR RIFLE, BEND YOU OVER, AND JAM IT SO FAR UP YOUR RECTUM THAT THE MUZZLE COMES OUT YOUR LEFT NOSTRIL.
Tell you what, go say hi to the Ron Paul folks for me, OK?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that we have that out of the way....
Fairly typical gunshow. Most stuff was overpriced. Temptation did find me, however. There was a table selling M&P compacts for 439 bucks. The only reason I didn't jump was because I was pretty sure that it had the magazine safety in it.
...or did it? Dang. That was about the time I got stabbed in the face so I didn't stick around long. I guess I need to go back tomorrow and take a look.
John_Wayne777
12-08-07, 17:31
I stopped going to them with the intention of buying anything years ago. I think I went to one in Dayton last year just because I had cabin fever. I didn't buy anything.
I keep going looking for that needle in a haystack....but all I end up finding is hay.
During the AWB days I would find good preban mags, but that's about it. There were some nice guns there today and the guys selling them deserved every penny they were asking for them, but the price was too high for me.
tiger seven
12-08-07, 18:24
I went to one today too. It was a fairly big show - around 1200 tables - and it was a complete waste of time. (Not that I'm really surprised by that.)
The shows around here have been getting steadily worse year by year for at least a decade or so. Most people I've spoken with in other parts of the country say the same thing. I can remember when "gun show prices" meant significant discounts. I swear that nowadays people actually seem to mark stuff up for the gun show. Many of the prices bordered on absurd. Not just high, but positively absurd! I keep telling myself I'm going to stop supporting anything but the Knob Creek show, and I think after today's little adventure into the land of body odor, cheap pseudo-surplus clothing and table after table of "airsoft machineguns" I think I'll finally take my own advice and stop going to these stupid things. The Knob Creek show isn't perfect by a long shot (and it's gone a bit downhill as well) but it's a thousand times better than the average yokel-fest like today.
Derek
I got simply to finger f%&k stuff I'm interested in. I got to fondle an H&K P30 and I really really like the feel of that gun.
My FFL will order me anything I want but never has anything I may want sitting around for me to play with. The gun shows fill in that gap.
I go to get good deals on beef jerky, jelly and wooden airplanes!
I keep going looking for that needle in a haystack....but all I end up finding is hay.
During the AWB days I would find good preban mags, but that's about it. There were some nice guns there today and the guys selling them deserved every penny they were asking for them, but the price was too high for me.
Bro, you had me laughing so hard, my wife came running into the room. Sorry about the bayonetting BTW.
I had a remarkably freightening experience at the Syracuse show this spring that I posted on another board:
Posted 22 April 2007 16:03
Got back awhile ago from what use to be my favorite gunshow, the Syracuse show at the NYS fairgrounds. Gone to it for years. My best friend from high school moved from here to there some years ago as he loves to hunt, something that is a little tough to do in my neck of the woods. I always look forward to this show as it was the best in the Northeast. Sad to say, no more. I've never been to any out in the midwest or south but these seriously suck now. I basically paid $7 for a long, hot walk indoors but hey, I could use the exercise. Some observations:
-The ammo shortage is no joke. My go to guy had shit. What little was there was Wolf. No Fed, Win, LC 5.56 of any type to be had. What was there was expensive. I'm shooting this week and needed something so I got a thousand rounds of SERBIAN M193. Freaking SERBIAN. I know they've been killing each other for 800 years but I hope its OK. It is clean and of new manufacture (2006). I wonder how many of my rifles will blow up this week?
-Stereotypes exist for a reason and if you need to see that reason, boy was this your place. A few:
If you want to jack a pickup, come here. In the lot you could get your model, year, color and options, no problem.
Why must people attend gunshows in camo? Not a shirt, hat OR pants..but all three. Or in retro uniforms...one guy was a Nazi...eeeeek.
Pithy T-shirts. "I don't need a weapon....I am a weapon" Schweeeet.
An avoidance of anything remotely resembling soap...or a comb...or a toothbrush (tooth-singular, being the operative word in some cases) by 56.843% of attendees. Surpassed only by a NASCAR race (76.581%)
The constant racking of actions and sweeping the crowd. One guy yelled at another about it. The reply "It ain't loaded" Usually that statement is found in the first paragraph of the manslaughter arrest warrant. The preceeding sentence is "When challanged by the deceased, defendant replied..."
One guy carried a 15' long HALBERD like he was coming from Agincourt. I kept my eye on him.
Lots of goth kids, dressed in black, shaved heads. ALWAYS looking at knives, the crazier looking the better. I kept my OTHER eye on them.
The same guys had the same stuff year after year. I actually know what they have before I get to their table.
Jerky, something I look forward to, was hard to find but good (Jalopeno)
The nicest pieces there were the M2HB and Mk19 from the National Guard booth. They were polite but firm on the "Not for sale, sir"
I really love to go to these things but they have been getting worse every year. I'll probably go again though. Why? 'cause I'm hopeful and....
I get to drink beer at the Blue Tusk in Armory Square in Syracuse. Consistently rated one of the top ten beer bars in the country. It is my second favorite bar ever. 69 beers on tap plus another entire bar devoted to Belgian beer next door. The sandwich menu is killer (Porketta and Eggplant with fresh mozz, peppers and red onion on rosemary.olive oil focaccia. Whoa!)
I had:
Hoegaarden
Magic Hat Circus Boy
Rogue Brutal Bitter
Middle Ages Wailing Wench (cool name)
Russian Imperial stout
Young's Chocolate Stout
Brooklyn Black Stout
Duvel
Ommegang Belgian White
Victory Storm King
Chimay Triple
Stella Artrois
Rogue Dead Guy
I may have had more but ...um..uh...nevermind.
My friend lives on over 300 acres. For you hunting guys, lots of deer and turkey and he stocks pheasant. 1 acre fish pond too. Middle of freaking nowhere but beautiful views. Had a nice Opus X robusto outside while spotting game with my PVS14s. Very cool. Long live the gunshow.
BTW, Honda trucks, while excellent vehicles, are NOT made for off road excursions at 2am in dark fields covered in mud as the snow melts. And just using the PVS14s leads to tunnel vision which is not at all helpful either. Just saying.
I went to one a couple of weeks ago and all I saw was old crap and beef jerky. Oh yeah, I did see a table full of "tactical nylon" used by some 300 asmathic that said he was a 4th level SF in his Airsoft team, whatever that means. The only thing I ended up buying was a box Winchester Ranger .40cal for a road trip I was making. Sorry Grant but I didn't feel like waiting.:D
S/F
John_Wayne777
12-08-07, 21:08
Bro, you had me laughing so hard, my wife came running into the room. Sorry about the bayonetting BTW.
That's just how my life works.
If I'm involved, somehow things go south.
If I'm in a shoothouse and assigned to open the door so another guy can toss a flashbang to initiate entry into a hallway, the door will swing shut as fast as I opened it and the flashbang won't work.
If I'm at a gunshow minding my own business the dumbest mothersucker on earth is going to show up and bayonet me in the face.
...and people wonder why I carry a backup.
An avoidance of anything remotely resembling soap...or a comb...or a toothbrush (tooth-singular, being the operative word in some cases) by 56.843% of attendees. Surpassed only by a NASCAR race (76.581%)
It really is something. I've seen people at gunshows with breath so bad I would rather field dress a gutshot deer than endure another blast from the hideous stinkhole that is their mouth.
My first gunshow I met Carlos Hathcock. Bought his book and got his signature. It's been down hill since then.
Edited to Add.
There was that one gunshow where that really cool dealer showed up. G and something or another.
The shows suck for deals that for sure. When my spine feels alittle better i will start selling at them again. I still go to them as I like ot look at the goodies. It gives me a chance to see some of the newer products that are out in person. Here in AZ the private gun sales have went way down because of the ATF crack down which is a good things. We have lots of straw buys and as you know illegal Mexican LEO's buying guns at the shows. Here in AZ there are alot of scum bags with prison tats and illegal Mex's scouting for guns from private sellers.
The cheapest one that I saw was selling for $550 (without night sigths)! :eek: Now I don't know if they were selling for that price, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Uh, I think I got hosed on my M&P. :(
Temptation did find me, however. There was a table selling M&P compacts for 439 bucks.
Now I know I got hosed on my M&P.:mad:
John_Wayne777
12-08-07, 21:27
Now I know I got hosed on my M&P.:mad:
The same table had black M&P 45s with the thumb safety and no mag safety for 500.
If it hadn't been for that jackass stabbing me in the face I might have just gone crazy and done something REALLY foolish. I was getting all nipply before his bayonet collided with my head.
I'd add something, but I think JW777 , just about covered it.
You never used to see the wannabe gang banger types there, either, until Clinton started calling them "arms bazarrs".
The shows in Houston were alot better, with good to fair deals, and everything you wanted. ABQ, well I go just to kill time, pay to much for few things, but not to bad, and support the local guy.
Dport,
don't feel bad, I'm pretty sure I got hosed twice, impulse sux, don't it.
Bob
tiger seven
12-08-07, 21:45
I saw a number of M&P9s for $450-ish. I was actually a bit tempted...
One other little thing happened at today's show. I was standing at an ammo dealer's table, just browsing around, when a guy walks up with a shotgun and asks the dealer if he can "borrow" a single 12-gauge shell.
The dealer says, "What?"
The guy replies, "I just need to borrow one. I need to check the action on the gun."
As I backed away in complete shock, I heard the dealer say, "I don't think so buddy."
The guy just stood there with a WTF? kind of look on his face, as he clearly couldn't comprehend the problem.
It's not as good as a bayonet to the forehead :D but it was definitely a new low point for me in my experience with gun shows. Then again, at a show last year I overheard a guy saying that he didn't need to buy "one of them AK's" because when the "Chinese paratroopers" land he would "just shoot one with my goose gun and take his AK." :eek:
Derek
Uh, I think I got hosed on my M&P. :(
My M&P 45 with night sights and ambi safety was $539.
Got some beef jerkey too. Good stuff.
HolyRoller
12-08-07, 23:12
Gun show inevitabilities I could do without:
Beef jerky, lots of Confederate naval jacks (no, the RECTANGULAR flag with the diagonal cross thingy is NOT the battle flag), a table or two with Klan memorabilia and idiotic "Jews are gonna get us" newsletter back issues, the guy with the same "Soon To Be Banned From Import" sign he's had for eight years, thousands of bumper stickers that would be funny if we hadn't seen them a squillion times already ("Boycott Jane Fonda--American Traitor Beyotch" is STILL around), overpriced reprinted Army field manuals from before Vietnam sold like they're the latest word on resisting the New World Order, laughable nylon holsters and Silent Slings, and the legions of sleazy fastbuck dealers who will say an-y-thing to make a sale the same way Hillary will say an-y-thing to get elected.
Some things that happened that I hope don't happen again:
Sighhhhh, yes, I used to be one of those who wore camo to gun shows, and one time it was a flight suit. I had a nice Mauser with me and bought a sling for it, and the next chance I had in a quiet place, which would be in the restroom, I installed it, which took some effort because the sling was new and needed stretching. Back out on the floor a few minutes later, I felt a tap on the shoulder and it was a police officer wanting to see my rifle, explaining that someone had reported I was loading it in the bathroom. It's extremely annoying to know that people are running around at gun shows who don't know the difference between putting a sling on the outside of a rifle, and putting booolets inside a rifle.
In the early days of Russian night vision, I stopped to look at a genuine Russian guy's table just full of neat NV stuff and other optics. The first thing he said was, are you gonna buy anything. Well, maybe not, I said, I just want to see what you got. "If u not gonna buy anything, I not bother with you. Bye." went back to reading something in Russian. Man, he was taking this capitalism thing rather too seriously. I don't remember seeing him at any more gun shows.
Good stuff that keeps me going to gun shows when I can:
Sometimes people do have deals on ammo, relatively speaking these days, but make sure you go by Wal-Mart beforehand and memorize White Box prices.
At the Raleigh show there's always plenty of reloading stuff. At the Fayetteville show there's almost none. I'm told that whoever holds the power in the gun sales industry in Fayetteville doesn't want reloading stuff there, even though almost nobody in Fayetteville sells reloading stuff.
Lots of guns. This is always good.
Some of them are interesting and rare, like Unique (now out of business and its tooling and parts destroyed) match pistols, and some are just what you wanted but weren't on GunsAmerica, and oh yeah, you at least have the actual gun right in front of you so you know what you're getting.
Look but don't touch--Colt collectors, Luger collectors, NFA dealers (one of whom didn't know the real value of those Black Hills blue boxes full of 77gr match ammo--bwahahaha), military collectors.
Lots and lots of old books! Some at low prices!
GI parts for the usual service weapons.
And sometimes you find something new and amazing. This is where I first ran across Wild Bill's Concealment, tried their IWB holster for the M9, bought one, and haven't ever needed another for my M9. Later, bought another IWB for the 1911, and haven't needed another one of those either.
I always liked the Mosin-Nagant M44 carbine ($89.99 at the local Big 5's) with the price tag of $400 and "rare Russian carbine" description.
RogerinTPA
12-09-07, 10:42
yeah, it seems like they are getting worse and worse. I normally go to see if anything new is on the scene and the beef jerky!:p
I hate gun shows. I quit going to any after the first couple I attended back in the mid 1990s. I went to a few in the last few years because I was pimping a gun club's shooting sports, otherwise I would not have entered the building.
I dislike being in crowds for a variety of reasons. Gun show crowds exhibit most of the bad traits of any crowd, but add a few extras. Now I know that I really don't ever want to go again because I have a crazy aversion to being bayonetted in the face too.
My first gunshow I met Carlos Hathcock. Bought his book and got his signature. It's been down hill since then.
Edited to Add.
There was that one gunshow where that really cool dealer showed up. G and something or another.
Yes and that was the first and last gun show we have ever done.
I thought the Hampton Roads gun shows were bad. I was mistaken.
C4
Uh, I think I got hosed on my M&P. :(
Most likely did. I don't know why you guys to ask me for me M4C member prices on M&P's. :rolleyes:
We can also install Trijicon NOVAK NS's or the 10-8 M&P rear sight on them as well.
C4
Most likely did. I don't know why you guys to ask me for me M4C member prices on M&P's. :rolleyes:
It was an impulse buy. I wasn't even at the store for myself. I was with a friend looking for one of those Argentinian .45s. He wanted one to screw around with and refinish. I was surprised I even had the required paperwork on me to complete the sale.
It's hard to buy on an impulse when you have to buy the gun, go find an FFL for a transfer, the nearest to me is an hour plus drive away, wait for the delivery, etc. That requires patience, something I am in short supply of. :D
Oddly enough, I went to one today too.
Which leads me to post JW777's helpful gunshow observations:
1. It's perfectly fine to visit and shoot the sh*t at a gunshow....just do so in an area that does not obstruct the flow of traffic.
2. No, you cannot give the dealer a rusted Astra .25 auto and 50 bucks for that brand new Colt M4....ever. Further, telling the guy that it's a "rare" gun because you "never see many of these!" is kind of silly when he has TWO of them in better shape than yours at the other end of his table for sale at 150 bucks. No, the cheap holster doesn't make a difference.
3. No, the special forces DO NOT use a bastardized 5.45 AK with a tiny barrel, no rear sight, and some ungodly home-made fake silencer poorly welded to the end of it. If you showed that to a guy who served in Iraq or Afghanistan they would tell you that even the basement gunsmiths would be so ashamed of having made such an abortion that they would kill themselves.
4. No, I don't want to sign a petition to put Ron Paul on the ballot for the primaries. And you know what? Following me and asking me why isn't going to make me any more likely to do so. In fact, it's going to make me wonder about how long I can pistol whip you with that Hi-Point over there before the cops come and taser me.
5. No, these H&K P30's are NOT "overpriced pieces of plastic sh*t". I don't care if your cousin told you they were. If your cousin was REALLY a Navy SEAL then I'm Charlize Theron. Besides...I don't know you, and I wasn't talking to you. I was merely looking at a pistol....why you felt the need to interrupt my lustful repose is beyond me, but for God's sake cut it out already.
6. Twirling a Glock doesn't impress anyone. It just makes you look like a retard.
7. Soap is not expensive. For the price of admission to this show you could have bought enough soap to stay clean for a month. Priorities, fella. Priorities.
8. No, the BSA red dot being sold for 50 bucks is NOT just as good as an Aimpoint. It should be legal to pull you out from behind your table full of "fantasy knives", beanie babies, overpriced cheap scopes, and overpriced cheap holsters and pistol whip you into a coma for saying something like that.
9. If you don't stop your 10 year old child from shining laser sights in people's eyes for a lark, I am going to take off my belt and beat YOU with it. He's ten...what the bleep is YOUR excuse, butthole?
10. I don't have a problem with the fact that you are trying to sell your Mauser rifle. I don't have a problem with the fact that you're trying to sell a bayonet with it. Hell, I don't even mind that you are walking around with the bayonet MOUNTED to the damn rifle.
You know what I mind? I mind that you don't have the bayonet (which you have sharpened) in a SCABBARD while it is mounted on your rusty rifle. And I REALLY mind that you don't have the sling adjusted so your sharp pointy rifle is flopping all over the place....ESPECIALLY WHEN THE POINT OF YOUR SOCKPLUCKING BAYONET ENDS UP JAMMED INTO MY BLEEPING FORHEAD.
NO, YOU SH*THEAD, GRINNING AT ME AND GOING OOPS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAID YOU ARE SORRY, YOU ARE A STUPID MONKEY AND YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR ASS KICKED. YES, THERE REALLY IS A REASON FOR ME TO BE THIS UPSET. I AM BLEEDING FROM THE FOREHEAD. YOU ARE LUCKY IT ISN'T LEGAL TO TAKE YOUR RIFLE, BEND YOU OVER, AND JAM IT SO FAR UP YOUR RECTUM THAT THE MUZZLE COMES OUT YOUR LEFT NOSTRIL.
Tell you what, go say hi to the Ron Paul folks for me, OK?
Did you follow me around at the last 2 gun shows that I have been to?Must have, minus the whole stabbed in the face thing.
There is a gun show in mid Michigan 20 min. from my house on the way to work . Advertises as Michigans biggest . Go in after paying 9 bucks and see 1 fourth the tables empty. Lots of airsoft guns and cheap nylon. Most rifles are old and rusted. Ther are 2 class 3 dealers . Model 1 sales which is good cuase I can pick up Barrett 6.8 mags. The oldtimers have the same old cigar boxes full of rusty parts you saw 10 years ago. The slick guy demonstrating a new type gun cleaner/preservative. Shows letters and pics of his buddies using it in tne sand box. 20 bucks a can. The usual crafts and candies, serendipity music . And the gang bangers. These guys come in like Snoop Doggs posey. Play with all the cool guns ,large hand guns. They wind up buying the cheapest smallest hand gun in the case. Found a couple of new Young manufacturing bolt carriers that were Robar ( NP3 (?) coated . They look like Les Bear bolt carriers. 150.00 ea. but marked Youngs on the side . Saw a fella I worked with in the 80s . Having had my fun went to work. Disappointing ? Compared to pre ban shows .Yes . But you do run into a deal now and again and see some familiar faces.
went to a gun show over the weekend. basicaly the same stuff but I enjoy going anyway. Its nice for me to just be able to finger phuk a few guns that I have no ability to buy.
The large gunshow in Harrisburg PA used to be pretty cool. I went to it after being gone a few years, and it just wasn't the same. There were plenty of interesting things to look at, and I got some Surefire/Benchmade stuff and a crate of 8mm, but it was lacking in AR things.
There were two, TWO, dealers in the entire show who had stripped AR lowers (new basic ones from DPMS), and they were both going for $250ish. Uppers were mostly new no-name or ancient Colt stuff.
Between parking and admission, not really worth it.
Wow, you met Carlos Hathcock? I know where his actual signed and issued rifle is. Of course it's not for sale, but it's amazing to look at it.
I agree with everyone else in that it's been awhile since I've been able to see a good show. Too much old crappy and non gun related stuff these days. And the prices can be more than what one would find in a local shop! And what's with the whole Airsoft craze.....I must have missed the boat on that one!
Hey Mike91A...$130 was a great price on a NP3'd BCG being as that's the cost of just the coating. at that price it's like getting the BCG free!
My first gunshow I met Carlos Hathcock. Bought his book and got his signature. It's been down hill since then.
Edited to Add.
There was that one gunshow where that really cool dealer showed up. G and something or another.
Speaking of non gun related stuff at the shows. My wife either yells out the door or cals while im there to remind me to get her one of those over priced Soy candles.
Wow, you met Carlos Hathcock?
Yes. He was at a gun show at the Virginia Beach Pavilion in May or June of 1996. Bought my first gun at that show.
I got to meet John Lott at a gun show.
I got to meet John Lott at a gun show.
That is impressive. Not quite Carlos but close.
I have not been to a gun show in at least 2 years. I decided to go to a fairly large one about an hour from my house. I was amazed at how expensive things were. I saw a couple deals on some Hornady ammo, but that was about it.
The real shocker to me was the price on M&P's. The cheapest one that I saw was selling for $550 (without night sigths)! :eek: Now I don't know if they were selling for that price, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I imagine that gun shows will eventually go away as people become wise to the fact that they can get much better deals online.
C4
I'd have to agree with you to the fact that they will eventually go away. It's rare to stumble upon the good deal at a gun show these days. It's too bad that it's so difficult for someone to obtain their FFL these days without a store front. If it were like the old days when you could maintain an FFL just out of your house........................, but if it were also pre '86, and had I known how high the cost of a Krink kit or a AKS-74 kit was going to go.....:(
Most likely did. I don't know why you guys to ask me for me M4C member prices on M&P's. :rolleyes:
We can also install Trijicon NOVAK NS's or the 10-8 M&P rear sight on them as well.
C4
Patience... :D Money is a hard thing to comeby around these parts... I know it falls off trees in your backyard. :p
JW777 did you really beat his ass or are you just talk? I want details man!!!
John_Wayne777
12-25-07, 11:06
JW777 did you really beat his ass or are you just talk? I want details man!!!
I was tempted to beat him up, but I did not.
Partially because as a law abiding citizen with a concealed carry permit I have a responsibility to the rest of the people who have said permits not to make them look bad by doing something stupid....no matter how well deserved I think the beating may be.
Partially because there was a state trooper about 30 feet away, and I was pretty sure he'd have something to say about it if I had beaten that skinny little hillbilly into a pulp.
It was an accident (an incredibly stupid one) and no serious harm was done to me thanks to my habit of always wearing my Oakleys, (which kept the point from going into my eye) so actually assaulting the guy would have provided a few seconds of satisfaction...but that would have been followed by a Virginia State Trooper demonstrating his skills with an ASP on me and a trip to the local jail in the back of his cruiser.
Somehow during arraignment I don't think the judge would have taken "But he deserved it!" as a justification.
IroquoisSnakePlissken
08-31-08, 12:18
The level of suckage at gunshows has been exponentially growing as of late.
I've noticed from attending that:
1. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE carries a bogus Aimpoint. Everyone.
2. There is very little "Tactical" anything. If there is, it is cheap Chinkanese trash. Foney-baloney knockoffs, poor nylon quality, etc.
3. The guns are overpriced, the selection blows, and the only AR-15s are brands I've NEVER heard of. Not even tier 3 shit, just off-make, stamped-steel trash.
4. AKs. Apparently people only enjoy AKs. There were enough AKs to arm all of Iraq.
5. I didn't see a single EOTech, Aimpoint, or even a ****ing Burris. I did see a lot of fakes, but that goes back to number one...
6. Apparently everything at a gun show MUST be made in China. Including optics.
7. The Stereotype issue is indeed a nationwide phenomenon. I saw folks that looked like they rolled out of Randy Weaver's cabin and haven't showered since. I almost got to the point that my "peers" in attendance were so foul, that I was about to join the Brady Bunch, just to keep firearms out of the hands of these hosers.
8. Anyone on this board is most likely a member of a small minority. I applaud the members here for being, for the most part, excellent.
The long and short of it, is that, despite the vastness in size and scope, I left the show with only a handful of items worth a damn.
There was an individual with the smallest booth, with the smallest selection, who carried exclusively TacStar Shotgun goodies, and Magpul gear. I managed to get a wickedly wicked deal on a CTR for my tier-two rifle. The vendor also made his own one-point slings, so I picked one up for my Beretta Storm.
It is worth noting that apparently none of the toofless dopes were interested in Magpul whatsoever. I guess they need one of dem' dahr ay-argh fifteens, stamped out of an old car door, and with canted irons...That oughta be git-r-done.
I did manage to find the vendor who is always in attendance who carries the best ammo-cans I've seen. They're flawless in appearance, with excellent seals, and he carries extremely strange varieties and sizes I've never seen before.
Of course, some toofless hick snagged to two 30mm cans I wanted before I could score them, so I had to settle for 19" mortar cans.
4. AKs. Apparently people only enjoy AKs. There were enough AKs to arm all of Iraq.
Sounds like a little touch of heaven to me! :D
AwaySooner
08-31-08, 14:00
The biggest gunshow around here is the WAC, Washington Arms Collector. I don't go there for one reason, they don't allowed CCW.
IroquoisSnakePlissken
08-31-08, 15:23
Sounds like a little touch of heaven to me! :D
No shame there, I just don't own the Rus' Blaster.
Anyone know anything about the Saiga brand? It's the only Russian-made weapon I've ever seen stocked at gun shops...
More beef jerky and tactical cellphone holders than anything else, glad it wasn't far from home so I didn't spend a fortune on gas.
varoadking
09-01-08, 21:48
I keep going looking for that needle in a haystack....
I snagged a LNIB S&W 1046 with 3 magazines earlier this year for $625.00...
That alone made the monthly trip to one or another gun show well worth it...
No shame there, I just don't own the Rus' Blaster.
Anyone know anything about the Saiga brand? It's the only Russian-made weapon I've ever seen stocked at gun shops...
Siaga makes the best new AK you can buy in the US. Russian American Armory Ishmash stuff. Their AK's sell for about the same as a mid level AR15. $1200 or so. They also build a cheaper SKS style weapon thats significantly less money. Most famous here for those 12S and 12K AK style semi auto shotguns.
Littlelebowski
09-06-08, 15:31
I have never figured out why people wear camouflage to a gun show. Kinda miss the CA gunshows where you could get a beer and stroll around. Of course the VA gunshows are much better otherwise.
The biggest gunshow around here is the WAC, Washington Arms Collector. I don't go there for one reason, they don't allowed CCW.
I don't think I've ever been to a gun show where they DID allow CCW - - I think it is an insurance/liability issue.
I was tempted to beat him up, but I did not.......
Somehow during arraignment I don't think the judge would have taken "But he deserved it!" as a justification.
i believe that is a valid excuse in texas
Last show I went to I was taking a look at an FN49 and the dealer gave me the old "You know, if the nazis got the blueprints before they made it to England we'd all be speaking German right now" :rolleyes: Why why why do I have to hear stupid comments like that EVERY show I go to? :D
Littlelebowski
09-07-08, 14:00
We can carry in VA. Just can't have the weapon "loaded."
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