Gun Show Etiquette

[noharleyyet]

Fondled my first #1 at a gun show back when the top manufacturers had reps taking their wares on the road. Pre lawyer lock days...

 

[OntarioHunter]

Ouch! Haha! That's a painful challenge! I'm suffering through "The Good Doctor" - has me hesitate whether to visit the upcoming show or "Enjoy" another episode...

Isn't that the show with the mentally handicapped physician? Must be produced in Canada.

 

[PrairieHunter]

Gun Shows haven't been worth going to since SKS's were $75

Yep, I loved the Wannamaker shows in Tulsa. So much fun when guns were cheap.

 

[Southern Elk]

I haven’t been to a gun show since I was a kid. I’ve never really had the urge to go back to one. I’ve always preferred shopping at a gun store. I wonder if Gun Broker has hurt attendance?

 

[grizzly63]

Gunbroker prices made the last local gun show look like it was not too overpriced. On some things. Some people just display collections and visit with interested parties without any real intention of selling. Or so it seems. I agree with BrentD, Best buys are the guys carrying guns in to sell.

 

[shannerdrake]

Gun Shows haven't been worth going to since SKS's were $75

This^^^^^

OR $45 Mosins

 

[Hem]

Gun Shows haven't been worth going to since SKS's were $75

This^^^
I bought one back in the nineties for $125, and a sealed tin of ammo for next to nothing.
Traded it for a flyrod years later, ..something I can use.

 

[Chama Grande]

Man I appreciate this thread, it's nice to get some confirmation on why gun shows are altogether meh experiences these days

 

[shrapnel]

The best part of going to a gun show is not running into all the people that quit going. You know, all the guys that don’t go any more because there is nothing cheap.

Meanwhile, there are still some nuggets that can be found, but you have to go to find them. Admittedly, gun shows aren’t what they were 30-40 years ago, but they still provide access to stuff you will never find in a store..

 

[220yotekiller]

and yes, haggling is allowed but usually on the last day of the show.... the closer to closing time, the better!!

and always, always, always have a few pieces of green paper with dead presidents faces on them. always be willing to walk away.

 

[thomas89]

Meanwhile, there are still some nuggets that can be found, but you have to go to find them. Admittedly, gun shows aren’t what they were 30-40 years ago, but they still provide access to stuff you will never find in a store..

I did forget to check under the pile of old Tasco scopes and clam packed binoculars for more desirable options.

Shucks.

I feel like anyone who truly enjoys gun shows anymore would also enjoy yardsaling on a Saturday and/or Goodwill.

That being said, I’m sure I’ll miss a good deal not going to shows anymore. But I bet I break even on gas/time wasted not going.

 

[Tradewind]

This^^^^^

OR $45 Mosins

last one I bot was at a farm type outlet. Paid $95.
Thot I got a deal

 

[westbranch]

I go a couple of times a year to either Spokane or Post Falls. I hardly ever buy anything. I do the rock pit crawl on the way home and pick up brass.

A local FFL that had a table in post falls said that the ATMs were going through 300-400k cash per weekend in the winter 2020-2021. Had him sell my mini-30 and 1100 rds of ammo for me at a prime time.

 

[OntarioHunter]

A local FFL that had a table in post falls said that the ATMs were going through 300-400k cash per weekend in the winter 2020-2021. Had him sell my mini-30 and 1100 rds of ammo for me at a prime time.

I can believe that. North Idaho is a haven for anti government vigilante nuts obsessed with planning the next Armagedon. I taught HS there for a couple of years back in the 80s. Parents send their kids to school looking like bums but their garage is full of guns and ammo. A Mini-30 would probably get top billing at a North Idaho gun show.

 

[antelopedundee]

Gunbroker prices made the last local gun show look like it was not too overpriced. On some things. Some people just display collections and visit with interested parties without any real intention of selling. Or so it seems. I agree with BrentD, Best buys are the guys carrying guns in to sell.

Unless it's in an auction how long does some of that stuff sit at GB before some fool buys it? But it's mostly supply and demand. Like you'd tell a car salesman, I can pay list price anywhere. At least at a show you can inspect before you buy. I usually have specific items in mind like powder, primers, etc.

 

[jt13]

Unless it's in an auction how long does some of that stuff sit at GB before some fool buys it? But it's mostly supply and demand. Like you'd tell a car salesman, I can pay list price anywhere. At least at a show you can inspect before you buy. I usually have specific items in mind like powder, primers, etc.

A few of my local gun shops post their whole inventory on GB. They don't care whether it's on there a week, a month, or if it sells in the store. Just another way to move product.

 

[Bam Bam]

I was disappointed in the prices at the Cheyenne gun show (1st time) a couple weeks ago too, but I'll try again next time. It's always nice to be around crusty old men who talk smack and tell good stories. Besides, you never know when you'll turn up a sweet item- I found a box of .303 British cartridges for my Dad, and it made the trip worthwhile for me.

 

[noharleyyet]

I can believe that. North Idaho is a haven for anti government vigilante nuts obsessed with planning the next Armagedon. I taught HS there for a couple of years back in the 80s. Parents send their kids to school looking like bums but their garage is full of guns and ammo. A Mini-30 would probably get top billing at a North Idaho gun show.

Have you changed your keyboard filter lately?

 

[Dougfirtree]

The only time I've ever heard someone say, "I'm a lean, mean, killing machine", in complete seriousness, was outside a gun show in Missoula, circa late 90's. The guy had just driven in and the bed of his truck contained a .50 cal machine gun on a tripod (hopefully not real?)
But I've never actually gone into one. Believe it or not, they're not very common in NY...

 

[OntarioHunter]

The only time I've ever heard someone say, "I'm a lean, mean, killing machine", in complete seriousness, was outside a gun show in Missoula, circa late 90's. The guy had just driven in and the bed of his truck contained a .50 cal machine gun on a tripod (hopefully not real?)
But I've never actually gone into one. Believe it or not, they're not very common in NY...

That's about the time my dad's pal in Columbia Falls sold his. May have been the same gun? In the fifties Don went to a military surplus auction. He picked up a WWII era Army officer's sedan. When he got the car home and opened the trunk to check the spare, he discovered a machine gun with tripod. However, it was .30 cal not fifty. Browning but no water jacket. I don't recall ever seeing a .50 cal machine gun on a tripod (but I was MP not a ground pounder). Fifties are usually attached to something heavier, like APC or gun jeep. Don had the chamber welded shut and it was on display in the family's hardware store window for many years.