Gun show this weekend

[rockrat]

Had our local show this weekend. Usually its not as good as our Spring show, but decent nevertheless.

This one was pretty poor. Don't know if it is just people have no money, or they do, but very selective on what to spend it on, or it is the last weekend before school starts and being nice, everybody was out at the lake/mountains or buying school supplies.

Some small stuff being sold, and about half the normal figure for firearms. Only one dealer was happy with the weekend, some didn't sell anything. There were a few decent deals, but still no sale.

Now, some of the dealers said that over around the Denver area, sales are booming, but economy around here is pretty bad compared to the Front Range.

I had a table, trying to sell off some of my stuff. If I would have had a dozen 45 autos, I could have sold every one, I think. Did sell my Marlin 336A and my 45, but that was about it. Paid for the table, lunch and my gas, but that was about it.

Did pick up a NIB Lyman 4 cav. 22 cal mould and a few odds and ends.

So, how are things in your neck of the woods?

[WILCO]

Did pick up a NIB Lyman 4 cav. 22 cal mould and a few odds and ends.

Not a total loss. Good for you!

[gbrown]

What I see at the gunshows, in my neck of the woods, is a lot ancillary or kinda of "related" sales. Dehydrated foodstuffs, T-shirts, jerky, knives--India/China type (not of great quality in my mind), etc. Very few people selling powders or reloading products, very few reloading tools, a lot of pistols and assault type weapons, and a few good rifles and shotguns. I guess it is what the modern generation is into. Old school, fossil type, I guess, I remember when you went to gunshows and saw mostly guns. Get used to it, changing of the times. From what I observe, sales are lackluster, some bargains to be had, but not a lot of people grinning.

[Dragoon 45]

Had a medium size show in Tulsa this weekend. $14 to get in, veterans and LEO's got half price. Spent most of the Sunday at it. Did not buy a thing. Lots of black rifles and the evil Glocks. What really got me was a couple of home improvement outfits had displays set up.

Not a lot of reloading equipment or bulk ammo. What primers I saw were in the $35-$45 price range for 1000. TulAmmo primers on the low end and the rest were $8-$10 more. I saw one dealer with 5 or 6 Lee moulds on his table and that was it.

Bad part is in most cases I can beat the show's prices on guns at our local Bass Pro and they are higher than anyone else in town. Saw one of the new Ruger 1911's priced at $1100, last time I checked they were going for around $750-$800.

Attendence was sparse, I would bet a lot of dealers went home unhappy.

Wannamacher's is coming up in a couple of months, hopefully a dealer there will have something worth buying.

[aarolar]

I gave up on gun shows, the last 5 I have went to had no reloading supplies and the used guns go for more than they do new at the LGS.

[rockrat]

We have one guy at our show that brings 6 tables full of brass, primers and powder. Decent prices too, so really no one else carries the stuff. Another guy has about 40-50 moulds. It beats all other smaller town shows I have attended.

$1100 for a Ruger??? Dealer cost is under $600 IIRC. Would be suprised if they sold one.

[GRUMPA]

Not really gun show related here, when I was selling at the local swap meet selling stuff people in general were either holding onto what they had or had nothing to hold onto in the first place.

If I had a nickel for every time someone grabbed something off my table and handled it I would have made some coin. I've seen a lot of people that don't have 2 pennies to rub together and the ones that are looking for something that someone is in dire need of just giving away.

Times are lean and I don't see anything changing anytime soon to be honest.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If I had a nickel for every time someone grabbed something off my table and handled it I would have made some coin.

I found an entertaining cure for this...at least at a gunshow.

Bring an "empty" gunpowder container (not a real old one and worth something because it's collectable).

Then set it out at the edge of the table so it's easy to grab. Price it at two dollars more than it's worth...that's almost always $2 total !
Make a bet with the vendor that's next to you on how many people will pick up and shake the container to see if it's full or empty.

The last gunshow I worked, we did this, we had over 100 then just quit counting. we'd laugh every time.
Jon

PS...also, it generally keeps the touchy-feelly types to keep their mitts off the other items !