Ontario, CA gunshow report

[HeavyMetal]

Don't go to gun shows very often, about twice a year.

Last outing was in Costa Mesa about May of last year so figured I was due.

Didn't have an agenda just wanted to look around, Ontario has a small venue and I wasn't surprised when we arrived.

The usual vendors selling various tacticool stuff, ar stuff and a couple guys running the snot out of a couple stun guns, I could hear them both over the crowd noise, LOL!

Reloading gear was minimal and mostly used dies saw nothing new I did see two used press's an RCBS rockchucker for 100 and an old pacific signgle stage for 75 they were still there when I left at 3PM!

No casting equipment to be found new or used with the exception of an NOS 10 lb Lee in a box.

Had a friend ask about 25 auto ammo, found a guy with a dozen or more 50 round boxs for 12 bucks and bought one for him.

By now I am sure everyone wants to know about 22 LR!

I saw plenty! I bet at least 10 tables had 2 dozen box's mostly the 555 Federal at 75.00 apiece with some Remington 333 bos at 55.00. Never saw anybody with one in thier hands and didn't notice the supply on any table dwindle into nothingness either.

Ammo Bros had a sign posted one brick per customer and had Winchester 22 LR posted at 49.99 per brick but it was marked sold out.

I bought a few minor things: brass tipped hammer for 10 a set of cheapee pin punches for 9.99, a brass bore brush to clean the GF's flashlight ( corroded AA battery) 1.75. Found one of the lead cleaning cloths I like to keep molds and such cleaned up for 5.

However the best buy of the day was a 50 round bag of new never 45-70 Starline brass for 35! Wish they'd had Two, LOL!

Saw the usual pillows, helicopters, junk knieves and spicey suasage and rude T shirts.

Guns were very lite but that is Ontario I was looking for an ATI Calvalry in 410 but saw few O/U's and no 410's.

I did see a few collectors pieces: Two HS Victors at 1100 apiece and a 7 1/2 inch Colt Bisley in 38 WCF with a set of Bone Handled grips for $6,800.00!

Not a Colt collector but this gun seemed to clean for what it was laid out as, had I been in the market for this piece I think I'd have had have this appraised by a real Colt expert! I guess I'm a too good to be true kinda guy ya know!

So the GF and I walked around for a couple hours had a laugh or two and continued on to her kids house for dinner, I bought they cooked, a nice Sunday outing had by all.

Anybody else on the lower left coast go?

[BruceB]

Thank you kindly for the rundown in the Ontario show. It's outside my "range", but still interesting.

For being as OLD as I am, I'm really a rookie at the gunshow scene. I could easily count the number of shows I've visited on my fingers, and I'm seventy-one now! This lack of experience comes from living most of my life in the extreme boonies, where there just AREN'T any shows.

I gather that I've been very fortunate in that the Big Reno Show has made up the majority of the shows I've attended.

I see the gunshows as more ENTERTAINMENT than anything; where else can a amn be so amused for so little money for so long? Seeing collector guns, watching deals being made, filling out a shopping list of little things that local shops can't stock, watching girls, talking to many folks with the same interests.... man alive, if I actually find a GUN that I want, it's a bonus!

I must point out the Big Reno Show is apparently a throwback to earlier gunshows... it actually is focused on GUNS, rather than all the extraneous junk I hear about at most of today's shows. I'd bet there were at least ten thousand "real guns" at the BRGS a couple weeks ago. I actually blew a grand on a lovely M1884 trapdoor rifle.

Mostly though, it's all entertainment.

Thanks again for your post on the Ontario outing.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I went to the Ontario show several years ago. After spending an hour and $17 bucks I walked through the door. I took one look around and I knew I had wasted my time and money. Nothing in sight but camo and tac- ticle ****. Old beat up guns priced beyond the moon. I looked at one table where a man was selling ammo. I almost fainted when he told me a box of 32-20 was $59.00. Why would you ever want to pull the trigger at those prices. After that table I left and I haven't ben to a gun show since.

[onceabull]

It's a pretty long haul from anywhere,and ,unless you know someone close,the nearest place with a roof for rent may be an hour or more away..BUT, some trusted sources tell me the Wisdom Mt. Gun show should be on everyone's bucket list --This Year 7/25--7/27.. Set up Friday AM, Open for public,2 PM,7/25...I hope to grab some finds on the order of those BruceB used to walk into in Winnemucca...That is,if I have time betwixt selling my own value priced firearms..!!! If I can make it, that will leave just Elgin & Lakeview,OR.shows left to complete my personal list.... Onceabull

[HeavyMetal]

BruceB
ya know with family in Minden you'd have thought I'd have been to the Big Reno GS by now. Sadly it is on my to do list but cash flow and work have kept me from going.

My goal this year is to hit it at least once if I can.

Gopher Slayer
yes gun shows here in CA have gone very commercial, almost swap meet type stuff. but ya can have a good time for cheaper than the movies on a Sat. night if your careful but never a monthly to do thing.

As for outragoues prices: I saw a Ruger 10/22 carbine with some minor wear on it wearing a $350.00 price tag!
I was going to ask if it came with a half dozen bricks of 22 LR but thought the owner might take offense.
10/22's sure aren't pulling that down are they? I'd have figured this a 150 Max if he'd thrown in ammo.

Onceabull hope ya find the pot at the end of the rainbow in MT. everyone should hit a great deal once in thier life time!

[jaystuw]

Hi heavymetal, I'm a little north of you. I sometimes catch the show at the ventura county fair grounds in Ventura.

Yeah, It's very commercial here to. but still fun and right next to the ocean! And still, you never know what you might find. At the last show I was at several months ago. I bought two different krag rear sights, for 6 bucks apiece! Jay

[FergusonTO35]

Haven't been to a show in more than a decade and don't plan to. I can always find a better deal at my favorite local shop or online.

[Bent Ramrod]

I had to make a choice, either Ontario or Bakersfield, so I chose Bakersfield. There's an occasionally rewarding swap meet on the way over the mountains (not this time, though), and the driving and parking are less stressful than down in Greater LA.

There was a lot of interesting stuff to look at, at least as far as I was concerned. At least three original Sharps rifles, including a heavy barreled .50 and a Borchardt, a really nice civilian Remington Rolling Block, a bunch of High Walls and Low Walls. A couple of Shiloh Sharps repros, lots of Single Action Armies. All at prices for "serious collectors only." But they were there at least.

Ammo is getting more available, but, since I reload everything, I paid little attention beyond looking at the higher stacks of boxes on shelves. .22s were in the $50-75 range from the scalpers. I didn't see what Wholesale Ammo was charging; couldn't get close enough in the crowd. Powder was $30 at the cheapest, primers $27 a carton. Not a lot of variety in powder; no Unique or Bullseye, although Trail Boss was much in evidence.

The guy from Fresno who has all the used reloading tools and components was there as usual; always interesting to see what he's got. Another guy had yet another black Pacific patent C press, with large and small primer seaters, for the usual $20. This was the postwar version with the primer magazine lug on top of the C. I already have two of the older versions, so I passed. A few moulds, but nothing I needed.

All I bought was a Pacific #3 shell holder ram and a Lyman #1 tang sight for a High Wall. All in all the show was a lot more interesting than the Ventura show of a week earlier, which had almost three times the building space and mostly black rifles, cleaning supplies and non-gun flea market stuff. I was desperate enough to buy a bottle of Frog Lube and I expect great things of it.

Since the demise of the Pomona Show, the Big Reno Show is about the best within driving distance. Plenty of high-end antiques to gawk at, and lots of hidden treasures for the discerning junque collector on a budget. Plus the drive up the 395 is one of the prettiest in the country. I missed it last November but got to it in April. I wore my Quigley T-shirt, and it got a surprising amount of attention from people and I had several interesting conversations as a result.

[jaystuw]

I really miss the Pomona show. What was it, something like 3 miles of tables? Just unbelievable. I was going in the mid 80's during the surplus gun boom. I remember piled boxes of swedish mausers for 69.95. Tables of broomhandle mausers from china for 129 to 159. And piles of eastern bloc military clothing, hardware and helmets at truly give away prices. We always left with more stuff than could be comfortably carried. Jay

[Bent Ramrod]

Me, too, jaystuw. As I recall, there were five buildings plus the outdoor spaces between three of them. The place was a statistical universe; you were certain to find something cool. If I got in by 9:30 on Friday, I could check all the tables for "must haves" by about 6:30 that evening. Then I'd drag myself over to Riverside, crash with friends and on Saturday we'd all go back to see if I'd missed anything.

One time a guy had an Enigma machine on his table, the kind the Germans used to code messages in WWII. Never saw another, even in a museum.

[jaystuw]

Bent Ramrod, Same with us! We would leave early from thousand oaks, spend the whole day. Then drag ourselves home in the early evening. Jeez, what a long day.

But what a bewildering amount of cool stuff! I was interested in ww1 relics at the time. I remember a model 1916 german helmet that a doughboy had captured. He painted his address and a note on it. Then covered it in low denomination postage stamps and sent it home from the front in France, to America. no box, just the helmet in the mail! It was sitting on a table still like that.And I could of had it for less than a hundred bucks!

Also could of had a 1916 dated kar98 covered from muzzle to butt with shrapnel. Or a Gew98 with a 5 digit s/n (10000, I only thought they went to 9999!) or a 08 watercooled mg with mount and deactivated by poured lead down the barrel.

I should of bought all those! Anyway, I'm getting carried away. I don't think it mattered what your interest was in hunting,guns or military stuff, the Pomona show would surprise and dazzle. That really was the good old days! Jay

[CGT80]

I live 15 minutes or so from the Ontario Convention Center, but I don't bother to go. Last time I went, I only found a couple ruger 10/22 mags and the price wasn't all that great. Almost everything I want or need is better bought from web sites.

[chsparkman]

Yeah, the Pomona show was great. It was such a long way from where you could park that you had to bring a backpack and maybe even a hand cart if you wanted to buy anything. The last time we went I was looking for a .32 mag. At the very last table in the show, I found a Ruger Bisley in .32 mag for $250. With the laws in CA I had to wait 10 days then drive to City of Industry (from Riverside) to pick it up. It was worth it. I used the 10 days to order all the reloading paraphernalia from Midway, so I already had a couple hundred rounds ready to go by the time I got the gun.

[Bent Ramrod]

I have been going to the Ontario show every chance I get, because I hope the support will help it grow. The Pomona show, the San Berdoo show and the Anaheim show are all gone now, and the Glendale show doesn't have enough space (exhibit or parking) to replace them. I was hoping the Ontario show would become something of a replacement. The building is really nice, air conditioned and plenty of space and light, but lately it seems whenever the date comes up it conflicts with something else.

[HeavyMetal]

Yep most government owned convention centers just won't cater to the gun show crowd.
Surprised Ontario is but can't wait for it to "Grow Up".
Nothing will replace the 3 days shows I went to at the Fairplex in Pomona that was a two day once around!

Last time I was there Elmer Kieth was signing books, wished I'd waited in line I think that was his last public appearance.
Deals were everwhere and it was large enough that the flea market stuff was actually good cause it gave you a break from the good stuff, LOL.

Somd day I will make the big Reno show and I hope it will be as good.

[Bent Ramrod]

The Big Reno show is worth going to, all right. It has plenty of antiques like the Las Vegas Antique Arms Show but also affordable stuff, tools, books and parts.

Tulsa and Denver are on my bucket list. One of these days...

[SciFiJim]

I had to make a choice, either Ontario or Bakersfield, so I chose Bakersfield. There's an occasionally rewarding swap meet on the way over the mountains (not this time, though), and the driving and parking are less stressful than down in Greater LA.

There was a lot of interesting stuff to look at, at least as far as I was concerned. At least three original Sharps rifles, including a heavy barreled .50 and a Borchardt, a really nice civilian Remington Rolling Block, a bunch of High Walls and Low Walls. A couple of Shiloh Sharps repros, lots of Single Action Armies. All at prices for "serious collectors only." But they were there at least.

Ammo is getting more available, but, since I reload everything, I paid little attention beyond looking at the higher stacks of boxes on shelves. .22s were in the $50-75 range from the scalpers. I didn't see what Wholesale Ammo was charging; couldn't get close enough in the crowd. Powder was $30 at the cheapest, primers $27 a carton. Not a lot of variety in powder; no Unique or Bullseye, although Trail Boss was much in evidence.

The guy from Fresno who has all the used reloading tools and components was there as usual; always interesting to see what he's got. Another guy had yet another black Pacific patent C press, with large and small primer seaters, for the usual $20. This was the postwar version with the primer magazine lug on top of the C. I already have two of the older versions, so I passed. A few moulds, but nothing I needed.

All I bought was a Pacific #3 shell holder ram and a Lyman #1 tang sight for a High Wall. All in all the show was a lot more interesting than the Ventura show of a week earlier, which had almost three times the building space and mostly black rifles, cleaning supplies and non-gun flea market stuff. I was desperate enough to buy a bottle of Frog Lube and I expect great things of it.

Since the demise of the Pomona Show, the Big Reno Show is about the best within driving distance. Plenty of high-end antiques to gawk at, and lots of hidden treasures for the discerning junque collector on a budget. Plus the drive up the 395 is one of the prettiest in the country. I missed it last November but got to it in April. I wore my Quigley T-shirt, and it got a surprising amount of attention from people and I had several interesting conversations as a result.

I've been taking a pass on the Bakersfield show, figuring it was mostly beef jerky and jade jewelry. I'll have to go next time my Saturday off coincides with the show.

[Just Duke]

I went to the Ontario show several years ago. After spending an hour and $17 bucks I walked through the door. I took one look around and I knew I had wasted my time and money. Nothing in sight but camo and tac- ticle ****. Old beat up guns priced beyond the moon. I looked at one table where a man was selling ammo. I almost fainted when he told me a box of 32-20 was $59.00. Why would you ever want to pull the trigger at those prices. After that table I left and I haven't ben to a gun show since.

It's been 8 years for me. I'm still not missing anything......