Circus

[beemer]

I went to the gunshow at the Greensboro Coliseum in NC today. Talk about a circus, The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Baily Circus was on the upper level and the gunshow in the lower level, it was a circus too. Parking cost almost as much as addmision and then you had to fight for a space. The show had been open for two hours and it still took a half hour to get in with two lines going. Ammo prices seemed to have doubled in the past year and the only thing moving was black guns. There was plenty of powder and very few primers. After walking sideways for two and a half hours I was almost past going. I still think it is the best one in my area even if I had to drive a 100 miles. I like to see people interested, the more we have involved the better but it is still a circus.

beemer

[RSOJim]

The last gun show I went to in Orlando Florida was so crowded I have quit going. That was a year and half ago. One of the problems is the isles are narrow and a lot of hispanic folks bring their wives or girlfrields pushing baby strollers. The wives or girlfriends are not interested in guns or ammo because they are making eye contact with all the gentlemen in the isles. I wish I were younger. Jim

[mooman76]

We had a gunshow here just before xmas and people left out right. The lines were too long and people could hardly move if they got in at all. Prices were whatever the dealers wanted. The've had several since and I just havene't gone because I hated the crowds they had before the kaos started and we've been having more gunshows than ususal. Seems like there is one every other weekend.

[Tom Herman]

Beemer,

Sorry to hear your story about the gun show. I simply don't go anywhere that I also have to pay to park as well as pay admission to a show.
Our local show (when the venue isn't under eight feet of flood water) is about the best I've seen around. Free parking, $5 to get you in.
The line usually starts forming about 10 minutes before the show opens at 9, and the only thing I fault the folks on is they don't normally open at 9 sharp, so you're left out in what is bad weather most of the time banging on the door for the idiots to let you in.
Yes, there is a brisk trade in components and black guns, but there is plenty of other stuff as well. Occasionally, an item even turns up that's a good deal.
Attendance seems on a par with before the election, and selection (minus the powder, primers, and black guns) seems about the same.
Come to think of it, I see the same tired, overpriced stuff show after show...

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[leadman]

The shows here at the Coliseum are $7.00 to park and $12.00 to get in! That and fighting the crowds like the rest of you has me ordering more stuff on-line. The stores have very little in the way of powder and bullets on the shelves now.

[Swede]

Seems to be about the same all over. Comparing a show from last Sept to one 2 weeks ago, there were about 10 times more people and prices on powder and primers is getting close to double.

Who knows, maybe in a year you'll be able to pick some of this up cheap when all these buyers decide to sell.

[klcarroll]

Let's face it; ......At this time, the whole industry is being driven by panic buying. Now is definitely NOT the time to stock up on anything!

The one thing we can hope for is that this whole market follows a more or less traditional curve.

Once the retail shelves empty, the merchants will re-order in a big way, and the manufactures will gear up to meet that demand. ……But eventually, the panic will subside, (….assuming the current administration doesn’t try anything REALLY stupid!) and the retailers and manufacturers will find themselves with a inventory surplus.

That will be the time to “stock the pantry”.

Kent

[Recluse]

I gave up on gun shows years ago.

Starting back in the 90's when we lived on the atlantic coast, I would venture to gun shows in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Saw the same traveling snake oil rip-off artists show after show. Always griping about the "cheapskates" that come to the shows looking for bargains.

Well, DUH!:rolleyes:

Moved to the midwest and saw the same thing, just different snake oil vendors. But it was in the midwest and in the mid 90's that I noticed I started to have to pay for parking and that the door admission price started going up quite a bit. Paid for parking, against my principles, a couple of times, paid the extortion at the door, but all I found inside was merchandise of questionable quality that was easily 50% or more overpriced.

Moved back home in the late 90's and would occasion the gun show in west Texas or New Mexico or Oklahoma. Extortion/Admission fees became ridiculous and the number of private local sellers seemed almost non-existent. Plenty of "professional" sellers. Tons of gun-show commandos on both sides of the tables.

But the biggest turnoff for me was the blatant ripoff pricing that is the norm at gun shows along wiht the sheer ignorance of those trying to get those ripoff prices.

I'll wander to a gun show once every three or four years now, just to say I have and just to make sure I'm not missing anything--which, based upon the last show I went to one year ago, I'm not missing a blasted thing.

:coffee:

[Heavy lead]

Same, I go on occasion, I've bought 4 items from gun shows and all four were grips. Short of that you can keep them.

[sundog]

I go to the big Wannemacher show in Tulsa occasionally. It's twice a year, and if I do not have an order from Powder Valley to pick up, I don't go. When I do go, I sometimes find a 'truffle' and snag it. Admission price is just 'cost of doing bidness', but my savings by ordering from Powder Valley more than makes up for it. It's a good show, and worth attending at least once. Ten acres under one roof, good walking shoes required.

[FN in MT]

Shows here in Montana run $5 for admission. I'm unaware of ANY show charging for parking.

We do have many of the same negatives as the rest of you. But they are far from over crowded and OVERALL worth attending. Seems one goes to three or four without finding much of note......then at Show #4 or #5 you score something really interesting.

A buddy called last night and he found a VERY nice S&W Hand Ejector yesterday at a small show . A third model, 6.5" bbl and 95%+ finish. All original,etc. The price was a TOTAL BARGAIN!! Ya gotta go...as it really seems the deals ARE STILL out there.

We also attend the Big Reno Gun Show each Spring. I'm attending the upcoming show with some trepidation....as I'm sure it is going to be FAR more crowded than the pre-Obama days. But again....Reno has yielded some great bargains in the past as well.

FN in MT

[AZ-Stew]

Leadman was correct on the admission ransom until this weekend. Now it's up to $14, minus the $1 off they magnanimously hand out in discount admission coupons. Since Crossroads of the West bought out Termark, there is only one game in town and the prices will become exhorbitant untill the attendance drops off.

I went to this weekend's show to get some gun parts and to make a sale. Accomplished both. I've never seen this big a show in Phoenix. I have arthritis in my knees and ran out of walking ability with two buildings yet to see. Just couldn't go any farther.

I saw good and bad deals. One gent I met got a lightly used DPMS target-type AR, 24" stainless barrel, for $1100, when many of the complete new rifles inside were going for $1500 - $2500. There were a few ARs going for less than $1K, but they weren't up to the specs of that guy's rifle. On the down side, there was a private seller there with a couple of tables full of NIB Colts and S&Ws that he had collected over the years. He had them all over priced, but the worst ones were the three M-57 Smith .41 Magnums, 4, 6 and 8-3/8 barrels, at $1,650 each! I'd have been hard pressed to give him half of that. Maybe he didn't really want to sell them.

There was quite a bit of ammo there, and it was going pretty fast. Didn't see many primers, and powder, when found, was very reasonably priced. Not discount, but fair retail.

Regards,

Stew

[beemer]

A good many years ago I went to a small show at the National Guard Armory in Boone, NC,it is mountain town in western NC. I was talking to one of the dealers, he said he remembered seeing me at most of the Charlotte shows. I ask how that could be because of the large crowd. He had seen me digging through his boxes several times and walk all the way around his tables to pay him. He also said that he liked to talk guns with his customers but couldn't because he had to watch the tables, something was always stolen from the Charlotte show.
He liked to set up at Boone because he could talk to people, go eat or whatever and nothing would be gone when he returned. The people were friendly, old farmers would just walk up to you and start talking, it was more like a pig-picking than a gun show. It was a different place and time but I really enjoyed it. I took Dad with me to that one, he's 89 now and can't get around good, I miss him going with me.

beemer

[Bert2368]

The Minnesota Weapons Collector Association shows have been pretty good for me.

http://www.mwca.org/

The ones in downtown Minneapolis do have a high price the parking, but the state fair ground ones in St. Paul have free parking. It's $5.00 to get in if you're over 12. Next one there is March 21 - 22

Last weekend's show there was no waiting to get in, plenty of room to see the tables and I did indeed find a good deal on NIB RCBS neck size only dies for the .22 Hornet, 25-06 and 30-06. Best part was when I was short of cash to buy 'em all, the seller said "I know you're good for it, just bring me the rest at the next show". Maybe I go to too many of these shows.

The panic black rifle buyout seems to be over around here, at least for now. Ammo is still outrageous, but look at all the new people on this site because of that. Every dark cloud has a (silvery) Lead lining!

[dukenukum]

Last weekends gun show saw a lot black guns and ammo going out the door both were overpriced . powder was fair to indifferent price wise primers were in short supply NOT A SINGLE # 11 percussion cap to be found one smart mouthed punk told my to get a modern muzzle loader told him to mind his own affairs .

[crazy mark]

Beemer,

Sorry to hear your story about the gun show. I simply don't go anywhere that I also have to pay to park as well as pay admission to a show.
Our local show (when the venue isn't under eight feet of flood water) is about the best I've seen around. Free parking, $5 to get you in.
The line usually starts forming about 10 minutes before the show opens at 9, and the only thing I fault the folks on is they don't normally open at 9 sharp, so you're left out in what is bad weather most of the time banging on the door for the idiots to let you in.
Yes, there is a brisk trade in components and black guns, but there is plenty of other stuff as well. Occasionally, an item even turns up that's a good deal.
Attendance seems on a par with before the election, and selection (minus the powder, primers, and black guns) seems about the same.
Come to think of it, I see the same tired, overpriced stuff show after show...

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

Tom,
You must be in the Lewis county area. The last show they had I missed as I was going to go on Sunday but it was snowing in PeEll until around 1400. That was Valentines week-end. Not as much there to see as say the shows in Albany Oregon. Portland Oregon shows are very expensive. $6 or more to park and $8 to get into the show. Mark

[Big Tom]

Was at a local gunshow (rather small) in Sharonville, OH beginning of the month and picked up a few thousand LP primers at $24 and a few pound of different powders for below $18 average - less than any store here wants and no shipping... The rest of the show was a fight for a look at the tables, so I ended up getting my stuff and heading back home after about 15 minutes "gunshow". Well, at least I got what I wanted and am all set for the next months now...

Tom

[HeavyMetal]

Haven't bought a gun at a show in 6 or 7 years. Here in the LA Basin they are just over priced in most case's.

I go to see tooling! I've bought some nice molds and die sets in the last year or two but press's and guns just seem to be 20% higher than "retail" . Yes I've heard the guys behind the tables "whine" about customers being cheap.

The last Whiner had a Smith N frame 44 special fixed sight 4 inch Think they called this the model 22? Good bore, cylinder was tight but it had been nickle plated and then "engraved" with one of those hand held engravers you put your name on you TV with!

Very crude work and, I suspect, the nickle had been added to cover up pitting under the finish.

He was asking $750.00 for it! I did have a passing interest in it but quite honestly told him the condition didn't justifiy the asking price. He got a little "puffy" and asked me to make him an offer, which I did, the Calif. fees, sales tax and $400. He started to get on his soap box about people wanting things for free, I held up my hand, suggested he invest a few dollars in a Dale Carnigie Class and moved on!


I have no idea if the gun sold or not, I thought my offer fair for the condition of the gun and left his table without feeling guilty or taken advantage of.

I suspect I'll see that gun again in mid year!

[dakotashooter2]

:shock::shock::shock::shock::shock::shock:

They allowed a gun show in the same building that was gonna be full of CHILDREN?????????????

How did the ANTI'S miss that one.