Disappointing Gunshow Yesterday

[stubshaft]

Usually, I pay more for parking and entrance fees than I do at the show itself. There are only two a year in my neck of the woods and the last one in October was as usual focused on tactitards and black rifles or vendors selling cheap, crap knives. I did manage to snag a couple of items from some estate sellers, but usually go to socialize with my friends.

[1Hawkeye]

The nations gun show in Va this weekend wasn't any better bbq sauce,t shirts,videos,chinese ar15 parts & optics and a lot of way over retail priced guns. I found one dealer who was actually selling reloading supplies for about msrp rather than the arm and leg sucker pricing of everyone else in the place. I have to agree for me its a social event than anything else.

[Big Tom]

The local gun shows aren't that exciting anymore. No mil surplus, skyhigh prices, too many non-firearm related sellers with Chinese junk. The only positive development in the last two years was local knife smiths showing up with their collections. Some really beautiful knifes, but most of them out of my (price) league Still fun to go and see some nice firearms, but not more than once, maybe twice a year for me.

[jonp]

I think that was Kenzie Optics with the high end and some thermal. I got a hundred of the Unis SPP and SRP to test @ $9/100. I did get a lb. of Shooters World Precision for a friend and myself to see what's all the noise about it in the Creedmoor's. $53/lb and $410/8lb jug. I saw the SW AR rifle powder for $30/lb. I saw those rusty dies for the D series RCBS cartridges. The fella selling the Lee molds wanted $35 for a smoked and rusty 45-70 2 cavity. $9 to get in and half an hour to find parking at the fairgrounds. There was the flea market, a coin show, cheerleader competition, and a horse show. Almost forgot the Korean foodfest. Blue Ridge road had a detour around the fairgrounds added to the traffic fun. At least nobody was making a left. Not the least attended show, but awful close.

We saw the cheerleaders but could not find the coinshow. Maybe it was over by the horse barn? Wife at that point had enough of the crowd as did i so we left. Never asked a price for the moulds as they were in rough shape. For what you say he wanted id have laughed at him anyways.

[jsizemore]

It was in the Hoishouser building right by Blue Ridge and the entrance to the flea market that's now closed to us common folks. I saw the molds in their boxes and a 2'x2' box with a bunch of molds laying loose. There were a few round ball molds looked interesting but the all the molds (close 60-70) looked like he didn't care about them. The slug molds were beat up. I struck up a conversation with a fella that was looking to cast for a new falling block rifle. I told him to slug the barrel and order what he needed from Accurate. After dropping that kind of coin, what's a custom mold?

[Jedman]

racepres, The small show I was speaking of is the Ann Arbor show but it has nothing to do with Ann Arbor.
It is held at the Washtenaw Co. fairgrounds in Saline, MI . The next show is Dec. 10-11 it’s a $ 5 entrance.

Jedman

[GhostHawk]

I have to admit I was thinking about buying some .22lr as the prices have dropped fairly well on ammoseek.

Then remembered a bucket I stashed in the basement 15 years ago. Dug 1400 rounds of copper plated Hollow Points in 100 round boxes. All Win super x or CCI mini mags.

Decided with those on top of my already healthy stash I did not need any more.

LGS seldom get looked at by me. Cheaper and easier to buy online have it shipped to my door.

[dverna]

Like others, I remember the good old days of 25+ years ago.

Have not been to a gun show in 3+ years.

[Dinny]

The last gun show I went to was quite literally THE LAST ONE I will ever go to. I asked one old codger if he had any more of the Hornady 100gr 6.5 SP bullets under the table. He said, no. Then he told me someone else came by and bought the other three boxes he had earlier in the day but was $5 short so he couldn't buy the fourth box. The boxes looked to be made in the 80s and he had them labeled $45 each. Now, who in their right mind would refuse to take $40 for the last box when he got $45 for each other box?

I sold a 1000ct box of CCI 450s to one vendor for $60 and bought a can of BH209 with it. No change given..

[uscra112]

Living in SE Michigan from 1993 was gunshow heaven for a while. Used to hit every one, even as far as Muncie and South Bend. The auto industry supports a lot of toolmakers whose avocation is guns. But by 2005 it was apparent that all the good antiques and vintage guns were migrating to the Internet. In 2009 I retired to SE Ohio, no shows here anything like Birch Run or Novi, and I was too busy anyway, fixing the old house. Then my back started to go. Then the KungFlu epidemic. All my browsing is on the Internet now, except a couple of treasures found at estate auctions.

[Shawlerbrook]

Unfortunately, like many things gunshows are not what they used to be. That said, there are some that are good and even though you might have to look harder, I still enjoy going.

[Cast10]

My town had one this weekend, I went yesterday. It was decent. Pricing was on par for ammo for today’s prices. A few primers and powder at the usual high pricing. As everything else in these time, mostly high.

A new ‘knack’ was a guy and his wife making Kydex holsters to fit your gun. Had the outer shell already made up with colored graphics of all kinds. I thought that was neat. Holsters were around the 40-60 range.

Glad we still have them.

[Thumbcocker]

Gunshows are on the way out. Online sales are a factor. Quality of current guns is a factor. The elephant in the room is that shooters are aging and dying. Most older shooters have all the guns they want and fewer younger shooters are coming in. Hunter numbers are declining all across the U.S. we are fading out guys.

[racepres]

racepres, The small show I was speaking of is the Ann Arbor show but it has nothing to do with Ann Arbor.
It is held at the Washtenaw Co. fairgrounds in Saline, MI . The next show is Dec. 10-11 it’s a $ 5 entrance.

Jedman

Thank You Friend... Prolly be a decent little get together...however they have conspired on us...The Hesperia show same date!!
Oh Well maybe Next time...
If ya get a Chance.. Please give a Report.. Thanks Again

LOL
Just checked and it is like 200 miles between them... Wow Not for a Gun Show...

[Jedman]

Living in SE Michigan from 1993 was gunshow heaven for a while. Used to hit every one, even as far as Muncie and South Bend. The auto industry supports a lot of toolmakers whose avocation is guns. But by 2005 it was apparent that all the good antiques and vintage guns were migrating to the Internet. In 2009 I retired to SE Ohio, no shows here anything like Birch Run or Novi, and I was too busy anyway, fixing the old house. Then my back started to go. Then the KungFlu epidemic. All my browsing is on the Internet now, except a couple of treasures found at estate auctions.

The Novi show was the antique show I referred to in a earlier post and it was a joke. $15 entrance to get in $14 if you printed a coupon and we’re a senior, Suppose to be 800 tables, Maybe 20 years ago……..
I will not ever go there again.

Jedman

[JoeJames]

My cousin had three tables at the last local gun show in September. I helped him out and managed to sell a K98K BNZ43 and a WW2 Navy issue KaBar for a bit of change more than I had in them. Bought both 30 years ago. Got a pound of IMR4895 for $40, and a TISAS 1911A1 in trade. So it was a fine show as far as I was concerned. About 80 tables at the show.

[uscra112]

@jedman - It didn't used to be that way, but I think 2008 was the last one I attended. Novi was just 10 miles from my office, so it cost me ~nothing in gas money. I cannot recall buying but one gun there, a near-mint Bay State in .32 Long Colt, but it was fun to walk and observe anyway.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Sadly, I haven't been to a gun show in about 8 years. Closest I get is my once-a-month trip to the La Pine Bi-Mart. I was there two days ago and they had lots of guns (all new, retail of course) and the ammo shelves are full again at about double the pre-shortage prices. I asked the clerk "Still no primers and powder?" "No primers, but I do have some powder." I went around to the other side of the island and he showed me 5 lbs., all different, never heard of any of them! The prices were o.k., but nothing I had any load data for. I did buy 2 boxes of Belom 7.62x39mm made in Serbia, 20 round boxes, NC/FMJ for $9.99 each.

DG

[jonp]

It was in the Hoishouser building right by Blue Ridge and the entrance to the flea market that's now closed to us common folks. I saw the molds in their boxes and a 2'x2' box with a bunch of molds laying loose. There were a few round ball molds looked interesting but the all the molds (close 60-70) looked like he didn't care about them. The slug molds were beat up. I struck up a conversation with a fella that was looking to cast for a new falling block rifle. I told him to slug the barrel and order what he needed from Accurate. After dropping that kind of coin, what's a custom mold?

I pawed through that box of loose moulds. Most were in rough shape it seemed to me. Never asked a price.

[john.k]

All the shows are like this......vintage bike swaps,car swaps,gun shows.........same traders ,same Chinese bric a brac,bit of car junk at high prices ,nothing of any value.......parking charges ,entry charges , forget it........One bike swap was advertized as "definitely nothing but bikes this year".......same traders with import junk.....I fronted the organizers....and its "they cut a separate deal with the venue owners"