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Someone probably did buy it, unfortunately.
I don't think I've been to a gun show in 15+ years, deals are easier to find online. |
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There’s at least one good deal at every gun show. My dad was convinced that late Sunday evening was the best time for deals because the dealers didn’t want to pack up so much merchandise. In my experience, I found good deals being the first in line on Saturday morning. If I could judge how many tables someone had bought and had something in mind that was around the same price range, I could get a good deal and pay the dealer for his tables right off the bat.
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Gunshows used to be fun and good deals could be found.
These days, its nearly all scalpers and junk guns or horribly overpriced new ones. BTW: I made out REALLY well unloading "stuff" last winter. Thankyou to all of you forum members who helped pay for my daughter's college semester by buying on GunBroker. |
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Quoted: I went to one for the first time in years last weekend. 80% of the stuff there was cheap Chinese shit. Powder wise I saw h1000 for 90 bucks a lb and just crazy ammo prices. There was also a table of nothing but psa rifles 200 bucks or so more expensive than psa pricing. View Quote If those were private sale, I'd fo. |
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Quoted: The good days of gun shows were gone when I last went 10+ years ago. I can only imagine what it is like now. I know the beef jerky can be replenished, but hasn’t all the nazi memorabilia been sold by now? View Quote No one ever really ows nazi memorabilia, they only rent it until the child support or trailer rental is due. (I know that plenty of people collect this stuff for historical value and significance, I just had to make my joke) |
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Orlando gun show has been decent for me the last 5-6 years.
At worse, I find internet-level or better pricing on shit I actually want: Ammo (sub-$300 brass cased 5.56) Surefire lights ($215 for a M600 Ultra Scout) Glock mags, parts, etc. ($15-20 each new, enough spares to fill a tacklebox) Best score for me, was a Spike's 11.5" BAR2 upper I paid $500 for (retail was $869 and they were sold out). It's been my SBR upper for probably five years now. |
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Quoted: Man, y'all's gun shows suck. https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_8/620050_25-27-February-Nacogdoches-Abilene-Bonham-gun-shows.html Here's North Texas' gun shows through the end of April, and our N Texas gunshow promoters: 25-27 February Nacogdoches - G&S - they seem to be successful w/ the 2.5 day format 26-27 February Abilene - Silver Spur Bonham - AllTex 5-6 March Bossier City, LA - Classic - note Texas residents may only purchase rifles & shotguns from FFLs at this show. Buffalo - Buffalo Lion's Club Tyler - AllTex Waxahachie - Premier - tacton has a table. 12-13 March Canton - G&S Durant, OK - Heartland Militaria - note Texas residents may only purchase rifles & shotguns from FFLs at this show. Fort Worth Will Rogers - Lone Star - RebleYell & tacton have tables. Itasca - Whipp Farm Texarkana, TX - Kerry Murphy 19 March Poolville - Parker County 19-20 March Abilene - Texas Gun & Knife Longview - Classic - jeffb1911 will be sharpening knives. 25-27 March Palestine - Whipp Farm 26-27 March Fort Worth TMS - Premier - tacton has a table. Gilmer - American Legion Post 320 Paris - AllTex 2-3 April Tulsa - Wanenmacher - the big one. If you can go, you should go. You have less than 16 seconds to look @ each table if you go both days. Note Texas residents may only purchase rifles & shotguns from FFLs at this show. 15-17 April Cleburne - Whipp Farm 23-24 April Mesquite Rodeo - Premier Wichita Falls - Platinum 180 Winnsboro - American Legion Post 340 30 April - 1 May Fort Worth Will Rogers - Premier North Texas gun show promoters: All Tex - http://alltexgunshows.com/ American Legion Post 320 - (903) 440-1224 American Legion Post 340 - http://www.alpost340.com/ Audie Murphy Museum - http://www.amacmuseum.com/ Big Mule Guns - https://www.facebook.com/bigmuleguns Brownwood Gun Show - (405) 223-5657 Buffalo Chamber of Commerce - https://buffalotex.org/reserve-the-civic-center/ Buffalo Lion's Club - (903) 388-1806 Cisco Chamber of Commerce - https://ciscochamberofcommerce.com/ Classic Arms - http://capgunshows.com/shows/ DACA - https://www.dallasarms.com/program-small-with-tab-name/ DSC - https://www.biggame.org/convention/ G&S - http://gandsgunshows.com/ GGA Productions Heartland Militaria - http://heartlandmilitariashow.com/index.php/ Kerry Murphy - https://www.facebook.com/KerryMurphyPromotions/ Lone Star Antique Arms - (254) 744-4772 Lone Star - https://www.lonestargunshows.com/schedule/ M&M Production - https://mandmproduction.com/ Myrtle Wilks Community Center - https://www.myrtlewilkscenter.com/ New Frontier - https://newfrontiershow.com/index.php/ Parker County Sportsman Club - https://www.parkersportsman.com Platinum 180 Events - (940) 631-5316 Premier - https://www.premiergunshows.com/show-schedule/ Real Texas - http://www.therealtexasgunshow.com/ Riesel Lions Club - https://www.riesellionsclub.com/ Silver Spur - https://www.silverspurtradeshows.com/shows/ 6 Bullets - https://www.sixbulletstx.com/ T&K - https://tandkpromotions.com/show-schedule/ Texas Gun & Knife Association - http://www.texasgunandknifeshows.com/ Texas Gun Collectors Association - https://www.tgca.org/ Tier 1 - http://www.tier1gunshows.com/ USCCA - https://www.usccaexpo.com/ Walt's Outdoor World - https://www.waltsoutdoorworld.com/ Wanenmacher's - http://www.tulsaarmsshow.com/home.html (Not Texas, but you should go to this show.) Whipp Farm - http://whippfarmproductions.com/events.html Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce - https://www.winnsboro.com/events/annual-chamber-events.html YourNewGun - https://www.Facebook.com/yournewgun View Quote I know you live for these things, and I can appreciate that. But nah, man. I can't do it anymore. |
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Quoted: Once upon a time in the late 1980's and early 1990's a gun show was where you went to find either a bargain, or that rare item that some old codger has kept in the closet for 20 years. Then legislation, greed, ATF crackdowns, and outright dishonesty turned gun shows into cesspools of people offloading broken shit they know they can only sell to people who don't look too closely, or overpriced merchandise (again) marketed to the unwary. The only firearms I would buy at a gun show would be NIB ones from a licensed FFL. That is probably the one place you can still get a bargain if it's a case where the dealer is overstocked, for example. I got a S & W Shield pretty much at the wholesale price three years ago because it was obvious the dealer had a display case full of them and was in need of some sales. The last thing I bought at a gun show was an N1 stock that looked minty and was being sold at a bargain price. Those two things are probably all I've bought at a gun show in 10 years. View Quote Damn, I miss those shows. Everyone had a barrel of SKSs, selling for $80 a pop. I mean, they ALL had them. Attached File |
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I used to love going on my birthday every year. It always landed on the weekend of so my dad and brother and I would all go and for years I managed to find some great deals. But as soon as the UBC passed in VA I stopped going. Private sales were the only way you could still find a deal.
Got my first AK at one in perfect condition with Russian red wood, and the guy knocked off 50 bucks so I could get a hand full of mags too. Last one was 2020. It was pretty lame, nothing but Chinese crop, Airsoft and FFL tables spiking prices 3x what they were worth. A fuck ton of people who bought all the PSA daily deals and resold at twice the value and extremely over priced ammo. I stopped going after they were canceled for covid and by the time they had reopened I figured the chances of a deal are 0 and the price of ammo was 1.00 9mm etc. I miss it. The people were comical, the fudds everywhere, the tactical Timmy mall cop types perusing airsoft rails for their new M&P and the jersey vendors were all part of the bingo. |
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Don't be angry at capitalism.
Some one will buy it, or not. Free country, still. I stopped going over 10 years ago, mainly because of facial recognition and license plate scanners. |
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At that price point for Varget, I should off load 2 8 lb kegs I have and buy a suppressor or 2.
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Overpriced guns, so crowded you're bumping into people, and lots of people that smell like they haven't bathed in a week. Haven't been to a gun show in many years and won't go ever again.
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Everyone here bitching about Beanie Babies, Chinese crap, etc, has one thing in common......you're going to the wrong gun shows.
Here in FL, if you just went to the ones put on by the big promoters, you'd see nothing but dealers selling their store inventory, and overpriced garbage. I stick to the smaller shows, put on by a few clubs/organizations, and always enjoy them ...... |
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Most I've seen don't cater to people with only a few items to sell, but instead to larger vendors peddling crap not many people want. There are probably quite a few people that would consider the event economically useful if smaller, higher density ( 4x4' section of table and a fold-out chair behind it) space were available. It is not worth it for someone to rent a full table space if they only have a few things.
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They turned into nothing more than gun-related "flea markets" sometime in the very late 1990s or so. Last one I attended around 2016 was more garbage Chinese optics/accessories than firearms. Even the few vendors that would bring powder/primers quit years ago because, in their words, "it wasn't worth it to haul it back and forth". The good old days are gone forever, and I feel lucky to have experienced them, but sad for the future folks that won't.
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Kenton coon dog field trials was one of the largest outdoor gun show/flea markets before it shut down.
Was a week long |
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Quoted: Aside from a vendor selling Magpul, and another Aero Precision / Holosun products this is an example of the pricing I see at gun shows. https://i.ibb.co/k9B06yx/IMG-20220219-112440.jpg[/url][/url] It's like they don't realize the internet exists. View Quote Last year at camp perry there was a vendor asking 600 for that jug. Not only did people not buy it, they avoided his shop all together |
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Quoted: I have one of the better gun shows in Ohio a mile and a half from my house (Medina Gun show) and haven’t been to it in 15 years because of BS like that. I use to go 6 times a year. Do not miss it. View Quote When I lived in Brunswick the Medina Show was the best around in the 70's and 80's followed by the Berea Fairground Show. I did belong to the O.G.C.A. and that was the ultimate show at the IX Center and was well worth the membership fee just to attend. I have not been to a gun show in 20+ years as the beef jerky and cheap gold plated jewelry tables were more prevalent than gun related items. |
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I have a feeling some people complaining in this thread are the same ones who ***** about....well. Everything.
That said I do know some gunshows absolutely suck. Hit a couple on road trips around the country and am grateful for Montana gunshows. Deals I’ve picked up(recently not 20 years ago prices). Across the spectrum so there’s stuff for everyone: Russian SKS. $325 M91/30 Finnish mosin. $300 Inter arms Mark x Mauser .458. $400 Browning 1886 trapper 45-70. $450 Winchester 1895 30-40 krag antique $750 (wish I’d have kept that one) Swedish m38 Mauser mint wih bayonet $400 .270 weatherby high grade MK V NIB$600 10-22 $200 Ruger standard .22 $200 Beretta 92fs. $375 Marlin 336 .35 with 200 rounds. $450 Remington 141 .35. $300 1875 uberti .45 with 250 rounds $400 Swiss 7.5 GP11. 480 rounds $240 Etc etc. I could go on forever. So everyone: Don’t move to Montana for retirement. We want our gunshows kept cheap. |
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There's a couple of small shows in the next county over every year.
One I go to religiously every year, the others occasionally. No beanie babies, no beef jerky. Got to know a bunch of old timers that sell at them over the years. I stop at their tables (full of ordinary guns) , say hello and make some small talk. After a while, out from under the table comes something really nice. Like a prewar S&W in the box, a nice pre 64 Winchester, a WW2 bring back... all in excellent shape, all reasonably priced. Of course there are the guys trying to sell stuff to the gullible and naive for way more than fair market. That guy whose items are always "Rare" and "Like New" but smell like cold blue. Those guys are the used car salesmen of the gun shows. |
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Quoted: I have a feeling some people complaining in this thread are the same ones who ***** about....well. Everything. That said I do know some gunshows absolutely suck. Hit a couple on road trips around the country and am grateful for Montana gunshows. Deals I’ve picked up(recently not 20 years ago prices). Across the spectrum so there’s stuff for everyone: Russian SKS. $325 M91/30 Finnish mosin. $300 Inter arms Mark x Mauser .458. $400 Browning 1886 trapper 45-70. $450 Winchester 1895 30-40 krag antique $750 (wish I’d have kept that one) Swedish m38 Mauser mint wih bayonet $400 .270 weatherby high grade MK V NIB$600 10-22 $200 Ruger standard .22 $200 Beretta 92fs. $375 Marlin 336 .35 with 200 rounds. $450 Remington 141 .35. $300 1875 uberti .45 with 250 rounds $400 Swiss 7.5 GP11. 480 rounds $240 Etc etc. I could go on forever. So everyone: Don’t move to Montana for retirement. We want our gunshows kept cheap. View Quote It's amazing that we live in a time and age where 300$ Mosins and 325$ SKS are a good deal. Also ruger 10/22 for 200 seems about par depending on model. |
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I guess it depends on what you're looking for. My personal take has been anything I'm interested in is going to suck for pricing at the gun show so find stuff I'm partially interested in and get those deals.
Of course, I haven't been to a gun show in 5 years... |
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Quoted: It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste your stink and every time I do, I fear that I've somehow been infected by it. View Quote @grambosc Someone's been going to the Jamil Temple 40+ year's worth of nicotine cover the walls and ceiling and the floor reeks of cat urine. Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: Aside from a vendor selling Magpul, and another Aero Precision / Holosun products this is an example of the pricing I see at gun shows. https://i.ibb.co/k9B06yx/IMG-20220219-112440.jpg[/url][/url] It's like they don't realize the internet exists. View Quote It has been this way. For years. After seeing reports of gun shows I don’t understand why people attend them. Seems like a novelty from the 1990s when the internet wasn’t as massive or popular as it is today. |
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Quoted: @grambosc Someone's been going to the Jamil Temple 40+ year's worth of nicotine cover the walls and ceiling and the floor reeks of cat urine. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/189022/FuddNoLowballers_jpg-2289967.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/189022/GunShowCriminals_jpg-2289968.JPG View Quote damn that last one is about a spot on. Needs a 400lb woman on O2 in a scooter selling purses or beanie babies. |
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Quoted: These are the many of the ones I was specifically thinking of, when I made my disparaging comments. I know you live for these things, and I can appreciate that. But nah, man. I can't do it anymore. View Quote That's b/c you know there's a Python out there waiting for you. I know I've dragged you to a couple of the Premier shows, and those are the biggest shows around. But once I get back in town, I expect I'll set up at the smaller shows, rather than try to compete w/ the big dealers @ Premier. Have you been to Tulsa yet? That's where you'll find your Python. |
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Came back from the Fort Worth Gun Show a couple weeks ago $2000 richer (sold some ammo I was dragging in a rolling suitcase for nearly double what I paid-shit was gathering dust in the back of my closet-a couple of rifles I didn't shoot anymore, and traded in my Shield Performance Center Gen 1 for a SIG P365 $150 below MSRP because the box had been opened and nobody wants an external safety model apparently)
Caught up with some familiar faces, got some primers for not retarded pricing, got the general word on the street of the industry, and made it home before dark. Bought some asshole burning beef jerky too Overall I'd say it was a good time spent |
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I've noticed that the booths not making sales when other booths are doing a lot are the ones to find a good deal at.
That's exactly how I bought my last gun from a gun show. I walked up and said what's the best you can do on this gun and they said $500. I asked if that was out the door and they thought about it and said yes. $500 was less than online prices for the same gun at that time so I was happy. After they sold to me they immediately made 2 more sales. I was the sale that got them moving they said. Paper targets and tannerite almost always are cheaper at gun shows. |
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I stopped enjoying going in 2012 when prices went berserk.
I stopped going in 2020. |
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Quoted: Orlando gun show has been decent for me the last 5-6 years. At worse, I find internet-level or better pricing on shit I actually want: Ammo (sub-$300 brass cased 5.56) Surefire lights ($215 for a M600 Ultra Scout) Glock mags, parts, etc. ($15-20 each new, enough spares to fill a tacklebox) Best score for me, was a Spike's 11.5" BAR2 upper I paid $500 for (retail was $869 and they were sold out). It's been my SBR upper for probably five years now. View Quote I use to go to the Orlando show quite often. I found a few good deals over the years. However, there was one vendor that pissed me off. He was an older guy that was always in the middle of big building. He had a SP1 that interested me. Nothing special being 1980s production but in good shape. His price was $1600. This was back when most SP1s were selling for between $900 and $1100. I offered him $1200, which was really more than it was worth. He felt offended. Try to tell me how rare the SP1s were. $1600 was his set price. I wasn't going to pay that. I kept seeing the rifle year after year. During the Obama era pandemic he raised the price to $2500. It sat on his table for probably six to seven years. As far as I know nobody ever bought it. |
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Quoted: I use to go to the Orlando show quite often. I found a few good deals over the years. However, there was one vendor that pissed me off. He was an older guy that was always in the middle of big building. He had a SP1 that interested me. Nothing special being 1980s production but in good shape. His price was $1600. This was back when most SP1s were selling for between $900 and $1100. I offered him $1200, which was really more than it was worth. He felt offended. Try to tell me how rare the SP1s were. $1600 was his set price. I wasn't going to pay that. I kept seeing the rifle year after year. During the Obama era pandemic he raised the price to $2500. It sat on his table for probably six to seven years. As far as I know nobody ever bought it. View Quote "Don't try to lowball me; I know what I got." |
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I haven’t seen good pricing at gun shows in years and the hard to find stuff is easily found online now. I don’t see a point. It’s mostly non firearm crap anyway
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Quoted: When I lived in Brunswick the Medina Show was the best around in the 70's and 80's followed by the Berea Fairground Show. I did belong to the O.G.C.A. and that was the ultimate show at the IX Center and was well worth the membership fee just to attend. I have not been to a gun show in 20+ years as the beef jerky and cheap gold plated jewelry tables were more prevalent than gun related items. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I have one of the better gun shows in Ohio a mile and a half from my house (Medina Gun show) and haven’t been to it in 15 years because of BS like that. I use to go 6 times a year. Do not miss it. When I lived in Brunswick the Medina Show was the best around in the 70's and 80's followed by the Berea Fairground Show. I did belong to the O.G.C.A. and that was the ultimate show at the IX Center and was well worth the membership fee just to attend. I have not been to a gun show in 20+ years as the beef jerky and cheap gold plated jewelry tables were more prevalent than gun related items. Tri-state show in Lima was a good one also. Lots of mil-surp, haven't been there in a few years though. |
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Last time I went to a gun show was about a year ago.
I was a vendor. All the AR15s I built and parts I accumulated when they were cheap came in handy during the panic. I also had some old, spare ammo to sell. Before the show opened other vendors pretty much cleaned me out. I turned about $800 invested into a several grand. It was a great weekend. Gun shows were actually good before the internet. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I stopped going over 10 years ago, mainly because of facial recognition and license plate scanners. People make fun of that kind of stuff, but I believe I was followed from a gun show by a car with US Government plates one time. It was an out-of-state show. As soon as I left the parking lot this sedan was behind me. As I got back on the interstate I noticed it was still behind me. It followed me for like a half hour. Finally I started believing it was actually following me, and I decided to get off the highway at some oddball rural exit. I timed it just right so the car didn't have time to exit with me, and when it rushed past I noticed it had US Government plates. |
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