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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Gun Show Experiences (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/7/2016 12:46:49 AM EDT
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I've posted several threads to try and learn more about Ar 15s and the gun world in general. I'm new to a lot of this and the feedback and advice that I have gotten has been tremendous!
A realm I haven't explored yet are gun shows. As a first time buyer and attendee, what can you expect to find? Are they mostly comprised of private individuals selling guns they have built and bought or is it local gun stores trying to move more product? If you were to go to a show looking to purchase an AR, what should you be looking for? I'm hoping to learn a lot more before I attend my first one at the end of July, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Are there certain questions to ask a seller before making your purchase? Are most sellers helpful for first time buyers or is it something I need to be wary of if a guy is just trying to make a quick sale to a newbie? |
| Which is learning from others in the post is very true. I was in a gun show about a couple months ago. And I was looking for a MPX pistol for my SBR project. I saw prices that were in one MSRP and some even higher. A lot of the quality firearms that they can have their work at their highest price ever. Luckily I got my MPX for about 1300 minus tax. One dealer had a MPX pistol for 1850. It took some searching but I did find a guy you have reasonable price text when his wares. Just have a lot of walking hunting for what you want, also know when to walk away. You don't owe them any obligation when it comes to shopping for what you want. They may carry a smile and a nice firm handshake, but when someone's trying to hustle you don't let them. |
| Lots of beef jerky and airsoft/chinese knock off parts. But, seriously while you do find these you also usually find a combinatin of private sellers and businesses. It is a good opportunity to compare prices. If you know what you are looking for, and know how to identify the real items vs the knock-offs, and the quality from the garbage, you can occasionally find good deals. I stay away from any "custom" AR's using parts you never heard of, built by a guy you never heard of. If you are going to buy a complete AR at a gun show only buy a known quality AR from a reputable dealer. In this current political climate watch out for price gouging. Some sellers will be helpful, some will be arrogant, and some will be crooks. With that many vendors in one place you are bound to encounter all three at some point during your visit. Know what you are looking for and know how much it costs ahead of time. Educate yourself as much as you can here before you go and it will greatly help you sniff out the BS. Keep your smart phone handy so you can research a product if something doesn't smell right. |
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To be honest, gun shows are a waste of time unless you're going just to look around, or are going for a C&R or some other oddball gun/part that you want to look at in person before buying.
Prices on newly produced firearms, accessories and ammo are virtually always absurdly high. |
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To be honest, gun shows are a waste of time unless you're going just to look around, or are going for a C&R or some other oddball gun/part that you want to look at in person before buying. Prices on newly produced firearms, accessories and ammo are virtually always absurdly high. That is what I do. Look for barrels, trigger groups, boxes of unknown magazines especially the 10 round magazines. I sell them on Ebay and make a killing when I buy right |
| As some others have eluded. before you go to a gun show, you really need to know what to look for. local gun store vendors are your best bet, but you will pay a premium price in many cases. Little mom & pop vendors are usually selling marginal quality ARs and products and want too much money for them. Private sellers, in many cases, are there to make a killing on their stuff. Every once in a while, you will get some attendees walking through carrying ARs for sale. Some will be factory ARs and some not. Sometimes you can get a good deal from these guys and sometimes not. If you come across a home build, be wary. An unknown builder can be a liability for the AR. You do not know how much experience they have building ARs, nor their skill set. The products they used may be questionable as well. Additionally, even the gun store vendors are not always that well educated on the guns and products they sell. Their job is to sell and that is it. They do not have to learn everything associated with ARs and the various products for them. My advice is to question anything you are not sure of and ask others about the same thing. See how many different answers you get. Of course, you always have the knowledgeable guys on this forum. |
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1)Military surplus gear is pretty much no longer for sale to the public due to various government laws and restrictions. That’s why most of the gear you see at gunshows is from the cold war, of which the supply has been picked over and is shrinking leaving you with junk.
2)Everyone shops on the internet these days so those with decent items don’t mess with guns shows, it’s a waste of their time. The vendors who go are old fudds who have been going to them for decades before the internet was invented. 3)When you first get into firearms gun shows seem awesome. $2,000 for a “Custom” AR15? Awesome! Then after a while you realize you could have built that same AR for $800. M855 ARMOR PIERCING AMMO!!!! For only $1 a round?!? Radical man! Eventually you realize M855 isnt AP ammo and it can be bought it bulk and shipped to your door for $0.35 a round. Eventually your tastes in firearms and gear will mature and you will have to turn to the internet for things like high end light weight barrels, night vision, NFA items like SBRs, suppressors and even Machine guns. TLDR: Anything you can find at a gunshow you can find online for cheaper and likely better quality without having to buy it from some tin foil hat wearing nut job who give gun owners a bad name. |
| I pretty much just go to gun shows in order to see, in-person, a lot of guns at once that aren't necessarily at the local gun shop. And it's the easiest way to pick up and play with the guns, since most LGS have all the guns in a cabinet, so you have to say "show me that one...now show me that one...and that one", which gets old. I've only ever bought one gun at a gun show, because it actually WAS a good price. But I knew that from doing my research online prior. When I first started my AR build, I had done a lot of research online, so I basically knew what things should cost, like a lower parts kit for example. Once I went to a gunshow and saw what they wanted for LPKs, I knew that online was the best way to build an AR. But I still like going to gunshows, but mostly for just looking and gun-fondling, not serious shopping. My wife loves the beef jerky, and my daughter loves looking at the chinese knock-off knives that look like dragons, so it makes for a good Saturday afternoon. |
| This is an interesting question about gun shows and interesting observations from others. I would suggest that gun shows are not all created equal, and the experiences in them could vary greatly. I'd bet the gun show in my area of west Texas doesn't compare equally to one in say, Boston...that's if they even have gun shows in Boston...LOL! |
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I think the only things I have bought at gunshows are usual mediocre food/drink, a wicked awesome bunt cake and my first stripped lower.
Still fun to look around but they keep jacking the prices up enough to get in that it is becoming unruly for window shopping. I took my gf to one, I think she would have had fun if it wasn't for every other table trying to force a CCW purse/holster or a taser on her. I don't know if she would go to another one, it was pretty sad. Really know what you are getting and you can get some decent deals... or horridly raked over the coals. $55 for a stripped Anderson lower with no freight or transfer fees... I thought I came out ok. |
| gunshows have been mostly a go to look, or buy old mags deal. Know the differences between genuine products and knock offs. Know your specs and pricing before hand. I find it hard to beat internet deals at gunshows or LGS. but, if you want to go pick something up and hold it to see how it feels that your LGS may not have, it's good for that. |
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gunshows have been mostly a go to look, or buy old mags deal. Know the differences between genuine products and knock offs. Know your specs and pricing before hand. I find it hard to beat internet deals at gunshows or LGS. but, if you want to go pick something up and hold it to see how it feels that your LGS may not have, it's good for that. I go for the candied pecans. There used to be a dealer that sold a lot of Ruger revolvers for very good new prices. But thats been like 5 years. I have never bought a gun at a gunshow. Other than candy I bought a holster, a few boxes of ammo, and lucked out on a Tyler T grip. And then a bore light. Thats it. When I first started I would drive into Houston but now days only the Conroe show. |
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Gun shows give you the opportunity to see many things under one roof for a small fee, that you may have to drive all over two or three different large cities to see otherwise. You will see a mix of dealers, manufactures and private individuals depending on the gun show and it's location. Generally, the prices won't beat online prices, and most of the time the prices will be more. However, there are occaissional exceptions.
If you have researched before you go, you can find some deals, even on ammo at rare times. However, as everyone has said if you go to one without a little bit of knowledge to match the money in your pocket then expect to be picked clean. LOL. |
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Pretty much what everyone has already said. Only exception in my case is the local fun show finally got a decent ammo vendor. He tends to have handgun calibers for SG prices (before shipping) and 5.56/.308 for slightly more than SG.
Look for stuff like that, everything else will pretty much be a waste of your time. |
| My experience is way over priced garbage. Oh want that rifle that sells for $900 online they will sell a "just for you" price of only $1500 at the gun show. You are better off finding a good local gun dealer they dont get up and move in 2 days so they dont scam people. |
| My experiences, limited as they may be, have been very positive. Other than the over priced, fully loaded tacti-cool ARs, prices were slightly lower to substantially lower than what I would find in store and sometimes online. Many local mom and pop dealers banking on that return customer cash flow. |
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My experiences, limited as they may be, have been very positive. Other than the over priced, fully loaded tacti-cool ARs, prices were slightly lower to substantially lower than what I would find in store and sometimes online. Many local mom and pop dealers banking on that return customer cash flow. A bunch of local dealers gather at them. I negotiated for my second lower at a gun show, my dealer had to order it in but set the deal up at the show. He price matched one on a table "over there" |
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MateFrio's guide to gun shows. Feel free to add your tips. Here are the ones I can recall tonight. #1 Bring Cash if you want the best deals. In fact bring as much cash as you can just in case you find the once in a lifetime deal or a buddy who'll loan you some. #2 Take notes. Price, vendor name, LOCATION you'll loose the person. Best yet is get a business card from the vendor with the price on the back. #3 Know vendors and regulars at gun shows by name. Even if you're not buying shake their hand and say hello, ask how the show is going. ETC. #4 Haggle. See a good price one place and see another with the same item ask if they'll beat the price at their table. Let them know you have cash. Ask for something off even $5 will pay for something else. #5 Optics and sights have a bunch of clones out there. Look to see what is real and what is a knock off. Price WAY low... Good flag it's from China. #6 If you don't see it ASK! Not a bunch of table space is there. If someone has Aimponts but you don't see EoTechs ask if they have something under the table. 99.9% of the time they will. #7 Consider the price of gas, parking and admission in the cost of the gun or take it from your entertainment budget but don't wine about it. You'll be paying $16 to get in the door unless you split parking with some buddies. #8 Keep your eyes up and open. That's how you catch great private sales. Stop looking at the table and start looking at what everyone is caring. Look for the guy with the pregnant wife. #9 Buddy system. I've worked with a buddy to see how low a price we could haggle. One guy goes low expecting to find the bottom number. Next guy goes in and purchases the item. #10 Bring a trinket home for the wife\girlfriend. You want to let them know you've though about them while you were there. Even if it's a pink $2.00 flashlight or swiss army knife or a kitchen knife. Makes asking easier next time. |
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The sound of someone triggering a taser every 5 seconds SPOT ON. The last show I attended was full of NCstar and other Chinese knockoff crap. I can normally find a few decent small parts or some older milsurp items but that's about it. if anything I go to people watch. You will see some interesting bubbas. |
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If you were to go to a show looking to purchase an AR, what should you be looking for? I'm hoping to learn a lot more before I attend my first one at the end of July, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Are there certain questions to ask a seller before making your purchase? Are most sellers helpful for first time buyers or is it something I need to be wary of if a guy is just trying to make a quick sale to a newbie? If it's your first time to a show, even with the knowledge presented here you might want to hold off making any purchases. Just go and take a look. If you can bring a friend that will act as a peer check and also keep an eye out for deals or compare prices, it always helps. Learn what the going prices are for what you are looking for, and don't fall into the "I absolutely have to have that" urge unless you know what you're buying. |
| You really don't get good deals at gun shows. I go there expecting nothing and usually come home with nothing. I like to handle all the stuff though. I do occasionally buy ammo. I did buy one revolver at a good price but it was from a local dealer that I knew anyway and could have stopped in his shop. I like the Gun Shows for the people watching. You see a lot of first timers. A lot of armchair shooters offering up their advise. Personally, I like the honey's. |
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What you get from a gun show often depends upon what you're looking for. I see a lot of tricked-out ARs at inflated prices, it's true. But I don't go to gun shows looking for ARs (I bought mine from a gun shop, years ago), so that doesn't bother me.
When I go to a gun show, I'm mainly looking for collectible rifles: Enfields; Mosin-Nagants; Springfields, etc. I don't expect to find one every time, but now and again I get lucky. Last year, I stumbled on a beautiful Finnish M39 -- best one I've ever seen -- at a gun show that's mostly considered not worth the trouble to attend. If I'd stayed home, whining that "gun shows are crap," I'd have missed it completely. All gun shows aren't created equal, either. If you don't like one, try a different one. I always pick up a couple of Pmags at a gun show, as well as some brass, powder, primers, military collectibles and so on. Sure, I can get that stuff on-line, but at the show I can look it over before buying, and I don't have to pay outrageous shipping charges. And it gives me a chance to see guns and accessories I've never seen in person before. Plus, I know that just by showing up, I'm pissing a liberal off. So if the question is "Should I buy my first AR at a gun show," well, I'd say probably not. But if you want to spend a pleasant couple of hours in the company of others with shooting interests, checking out things you don't see every day and maybe picking up some small items without coughing up shipping charges, you might enjoy gun shows a lot more than you'd think. |
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You're better off shopping around the EE on this forum. You're gonna find more high quality shit that you can almost always guarantee is not a knock off(there are always exceptions, but I've had great experiences here). The good thing is, people here generally know what stuff is worth, so people selling generally know if they price stuff outrageously, it flat out won't sell. Completely different at a gun show. At gun shows, DPMS is better than Colt, and BCM and Noveske grade stuff you're just paying for the name, so you might as well buy this here dpms rifle for 1000$ Sometimes you may find a hidden gem, but those gems are becoming more and more rare at shows in my area. |
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great tid-bits of info above!!!
also, if you are sensitive to bad odors... put a dab of Vicks Vap-o-rub under your nose (like in Silence of the Lambs) before you enter the gunshow. 
Deals CAN be had at gunshows, but you have to work at them. Most gunshows run for more than one day. I've been fortunate enough to get lower prices on Sundays from vendors looking to sell their stuff, rather than pack it up to go home. Last show I went to, I was looking at small rifle and large pistol primers. The avg price per 1000 was $29-$32 (depending on brand). I went the following day after lunch and found a vendor had lowered his price to $27 per 1000 (small rifle only, large pistol was sold out throughout the show) and he went to $26.50 per 1000 when I asked about 10,000. The same dealer had an 8lb jug of Varget for $165 and lowered it to $155 - he gave me two 8lb jugs for $300. This strategy works great for stuff that isn't in too high of a demand as most dealers will sell the bulk of their stuff on the first day. |
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Deals CAN be had at gunshows, but you have to work at them. Most gunshows run for more than one day. I've been fortunate enough to get lower prices on Sundays from vendors looking to sell their stuff, rather than pack it up to go home. I used to see that, when there were about four local gun shows a year. Now, they are monthly. Dealers plan to be back next month, so they don't cut prices as much on Sundays. |
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i normally end up buying guns from other people waiting to either get in the show or are walking around
someone is usually carrying something unusual around last time a guy was carrying a beat up steyr m95 mannlicher carbine for $75 and included 5 boxes of original unopened nazi marked ammo loaded on the en bloc clips he wanted $10 for the matching bayonet just dumb stuff like that I usually buy. Fun little rifle bought an SVT 40 the same way |
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FPNI
Every gun show I've been to has been predominantly small-shop holster makers, militaria collectors, and preppers/food. Then you have FFLs selling their collections at MSRP. I admit I haven't been to a ton of gun shows, but I have never found a good deal at one. |
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When you figure out what you want to buy, find a reputable dealer online and have it transferred to your FFL. Gun shows are dead as a dodo. Might as well try to shop through Shotgun News or newspaper classifieds. Back in the 70s and 80s we did business this way because we had no better choice. By all means go to the show at least once so you'll know what its all about, but don't get your hopes up. |
| I love gun shows! But I have never bought anything used. Most of the used prices are absurd. There are several area dealers that setup and they generally have really good prices at shows and move a LOT of product. I enjoy looking at all the used stuff for the most part. |
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A bunch of local dealers gather at them. I negotiated for my second lower at a gun show, my dealer had to order it in but set the deal up at the show. He price matched one on a table "over there" Quoted:
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My experiences, limited as they may be, have been very positive. Other than the over priced, fully loaded tacti-cool ARs, prices were slightly lower to substantially lower than what I would find in store and sometimes online. Many local mom and pop dealers banking on that return customer cash flow. A bunch of local dealers gather at them. I negotiated for my second lower at a gun show, my dealer had to order it in but set the deal up at the show. He price matched one on a table "over there" And he matched it again for #3. You guys can say what you want but they ain't all bad IF good people show up as venders. |
| I enjoy gun shows but I generally go for the people watching and to find random deals. I've spent the $14 for admission on way dumber shit than walking around a convention center full of guns before, so I don't mind. Haven't been to one in a while but the last one I went to I wound up picking up a near mint 870 Wingmaster for $180, I was happy. |
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Why would you pay to set up and not sell anything? Unless someone is proud of their personal collection and want to show it off, I think some dealers wish to sell product, however they don't price their items competitively. Awhile ago I thought it would be cool to go in with some friends and rent a space or table at a big show such as the Indy shows, and use that space to stash our bigger purchases rather than lug them around. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Gun Show Experiences (Page 1 of 2)
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