Gun Shows = Good or Bad

[Jagerdad]

In Classified Ads a person lists a Weatherby Rifle for sale, this is just one good down to earth example of why I stopped going to gun shows 15+ years ago.

We drive to such Shows, Pay Parking Fee's, Entrance Fee's and hope to have a fun day, maybe find something neat. I have two friends who buy tables at shows and they do need to pay a good amount to have a display. But often, table after table, men have nick-knacks and want to RETIRE on the sale. They think buyers have no smarts.

Back in the 1970's, guns shows were fun....but $$$ corrupted the fun. I often traded with guys and no one cared much about values....emphasize "much". If one guy got a deal from you, he would give it back in the next trade with you; An Honor system.

I still want a Winchester 1892 in 44-40 in decent shape, M1 Garand or M1 C or D, a WWII 1911, M1 Carbine, Luger however, I care more if I have a Human story to go along with the WWII Brought Home weapon. It's the history + story I want to pass down to my children who care a great deal about such times, people, everything. After all, some families have such weapons and there's times when passing it on to a good Home and gaining some much needed $ may be what the original owner would approve of. But I'm drifting away from why I made this post/question.

I saw such items at gun shows but none had a human connection. The gentleman behind the table had a Blue Book of Gun values handy and knew nothing of he weapons past owner. Maybe I am/was unrealistic, humanistic expectations unrealistic and, an old fogey (or fougueux).

Yes, if one wants something bad enough, it's then time to match the market selling prices. With such "Take it or leave it" situations, little to no haggling room just as seen in the classified Ads Weatherby owner seeking outrageous $$$....So keep it he shall.
I then fear the weapons ability to operate, ie: Caveat emptor.... "Buyer Beware"....(seller's buying counterfeit stamped parts to build from a receiver, what appears to be a parts matching gun).

I am interested in your feelings on modern Gun Shows. Are they, in your areas, as fun as they once were or, disappointing. If disappointing, is it from the behind the Table side or from the Isle walking side...?

Jagerdad

 

[2lumpy]

Used to enjoy Gun Shows, looking for old leverage action, octagon barreled rifles from the later 1800 period. Even 40 years ago I figured Gun Show prices were more inclined to be in the neighborhood of retail plus 10%-15%.

Don't recall ever purchasing a fire arm at a Gun Show, not because I didn't see a few I might have wanted but have never been willing to pay Gun Show prices. And.......I've never been over anxious to have a particular gun bad enough to pay Gun Show prices.

I rarely go to Gun Shows anymore. My expectations for a good experience are low. Just not interested in sorting through a bunch of stuff I have no interest in and don't expect to find any "good deals" now days, especially with the Internet Auctions, Craig's List and a Classified Gun site or two in every State.

I used to stop in Pawn Shops as I was traveling across country and look through their guns, etc but since 1996 and the Internet, Pawn Shops now have a much larger marketing area. Their prices now seem to be nearly full retail for well used guns. Lost interest in Pawn Shop visits as well.

We just got to find new ways to have fun Jagerdad!

DC

 

[theox]

I don't go to them anymore. Ever since the ammo crunch it seems everybody wants too much for everything. I don't like paying to get into them cause I never buy a thing there.

 

[257Tony]

Let's put it this way, lst time I went to a gun show you could buy 1000 rounds of 7.62x39 for $99. They simply aren't fun anymore, like you said.

 

[Homer]

lol....they are a comedy show. Old wore out sh!t that travels from one show table to the next thousands of times....new over priced stuff....cheap chinese trinkets....silly assed over the top make believe patriot bumper stickers.....etc. etc. etc........

the same clowns selling....and the same clowns pretending to buy at every show....

This is california that I'm talking about..I did go to one at the fairgrounds in Kalispell a few years ago and it was lots better....at least you could walk out with the screw job gun you just bought. I couldn't but the locals could.

They are mostly a joke...and there really isn't a "gun show loophole" that the left always blabs about.

 

[deadibob]

Gun shows these days are pretty much disappointing. Yet every once in awhile you can find a deal that keeps you coming back. I'd say about one out of ten times these days. I've had tables at dozens of shows in the past but it's not worth it anymore.

 

[Captain_coues]

I feel the same. I still go to them, but it's not but maybe once a year. It's more of an excuse to get out and do things. Usually we catch a movie or lunch/dinner before or after. The guns for sale are usually junk, so I look for other items like knives(most are junk) or art type items like paintings, custom pens/pencils etc. The best I've done in five years is purchase a knife sharpener, and a used H&K usp 45 magazine.

 

[elkassassin]

A Few years back I finally found an extra Clip/Magazine for the Anchutz 22 Mag at a Gun Show!

"I can make you one Hell of a Deal on this the Guy Said"!

169.00!

I Said:

JFP!!!

And walked off!

Last Gun Show I went to was the 1st Gun/Ammo Scare!

Sellers were putting Cheap/Junk 223 Ammo in old Wore out Military Ammo Boxes & Charging a Nominal Fee!

Damn near every person there was Toting 2 of them!

Un-F'N-Real what TARDS were paying for 22 & 223 Ammo!

Oh,and Thanks again Obama!









[font color="blue"]HUNTIN,FISHIN,AND LOVIN EVERY DAY,I WANNA SEE
THEM TALL PINES SWAY!
[/font]

 

[Hokkaido]

I have been part of the weatherby post you mention and I understand exactly what you are trying to say. The clown wants full MSRP, $2600 for a deluxe weatherby that he won at a raffle, much less than that and you are "lowballing con artist". The fella probably has no more than $20 max into the gun and is afraid of getting "ripped off" by guys offering fair market prices.

As I read your post I can feel what you are saying and the weatherby butthead makes it even clearer....People are losing their ability to be human and are instead fixating on maximising the profit margin, and in my opinion it's not to make money so much as it is to not be the one getting "ripped off". It shows a great amount of insecurity and I think it has to do with this trophy mentality we all seem to be fixated on. We want top dollar for our stuff, just like we want the biggest buck in the woods, anything less would be hard to live with and perhaps even shameful for some. I think a lot of those folks are indeed, quite sick.

Gun shows are a joke nowadays. They are strange and foreign to me, if not even hostile with pushy wankers yelling as you walk by. Like you say, all the chinese knick knaky crap, cheap knives, flashlights etc. The shift to more military sort of gear and guns, just doesn't feel like it used to.

Don't get me wrong, I still like going, just not as much as I used to. I got my first gun at a gun show. I was 14 and didn't pay a penny for it, well, not directly anyway. I was a paperboy and collected baseball cards. One of my stops was a cigar shop with magazines and the such. I bought cards there whenever I could. One day while swinging through I happened to see a new line of cards, Upper Deck. I bought a pack and when I opened them I found they were quite different from the Topps and Fleer that I was used to, these were glossy and smelled different. They had holograms and were just generally awesome. That was when Michael Jordan had his stint in baseball and he had a card. I happened to get one. It happened to be worth $45! I went back and bought the whole box, as well as every other pack in town. The Jordan cards along with other good ones, Frank Thomas rookies cards and the such, gave me an awesome card folder. But when the gun show came around, there was nothing I wanted more than a 870 express, and I was of course broke. When talking about this to my father, he told me that perhaps I could take my cards to the show and trade with them. I was over the moon, I'd never fathomed that possible! So off we went one Saturday to the armory. We had sloppy joes and brownies as always. I was toting my card folder in my school backpack when we happened across a slightly used but still in the box 870. The price tag said $175. My dad knew the guy, he owned the pawn shop in Arlington SD, just next to DeSmet. I was nervous but told him I had some baseball cards and would like to maybe trade. When he said "Well what do you have there sonny?" I couldn't rip that pack off my shoulders quick enough and I clearly remember how impressed he was when he saw that I had a collection of 13 Michael Jordans, among some other beauties. We were able to make a great deal and I went home with a new remington. Just an awesome experience and great memory, but alas, I think those days are long gone.

 

[eelgrass]

I've never been to a gun show. Isn't that where criminals and gangsters go to buy guns? It sounds kind of sleazy to me.

 

[Zeke]

Way too many gunshow posers for my taste.

All the wannabe paramilitary dudes and the wannabe cowboy gunslingers and the fake patriotism is just too much for me nowadays.

I guess I'm too old to deal with all the sh!t and listen to all the B.S. from guys who know little to nothing about which they spew.

No thanks, the phonies can have at it while I go to the range and actually shoot my guns.

Zeke

 

[feddoc]

I quit liking gun shows a long time ago. I still go, but only to visit the bulk ammo suppliers out of northern CA who helped me out with a bulk sale just prior to an Idaho full auto shoot. I also used to buy (3 visits a year) two cases of mini mags. 10000 rounds of LR heaven.

I still go if only to pick up a case of slugs or 00/000 for my stash.

 

[grizz123]

Referring to me????

 

[grizz123]

I've always loved gun shows, more for the suppport of mule deer than anything. Been years where I"ve spent 1500-2000 between sponsor packages, raffles and tickets. Some years are lower of course just because of income. I love this gun and would love to keep it, but if I can get a REASONABLE offer, then I will take it. If not, I will keep it. Its that basic. I will continue going to MDF banquets, spending money to support mule deer. If I win anything else, great. If not, no big deal.

 

[hank4elk]

I used to go once in a while,but as others have stated I avoid them now.
The guys wanting to retire on a box of ammo alone is too much.Trying to find a halfway decent price for anything is gone.
Throw in the other stated BS & it is the clincher.

I can go to the local store & get ammo on sale & have made some decent trades too.
I could buy one there for tag price and go try and retire too....lol .....BS!

I would rather go try & fill a tag alone.

 

[NiceRack]

I have not attended a gun show in 15 years. As in most of the above posts all you see are sellers trying to retire on one sell. I have found you can get much better deals on either "Gun Broker" or other firearm auction websites.
This (300 Weatherby) seller is caught up in the idea "money is everything". This notion is rampant everywhere.
MY neighbor across the street approached me last week with a truck load of tools to sell. They belonged to his friend that passed away and his wife asked him to "get rid of all the tools" as I was told by my neighbor.
My neighbor asked me to make an offer on anything. I offered $200 for a well used Craftsman rototiller and $200 for a well used Stihl chainsaw, both very fair offers only to be refused and told by my neighbor "she wants $600 for both and its out of my hands". The reality of the situation in my view is that my neighbor has this task of selling the tools completely in his hands. I don't think for a minute the widow has put restriction on anything, i'm sure she is quite busy dealing with the sorrow and loss of her husband.
After the offer I said to my neighbor "you told me she wanted to get rid of the tools, now I see you are trying to make a living selling the tools, thanks but no thanks".
PB

 

[Jagerdad]

You offered $200 for a well used Craftsman rototiller and $200 for a well used Stihl chainsaw. You made, in my mind, an over the top fair offer. I would have only offered $50.00 to $75.00 for each. If I do not need something right now or have not been shopping for a particular item, when someone offers something for sale, I pass unless it is worth accepting the risk.

Recently I was told of a 37 foot Class A RV for sale because the Husband died. They want over $30.000 and I offered to hand them cash of $10,000. They are thinking it over. They don't want to spend time dealing with the sale, they just want it gone. If I don't hear a Yes today, I may back out. Sure, such may be nice but I was not looking for one.

Can anyone that has a 37' RV say how parking out on the road is like...? I have driven Semi's with a Class A but a 37' RV seems big.

Sellers are sellers. The Golden Rule is, the man with Cash, sets the Rules.

 

[YukonDall]

GUN SHOWS ARE ALIVE & WELL HERE IN CLOVIS CALIFORNIA,IN FACT OUR GUN SHOW IS NEXT WEEK. WE LOVE OUR COWBOYS,RODEOS,HORSES,GUNS, ANTIQUE STORES & BARS IN CENTRAL CALI.

LIFE IS GOOD................YD.

 

[Jagerdad]

YukonDall

I have a great friend in your area who makes You Tube Videos under " mannyCa "..... https://www.youtube.com/user/mannyCA
Manny has a Masters Degree in Accounting and is even more frugal than I am. He has Second Amendment videos and others on Gun repairs to endless topics.

He made a video repairing my 44-40 Kennedy few folks know of and other guns. He's been working on loads for two Destroyer Carbines of mine. Another firearm few have heard of. One shoots 38 Super, the other 9mm Bergman.

I am tempted to visit him and "Maybe" come find you and introduce myself, maybe my friend also. Do you have Tables or attend and enjoy yourself...?

The only guns I sorta desire, is an M1 Garand C or D. Maybe a Winchester 1892 38-40, 44-40...? Because you are a MM'ey, I may lay my trust in you and tell myself "I Will Have Fun" whilst clicking my heels like Dorothy

Any others from MM'eys whom live in the area wishing to meet up, give a shout. Oh, YukonDall; Did you mean tomorrow & Sunday or, the following week...?

Jagerdad