Are Gun Show Prices That Good?

C

Cuban_Homer

New member
Hi,

I have been saving for my first handgun for a while now. I was considering going to gun shop and taking advantage of their Lay Away program. They give you 3 months to pay it off.

I have other friends telling me that waiting for a Gun Show is where you can get really good prices.

So my question to you guys is, what are the benefits of buying from a Gun Show as opposed to a local gun shop? Do you not have to pay taxes or is there anything special about buying from a gun show?

Also if you have used lay a way program, how did that work exactly? I plan on making a trip to Turners Outdoorsman later today.
 
In my experience, you won't pay tax at gun shows and you will pay less than at a gun shop - negotiations are easier. Many times you are buying directly form the private gun owner, as opposed to paying a 15% profit to a dealer.
That's not to say you can't find a good deal at a pawn or gun shop.
I've never put something on layaway, couldn't advise there.
 
Gun show prices in my area are generally higher than the pricing at the local gun store.

The draw of the gunshow is hoping to find the one perfect deal on that specific gun that you have been looking for,,, usually one that is hard to obtain or no longer in production.

If you are a first time buyer, you would be best served at the gun store, where you can get perhaps better attention and service, since you won't be surrounded by hundreds of pushy people also attempting to get helped.

As to layaway, I haven't used that service, but I would imagine that you put down a percentage and make regular payments towards the gun and pay it off within the 3 months, just like a regular layaway at any other store...

Greg
 
The gun shows are a mixed bag of good and bad, in my humble opinion. If you are experienced, know what you're looking for, and have done your homework, you can find some great deals...occasionally. The big plus for me is the ability to find the widest number of guns, ammo, parts, and beef jerky ;) all under one roof. There are, however, dealers who jack their prices up and prey on the impulse buyers who haven't done their due diligence. My advice is to buy at the gun store for your first purchase. If you have an issue with the gun, you'll have a place to go to seek resolution. Good luck!
 
It depends on what you are looking for and the specifics of your area.

Around here the gun show prices aren't any cheaper than retail stores, but they compensate for that by charging admission and having pretty crappy selection. I don't even bother with them anymore- I don't see any need to pay $2000 for a Bushmaster AR-15, I've seen all the Desert Eagles and Hi-Points I care to, and it's not even fun anymore.

The idea that you find great deals at gun shows comes from private sales- some guy who rents a table to sell off parts of his collection or somebody else who brings a gun to sell/trade. Those are real crapshoots, since you might find a great gun for a low price or you might find mediocre guns whose owners overestimate the value thereof.

You'll likely do better by looking over the for sale section of boards like this one or comparison shopping your local shops.
 
A gun show is what it is. Some of the prices will be inflated, some will be steals. It's a good place to find the unusual gun you won't see in a gun shop, and it's a good place to buy or sell FTF, too.

Several reminders will get you through without being "skint".
1. Know what you want.
"I want a 123."
"Well, I don't have a 123, but I DO have a 234 I can let you have for only $$$."
"Nope."
Stick with your buying plan.
2. Know what you want is worth on the open market. Do some research. If the price is too high, tell the man so and walk. Don't be afraid to make a ridiculously low offer. His price was probably inflated to begin with.
3. Know how to tell minor, normal wear from worn out and abused.
4. caveat emptor always.

Good luck.
 
Ditto to what others have said. Gun shows are 'a shot in the dark' - no pun intended. You never know what vendors will show up, what they'll have, and how their prices will be. I've found some with very decent prices and some with lousy ones. Some vendors will negotiate, other won't. It's always worth a try and a chance to see lots of different guns.
 
Thanks.

Good advice. For my first gun, I probably would feel better getting the full attention of a gun shop clerk as opposed to a guy looking to make money ASAP.

I want a Springfield XDM .40, and I assume most shops have it/can order it.

I really don't want anything rare/unusual. Really love the XD guns (shot at the range) and I also shot 9mm Glock at the range. So basically what I want is nothing that can't be ordered or readily available in stock.

My friend recently bought an XDM on sale at the shop I am going to today.
 
I want a Springfield XDM .40, and I assume most shops have it/can order it.
Click to expand...

One of our local shops usually has one in stock. They're not hard to find. It's a good choice, IMO. I've never shot one, but everyone I've talked to loves it. I've held one and it's a very ergonomic gun. It's reported to be reliable and accurate, and supposed to be "the softest-shooting 40 out there."
 
I have used lay-away to obtain some very nice handguns. That said, the best deals I've found, were on gunshow tables.

Gunshows locally are hit or miss. Lots of overpriced junk, with one or two gems in the entire show. If you know what you are looking for, and what it's actual cash value is, you can make out fairly well. It also depends on whether the seller knows what he has, or is simply very proud of his gun. Pawn shop tables at gunshows are usually the best spot to find nice handguns at low prices, in my experience.

As an example, I picked up a 3" 66-2 with no box or docs this past February for $380 OTD. That particular revolver is worth around $650 actual cash value.

At the next show I found a 3" 64-3 and got it for $320 OTD. It is probably worth $375 - $400 ACV.

I primarily accumulate nice pre lock S&W revolvers. With everyone wanting high capacity semi autos and evil black rifles, I'm seeing alot of very nice revolvers being dumped/traded. So for me, it is a buyers market. Regards 18DAI.
 
That's true. Everyone wants a big capacity semi auto (like me) but I might be better served finding a lower priced revolver and getting a good supply of ammo.
 
Gun shows are ok if you're looking for something unique and you have experience enough to tell whether or not you're looking at junk. There are alot of private sellers willing to stick you and you'll probably never see them again! You're better off buying new from a factory authorized dealer, at least you've got the layaway option and someone who can help return the gun to the dealer in case of warranty issues. And like someone else said; Gun shows are really going down in quantity and quality of what you'll find.
 
You will also come across some very crabby sellers at gun shows, but I've never gone to one that wasn't a great way to kill 2-3 hours - well worth the $6.00 admission. (but I don't go to anything smaller than 500 tables).
 
You can occasionally find a pretty good deal at a gun show. But you really need to know your guns if you are buying used, AND, who you are buying from. The revolver forum has a real good sticky about checking out used revovers. Even then - you can purchase brand spankin' new and get had. I bought a 'new S&W 36PD end of Dec from a large dealer (never had dealt with them before). I didn't look at it real close and in a couple weeks (waited on some CT grips to install before carrying), I got it out to install the grips and noticed the front of the cylinder was flame cut (not bad, but each chamber had a couple small cuts. I politely asked the dealer if he would replace it with a new in box the next time they were in my area and basically got told to fly a kite. Dealer said it was S&W's issue. My thought was, it's supposed to be new - I didn't want a repaired handgun - I paid for new. S&W eventually replaced the handgun just a week ago under a warranty call - but with a new gun (new serial number) because the old one also had frame damage, the crane was bent, and, of course, the flamecutting. The original dealer said this was from the test firing at the factory... and that I needed to "GROW UP!" Lesson learned -- even though something is being sold as brand new - don't count on it and do a real thorough inspection (that is where I failed to perform due diligence) - if the dealer has nothing to hide, they won't care.
 
Typically, gun show prices are higher or the same as what you find at the local stores. I went to a show last weekend (the first in many years), and I saw a lot of overpriced guns, a lot of beat up guns that most stores would not have in the store, a few good deals (not great deals), and a lot of old Winchesters, Mausers, Brownings, Colts and other collector stuff. Not even going to go into all the folks trying to move overpriced AKs, ARs, SKSs. And of course the "rare" Winchesters (they mass produced millions of them, how rare can they be?). Best of the worst: a Ruger Standard Auto 22LR semiauto with a 6" barrel, beat up, bad reblue, for $375. Best deal: a Ruger Mark III 22LR semiauto, NIB, $278. They were about 50 feet away from each other.
 
Gun shows here typically have prices very similar to shops. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. They do usually have a better range of items, though, especially for collectables and the like.

As others here have said, you kinda need to know what you want, and plenty about it, in order for shows be be real helpful. Otherwise you are better off going to the store for better service. I think of all of my collecting/selling, probably 20+ purchases over the years, only 3 or 4 have been at gun shows.

That said, I find shows to be the best place for accessories. There are usually parts, holsters, magazines, speed loaders, etc, gallore, all under one roof. Most of the time I can't find what I need/want for my guns, I just wait and pick them up at the next show for a good price. For example, I couldn't find speedloaders for my S&W 45colt Mountain Gun anywhere; I picked up 2 for $12 at the last show.

As for shop layaway, I've used it a few times. If they don't charge any more for it, its a great way to get things. My shop doesn't charge any more for it, so I use it to buy/reserve rarer finds until I can come up with the cash.
 
The shows in our area are not as good as they used to be for prices and variety. Once it was the show you waited for, as you just knew you could get what you want at quite a reduced price from what the gun shops charged. Now at times they're like the gun shops, not only are their prices not quite so good, they might not have what you want, even though there are many vendors. You can still deal with 2 different vendors, if they both have what you want, and let them vie for your business. I've generally found in the last couple years, though, that there is only one of the particular specimen I'm looking for in the whole building.:( Decision time. Or even worse: "We had one but it sold last night.":mad:

I do like to be there, though.:D
 
Some times you'll get a deal, other times you'll get taken. There is no rule of thumb.

What I would do if I were planning on buying at a gun so is to first, know what you are shopping for prior to going to the show. Shop around at your local dealers and come up with price point for that gun. When you go to the show, see what and how those prices compare. You might get a deal, you might not but it pays to do your homework.
 
Well Looks like no XDM for me...

Well went to a few local spots. One place said you have to put 30% down, and pay it off in 30 days, which is not good at all. Plus they had a very tiny selection.

Another place I went to is the place that told me XDM's were illegal in California, so they don't sell them. They did have an all black XD .40 for $588.

They said that any time they get XD's in stock they have people on a waiting list. So I am thinking I am going to have to buy online and have it shipped to my local shop and pay the $75 fee for transferring it into my possession.

Anybody ever use http://www.discountgunsales.com/?

Any recommendations for buying online?
 
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