Buying at the local gun show

A

AC's & 45's

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For me the show part of the gun show is about it.

I am sick of everybody in the place trying to stick it in and break it off in me.

I know everybody has to make a living. But I have to live too.

A $299 Systema Colt is not automatically worth $450 just because somebody drags it to a show. Way, way ...way too
many examples to list. I can only imagine some of these people making one or two sales a year especially at those prices.

Some of these people could take a pro con artist to the cleaners.

Odds and ends is about it for me at the shows. But, I am always on the look out for a deal that my wallet can handle. That must be the main reason why I still pay my four bucks just to look.
I deal with a freind / small shop owner who doesn't try to bend me over. He just wants to sell guns. I have taken him quite a bit of business besides mine too!

:barf: :barf:
 
2 weeks ago I went to the Crossroads of the west..in UT. Same
thing...holy s*#t. Used Kahrs for 500 + $..same gun around the
corner at a pawn shop for 350.$ out the door. Its absurd..I do
the same thing, go to browse and run across a deal...if you are lucky. But the coolest part is seeing and playing with all kinds of
guns. Shoot well
 
I agree with the gist of your message.

But the Systema price you cited is NOT a good example.

The prices shown in Shotgun News {CDNN?} are dealer/FFL prices, and you need to expect to pay a bit more if you buy it from a dealer.

You could always get a Curio & Relics FFL and bypass the middleman. (At least for the Systema.)
 
I agree with you 100%, this past weekend at the gunshow at the Coliseum a dealer had an entire table dedicated to S&W 645's. They looked like they've served in the army of some foriegn power. To say they were scratched would be an understatement, and the grips were so smooth it was unbelievable. What was even more unbelievable was the price, the guy had them all marked at $650 and he would not budge at all on the price. The funny thing is, when I went back Sunday, he still had them all on the table, and it looked like he wasn't in that great a mood. I approached him and started chatting, we eventually got around to the price marked and I told him 3 isles over a dealer was selling 4506's that looked near mint and he was only asking $525 for them, this was when he told me, sort of embarrassed, that he paid $600 each for the Smith's.
What I'm sayin is sure, some dealer's think gun show patrons are rubes and will buy anything, other's aren't and the majority of dealers I've met are decent.
 
he told me, sort of embarrassed, that he paid $600 each for the Smith's
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Poor soul.:( That is highly unusual, IMO. I mean, for a dealer to get duped like that.

I walk and check the entire show, forward and back, taking mental note of whatever interests me. The asking price is just a starting point. Usually, the person with the lowest tagged price on what I want is where I will return first. Unless, of course, I see an unusually low price on something not particularly common. Then, it's probably a good idea not to let it slip through your fingers( For example, an S&W .22 revolver for $200).
 
I go to gunshows to get reloading components that are too expensive to ship. These are mainly lead bullets for my Kimber .45 and gunpowder for all cartridges that I use. I have yet to find a gun, magazine, holster, or any other shooting accessory that I haven't found a cheaper source for from an Internet dealer such as CDNN Investments.

I don't mind someone trying to make a buck, but I'm not a rube and I have too many other people to support as it is. The way to get my business is to provide the best value at the best price. I haven't found a gunshop in town that would guarantee any firearm that I buy, they all point to the manufacturer's warranty. I don't have any problem with that, but then I don't know what value they are providing to make it worth the extra $100 to go through them. Buying at a gun show makes it even less likely that the dealer is providing some type of service after the transaction.

If I have something that needs work outside of a warranty, a gunshop will do it regardless of how I acquired it, and I guess that's how they will make some money off me.

We all enter into these transactions voluntarily and it just makes sense to do a little research on the alternatives before you buy.
 
Gun shows have everything. Sure, there are the idiots asking 2x what something is worth, but there are also the folks who make their money on volume, and offer the best prices anywhere. I have found a better deal on anything firearms related outside of a gun show.
 
Most of my time at show any more is spent chasing down people walking around. Couple of Medina shows ago a "kid" brings in a M1 Garand that was left to him by his Gran Dad, sold it for the $250 he was asking. Rifle was in VERY GOOD shape.

I agree that many dealers try and stick it to you, but that can make for better deals. After being offered $250 for a S&W 629 by a dealer, the $325 you offer looks good to the average joe.

The shows are still a great place to pick up surplus ammo, web gear, knives and the like. Just getting harder to find any deals on at tables.
 
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