Do gun shows have good prices?

My local dealer once told me never buy a used gun at a gun show, that is where they take the turds to dump them.
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That's a danger encountered in buying anything used, not a specific feature of gun shows. Why would someone have sold his used firearm to a local storefront dealer? Probably for all the reasons people have sold guns at shows.

I know that there are good prices to be had at gun shows, because when I decide that a gun doesn't interest me anymore, I see what it will fetch at a show and if someone comes close to a price that doesn't outrage me, it's gone.

I do also see high prices on lots of items. Occasionally, one sees something unusual. For more than a year back in the 1990s, I had my dealer check with Jerry's Sporting Goods for a Marlin Biathlon rifle. It was in the catalogue every month, and every month they said they were still waiting to get it in. It was $450 from the distributor if memory serves. I found a fellow selling one for $375 with the complete sight set, biathlon rail and four magazines. I leapt on it and shot it twice a week for about a decade, and it printed a three inch group at 100 yards with the iron sights just before I sold it.

If your know your interests and keep your budget in mind, a show is just another opportunity.
 
I recently went to the Tanner show here in Denver..HUGE show and it seemed that most NIB prices were at or very slighly below the 'normal' LGS prises..Son wanted a Glock 43, found one for $450..new..about what a LGS sells them for. Reason is was a done deal cuz he gave a GREAT trade-in on my Glock 19..Advantage of a gun show is it's all in one place, a variety of guns and gun dealers.

Spats above has great suggestions. Take cash..cash deals always seem to be less than CC, obviously. The other thing I've found is the BGC 'seemed' to be less $..My son got one for that -43 for $10..a lady in the middle of a group of 4 dealers with a laptop..doing them for them all.
 
Sometimes you can find a good deal but you have to know what you’re looking at and be familiar with prices in your area. When I go to a gun show I very seldom buy anything gun wise unless I find what I call the deal of the day. Those deals are becoming few and far between.
I would look at local gun shops and see what the local guy has to offer. I dealt with one guy near me up until the day he passed and always got a good buy from him. If I purchased a gun from him he always threw in a box of shells and sometimes even a pistol rug, maybe a sling if it was a rifle. He always took care of his customers one way or the other and his shop was always a good place just to go look and shoot the bull! I did business with this gentleman for a lot of years and I sure do miss him, I learned a lot from going there! That’s what a good local shop has to offer once you get to know them!
Good luck with your purchase.
 
Down here in Florida, I usually buy my guns at a gun show. Just recently, I wanted to buy a Ruger LCP2. All the local stores asked for $310 to $350 OTD. I went to a small gun show and found two dealers there who would sell me one OTD for $280.

About what it would have cost me to buy from Buds....
 
I haven't bought a gun at a show. Bought ammo, magazines, and other misc gun-related stuff though.

Just have cash on hand, and know what you are looking for.
 
Wishing you a super Gun-Show day !!!

Keep in mind that you are not dealing with a store named; "GunShow".
You are dealing with individual stores/sellers so deals and dealing will vary. I must confess that I am a Gun-Show groupie and attend most of our shows. Most dealers know me but what's important is that I know them and how they operate their sales. … ;)

One dealer that I do a lot of business with will "always" gives me a good deal on anything he has on his table. ….. ;)

As this will be your first Gun-Show and I know you are going, this info doesn't give you much to work with and that is why I said earlier to do your homework, take your time and be ready to negotiate. Look them straight in the eye, be cordial, ask permission to handle his firearm. If and when you agree on a price, ask him if that is the out-the-door" price? When I buy, I shake his hand and thank him. ….. :)

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
If the price to get isn't to much, GREAT place to walk around, talk to gun guys behind the table, pick their brain... peruse the variety... but as said, at least lately, rare to get a REALLY good deal on NIB guns, so know what you're looking for and know what internet prices are.

As for those NIB guns... I've been known to whip out my iPhone, jump on Bud's or wherever and show the guy (gal) how much less I could get the gun if I just wait a few days for shipping and pay the FFL $30. More than once I've gotten a descent price match that way and could walk away it that day. JUST sayin'
 
The shows I have attended in NY have lots of overpriced everything. I think it important to know specifically what you are after and what you are willing to pay and then stick to it.

Good luck...
 
Guns, not really. Occasional unicorns such as a good deal or a just rare and hard to find gun. More often if you are going to find good deals it is only gear like magazines and what not or reloading components. I don't feel comfortable buying gun show ammo. I like my fingers and guns intact. I rarely buy anything at gun shows because I know the online market and most often it is better. I do enjoy to walk around and see all the variety though.
 
"Look them straight in the eye, be cordial, ask permission to handle his firearm. If and when you agree on a price, ask him if that is the out-the-door" price? When I buy, I shake his hand and thank him. ….."

This is really good advice. I might add, don't lowball. Every person selling a gun at a gun show knows what that gun is listed for or sold for on Gunbroker. You are not going to buy a gun for a price significantly lower than what one sold for on Gunbroker. If it is a private seller, you might be able to get the gun just a tad less than the actual strike price of what one went for on Gunbroker. Seller saves shipping costs, auction fees and gets an easier transaction.
 
I just attended the Big Gun Show in Reno, NV. I came across a Weatherby Deluxe in 300 Weatherby Mag. I know Weatherby's and can decipher a serial number and other markings so I knew what I was looking at. The asking price was 1100.00 which told me something was a little off so I asked the seller if they had a borescope that I could use to check the bore and throat. He said yes and came back with a flashlight. That was not going to work for what I needed to see so I told him that without being able to determine the true condition of the barrel I would be taking a 400.00 risk so the most I would be willing to pay would be 900.00. He said I was crazy and walked away.

That last paragraph, in and of itself, explains the risks of buying a rifle at a gun show. A handgun is quite different because you can check it from top to bottom with out any thing other than your eyes and hands.

That said, if the seller was a reasonably local, in state, Gunsmith or Dealer and I really wanted the rifle, I would have asked if I could put a deposit on it and then go to his place of business with my own borescope and properly inspect it. If he refused that then I would immediately know that he knew the rifle was not worth what he was asking and his odds of getting his selling price from a less knowledgeable person were better at the show than at his shop/store.

Think about what I've said here and keep it in mind when your at the next show. I did not say that all vendors were rip offs but instead told you how to basically know if you are dealing with a vendor who has your best interest in mind.
 
A lot of good feedback from everyone, it's certainly appreciated.

I actually went to my first gun show unexpectedly just yesterday, at the neighboring town's firehall- surprisingly, it was packed the brim, gun shops attending from about a 40-mile radius.

The pistol selection was abysmal, IMHO...though plenty of nice revolvers...a few Pythons for $2000-$3000 :eek:

Picked up a few 25-round boxes of Fiocci 12 ga. buckshot for $10 each.

A lot of nice lever guns...I'd love to have a Henry or Marlin carbine in .357 or .44 mag...

Prices overall seemed to be fair or high, though my buddy and I did get there about two-three hours after it started.

I imagine that it's the same deal as yard sale day- ya snooze, ya looze!
 
Also, from you gentlemen posting about checking firearms properly- that's a great tip.

I've always made it a point to research thoroughly any firearm I know I'm going to purchase, and at least learn how to field-strip it.

I have done this so far to a little $250 Savage MKII, my Walther PPS, and my wife's Sig P938, all of which were bought new.

The one time I didn't do it was for a Remington 870 "tactical"...after three or four slugs out of the 18" cyl-bore barrel, I noticed a hairline crack just next to the front bead sight...extending about a half inch down the length of the barrel.

Tough to say if it was like that when I bought it :confused: though an email to Remington customer service did end up in a somewhat timely (and free) barrel replacement.
 
My experience here in Kansas has been that most prices are at or maybe slightly below MSRP on a new firearm at a gun show. The exception sometimes is when a dealer runs a "Show Special", like maybe that particular dealer has 20 Beretta 92FS pistols and just wants to liquidate some inventory. That's how I got my M9A1, paid $400 out the door. Haven't seen one since for less then $600.

The other exception is with used or milsurp firearms. Seems like every once in a while you'll come across a guy who just wants some cash and is willing to make a deal. Or, even more rare, is the guy who doesn't know what he has. For example a guy with a Finnish M39 who wants to sell it as a Mosin 91/30 for $125.

My $0.02
 
"4. Take cash. It has more bargaining power than anything else."

How very true. At one show a fellow had two S&W J frame .38 Spl. on his table. Asking price was $275 for the M60 and $300 for the Airweight. Show was about to close so I casually offered $400 for the pair, thinking he'll probably say no. He said, "Cash?" I said. "Yes." He said, "DONE!" Couldn't whip the money out fast enough. That M60 has been my carry piece for some time now.
Cash money talks.
Paul B.
 
Not really, not when you consider the amount of time you'll be there, the entrance fee, parking fees, travel time to get there and back.

Unless you consider $1200 for a Ruger Old Army a good price, then no, prices at gun shows aren't "good."
 
You have to know the value . . .

Commons sense says you have to know the retail value of the gun, both new and used. And if you are buying used you be able evaluate the condition. I've gotten several good deals at gun shows, but I knew the retail value of the guns I was looking for.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
I have it in mind that good prices may be just around the bend as fellas need to sell luxury items to pay their taxes.

There was a widespread screwup this year and many many people didn’t have enough money withheld; for the first time many people find themselves needing to pay rather than getting money back.

I’m keeping my powder dry.
 
As my ex-wife said (I hate when she is right) about the lotto, if you don’t play you can’t win. I don’t go to as many as I used to but you’re lucky if you find one great deal a year. I’m talking guns, not ammo or primers for $2 less than usual. Last was a S&W k-38 which I wasn’t even looking for but ran across one in pristine condition for a good price. It wasn’t so much the price that sold me but the condition. Just don’t see them like that very often.
 
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