1. Carry Cash (enough to buy anything you think you might potentially be interested in). Bring the $450 limit you mentioned (plus a little more).
2. Bring your S&W as trade material. You've already indicated dissatisfaction with the trigger...trade it in on something you would rather have. You should be able to get ~$350 or more allowance towards something else (perhaps a 1911). $350 plus your $450 "boot" gets you into a potential $800's worth of buying power. Naturally, your weapon should be clean, unloaded, secured in its original case, have all accessories present, and be cleared/inspected by the security officers at the door. Walking around the show with a small day pack and your visible gun case tucked under your arm will engender several queries from vendors. Usually someone behind the table will simply say..."What ya got there?". This indicates an interest on the part of the dealer/vendor to buy or trade. Don't be shy. Haggle. Let the vendor know which of their displayed wares you are interested in.
3. Ohio is a funny place (I lived there a few years ago). Some vendors will function as FFLs and conduct NICS check. Some operate as "Private Collectors" selling their collection on a cash & carry basis with no paperwork. Don't be suprised in either case. You may notice other folks walking around carrying cased firearms. Ask them what THEY have for sale or trade. You can always do a face-to-face private sale (although local law or gunshow rules may require you to take completion of your sale/trade out to the parking lot, off the site, or have you arrange to meet at a later time/place). Normally not a huge issue. Few gunshows anywhere in the country allow customer-to-customer transactions inside the venue. Vendors have to pay for their tables. It's a breach of etiquette to conduct cash business transactions in front of folks who have paid to turn a profit for the weekend. Take any privately agreed to deal out to your automobile, conduct your buy/sell/trade, and return into the show to enjoy the rest of your time. I normally exchange drivers license info with the person I am buying from. You can even write up a brief bill-of-sale if that makes you comfortable. "I, so-and-so, sold/purchased/traded handgun "X", serial # "XXXX", to/from "so-and-so", of this
OHIO address, on this date, for $XXXX". Most shows stamp your hand when you pay entry fee, allowing you to leave/re-enter as often as you like. Most shows have their rules posted at the show entrance and usually have have an information table at the entrance. Someone will be sitting there who can answer your questions about what is allowed and what isn't. It's a gun show and you are not a criminal. Simply ask what the rules are concerning private face-to-face sales (if you are not sure).
4. Of the guns you mentioned as under consideration in your link, any would be nice. I think you would be especially pleased with the Taurus PT92. It's a value-based sleeper, very reliable, and (IMHO) every bit as good as the Beretta 92 it's patterned on.
5. Most of what everyone else has already posted is true, but I'll be the dissenting voice when it comes to prices and what you might find. I rarely attend a show where I don't come home with some kind of a good deal. I occasionally pay a bit too much for something I really want, but we are talking relative "small change" in the scope of things. The beauty of gun shows is that there is a huge selection to peruse and everyone is in competion with each other. This encourages a certain amount of haggling/bartering to occur.
6. Gun shows are prime hunting grounds for deals on good USED guns.
7. My prefered technique upon entry to the show is to go get a walk around cup of coffee, take a deep breath, and do one or two quick circuits of the floor. I ignore every new gun I see and focus strictly on scanning for used weapons in nice shape. It's like looking for gold nuggets in a stream bed or Easter Eggs in a meadow. Scan, look, note price, and keep moving. Have in mind the top three or four models you are looking for and look for those first; ignore everything else (unless you decide you just have to buy beef jerky
). You can spend the rest of the day comparing prices on brand new guns (of which there will be numerous overpriced examples). The last afternoon of the gunshow is usually the best time to get a vendor to drop prices on anything. They need to turn a profit for their weekend efforts and will sometimes be more inclined to deal if business has been slow. On the other hand...most desireable models at decent prices will have already dissappeared by the end of the show.
8. ENJOY the show. It's fun. Relax and browse. If you find what you are looking for...great. If not...you enjoyed a great opportunity to inspect and talk about a lot of guns while seeing how shows actually run. Buy some beef jerky
.
Hope this helps.
