Gun Shows Again

B

Bucksnort1

New member
Over a period of 25 years or so, I attended many Tanner show and some of the Crossroads of the West show. Last November, I moved to Gilbert, AZ. After the first of the year, I attended a Crossroads show in Phoenix but couldn't walk the entire show because of its size and because of my back. It's easily twice the size of Tanner shows.

I will probably not attend another in Phoenix because before you walk in the door, you're $25 in the red. You pay the entry fee and for parking. I rarely paid at a Tanner show because I worked the show for the Colorado State Shooting Association.

There was a show in Mesa, AZ, which I attended in June. A reasonable entry fee will get you in the door but no parking fee. It's about the size of the old Crossroads of the West show in Denver and a hell of a lot closer than the Phoenix show. Of course, nothing compares to the Tulsa Wannamacher show, which I have never attended.
 
25 bucks is pretty steep.... the largest one we have here in Philly burbs is $10, free parking and upwards of 1500 tables.
 
The show in Salt Lake city have free parking but I believe they are up $12 buck to walk in the door. Prices just aren't that good. If you are looking for a particular hard to find weapon you may be able to find one. It is almost as much fun just to hit some pawn shops looking for a deal.
 
It costs me $11 to go to a gun show; $22 if the kid wants to come with me. Throw in a good pulled pork sandwich and it's closer to $30 for 3 hours of fun-filled entertainment with food for two. Oh, and I might, just might, find a good deal on something or a new doodad that I just can't live without!

Instead, I could choose to watch a movie. I will pay $12/ticket plus about $12/person for crappy food. That would be a total of $48 to watch a 2-hour move which I will likely hate.

All you people who complain about gun shows and the price for attending a large gun show (I acknowledge that some smaller ones are complete rip-offs), please tell me a cheaper form of entertainment which I might find more interesting? The next time the wife takes you to the mall to go purse shopping (if you are ever so lucky) just think how much more fun you could be having at the gun show and how much money you would have saved!
 
$25 for parking and admittance to a gun show? Does that at least include a meal? :p My local show, which admittedly isn't the greatest but does allow me to buy any reloading supplies needed, is free parking and $2 to get in.
 
Five bucks for entrance and three for parking around here at the most frequent gun show.

I have no idea why one would eat gun show food.
 
The last Lakeland Rifle & Pistol Collector's show I went to was several years ago. It cost $8.00 to park in the hall's lot and $12.00 for a ticket in.
I'm sorry to report that this gun show has gone down hill from its heyday in the 1990s.
 
I have no idea why one would eat gun show food.
Click to expand...

The pulled pork sandwiches were the best deal I found at the last show I attended. It's been a while, though. Mostly because the pulled pork was the best deal I found.
 
It's been several years since I've been to a gunshow.. I think I paid 7 to get in.. parking was free.

by the time I left I wish I had the 7 bucks back.. and that happened on more then one occasion.

Im sure there was a gunshow hayday but im to young or live in the wrong area to have ever seen it.

I'll tell you what the gun shows mean to me.

Buy/Sell gold merchants.
Novelty gifts like you'd find at the fair or flea market.
Home made beef jerky (probably the highlight of the show)
Nazi paraphernalia (most of it probably made in china)
Surplus softgoods (not a bad place to buy actually)
Tables full of old guns and parts (ya know the gun junkyard tables)
Tables with new guns from dealers (at prices that make the off sale at the LGS look like a bargain)
Ammo cans.

Most of the time I only came home with ammo cans, It's actually not a bad palce to get them cause you can hand pick them and the prices are pretty decent (or at least was years ago)

surplus softgoods I found good deals.. but it's really best for browsing, If you happen to know exactly what you want.. internet

old gun parts.. ya good place to go but it'll take some luck to find that part you need, Gun broker is easier.. but most costly (usually)

new guns.. well ironically I found gun shows good for everything BUT buying guns, Internet Internet Internet.
Occasionally I'd find a decent deal on a gun at a show, but it was usually something I didn't want.

Best mind set to goto the gun show is with a wad of cash and absolutely no expectations of something specific.

I personally don't have that mind set so I don't goto them anymore unless someone wants to go and I do it just for company/something to do.

Im one of those buyers that when I goto a store I pretty much know exactly what I want already, so if im in your shop and I ask to look at a gun just be quite and hand me the gun cause the sale is 95% done already.
 
Gun shows can be hit or miss, depending on your area.

The large Central FL that I go to a couple times a year is $10 entry fee and free parking. It's normally worth it to go because it is large show with 2 air-conditioned buildings and decent selection. Now that it is a buyer's market again, prices have come down a bit from what I've seen. There are also many local vendors from FL so it is good to support your economy.


Other ones in FL are a bit more and also charge to park. If I have to pay $15 or more (entry and parking), I'll probably stay home. You can use that money to buy ammo instead.
 
TX gun shows usually have excellent prices on new guns, if you go to the correct dealer. Old guns - got to negotiate. Ammo - not good on price. Magazines better than the stores except for GT distributors.

Food is junk - if you want pulled pork - go drive to numerous BBQ places in town.
 
Well a guy can order a gun in his underwear online or put on some pants and walk into a lgs or pawnshop for free.

A $12 movie ticket goes to covering the millions of dollars it cost to make a feature film whereas the entrance fee to a gun show goes to the venue which, in many parts, is a building that is least partially funded by tax payer dollars. Even if it went to the tables I'm already in the hole just for the privilege to look at guns. In 2017 that isn't a good business model.

Half of what I see inside for guns are from local stores that I can go see anytime for free without the crowds and the other half get to leave town the next day after they sell you a product.

I can only speak to the gun shows in my area but the items inside are Always overpriced, there are 2/3 the tables there used to be, and the tables that are there have been transitioning to non firearm related items. I get it, the wife wants something to do too but a gunshow is t going to draw in women like a Macy's or online shopping and not every woman wants to wear camo from head to toe. . The vendors are almost never willing to haggle and try to pass off low quality items as new.

In short, they are not entertaining in my area. I wish....oh I wish that they were. I went to every gunshow for 3 or 4 years hoping with each time things would improve but it always got a little worse.

I did find a 7x30 waters barrel at one gunshow. It was overpriced and I could have gone to eBay to save some money but immediate gratification being what it is took me over.
 
by the time I left I wish I had the 7 bucks back.. and that happened on more then one occasion
Click to expand...
I'm with JoeSixpack! Forget about gun shows. (Or is that fuggetaboutem?)

Many of the sellers are guys who paid too much for what they have and want you to do the same. The "gun show guys" are always there, usually have the same guns as last time (or they've swapped a few with the other gun show guys), and you will see them at the next show a hundred miles away. If you even suggest that their prices are a bit high they will howl like a scalded dog, then come looking for you "to work out a deal" on Sunday afternoon. If you bring a nice piece to trade it's worthless, but once they get it it's a rare treasure! And all the Chinese knives, gold/silver coins, made-in-China "military surplus" (how can it be surplus if it was never military to begin with?), herbal remedies, and dubious quality reloaded ammo just drive me out of there!

As you can no doubt tell, I have given up on gun shows and do my gun stuff shopping on gunsamerica.com, gunbroker.com and auctionarms.com. Those are my gun shows nowadays!
 
I guess I'm lucky that I have some decent shows near me. Yes, they have junk. However, I did find a really awesome Chinese hunting knife a few years ago for $10 with really pretty grips and it's been fine. Lucky, I guess.

We have several decent dealers that have good selections and prices. Yes, there is the junk and sleazy folks.

My favorite was during the Obama panic where I saw a dealer tell some sad sack that he should buy this $2500 Kimber 1911 in camo paint as it was only one of two SOCOM specials made for them and in the USA. He just had one and you'd better get it before the UN came for your guns. Dude bought it and left. Then the dealer brought out another one. Haha!

But if you want a standard Glock, Sig, SW, etc. - you can save about $30 to 50 bucks compared to the best store buys in town (Academy). Much more compared to Cabelas or Bass Pro or most small LGS.
 
From ammo.crafter:

"Where is that Phila burb show?"

The biggest one I think he's referring to is at the convention center in Oaks. They have two or three a year there. They also have a couple per year at the National Guard Armory on Roosevelt Blvd in NE Philly. And every once in a while there'll be one at the Ft. Washington expo center.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top