Gun Shows...what's the point anymore?

S

smokehouse4444

New member
Just a small rant here. I used to frequent gun shows a bit, but doing so has been on a big decline for awhile now. The last two times I have gone to the local gun show (San Antonio and Dripping Springs, Texas), I ended up leaving with the idea that I won't be coming back. Why?

I generally went to gun shows to try to find some good deals on a firearm. Used to be you could do that. Nowadays, it's almost all businesses that have anywhere from "normal" prices, to outright outlandish prices. The point being, I can go to any gun store, Cabela's, Academy, etc... any day of the week and find these same guns for the same price...or better, without paying a $5 to $10 entry fee. I think at this point gun shows are really for people that don't know what they are doing, or don't know a thing about the prices for certain firearms.

My wife kinda chuckled today when I said I was going to stop by the gun show in Dripping Springs, Texas...just down the road from me. I thought I'd give it one more chance. Same show, same stuff, same outcome. I left thinking that I won't be going back again. I walked around, looking at the humorous t-shirts, overpriced ammo, stun-guns, and stickers...then headed for the guns. I looked at a new Taurus TCP (I just bought one). They had it on sale for $50 more than I could go to Cabela's any day and buy one. I have been hankerin' for a certain SIG P238. Saw one on the normal "gun business" table and thought, man, the cash in my pocket is going to burn right through. I asked if that was the bottom line price, and the guy just sneered like he had poop under his nose and lightly nodded his head...obviously too irritated to actually speak. I wondered again,if we couldn't work on that price a bit, and he just looked at me with contempt. I just laughed and patted my money-filled pocket, said OK, and walked on.

Again, why would I go again? I could find the same guns for the same prices in any of 10 places in a 10 square mile area, and that's not including pawn shops and the like...and not pay money to get in.

OK, thanks, rant over.
 
If I want tactical beef jerky or counterfeit WWII memorabilia, gun shows are my go-to venue. Problem is, I don't want that stuff.

Prior to the internet, most gun retailers got MSRP or more for their wares. I could do better on pricing at the gun shows. Service? Advice? Forget it. That's like asking for technical expertise at the outlet mall. I had to know what I was looking for, and what kind of price would be fair.

The internet changed all that. Brick/mortar retail prices plunged, and new guns weren't really any cheaper at the shows.

So, I went there looking for good deals on used guns and accessories. Then that started chanigng. $10 en-bloc clips? No thanks. Wanna buy some tactical tinfoil to shield my house from the EMP attack that's coming any day now? Nah, I'm good.

Then the 2008 election happened. Get your 30-round AR-15 mags BEFORE THE OBAMA GUN BAN ONLY $99! Wife needs a first gun? Howza bout a Carbon-15 with a laser pointer glued on? Only $2999 GET IT BEFORE THEY TAKE THEM ALL.

Yeah...no.

Over the last few years, I've stopped in at a couple of the local shows. It's only gotten worse. Most of the used guns are deplorable specimens rejected by retailers, and anything "collectible" is priced out of reason.
 
You guys are talking about the kind of gun shows I don't visit a lot. I can occasionally find some things I like (barely used Pachmayr grips for cheap, small lots of brass or old pistol reloading die sets for low money) but it's not too often I can find a deal on guns at them.

I would suggest that part of your problem seems to be that you are looking at new guns of current manufacture... not sure why you ever WOULD expect those to be some kind of a savings over a volume dealer.

The kind of gun show I simply refuse to miss is a private, member's only show that is held every other month. Last time I went... I sold two and bought three. All three were at a darn fine price and I'd bet just about anyone reading would have been happy with had they been looking for similar guns.

Of those three, this one was the royal gem:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=560352
 
No point really especially when you can buy the same stuff on line and sometimes at a better price,heck even my LGS sells to me cheaper but I do like to go once in a while(once a year)and take my boys so they can buy something cheap and I like to see what the leather shop has plus see folks I haven't seen in a bit other then that no point to really go.
 
The shows around here are pretty decent. You can virtually always beat the local store prices--in fact even the vendors with local stores usually have significantly lower prices at the shows than at their permanent locations.
 
What keeps me trying is called "Variable-rate reinforcement".

I go six times and it's either; "ho hum" or "can't believe that price".

Then, a dealer is willing to accept one of my safe-queens in trade and I go home with a georgeous K-22 for 2 Benjamins difference.

I'm hooked.
 
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The gun shows around here run from decent to damn good.
Yes, there are some with beef jerky, and other items for sale, especially items made by the Amish folks.

I have learned, as in Tulsa, to follow the young sweet thangs, in tight jeans, as they seem to always know where the S&W Revolvers are located. :D
 
Slowly it's turning back.

The worst of the panic is over now.

I remember the situation in the run up to the 1994 "assault weapons" ban. Gun stores and gun shows went ape with price jumps.

It took time, but things settled out.
 
Gun shows in VA are almost entirely focused on tactical gear, ARs and auto pistols. I did get a good price on an LC9s, about $30 less than any online source, but I paid $10 to get in the door. There usually are a couple reloading vendors, so I usually pick up some brass. Primers and powder are way overpriced. Some of the ARs were priced below LGS prices. The shows are well attended...
 
My problem with gun shows is this.....I'm a gun person who's not really like other gun people. So the last thing I want to do is go hang out at a place that A) Charges you to park....B) Charges you to get in......C) Charges a premium price for average quality stuff.....and D) Is frequented by a large number of folks that I have very little in common with except for our interest in firearms. Not to mention that I have no interest in tactical hang-ons for AR's, Chinese garbage scopes, knives, beef jerky or a myriad of other things that populate these venues.

I came to these realizations probably 10 or so years ago....I've often wondered how long it would be before the bottom fell out.....it still hasn't and it only continues to get worse so I see no reason to change my mindset.
 
Went to one in Tyler yesterday and it was about as rediculous as usual. Used scopes and guns at or above new retail prices. What really cracks me up is the guys behind the tables texting someone and ignoring everyone standing across the table from them.
I set up tables years ago and always did a brisk business....as I treated people with respect and dealt fairly. I always had repeat customers and made a lot of friends.
 
I go to a few of the smaller local ones.
Not to buy a gun and I quit buying powder at them.

I look at the guns and hold a few I may have an interest in.
What I am looking for are smaller sellers with some stuff I may want and not allot of others are looking at.

Last one I went to.
I grabbed a LEE Auto Prime 2 for $15. Been looking for three years for one.
150 pounds of #2 lead ingots for .75 a pound.
Plus I picked up 150 Primed but not loaded 8mm Mauser brass ( Berdan primed) for $15

So there are deals, Just have to peruse a bunch of junk to find them.
What the heck a Sat in Feb. What else have I got to do.
 
The shows ain't what they used to be, for sure.
Mostly it was individuals selling their own personal stuff that made shows attractive.
New guns and gear from dealers can't really vary in price by all that much.
And their used inventory necessarily has a lot of profit in it.
In our area, the cost of tables, and the requirement for liability insurance, have just about run regular folks away.
So the main reason to go to a show is to be able to shop lots of dealers in one place.
Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of reason to go.
 
There's only one major show in this area, held twice a year and promoted by my pistol club. I have gone several times and find that my experiences are the same as mentioned by many others on this thread. The last time I went was right after I had bought a new Ruger LC9s at a local sporting goods store, and then saw an older, used LC9 (an inferior gun in my opinion due to the better trigger on the newer striker model) at MORE than I had just paid for a new 9s. And while I don't want to sound like some elitist snob, I find that the crowd at the gun shows is very much as others have described and not the kind of folks I particularly want to associate with. I just don't feel much kinship with the collectors of Nazi memorabilia, or the doomsday preppers, or the obvious mall ninja types. In recent years I also went on the hope of buying some hard to find ammo, like 22LR at inflated but acceptable prices and either found none or the prices were far above acceptable (like $10 for a box of 50 22LR).
 
"What keeps me trying is called "Variable-rate reinforcement".

I go six times and it's either; "ho hum" or "can't believe that price".

Then, a dealer is willing to accept one of my safe-queens in trade and I go home with a georgeous K-22 for 2 Benjamin's difference. PsyFly"




This^^^

I think this is what keeps me going back about once a year or so. In fact, there is a small part of me that says to go back and try again towards the end of the day to see if they might come down a bit on that little SIG. Foolish thinking more than likely.

A couple of decades ago, I would go to the show up in the Dallas area, and I loved'em. Even here in the Austin area a few years back the shows were pretty good. You could find some good deals on ammo and firearms. The shows I have been to in the last few years, though, have all been the same. Whether it is the huge show in San Antonio or the smaller shows in Dripping Springs, it is the same as most have described earlier. Boring waste of my time and money. Sad. I hope Mike Irwin is correct, and they start getting back to what made them good to go to in the first place, but I won't be holding my breath.
 
JohnKSa

The shows around here are pretty decent. You can virtually always beat the local store prices--in fact even the vendors with local stores usually have significantly lower prices at the shows than at their permanent locations.
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Plan to move back to the DFW area. Grew up there. The entire metroplex area is the gun show capitol of the world. You can go to a gunshow almost every weekend. Prices were always best at the shows.
 
chiefr said:
Plan to move back to the DFW area. Grew up there. The entire metroplex area is the gun show capitol of the world. You can go to a gunshow almost every weekend. Prices were always best at the shows.
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Agreed. We have two major and about 6-7 minor gun show circuits. Better prices, but accessory selection is starting to be limited in all but one circuit.
 
The shows aren't what they used to be. I don't want to go to a show to pay retail for a gun, I don't want to pay taxes on a gun at a show and I sure don't want to fill out any paper work at a gun show. It used to be individuals selling some guns they had. Now a lot of sellers are retail stores or somebody with a FFL. I mainly go to the shows to look for brass anymore. The beef jerky people, popcorn people, and the guys trying to sell you a training course on how to shoot your guns, they are just another annoying person that makes it harder to go back to the show again.
 
Gun Show

Just because you are at a gun show, doesn't mean all prices are lower than anywhere else. Buying guns and reloading components at shows is like anything else. You must do your homework and shop around a bit. I don't like seeing the jewelry dealers and those selling miracle creams that fight crime, cure cancer and remove unwanted hair.

I attend the Tanner Show (Denver) two to four times each year. I usually don't buy guns there because I have a favorite gun store near my home where prices are as low as I find at the shows (that goes for reloading components too). The attraction for me falls in three categories.

First, my favorite vendors are the ones who have everything from firing pins to hand held nuclear weapons. I love digging around these tables looking for something I can't live without and sometimes, you don't know you can't live without it until you see it. These people will dicker, now and then. One technique that works, now and then, is to do what the dudes on American Pickers do. They bundle a few items then make an offer on all.

The second reason is, it's worth the price of admission just to see so much "stuff" in one place. If I want to see the number and variety of guns without going to the Tanner show, I would have to spend an entire year going to every gun store in most of the western states.

Finally, when I look around the show and see so many guns and gun transactions, I think to myself, "thank God for the second amendment."
 
I like to go to gun shows to be able to see and touch a firearm I have intentions of purchasing. Then when I’m convinced it’s what I want, I buy from the place that offers the best deal. It may be at the show, it may be elsewhere. Sure, I’m taking advantage of someone, but it’s what I do. I rarely buy on impulse. I usually study what I want, sometimes for months. Then it may take weeks to find the best deal. I guess I don’t need any more guns, I want them, and I take my time in choosing.

There’s still good deals to be found at gun shows if you are patient. For example, I wanted a mouse gun for carry. I decided on a Taurus PT22PLY. Prices in my area ranged anywhere from $285 to $315. I found one at a gun show for $200. The dealer told me a lady put $100 down on it, he ordered it, then she backed out of the deal. So I got it for what was left of the price.

Also, when the mood strikes me, I have a bit of fun “jabbing” the dealers that are way over priced. Makes me laugh deep down inside when I can prove to a dealer at a gun show that I can buy a gun on his table elsewhere for 25% less than he’s asking. I must have a “dark side”?
 
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