Overheard at gun show

C

chaz12

New member
I happened to be standing at the same table where this transaction took place.

The buyer looked at a large revolver with a 6 inch barrel and decided to buy it. After making the purchase and handing the vendor his money, a brief conversation ensued.

Buyer: "What size of bullets does it take?'
Vendor: "It's a .22 caliber"
Buyer: "Is that good for home defense?"
Vendor: "Sure, it's good for home defense. It's good for anything you want to use it for"

We might disagree with the choice of caliber for home defense, but I would have thought the buyer might have at least asked the questions before he bought the pistol. Since he had so little knowledge of firearms, I am also left wondering how he happened to choose that particular weapon out of the many that were on the table.

Chaz
 
"A fool and his money are soon parted"... would be the first old chestnut that applies, the fact that it took place at a gun show isn't all that relevant.

The conversation, with a few adjustments for specifics could have taken place at a car dealership. Buyer looking at a used Camaro...

Buyer: "What size is the engine?'
Seller: "It's a 350"
Buyer: "Is that good for gas mileage?"
Seller: "Sure, it's good for gas mileage. It's a "small block".

:D
 
Ha ha, Yeah, this baby gets 25 mpg.
So what. The guy spends his money like he wants.
Sure it's a dumb way to do things, but he's not me.
I think, probably he will never shoot the gun. Just put it in a drawer somewhere in the house and never take it out.
Until something goes wrong, and then it will be better than nothing.
I don't get the impression that this guy was Rambo. Not everybody is Rambo.
dc
 
I'm wondering since you seem so concerned why you didn't man up and explain it to the guy, where he could have a chance in getting what he seemed to want and need. I would have told the guy as to educate him and the salesman to; first of all the guy didn't know and the one sure way to turn him against the gun world is to get screwed by a shyster salesman. secondly as to let the salesman know some people wont let him take advantage or others and maybe he would think about me the next time he thought about doing that.

If you were standing beside a cliff and you heard some one tell an other ... sure its safe to jump off the cliff the water is deep, when it was shallow would you just stand there and let it happen and run to your computer and talk about it?
 
If you were standing beside a cliff and you heard some one tell an other ... sure its safe to jump off the cliff the water is deep, when it was shallow would you just stand there and let it happen and run to your computer and talk about it?
Click to expand...

Probably because we're not talking about anything remotely close to that magnitude. Sometimes people like to mind their own business when it's not a critical issue.

Many a threat has been stopped with a 22LR handgun. It's far from being defenseless.
 
That gun will go into a drawer by the bed along with 50 rounds of ammo and never see the light of day.

*shrugs*
 
It will reappear at a gun show. At a local show in 2008 during the panic, I saw a clueless gentleman pay 2500 bucks for a special Kimber 1911 that was made for special forces. The dealer had the only one that got in civilian channels in the USA. Wow - after it was sold and the guy waltzed out the door, the dealer put out another one.

Don't forget the guys selling Black Talon rounds that were banned by the UN.

A guy tried to sell me a 22 mag revolver has it could shoot 22 LR and 22 mag, like a 38 and 357.
 
That's pretty funny Glenn, probably happens all the time. Attach "SF" to the name and that's worth at least $500. :D
 
Oh, I assure you it does happen all the time. Some gun dealers make used car salesmen look like the Better Business Bureau.
 
I have a .17 HMR revolver with a 6.5" barrel. Has a good reflex sight on top of it.

Its purpose is not a home defense weapon, its purpose is to kill squirrels... That being said, If I can drop a squirrel from more distance than a domestic situation involves, a home invader is a much larger target at a closer distance.

I wouldn't use a .22 LR for home defense unless I just sort of had one loaded and handy at the time.
 
One of the most obnoxious parts of going to a gun show is the legion of know-it-alls that insist on showing off what they think they know at every opportunity on every aspect of guns. It's a problem in gun shops too. Intruding on a conversation is very bad manners unless something dangerous or outrageously dishonest is about to happen or be set up, otherwise what's said is no one else's business. I finally quit going to gun shows because of too much uninvited commentary from intruders, trying to say everything they know about what I was discussing with someone else in an effort to sell themselves as an expert which they weren't.
 
I here all kinds of stupid things said at gun shows. Usually its the people browsing around looking at guns, but sometimes sellers too. I don't even raise an eyebrow anymore.

Sellers bank on stupid people to make their day. For example, I was looking at a 1911 mfg in 1918 - it was in ok condition - lots of 1911's made that year in that condition. This one would sell for about $950.

So, I asked him "how much"?
Seller said "$2,300 - I know, that price is ridiculously high, but I'll take offers".
Me "Thanks, nice gun, but I want to look around the show a little before making offers". No sense in being mean - but I'm just not going to waste my time.

In fact, it's all part of the fun and entertainment as far as I'm concerned.
 
Everyone is jumping on the seller as a scumbag taking advantage of a clueless buyer. I don't see that the seller did anything wrong. Man walks in, sees a gun, buys it. THEN AND ONLY THEN does he ask questions.

As far as I'm concerned, the buyer picked up a gun he liked, for whatever reason, and bought it. This is called "impulse buying" and it's why the grocery store puts candy bars at the checkout counter.

The buyer asked if the gun was good for home defense and the seller said yes, it's good for anything you want to use it for. Basically, this is true. Would a 12 ga shotgun be BETTER for home defense? Maybe, but as Brian pointed out, "Many a threat has been stopped with a 22LR handgun. It's far from being defenseless."

If that gun ends up in a dresser drawer, fine. I hope he never needs it and it stays there forever. But that's no reason to bash the seller who is there to sell guns.
 
A 22LR revolver is not "good for anything you want to use it for". Sure, you could kill a whitetail with it, if you stuck it in his ear first (not good for deer hunting, illegal in some places); it would be pretty difficult to shoot crows with it if they were airborne (shotguns are good for birds aloft, bullets aren't so much), it might pass as a hammer maybe for one use as a hammer, but Stanley et al make things that are good for use as hammers, handguns aren't good substitutes for them; Craftsman makes things that are good for making small diameter holes in something; if making the hole is the intent a handgun isn't always good choice; if you want to discipline a dog that misbehaves, using a handgun would be a sure way to stop bad behavior, in fact it probably would stop ALL behavior but that's not good, a good choice would be a stern voice and positive reinforcement of good behavior...

If the seller had stopped with "It's good for home defense", there could be some legit argument. "Good for anything you want to use it for" is a bit too flippant and condescending to excuse the seller from being disrespectful of the purchaser.
 
In the normal context of human conversation it's generally understood that most statements are not limitlessly literal.

Saying that a firearm is good for anything you want to use it for does not imply that it would make a good rocket to go to the moon, that it would be good for pounding nails or even necessarily that it would be good for everything firearms related.

That's just Internet silliness looking for a reason to argue.

The hearer/reader of the words is sometimes responsible for inserting the proper context. We all know this and we all do both sides of that equation every day.

Implied context is everywhere. Without it, we couldn't even make statements like "A 30-06 is a fine deer cartridge." without adding a bunch of lawyer-like qualifiers like "with proper bullet choice, within 800 yards, if the shooter is capable..." Those things are implied, in the ordinary course of conversation.

Acting otherwise is silly.
 
That gun will go into a drawer by the bed along with 50 rounds of ammo and never see the light of day.
Click to expand...

If the buyer has no interest in target shooting, and only wants it for defense, the above sounds like a pretty good turnout to me.

Personally, I will go to a show to buy only after I have done my own research and made a decision about what I want. At the very least, I manage to narrow it down to caliber if not make/model.

Firearms are very much like buying cars or even collecting sports memorabilia, stamps, or what have you. It is in the consumer's best interest to know what he is doing.
 
No, I wouldn't use one for HD, but. . .

Better than a sharp stick, a knife, pepper spray, bare fists, a 2X4, a baseball bat....etc...etc...etc...

I'm gonna beat a dead horse here.... How many here knows that some 40gr 22LR LRN cartridges from a 6 inch barrel carry about the same muzzle energy as a 38 Special range round from a snub or a .380 practice round from pocket pistol like a LCP or a P3AT? It carries more energy than most 32ACP from a 3" barrel.

Are there better options, of course. I sure as heck wouldn't rely on a 22LR for HD but from a 6" or longer barrel it's MUCH better than nothing and about the same as some cartridges from shorter barrels. Gotta keep in mind that it's a revolver, too.

I'm being 100% serious here. I would rather have a quality 9 shot 22LR revolver with a 6 inch barrel and hot loads than a 5 shot 38 Special Snub with wadcutters for HD - NOT that I would have either as a 1st choice.
 
"Good for anything you want to use it for", said in answer to questions that include "What size bullets does it take?, ought to have revealed to the seller that it's a novice he's dealing with, probably someone who hasn't previously been involved with guns but wants to begin using a firearm for home defense, not a new event these days. Common decency ought to have prompted the seller to explain the pluses and minuses of a .22 LR revolver (or any gun) for home defense when the buyer revealed that's what it was for and tacitly admitted he didn't know if it was appropriate for that use, instead of condescendingly dismissing him as beneath consideration and not worthy of being informed, but taking his money anyway. To do less than that is to represent guns and gun enthusiasts poorly and to ill serve those who wish to join us.

While an arrogant intrusion by a know-it-all is offensive, the seller, if he was interested in more than just making money, ought to have offered at least a little advice or information on home defense with a gun instead of a dismissal since it seems clear to me that the buyer was looking for information- doing his research, in other words.

The seller's response is, to me, just another example of the know-it-all arrogance that's so offensive, that looks down on those who aren't as informed or experienced and so gives condescending answers to honest questions, thereby reaffirming to the arrogant that he is truly a world-class expert because he's smarter than this rube, and
acts to preserve his elevated status.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top