Texas International Firearms Festival

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Machineguntony

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Anyone in central Texas going to the Texas International Firearms Festival?

I was told that there would be some silencer dealers there, and that there would be demos available to shoot.

So, I guess no one is going :(
 
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I imagine their target audience is anyone who likes shooting & guns.

"...shoot the latest guns from FN, GLOCK, Taurus, SIG SAUER, Mossberg, Barrett, Beretta, McMillan Firearms, Springfield Armory, Henry Repeating Arms, Armalite, PWS, Underground Tactical and Tracking Point for one low price ($59 for one day, $95 for two days). Guess what? That includes ammo!"​

That's 14 companies with guns available to shoot for anyone who has a ticket. I think I could probably get $60 worth of enjoyment from that.

If I go to a range to try out a bunch of guns, I'm going to pay maybe $15 for the range fee. Then, each gun I rent is going to cost me at least a few bucks--let's say $2 per gun--that's about as low as I can imagine. Rental ranges make you buy their ammo to use in their guns so figure at least another $2 bucks per rental gun. Let's assume you bring your own targets so you don't have to buy any at the range. So after a range trip like that, where you try out 14 different guns, you'd pay about $77 after tax.

Even without getting to try a lot of different guns, just going to the range to shoot a couple hundred rounds of 9mm will cost more than the $59 ticket. 200 rounds of 9mm will run you at least $50 before tax. Throw in the range fee and tax and you're easily over $60.

There is also supposed to be some entertainment provided--at least one exhibition shooter. Also other exhibits--something like a gun show.

Yup, I agree, it sounds like a real ripoff... :D
 
Yeah, if I still lived in Texas I'd gladly pay that much to go. $59 a day, ammo included? That sounds like a great deal to me.
 
It's actually in Liberty Hill which is about 35 miles north and a little west from the center of downtown Austin.
 
I just realized something. There are expecting 5,000 people per day, with dozens of exhibitors. The organizers claim that 30 bays will be available for shooting demos.

I am a member of Best of the West, and they do not have 30 bays. I guess they could have 30 bays if they partitioned or segmented the pistol, rifle, and clays range. 30 bays among 5000 people may be a long wait to demo stuff.

I hope this event is successful and they return every year.
 
I shot a slide fire for the first time.

As an owner of F/A firearms, I was one of those guys who poo-pooed the slide fire stocks, even though I had never used one.

After demoing the slide fire at the TIGFest, my opinion has changed. It is actually a very brilliant idea. Other than for the fact that the slide fire shooter holds the forend in a forward manner, the slide fire replicates full auto fire nearly perfectly.

It is very simple to use, requires nothing more than an explanation (doesn't require practice, if you've ever shot a gun). The slide fire does not require force or strength to shoot; actually a soft touch makes the slide fire work better.

If there is one chance of removing F/A firearms from the 'uncommon and unusual' designation, the slide fire stock will surely help. It truly is full auto for the masses.

 
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I am a big fan of the guys at Silencer Shop. They give the NFA and firearms business a good name. They are friendly, professional, and won't look down on you if you are a firearms newbie. And they have awesome prices.









The main complaint I have about the whole event was that VIP was a bit underwhelming. VIP had two main benefits: catered lunch from 11-2 and closer parking. However, the parking benefit was minimal, as you can see from the pic of the entire parking lot that I posted above. It wasn't much of walk even from the back.

The organizers should have made a VIP line for demos. That would have been worth the price of VIP. The wait to demo items was way too long/slow. Hopefully, next year, they implement the idea of a line for VIPs next year, or else there is really no reason to buy the VIP pass.

I would say the most important thing is to get more exhibitors. It felt a bit empty.

Overall, I really enjoyed it.

It was a first year exhibit, and hopefully next year's is 10x better. We need more of these events in central Texas.
 
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