Va Beach Gun show a bust for C&R stuff

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Doc Hoy

New member
Plenty of knives, jewelry, leather stuff. The paraphernalia vendors outnumbered the firearm vendors. One lady was giving out free back rubs to get you to buy her stuff.

Ammunition was plentiful.

Mac's Reloads generally has a line of a dozen folks. Today it was, "Step right up." He actually had time to stand a talk.

Same story at Georgia Arms and Ammunition.

I was able to park in the first row.

Came home with about sixty bucks worth of 9mm FMJ bullets.
 
A couple more gun shows like that and maybe the sellers will stop being so proud of their wares, and start negotiating... !
 
Good point, Noel.

Prices were too high. Minimum for a fair condition bicycle revolver was 150.00.

Lugers started at 2250.00

I came close to e CZ 50 with two clips and a holster for 300.00 but I thought better of it.

I was trying to trade off a trapdoor but nobody was interested.

Disappointing show.
 
Haven't seen a table with more than two or three C&R items on it for some time, and nothing with what I would term a fair price. Seems some vendors just add the table rent to the price of every rifle and keep on doing it for each show.

Trading seems to be between collectors now, the vendors won't do it unless what they get is much more special than what they want to trade.

I know there are bargains and goodies out there, but it's scarcer now.
 
Last show in Birmingham was like that. Barely spent an hour there. I purchased some bullets and powder just to justify the admission cost. I have found a few bargains in the last year, but most are way overpriced. I took a very collectable K98 to a show to sell/trade a few years ago. It was a very frustrating experience and was never offered more the 1/2 my asking price. I asked one guy why he was offering such a low price since it was much nicer than other rifles he had on his table. He told me he was trying to cover his table fees and business was slow.

If you were in the market for an AR, there were lots of deals out there!

TK
 
At most of the recent shows....

There has been an ample supply of Mosin Nagant surplus. I did not see even one at the VaBeach show.

It is true that there was a show in Va Beach about a month ago and the market may be saturated.

Maybe that is it.
 
2250$ for lugers....geezus.

so, how much is the market for mosin's these days? I know if they back down to the 125 mark I need to jump on a couple more. last I saw any for sale they were 200$ or over, but I think that was over a year ago.

I have never been to a gun show, and the more I hear about them, the more I don't think i'm missing out.
 
I don't know anything about Lugers....

I saw two at the show, one for just over $2k and the other just under $4k. For all I know they were worth every penny and then some. But by the other prices I saw, I doubt it.

I have seen low to moderate Mosins at the 150.00 to 200.00 price range. Classic Arms seems to have established the price benchmark. I don't do battle rifles (yet) so I don't know.

I should probably mention that I complain about things a lot. I am able to spot, what I think are problems in the most perfect of situations. Anyone who has read many of my posts knows that. So here I am complaining about the gun show.

But guess what. I will be at the next one, rain or shine.
 
JMO...but internet sales and auction sites have mostly killed gun shows.

No longer does a seller need to buy a table, in the hopes of attracting a local (or not local) buyer- or a re-seller hoping to score a deal that he can flip.

List it on an auction site, the whole country gets to see it- and often top dollar is guaranteed. Set a reserve, get what you want, or keep it. With reputable sellers, high-res photos (and lots of them), and an inspection period who needs gun shows?
 
It is true what you say....

And the entering mindset is much the same.

I went to the show hoping to accomplish to goals.

1. I had a rifle I wanted to sell or trade.
2. I was in the market for a 9mm Luger.

Gunbroker is the solution to both of those problems.

Unrealistic as it may sound, I was able to make a deal at the previous show with which I was quite satisfied.

I had a Remington Rolling Block in excellent condition but in .43 Spanish Reformado. I wanted to trade it for something which was worth about the same as the rifle. Final trade was for a NIB Zig 1911. (I am a pushover for 1911s or clones)

I could have sold the rifle on Gunbroker, hoping to get a little more for it but in the end I decided to forego the hassle.
 
JMO...but internet sales and auction sites have mostly killed gun shows.
Click to expand...

Some people are not comfortable buying a gun sight unseen, especially a used gun. I think gun shows will always have their place, just don't go to one hoping a seller doesn't know what he/she has, and what it's top value (+20%) is. I only buy parts on auction sites. Face to face is the only way I buy guns. I have sold black powder guns on the auctions (and Armslist) though.
 
gun showes

you guys are lucky. I live in a state that has no gun shows. we have to go out of state to them.
 
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