I am a bit older than you and also have been in the 'gun game' for 40+ years. It USED to be people at gun shown were SHOOTERS. Now they are business men who do it strictly for profit.
I deal with 4-5 SERIOUS S&W dealers at the big shows. All say the same thing " I am not attached to any of these. It's all about making money." I do miss the old days.

I go purely for the entertainment. If I see equipment or accesories I want and/or need, I will purchase them [e.g. ammo, cleaning gear, magazines, etc.] If there is some specific firearm I am looking for I educate myself on what it is worth and carry enough cash to purchase it. I haven't found anything worth buying in several years.

The gun shows in Southern California are just basically table after table of dealers with high prices and the most incredible non shooting related junk you can imagine. My wife and I went to one in Eugene, Or last year [about 55 miles away]. It was much, much smaller than the SoCal shows naturally and not nearly as entertaining. I was looking for aRuger 10/22. I found one in ok but so/so condition, but it was priced 20 dollars higher than a brand new one at a Pacific Northwest regional department store. I told the guy that, thinking he might drop the price, he rolled his eyes, shrugged and said to it buy it there.

I took my money, went to Bi-Mart and bought a brand new 10/22.

only reason i go to a show anymore is to spend an afternoon with my dad and get some jerky. PRK shows have been pretty weak for some time. its all overpriced and in CA tehre is no such thing as a " gun show loophole" so if i do buy i have to wait 10 days and pick up within 30 and that means hoping that same dealer is relatively local or having leave the gun with a transfer dealer at the show and then going to that guys shop 2 weeks later. is got to be the deal of a lifetime to go through that. my dad did get my bro and i each a 125 year commem model 25 at a show. got them as xmas gifts that was cool. also i did buy a LNIB 1966 vintage model 28. the dealer was local so it wasnt too much hassle getting the pick up. otherwise i have much better luck haunting the local shops and prowling the local web site for privae party deals. those are good becuase theres no sales tax (saves me 10% right there!) and the prices are usually pretty competitive

of course theres always the obligatory hot chick in the way too low cut top working her boyfriends booth, she doesnt know squat about guns but shes fun to look at

I call them "gun showing, beef jerky shows". Vendors are "showing" you their guns! And vendors want you to buy their beef jerky! Last show I went to was when the ammo scare after the election was. Haven't been back since and probably never will.

We have a gun show in middle Tennessee within driving distance every weekend and none of them are any good. I guess the promoters are making a lot of money off these shows but not from me. Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

I go to gun shows in NE ohio, and most of time, dealer tables have 2-3 guys. 4 sets of eyes on their guns, etc and one floating around seeing what guys bring in, acting like a private individual. Last year i bought a colt pocket 9 9mm for 550 box papers etc, and checked internet selling price on them, mostly 1050-1150, and decided to have fun at gun show. almost immediately once guys seen blue colt box, "what's ya selling sonny?" colt pocket nine fired, all papers two factory mags, 1050 negot, made in 1999 only an 6000 made, and I DONT HAVE TO SELL IT. 3 dealers and two colt collectors seriously wanted it. then the floor buyers , i call hustlers, started asking about it. one guy told me a guy just sold one for 500 with 5 mags, i said good for him, nice try, and he moved on. two other dealers were nice as can be, and told me up front, they didnt want to insult me with their offer and I was about right on price. went back to first 3 dealers I met to see if they had sold anything, they had not. Me and a colt collector finally started negotiating. I was not in for a trade. My price was 1050 and his offer was 850, after going back and forth, and finally settled at 925, he was happy and I was happy. Seen him at cleveland show jan 21 and he remembered me, and said he still had that pocket 9 and it stayed home. Another time, I took my remington rand 1911A1 early 1945 mfg, to show, trade or get an appraisal, and had 4 different 1911 so called experienced dealers in 1911s, 2 said , yep its a shooter, maybe 500 best, well sir may I ask, what did you see that made that pistol a shooter, its a rebuild, ok, show me what u seen, its got a hs bbl, correct hammer, grooved main spring housing, correct slide stop, grips, etc, if you look real reall close, you can see the metal when stamped after it was parkerized. he said well i didnt get it look at it that close and tear it down, knowing darn well he could make a 1000 bucks. The other dealers / appraisers were more in line of 1400-1550 and told me to keep it , and shoot it. After watching the circuit for a few years, you know who is honest and who to stay away from.

DO you homework, do an honest condition, and play hardball. IF i get insulted , i laugh and go on.

And most of it ain't even real beef jerky! It's a processed meat by-product snack with liquid smoke flavor added.

Go buy a new white corvette and drive it around the dealership and then tell them you want to trade it for the red one. See what they tell you. Not just the gun dealers, it is all dealers.

It is the way of the world, 99% of the people don't do anything for free.

The only real reason I go to gun shows anymore is to stock up on #34 and #41 primers and powder to avoid the hazmat fees. The people there are somewhat entertaining and I love to see the junk going for collector's prices. I don't buy jerky, bumper stickers or propaganda and Pop (a butcher for 55 years) taught me how to sharpen a knife.

Russ

Want to see RK type items go to an RK show. There are real gun shows out there.

I go to gun shows for one reason, and that's to touch as many guns as i can!

I don't mind plopping down the six bucks or so because I usually stay a couple of hours and do a couple of loops around the selling area. I've only bought one gun at a gun show and that was a trade.

Last year I wanted a 1911 and went to a couple of shows, looking and asking questions; but I bought one from a local dealer who had a great deal on what I wanted.

This past weekend I wanted to look at 22 semi pistols, particularly the new Ruger. Now I know I want one, just probably won't buy it a show.

But I do get pissed at the ammo guys. I'll stick to Walmart.

And you wonder why the dealers are so rude to the no buying gun handlers. "Aaaaa can I see that 4000.00 SAA, no I don't want to buy it I just want to tell my friends I held one"....LOL

My brother in law took me to my first gun show back in the early 70's I think. I didn't know what they were and I think they were just getting started at that time?
I asked him "Will they actually have any guns for sale there?". Well, you know, I hear gun "show", and I'm thinking this is just a display of guns. It's a show, right?
Ever since then, I've always thought the term "gun show" was not quite right, with a few exceptions. They should call them a gun "flea market" or a gun "sale".
Anyway, my gripe is that I usually buy a couple boxes of ammo when I go. I also always forget to visit the men's room before starting. I hate it when I end up holding the recycled Walmart bag of ammo in my teeth while I do my business before going to the parking lot and home. But, no one can do a thing about that, but me. Thank God I still have good teeth.

It's reassuring to find that gun shows are the same everywhere and haven't changed much over the 40+ years I have browsed through them... mostly buying...not much selling. A hard fact is that a gun show is poor place for a "walk in" to sell anything for top dollar.
If we think about it a while, as rookies, we were just not very aware of what was going on around us and we slowly became aware of the "door sharks', "greedy dealers", and "hustlers" that are always working the shows. They were there many years ago when I went to my first gun show and they will still be there at the last gun show. Browsing a gun show is good entertainment, even if I don't find anything to take home, and part of that entertainment is watching and listening to all the wheeling and dealing that goes on among those door sharks, hustlers, greedy dealers, and their "victims". If the price is right I buy it (or sell it) and if the price ain't right, I walk away....A very simple system that works well and doesn't raise blood pressure or grow ulcers....

Any more I go to gunshows on the off chance that I might find a bargain or something in particular that interests me. I rarely have any success, although it does happen. I just went to a show a couple of weeks ago not intending to buy anything but came across an early 659 with 2 magazines that was just about perfect but did not have the box. I have not seen one in this good of condition for some time so I haggled with the seller and took it home.

And then there was the show 2 years ago when I found a 3 inch 66-4 in great condition. Haggled and took that one home for $500. Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

I used to buy ammo at gunshows but lately find that I can buy it cheaper at the LGS or Wal-mart. I sure miss the old days.

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Expect no quarter.

People who buy their ammo at Walmart must not be very particular about it. First, you can only take home what Walmart has to offer. If you know how to look, you can often find some pretty interesting ammo at a show. But not at the new ammo tables.

If you go to a show looking for one single gun, and don't see it, you'll probably complain. I just go with an open mind and view the sights to be seen. I've got a whole list of things I want. Chances are, I'll see some at every show. But maybe not at a price I'll pay. When they come together, I take something home. I'm an old man now. We prefer to call it mature. So I have a mature attitude on the subject. History has shown me that when I attend a dozen shows a year, I'll usually buy 2 or 3 new guns, maybe a holster, and some components as well as some ammo. Oh, those new guns aren't new, they're just new to me. There aren't 2 or 3 new production guns I'd want!

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Dick Burg

I used to go to gun shows frequently. I bought guns and traded guns and bought all sorts of shooting related stuff. I enjoyed it and dealt with some friendly traders/sellers/dealers. It seemed most of the people with tables back then were fellow gun enthusiasts who had tables and would sell and trade in a reasonable fashion. I usually lost some money on straight trades but not so that I felt that I had let myself be taken.

Now, I don't attend gun shows. The entry prices have gotten to be too much. They are always overcrowded and there are many people there who need some personal hygene improvement and many others are just plain rude. The "dealers" seem to be mostly people who just want to make maximum profit and are often surley. I know they deal with a lot of idiots but I am not one of them. Despite my obvious age, I find some who want to treat me as if I just fell off the turnip truck.

It isn't entertainment for me anymore. Between the dealers attitudes and the long delays for the "instant background check", buying firearms there is a frustrating experience for me. So, I save the money I used to spend at such events and use it to buy ammo, etc. Those that like these things these days can have my spot. It boils down to the fact there is nothing at any of the shows in my area that are worth the stress of going to them. I NEVER trade with dealers. Fortunately, in my state it is still legal to trade with another state resident of the proper age and not a felon...Enjoy the gun shows if you like them!

3 dollar hot dogs.

I find better deals at my local gun shops and Pawn and Gun Shops than I find at the Gun Shows. The attitude of too many is that "If I have it, its gold" and "if you have it and its the exact same thing in the same condition, its a piece of trash" is getting real old. Reality is reality. If its used, it not worth a new price unless its a collectors item or in great deamnd.

I don't expect a new price for a used gun, but as all the dealers I talk with say, "the price is going up" and I figure that applies to used guns also.

It doesn't hurt me to say, "thanks, I think I'll pass, the price is too high or sorry we can't reach an agreement" and move on down the line. I've been going to gun shows since the 60s and I don't lay a bad attitude on folks and I don't suffer fools lightly.

Rule 303

I'm with Pete. Everyday is a gun show on line.
Good deals and bad deals. Good folks and bad folks.
Another advantage to the on line option is I can find just about anything my odd little heart desires.
I would think the internet has had something to do with the state of recent gun shows.
I still like to catch a walk in gun show from time to time. Every now and then I'll find or sell something, but if I know what I want chances are I'll find it on line for a better price and have several to choose from.
Thanks
Mike

Have you ever had someone pick up your pristine pre-70 Government model and start jacking the slide, or pick up your 98% model 27 and start dry firing it? Get a table at the next gun show and put your stuff down on it. I don't set up at gun shows to make money. I do it because I enjoy the company of most of the people there, and to do a little buying and selling. I might just have one too many 10-5's, or need... what ever. I picked up a really nice 65-2 today, and missed a beautiful nickel 15-3. The damage to my things were minimal this weekend and I had a good time.

I think they call it capitalism or greed. I just walk on.

when i did shows for about 25yrs. i kept the handguns in display cases to no one handled them without my approval. it seems people were more polite back then. if you had a do not handle sign on something,most would ask before they picked it up. if you sell anything very valuable, you simply have to take precautions.

I've been going to gun shows since Caesar was a roadguard, and that's the way it always has been. Most of the tables at the shows are manned by dealers, and they try to buy low and sell high - that's their livelihood. They are not going to pay a retail price; they can't charge more and make a profit. They are not usually gun people, they are business people.

I do like to buy from individuals, though. Often their prices are flexible, and there's no paperwork to fuss with. These are usually gun people who are thinning out a collection, and if they bought a piece over 10 years ago, they will make a modest profit at today's prices, and I'll be happy, too.

My main gripe at gun shows? Narrow aisles with baby carriages and screaming kids. My four words of advice for parents who insist on bringing their undisciplined brats and/or aisle-blocking carriages?

Get a baby sitter!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I quit going to the gun shows years ago no deals and can I clean your glasses and the doll's and the toys unhappy women pushing stroller's between crowded table's and 6 dollar beer's. but the best part is going to the gun shops around town and finding hardly anybody there!

My gripe is the lack of manners. There are people who appear to have learned their negotiating skills from watching TV shows like Pawn Stars, American Guns, and the like. To tell someone that they can't make money off of the purchase of your firearm is essentially saying they're disappointed that they can't manipulate you into taking less than the firearm is worth so they can capitalize upon your lack of knowledge.

I hadn't been to a gun show in decades and was quite surprised when I went to the show in Valley Forge, PA a couple of years ago. I politely asked a vendor if I could pick up a knife that he had for sale and the fellow seemed genuinely shocked as he said "Sure! No one asks anymore!"

He was right - I subsequently observed several people picking up items without permission. I overheard a vendor telling a potential customer that he wouldn't sell anything to him, as the fellow's friend was so obnoxious. I think if we saw more of this limit-setting that we might see a return to proper gun show decorum.

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NRA Life Member

All the shows around here are run by one guy, so it always the same vendors with almost the same thing. I go because I have nothing else to do. Went last friday to the Milwaukee show which is really small and spoke to my buddy John and then walked around for about 20 minutes saw all the guns and jewlery and toys.

Then went about my business.

One time i went to the Waukeshaw show and was holding my friends Beretta 34 in 380 he wanted 200.00 for it and it was in good shape one dealer looked at it played with it and offered 75. I told him for 75 i would take it to the parking lot drive over it a few times and bring it back, he got all huffy. The next guy offered 200.00 so we sold it.

I went back the next day with a model 60 3 inch heavy barrel with adjustable sights to trade for an nframe and the same dealer tried the same thing I said don't you recognize me oh I went home with a 6 inch 29-2 in a wood case.

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Stan

they wait for a fool and his money, or gun! when i was doing the gun show thing i tryed to be fair and treat people with respect, there are some of the dealers that i pass there table and never even look to see what they have! the part i dont understand is why the same dealers are still there? they sould have been weeded out years ago!

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WILL WORK FOR AMMO!