Current Gun Shows - Your Experience?

[drgbike]

I also went to Wash county yesterday. Got 2 boxes of PPU jet 40.00 each, 20 rounds of commemorative 38-55 38.00, 20 rounds of new 458 brass 16.00. you wont get those prices online! And 3 wood cigar boxes for 20.00. Spent 4 hours enjoying myself . Looked at a couple of 14-3 for 850.00 and a 14-4 for 750.00 both very nice, but wife says she will kill me if I buy any more for a while. Bought 3 Jets in the last 3 months!!

 

[moosedog]

Michigan shows have been on the decline for years now. Went to one yesterday which was the worse show I have ever been to because of the previously posted reasons but I saw something I have never seen before, reproduction metal lunch boxes like we had in the 1950s and 60s with TV characters of that period and a table with middle eastern jewelry.
Why they even called it a "gun show" is beyond me.
I make the Ohio Gun Collectors Show several times a year and those are good.

 

[Breadman1]

Lots of shows all the time in Arizona. Some small, others pretty good sized. One problem here is that for whatever reason the promoters seem to be rather antagonistic toward each other, which results in multiple shows being scheduled on the same weekend and competing with each other to everyone's detriment. Not surprisingly, at certain promoters' events you'll see some of the same vendors over and over again. Most of their wares, if at all collectible, tend to be on the ordinary side, and generally overpriced. Anything decent that walks in (if it even gets past the door) tends to be snagged up by the these regulars. Still, for the more knowledgeable (and decisive) attendees, there can be gems that get overlooked/undervalued and can be had, especially at tables taken by folks who are selling only on an occasional, or even one time, basis.

Completely agree, I went to the show in Mesa yesterday and there were a lot of the same vendors, but there were also some deals to be had, just need to be selective.

I picked up a really nice custom Caspian Govt. 1911 from the guy who built it. Pistol was made with all quality parts, fit and finish were excellent and the slide was smooth as silk, all for the handsomely sun of $900. I thought I got a good deal.

 

[ken158]

Here in VA, prices at the door are about $10 just to get in, you see lots of dealers with their store merchandise displayed. Good amount of non gun related items as previously noted. When the Dems were in power, we now have the “gunshow loophole” plugged up with private sales now requiring a background check which is somewhat inconvenient but the state police have a table where you can go if you are not buying from a dealer that does their own paperwork. The deals are walking around with the patrons looking to dump anything from junk to treasures… Good way to kill a few hours and ya never know what you will see once you get past the jewelry, coins, candy, sunglasses, t-shirts and such…

 

[BE Mike]

I like the small shows for their entertainment value. Six bucks to get in and free parking can't be beat. I've sold and bought some things. There are diamonds among the tons of dirt, but often they are there! Some of the newer guns can be bought at the local gun shop for similar, if not, better prices. Many vendors have high sucker prices. At my first gun show over 50 years ago, I was one of those suckers who got stung. I then and there made a pledge to myself that I would educate myself. These days with computers everywhere and the internet, it is very easy to check, but junk can still get past the ignorant.

 

[GypsmJim]

I go to gun shows on Sunday afternoons in the Winter just to pass the time. But they have changed (evolved) just like everything else.

No more $49 Milsurps. They have simply dried up. If you see one it's now $800.

Very few wood handled hand ejectors. Now everyone wants black plastic. I don't think that revolvers have dried up....I think people are merely hanging on to them.

The same jerky and tee shirts. I have to admit, though, that they guy with gutter guards wasn't there this year.

 

[6string]

Gun shows are symptomatic of our society in general.
That means they're commercialized, homogenized, yet at the same time, radicalized, all in a brain-dead sort of way.

Not much character and not much fun.

I'm sure attendance levels are down.
Why pay for what is unilaterally the same experience online or at (what passes for) a LGS?

 

[AJ]

Gun shows are symptomatic of our society in general.
That means they're commercialized, homogenized, yet at the same time, radicalized, all in a brain-dead sort of way.

Not much character and not much fun.

I'm sure attendance levels are down.
Why pay for what is unilaterally the same experience online or at (what passes for) a LGS?

I spend the majority of my time talking to relatives(only see each other at the shows), friends and folks I know from the range. It is a social event!

 

[arjay]

I have t been to a show in several years,but it seems like the shows long ago were aimed at collectors and it slowly morphed into shows for preppers and weirdos

 

[Rpg]

Long ago I stopped going to the monthly show around here. It’s become a black gun, jerky and t-shirt venue. I have no interest in that merchandise.

We have one show each year that’s not to be missed : the Colorado Collectors Fair. It’s as close to the Las Vegas show as you can find outside Nevada.

Very occasionally I’ll hunt down a small local show that’s not affiliated with the monthly show. These shows aren’t dominated by large dealers selling contemporary guns at retail or above.
They’re much more likely to have non-dealers cleaning out the back of the closet and providing more interesting merchandise.

 

[Smith & Hammer]

here in Portland, Oregon 4-5 years ago they had large shows with a little bit of everything. I just went to see all the different guns for sale, camping equipment, and the new tech stuff' at least a 3 hour tour to hit all the tables.
now they don't have the big shows, at least not any I've been heard of anyway. I went to a show just 2 miles from my
house at the national guard. been held there for ever it seems like. and like everyone else is saying it was just a few AR platforms, knives, some books, and older shotguns and rifles that I would be a little hesitant to fire. I did find one table though that had some a few 5 screw S&W's, Including a triple lock, first one I've seen in person. turned out the seller was a S&W collector (duh) and a S&WCA member! from now on I'm not going to dismiss the small shows so easily.

 

[gmiller0737]

I gave up on them a few years ago Too much non gun stuff I don't want Clothing-Jewelery or Beef Jerky

 

[2152hq]

I used to love going to shows. I nearly always found 'stuff' with my varied interests.

But then the Empire State Firearms Assn went Kaputt (Rochester Show)
The NYS Arms Collectors Assn disbanded as of the Fall '23 show.
No more Syracuse nor Albany shows from them.
There is supposed to be a rebirth org (NYS Sportsmans Assn (?) something like that..) that will attemp to bring at least the Syracuse venue back. But I haven't heard of anything so far.

Quite a few of the smaller shows are no more.
The ones that do remain seem to be managed under one name now.
Like elsewhere, low attendence, junk knives, cookware and a Leaf-Guard gutter protection display.
Yes once in a while you may find a treasure.
That's what keeps you coming back but it sure ain't the same.

I really liked OGCA,
But a 500mi drive each way was getting to be a bit much for me. I didn't like the way they were closing up/packing up the shows starting around 1pm on Sunday either

 

[Breadman1]

I gave up on them a few years ago Too much non gun stuff I don't want Clothing-Jewelery or Beef Jerky

I keep hearing people say this and it’s true there are other vendors other than guns, just walk past them and pay no attention, so what if they are there.

 

[BB57]

Here in Eastern NC the vendors are mostly local brick and mortar shops in the area just selling the new firearms they stock. There are also some FFLs running businesses out of their homes that do all of their business at gun shows in the area.

There are maybe 2-3 vendors at a show that might have a few used guns. One of the vendors has been bringing the same overpriced P.38 to shows for almost two years. One vendor does sell garands, but they are CMP garands that he’s purchased and then marked up.

Now and then I get lucky. I picked up a Model 52 Sporter that was one of the personal guns of a shop owner, and I picked up a 20” Model 64 that was also being sold by an FFL selling out of his own collection. Both were fairly priced.

 

[Tom K]

Here in Tulsa and surrounding area there is about one gun show a month, and I go to most of them. Admission is around $12-14, free parking. Most are small, maybe 100-200 tables and it takes me 30-45 minutes to see everything I might be interested in. Sometimes I might find some ammo or primers or something, but rarely any guns that I would buy.

These days nearly everything falls into one of three categories:

1. Not interested in it. It doesn't take long to skip over tables full of Glocks and ARs and such.

2. I already have it. After buying guns for 45+ years, mostly if I want it I've gotten it.

3. I can't afford it. Self-explanatory.

Then there's the rarely seen category of:

4. I didn't know I needed it until I saw it. Once in a while you just come across something and say, "I'll take it! What is it, and how much?"

Twice a year in November and April are the Wanenmacher shows, 5000 tables or so in one 11-acre building. I can get through it in one day but like to go for two days, just to see what I might have missed, or shown up that wasn't there before. I usually find something to buy at these shows.

The last time I bought a gun at a not-Wanenmacher show was January, 2021. But ya never know, so I keep going....

 

[ACORN]

Never got to that show when I was stationed in Pittsburgh. Did go to the ones at the Expo Mart in Monroeville, they were great. Heard they had gone down hill drastically.

The old Expo Mart was great! It took all day to see.
The “new” Expo Mart” can’t compare. More jerky, pickles, shirts and knives than guns. $12 to get in and $5 hot dogs.
Washington is getting up there too price wise. It used to be $7 to get in, now it’s $10. The food is more reasonable.

 

[6string]

I've gone to gun shows with my wife where she bought more stuff than me.
She would usually find earrings and other jewelry for herself or as gifts for friends. Quite often, it's stuff actually made by the seller.
Not what I want in a gun show, but at least there's some artisanal craftsmanship to it.

Anyhow, I think there's a moral sonewhere in that anecdote....

 

[AJ]

The old Expo Mart was great! It took all day to see.
The “new” Expo Mart” can’t compare. More jerky, pickles, shirts and knives than guns. $12 to get in and $5 hot dogs.
Washington is getting up there too price wise. It used to be $7 to get in, now it’s $10. The food is more reasonable.

I lived in Monroeville. Our unit put up a display of all the arms in our armory. We had one of everything, from MaDuces down to captured Iraqi arms. The Security Guards were not going to let us in as we had loaded weapons. Tried to explain politely that they were fully operational full auto weapons in the mix and required us to guard the appropriately. They said they were security and they would suffice, I told them not hardly. Their head guy said something smart and my response was they would have trouble guarding the mens room. The promoter found out and hustled over, he told the security folks to leave us alone and go find something to do rather than bother us. We set up as planned and the display was a hit. You would not believe the folks that tried to buy the M2, M60's and M16A2's from us. I would ask them if they were looking for a new home in Leavenworth with us if I sold them to them.

 

[drgbike]

doom and gloom. would you rather have nothing because thats what will happen if you dont participate. Always hear it, then boy wish we had a gun show to go to!!!!!