Good deals at gun shows?

[guitar1580]

In recent years, I've found that the "shows" associated with my other hobbies, guitars and antiques, used to be pretty much wholsale prices, whereas in more recent years they are more like retail prices.

I'm still new to gun collecting, and haven't been to a gun show yet, and was just wondering if good deals / trades are still to be had, or if they have become more profit oriented also.

Josh P

 

[Andy Griffith]

Not to discourage you, but you'll have to be good to find a deal at a show- the deals never just "jump out" at you!

Not to say there isn't deals to be had, but you have to be careful- if it sounds to good to be true, there's likely something wrong with it. As a friend that got burned at the last show on a Colt Frontier Scout...thought he got a deal on a 100% condition gun in the box- the zip-tie on it kept it from being actioned, which concealed the fact that the rust was on the cylinder hidden by the frame. Greed can get you!

Also, you can clean plow too. It all evens out in the wash!

 

[P&R Fan]

There are good deals to be found at shows. Keep in mind the majority of vendors are dealers who do this for a living. They are there to make a profit. There are usually at least a few tables of collectors who aren't dealers. There used to be a lot more in years past but legislation is making it less so, unfortunately. The nice thing about shows is you get to see lots of guns and accessories all at once in one place. You're probably not going to get cut rate prices, but occasionally you'll get a deal. I think you'll enjoy it if you go.

 

[Evil Dog]

Can't say that I've seen a single decent gun show in Kalifornia in many a year. As to the local ones.... I've plenty of T-shirts and beef jerky already.

 

[s&wchad]

Absolutely. A few tips;

Go with a knowledgeable friend.

Bring cash and any necessary paperwork.

Arrive early, even consider getting a display table. You'd be surprised how much is bought and sold before the doors open.

Be familiar enough with the things you're interested in to recognize a good deal when you see it.

Watch the isles.

Quickly look over every square inch of any gun you're interested in. You don't want to find extra holes or problems after you bought it.

Be decisive. If you come back in a half hour after you thought about it, it'll likely be gone.

Don't be afraid to make a cash offer.

If you're haggling on a price after you've inspected a gun, keep it in your hands. Don't set it back down, or someone else might buy it out from under you.

　
　
　

 

[bobelk99]

Gun shows

I suspect nearly all, if not all, gun show exhibitors are setting up with a profit in mind, as opposed to just having fun with their hobby.

A friend of mind does gun shows on a regular basis. He said it costs him a minimum of $425 for a two day setup.

Regardless of whether the exhibitors are doing it for fun or profit, the good old supply and demand thing seems to be making handgun bargains hard to find. Hunting rifles are plentiful, and black rifles seem to have settled down, but handgun demand is clipping right along.

Except for the occasional hardship sale, I understand that handgun bargains are not plentiful.

I look forward to seeing what others have to say on this.

 

[canoeguy]

Gun shows are fun, I'll drive up to three hours to attend a good one, but most times I don't find a good deal. But, I do occasionally find a good deal, maybe sell a gun for money to buy something else.

I think most of the good stuff is being sold on Internet auctions now. The dealer doesn't have to drive, pay to set up a table, get a motel room for the weekend, eat meals out, etc. Just list the gun, set back and let the buyers fight over it.....

When I lived near Winchester, Virginia, I was less than an hour away from the Dulles (Chantilly) show, "The Nations Gun Show", that was always a good one.

 

[deadin]

IMHO gun shows started going downhill when the laws were changed that allowed dealers (FFL01s) to set up at them.
Now, as said earlier, it seems nearly everybody is a "dealer" of some ilk either licensed or "wanna-be". Even those that aren't are influenced by the prices they see on the profit driven tables.
I would love to find a somewhat local show that didn't allow dealers. We aren't all in the market for new guns. Some of us would just like to buy, sell or trade on an even playing field with none of the "I've got to discount what your selling/trading because I'm a dealer" and "of course I have to add a little profit to what I'm selling because I'm a dealer". Or some variation thereof. Like, I've got to cover my table costs, gas, travel time, set-up/break-down, etc.
Whatever happened to the old "horse-trading" where you could actually have some form of parity in a deal?
I really miss being able to trade a gun that is "book" valued at $500 for a different gun that is "book" valued at the same $500. Now it seems that my gun is worth $300 and his gun is worth $600. (at least.)

I guess the above explains why I only go to occasional shows. Plus the fact it's a 200 mile round trip to the regular shows for me.

 

[scattershot]

i haven't seen a really good deal at a gunshow for years. That said, they are a good place to find obscure stuff that the shops usually don't carry.

 

[rburg]

There are a lot of good deals at gun shows. I see them all the time. On guns and on other items. The problem most people have is identifying them. At the big show a couple of weeks ago, the guy across the aisle from us had a tremendous bargain on a prewar k22. I sat and watched it all Friday evening. Then late in the day on Saturday, one of our posters here came stumbling along. I walked him across the aisle and showed it to him. At first he was a bit skeptical. Then the light came on in his head and he jumped at it. It was a steal. A beautiful condition K22 Outdoorsman from the 1930s, and he got it for $500. Its only problem seems to be it was formerly owned by a pretty famous guy in PA and he'd had it engraved (nice work, too.) Our poster did well.

On Sunday, I bumbled into a pretty good score on a K22. It was a 1958 vintage M18. The seller, known here, just wanted $400 for it. Nice condition, but it did need a good cleaning......

Over the years I've managed to watch guns sit on other peoples tables for the entire weekend. Most buyers are clueless as to what the guns are and their value. I only buy things I want, not things I want to bother with reselling.

You'll be disappointed if you go to a gunshow and expect to find a deal on the one specific gun you lust after. Chances are you won't see it, or see it at a price you deem good. The hardest part of gun collecting is defining what your collecting interest will be. Then refining it to be practical. At the show 2 weekends ago there were probably 3,000 tables with an average of maybe 15 or more guns per table. Its a lot of guns to identify and know the values and current price trends. I can't do it. I just go with more money than I can afford to spend and my checkbook.

But I assume someday, someone even dummer than me will give me back my money. Or they'll give it to my widow!

 

[feralmerril]

I didnt read every post here, but I have even caught well known dealers and shops napping through the years on fine USED guns! When you study all the variations on guns that interest you, you probley can spot them faster than the shop owner. With all the different type guns out no one can know all the variations etc on all guns! I pretty well know smiths, colts and old winchesters. But dont know maybe fine old foreign double barrels, maybe what to look for in rare lugers etc. The more general knowledge you have, the more deals you will reconise! It takes a lot of studying and branching out.

 

[GJH77]

gun shows

I live in an area that sees a gun show about once a month, as all the local cities have exhibition halls. I agree with the others that there are deals to be had, but you have to look and look again. Finding a particular item you really want may be tough, but I have been fortunate enough to find a couple of used guns at different shows this year that I did not expect to find, and at great prices. So keep an open mind for what is available, know the going prices from other places like gunbroker, and when you do see something you like, check it as completely as you can. Even if you do not find something, you meet some good folks, and have fun.

 

[deadin]

I just go with more money than I can afford to spend and my checkbook.

I guess my problem is my taste outruns my cash available and my wife took the checkbook away from me.
So I'm pretty much required to either sell something first or trade. Selling just to get rid of it and raise some cash is NOT the best way to go and I haven't seen a decently fair trade at a gun show in years.
I do admit occasionally I will find something at a price I'm willing to pay, but it's not very often.......

Dick, I wish someone would point $500 pre-war K22s out to me. The last $500 decent one I've found was over three years ago.

 

[therevjay]

Really good deals are pretty few. But sometimes they are there. And unless the show costs more then $10 or so admission, I figure it's 'cheap entertainment' for the afternoon.

 

[DWinter]

You're right about the enertainment factor. Plus for me, it counts as a day with the wife since she likes to shoot also. I usually end up buying ammo but occasionally we see a good deal on a weapon and grab it. But you gotta do your research. I've heard a few "dealers" say some really stupid and inaccurate things to uneducated customers. I actually caught up to one guy and filled him in on the truth about a Mosin Nagant the dealer was trying to sell as a rarity. His $400 weapon was really a $150 weapon with a good BS story. It was an interesting story but still unverifiable and incorrect BS.

 

[Joe in SC]

Gunshows certainly aren't what they were when I first started attending in the early seventies. The people who put on the shows back then, usually the state arms collectors associations, would not allow all the flea market crap that is there nowdays.

My main interest in the begining was reloading supplies. You could save a ton over retail and b/4 midway and the other mail order houses you could find the "hard" to find items at the show. No reloading bargins there nowdays, everybody is trying to stick it to us on primers and powder. That is, when you can find what you want. Occasionally a good component dealer can be found. He usually sells out by noon on Saturday.

I've been attending several big shows (southeast) frequently, over the past decade and have come to a few conclusions. I see the same old dealers, with the same old over-priced guns(some of them very nice) at the same tables just inside the doors. I believe they don't care if they sell a gun or not. They are "stationed" in these very desirable spots for one reason. To have the first crack at ill-informed sellars (widows, children of deceased sportsmen and others who have come into possession of firearms that are un-wanted) who come through the doors. I have watched these dealers give low prices on desirable arms only to rush over to their cohorts at adjacent tables to brag up their last, big score. I think it's getting much harder to low-ball folks because people are much more informed about guns than they used to be.

I never look at the tables displaying only new stuff. Better deals can be had from my local dealers and they will be around on Monday if there is a problem. Problems with new guns is more prevailent now than ever b/4 in my opinion. That's why I deal with one good local dealer on new guns.

There are some good deals from time to time. It takes an informed buyer to find the the reasonable prices. Just don't go to a gun-show expecting everyone there renting tables to be fair, especially if you are selling or looking to trade.

Don't take me wrong on this. I know a guy/gal has to make a profit and there's nothing wrong with a reasonable offer and a reasonable mark-up. You're just probably not gonna find reasonable at a gunshow if you aren't knowledgable about what you're buying or selling.

So, do your homework b/4 you go and it's much better if you can take some time to enjoy "the passing parade" and "circus" while you're there.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I've found that knowledge is power when it comes to identifying bargains at gun shows. Do your homework, and study up on your collecting field. For S&W guns, the bible is the SCSW - values are now out of date (again), but relative values can be established. If you see a rare gun in excellent condition, remember that sometimes you might pay a little too much, but time will usually take care of that. I see guns on tables that I used to buy and thought I paid a premium for - they are stratospheric now compared to then.

I'm pretty knowledgeable on U.S. military weapons, Smiths and Remington Nylon rifles, so I think I can spot bargains in those categories. But it took years of study and collecting to get that knowledge. Again, do your homework. You shouldn't have to ask what you're looking at. Strive to be your own expert.

I once paid $100 for a genuine OSS stiletto knife, complete with the pancake flipper sheath. The guy who had it sitting on his table didn't know what he had, and neither did most of the people filtering by his table early in the morning. But I had been studying up on U.S. military knives for years, and grabbed it up right away after examining it to be sure it was genuine. I wasn't going to let it get away, and it's become a centerpiece in my U.S. military knife collection today. Knowledge is your only weapon against being stung. Buy reference books. Study. Ask other knowledgeable people if you have doubts.

 

[doublesharp]

I agree with rburg that deals on a specific gun are often hard to find but there are always deals. I went to a small show today and I wasn't looking for a 10-5 snubbie until the dealer said $300 but make an offer. I offered $250 and here it is. It's just a shooter but I think I bought a little cheap and I like it.

 

[K.38]

I agree with other have said. Check out all the guns your interested in even if something may not look right. It could be a rare variation or it could be bubbaed.

The Colorado shows are not nearly as good as the Montana shows but there are still deals if you look. The last good deal I got was a Swiss Bayonet for $10. I'm waiting on a letter from Mr. Jinks on a Victory I just bought. It looks to be original and not refinished. The factory finish is a greenish/gray and the serial number falls right in the middle of May 1942 and it has no Gov markings. If the letter comes back good I got a real rare gun for cheap. If the letter comes back not so good I got a real good shooter for a decent price so it is a win/win either way.

You never know what you will find. Shows are still fun even if you just look. If nothing else just find a good place to sit and watch the people. Many shall we say "unique" folks come out to gun shows