Gun Show Prices Are Reasonable

[BE Mike]

I feel like rip van winkle. I doubt I know anyone makeing a $1,000 a week in my neck of the woods.

Me too! I suppose that the 52 grand is before taxes. I don't go to many gun shows, but almost always there are a bunch of people with overpriced junk whining about not selling anything. Way back when, gun shows had many individuals trying to sell their personal firearms. Now it seems like there are more "carnival people" pushing sub-standard merchandise and get annoyed that folks aren't suckered in.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

Gun shows have become less amateur side line venues and more full time business enterprises. Prices in general, are all over the place. The influence of the internet, pricing on auction sites and the preposterous so called "gun value books" contribute to absurd values. I believe many folks selling, rely on one or another source to determine selling prices. None of which, is entirely accurate or otherwise reliable. Worth is something you must decide, based upon your need, motivation and budget.

There are some guns that I admire and think well worth the high prices they command. There are others though, I describe as "ordinary" that gun show sellers have a notion of being something special or rare, and are priced way out of line. Overall, I pass more tables than I used to and never bother to negotiate price. If I want it and the price is right, I buy it. If not...the walk will do me good. Welcome to the free market boys, "caveat emptor". Know what your buying and what it's worth, or someone will cash in on your ignorance.

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[rburg]

We're never going to put this issue to rest because of the different expectations of our posters. The naysayers here expect to walk into a show (where they parked for free), and then see aisle after aisle of screaming deals, like they were somehow going back in time to the 1950s or 60s. And if they were, they'd still be complaining about the prices or conditions of the guns. You can't please everyone.

I figured out long ago I attend for the fun. As a bonus, I get to visit with any number of our members.

One of the things my buddy Joe realized is you're lucky if you pick off one gun in every 10 shows. The big ones around here are down a bit, but they still have 1,000 tables, with 40 to 50 guns per table (some more, some less.) My goal isn't to buy them all, or even a table full at a time. I'm usually overjoyed to just find one gun I can't live without, at a price I think is good. And remember, I study this stuff all the time. Many attendee's can't tell which end the bullet comes out. Or a golden prewar from a worn out postwar gun.

So I got to thinking about the guns I've scored recently, and Joe's purchased. I hit a streak last fall, I bought a M19 and a M629 at Thanksgiving in Lexington, then at the NGD a few weeks later, I picked off the M1950 Military. Joe bought a M19 out in the lobby. It was a 4" gun that was about as clean as you see a gun 20+ years old. Then we both went into a dry spell.

Then Saturday one of his old cronies had his .32-20 on the table. I posted about his trials and tribulations and hesitation, but in the end he bought it. Its darn good, probably a 98% gun (they don't get rated any higher.) Its been a long dry spell, but why worry about it? I bought a really nice knife, a pretty good consolation prize. My guess is you could go to gun shops every weekend for a year and not find a pristine .32-20, or a Randall M3. Those things just don't grow on trees.

Most gun shops don't even have the 50 guns the average table at a show has. But in a day of walking a gun show, you can see the same number of guns as you'd see visiting 1,000 shops. I'm going to guess with no real authority to support it, that the Bull level is probably about the same. Yes, I drove 104 miles one way, and then with my sneaky ways, avoided paying the parking fee of $8 and the admission (friends are good things to have.) Yes, fuel is costly. But driving to gun shops runs gasoline out, too.

So now I'll sit back and wait for Joe's phone call, telling me it was an October show when he bought the M19 (I know because we were "pinhooking" in the lobby waiting for my oldest and his FIL to arrive.) It was that delay that caused us to be out front. See, all the alcohol and old age sometimes clears the fog. I'm really due to buy a new to me gun. Could happen any weekend, because its autumn and there are gunshows within driving distance almost every weekend.

 

[BaldEagle1313]

Most gun shops don't even have the 50 guns the average table at a show has. But in a day of walking a gun show, you can see the same number of guns as you'd see visiting 1,000 shops. I'm going to guess with no real authority to support it, that the Bull level is probably about the same. Yes, I drove 104 miles one way,

The gun show that's closest to my home that happens 10 times a year I rarely see what I would consider a decent price on anything I look for. The S&W revolvers there must have gold innards, because they're priced into the stratosphere. There may be other items priced well, but are out of my area of knowledge so I don't know if it's a good price or not. There also seems to be more and more AR tacticool every time. I go there to buy ammo, but have never bought a firearm.

Now a few weeks ago I drove 2+ hours each way over the mountains to a show I'd never been to before. Walked in the door and thought "at least it's a nice day for a drive, because there's not going to be anything here.". Tiniest show I've ever seen. I kid you not, there were maybe 20-30 tables. And I walked out with a 39-2 and a 38 Airweight Bodyguard. You just never know.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I go to the shows to kill time and feel good about what I already have. Every now and then I luck into a killer deal, but usually it's spending 7-8 bucks for a couple of hours of just brousing. The killer deal is just a bonus. Kinda like buying a pottery ticket I guess.
One thing that I love to do is to stop by Lafayette Shooters and look at their guns with their pricing. It makes me feel GREAT about what I have and I always leave feeling good-knowing that if I could sell my guns for what Lafayette Shooters charges for theirs, I could buy a new Whaler.
Anyone want to buy my 686-4 (fired only 6 times)for $799 plus shipping

 

[Armyphotog]

I hate to always be finding fault, but here goes. I manage to buy, on average, one gun a year at my local gun show because the prices are absolutely out the door. The day of Collector run gun shows are just about gone where everybody was fair and honest and just trying to increase the quality of their collections. Now, it primarily dealers trying to make a living, and boy, do they!

 

[therevjay]

I was telling a friend I paid to much for a S&W M13. It was in really nice shape and I wanted it. He said I didn't pay to much I just bought it to soon. Don

I first heard that years ago and didn't pay much attention. Now I realize just how true it is.

 

[wundudnee]

I have bought some of my nicest revolvers at small local shows. That's the 50-60 table shows. I'm a gunshow junkie and rarely miss one in my area, however I hope to never see another Metcalf show.

I love the large shows like Wanamacher's Tulsa show and the Missouri Valley Arms Collector shows because of the volume of never seen arms, but I rarely seem to buy revolvers there only longarms. Winchester .22s.

 

[DeathGrip]

The jerky is to high.

It can be said also that some of the jerks are to high.(pun intended)

 

[rburg]

Yep, tiny shows often have the best guns and deals.

Years ago I was pretty bored and decided I'd drive down to the Paris, KY show. Often the promoter couldn't get 30 tables filled. It was held at the county fair grounds, and if you got there fairly early you could park on pavement, later on gravel. After that, it was pasture land for you.

Well, I got there after the drive and parked in the gravel. Outside the fairgounds building, they had a guardrail (I guess to protect the building from drunken hillbillies). Firmly planted on the guard rail was the backsides of a half dozen gun show regulars. Some smoking, some chewing, all conversing and BSing. As I got closer I realized I knew about half of them.

Just being social, I asked if there was anything worthwhile inside. The one grizzled old character knew me fairly well and said "the only thing inside you'd like is an old chrome Smith, but the price is too high." OK.

So inside I went, looking both for the birddogged gun and anything else.
It took maybe a half hour to find the guy trying to pander the old "chrome" revolver. He was trying to sell it to a vendor, who didn't have the $750 he wanted in all his guns, total. The deal was doomed, so I had the good manners and time to wait it out. So as the guy turned to walk away, I positioned my self so I could ask him what he had there.

He said just this old gun, and handed it to me. As he did so he said he wanted $750, but figured he wasn't going to sell it for that. Just about the time he was saying he could probably take $600 for it, I turned it over again and on the left side, the stamp didn't say 44 S&W Special like I'd assumed, it said 44 Winchester.

Well, back then I hadn't had any heart trouble yet, and my poor ticker was doing some thumpity-thump'n. So I started digging and came up with 6 Benjamin's. The rest was history, and how I came up with a 44-40 triplelock, at a tiny show everyone else would have saved their time and $5 admission. As I was leaving the same group was still holding court outside. They laughed as I came out with my new toy, and commented something about one being born every minute. I like being able to amuse other old guys, so we all came away happy.

This weekend we'll have the OGCA show, one where everybody is pretty sophisticated, and you won't score any screaming deals or discover anything rare at fair prices. 2 weeks is a Lexington, KY show where there will be a bunch of tables occupied by old hillbillies like me and Joe. Always something possible. The October 15th is Court Days and there will be all manner of individuals haunting the bridge and area's leading to it.

Once I found a 632,200s K22. He wanted $450 for it, and back then prewar K22s were selling in the $300s. So I passed on it. Then got home, reread the first one being 632,132 and realized "my" gun was in the first 150 guns. So being a patient kind of guy, I went back the next year (this time with my wife). I found the same guy, with the same gun, and he still wouldn't budge on the price, so I bought it! My wife asked what was so special about it, so I told her. She asked how I knew that, so I told her SCSW told me. When we got home, I showed her the page. She asked how much it was worth, so I told her probably double what I paid. That at least shut her up.

Two years ago, at the same Court Days event, I found a nickel M58 in great shape, and had to pay $550. A little farther along a guy had a 396 no lock gun, and wouldn't budge off his $650 price, so I bought that one, too. Fine additions to my fledgling collection. All at "gun shows". I could go on for hours. I'm sure I miss more than I score. Others out and about who are more astute buyers probably catch many of them.

 

[BE Mike]

Twenty bucks is too much to pay to get into a gun show. I suppose if I were like some folks and had "friends" I could get in some shows for free. Since it would just be for the entertainment value, it would be worth the drive to one of the Louisville shows. The way it stands, I'll just stay away from the "Ville" and once in a while, hit a small show in Seymour, IN or Salem. The drive and five bucks to get in are still worth the entertainment value. I don't expect to find any bargains, though.

 

[desi2358]

If you're looking for new guns you should be able to find a good deal at most shows. A depressed economy in this area has many dealers offering some bargains on new stuff. Don't expect anything with used guns, especially collector pieces, most people seem to be trying to get gunbroker prices (and that includes all the aisle walkers whose first comment is "I saw one on the internet for $$$"). It really depends on what you're looking for and how much time you're willing to spend.