Might be my last Gun Show

I find a FEW good deals. Also, many OVERPRICED things that I pass on. A man can ask any price he wants, but I will only pay what I feel is a good deal for me.

I don't mind a show with ONE table of jerky. Heck I usually buy some.

I don't mind the lady with one table of candles or jewelry, when her husband is at the next two tables with guns. I understand that this keeps peace in the family.

Have been to shows where it was difficult for two people to pass in the very narrow aisle.
I was told that the promoter always put TOO MANY table in the building.
I NEVER went back again.


Bekeart
 
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I found one guy at the last Salem, Virginia gun show a couple of weeks ago who had some sweet P&R's Smiths -- collectible 27-2s and 19-3s and -4s, mostly, an unbreathed upon Model 57 8-3/8ths in nickel.

These were all kept under the table, and I wouldn't have stopped at all except for one 19-4 nickel RB 2-1/2 inch gun that he did have out on display.

I asked him why the good stuff was under the table, and he said that not one in 1,000 people who ask to handle the piece in question are actually potential buyers, and, given their condition, he didn't want them handled by tire-kickers. Hard to dispute him since so many people have no idea how to handle a revolver that belongs to someone else.

His prices were a little high, but not outrageous. I think I can work a good deal if I offer to buy two or three from him at once, so, I took his number and will give him a call. I just hope that his S-series 27-2 and that Model 57 are still available. ;)



Bullseye
 
I quit doing gunshows a few years ago, admission fees are now $15.00 with a $5.00 parking fee, and merchandice prices 10 to 20% over retail. Just too much money for my tastes.
 
Since this thread lives again, my resolve will last till this Saturday. The most excellent, 12ft wide aisle "Gun Traders" show will be at the Kissimmee Livestock Expo center. Free parking and $6 to get in. I'll be there. After I get the yardwork done. Joe
 
Gun Shows

Decent little show at the Louisville fairgrounds this weekend. Lots of Smiths, lots of high prices. Lots of ammo! Even an abundance of .380 albeit at a premium. Ammo Prices seems to be falling again. Guess some of the folks who bought high are going to now sell low or sit on it! Decent selection of reloading supplies at what are now the norm in pricing. Primers seem to be stabilizing and in more supply. Going to be real interesting if/when we wind down the hostilities in the sandbox to see if .223 and .308 will be at give away prices like after the hostilities ceased in SEA. Probably some bureaucrat will figure out a way of demilling it for scrap!
However, I agree that shows are not of the quality of 30 years ago, beats watching the boob tube or mowing the damn grass!
 
The Ft. Worth shows at Amon Carter have free parking. I still like the gun shows, as long as they are in well lit buildings. I have been in one small local show that you needed a flashlight to really inspect a gun. Yeah, they aren't as nice as they used to be, but I know why. I don't like most of the new guns, and trends in guns now. So many of the old classics we love aren't made now. No more $350 excellent 29-2s, or $300 SAAs. .38-44HDs are now rare collector's items instead of something just taking up space on a table, for little over $200. It's just a different time. Every generation goes through it. Things change, we don't like it, and we will miss the old stuff, even when the new stuff is better. I'm just glad I got most of the old stuff I wanted before now, but I'm still looking.
 
Anybody else go to the Kissimmee show ?

I got there in the middle of Rain storm....there were thousands of parked cars....I drove around 10 min. think'n' Holy Crap
this a HUGE show.....Nope Jehovah Witness Convention right next door....I even saw Signs "NO PARKING JW"
Anyway found a spot and went in....

$6 and about 1 hour later..strolled out, something to do..nothing to buy.
Friendly vendors but high prices mostly. I looked for some 32-20 Ammo (none to be found )

One guy, did greet me with a smile and a Howdy, he had a several little auto loaders...he tried to hand me one " 380 auto $118 brand new American made" he said.." includes tax "
Davis's I assumed ,I did not handle one...and moved on.

I was somewhat surprised only one each lady(s) selling costume jewelry another with cheap pottery & one with fragrances of some sort.
There was one Custom Knife maker and several more with knives ranged from crap to Cold Steel.

It was a good way to get out of the storm though.
 
Major 2 said:
One guy, did greet me with a smile and a Howdy, he had a several little auto loaders...he tried to hand me one " 380 auto $118 brand new American made" he said.." includes tax "
Davis's I assumed ,I did not handle one...and moved on.
Click to expand...

Nope, they were Jimenez.:( Even better.:D
 
After reading all the post so far, the negative comments are not about gunshows but about people. These days, people in general are jerks. What you people are describing as bad behaviour and rudeness by patron and vendor alike can been seen every day at your local Walmart or McDonalds or mall. This behavior is not gunshow specific.

Common courtesy is a trait that seems to be a rarely exhibited in modern times.

I was out of town recently and stayed in nicer chain hotel. It was amazing how people would walk up and down the hallways at night laughing and talking loudly and letting the kids run up and down the hall screaming and giggling in the midnight hour.

We see the same thing on our highways and byways every day. Rudeness and inconsideration with people cutting people off, tailgating, turning with no warnings, and common utilization of 'the bird'.

And then their is parking lot behavior where pedestrians have to take their life into their own hands to make it from the car to the building, and that's if they didn't get into an altercation fighting for a parking spot closest to the door. (I'm not even going to get started on handicapped parking spaces and those who use them.)

So again, exactly what is it that's special about gunshow behavior that we ought to be surprised about?
 
well. i see gunshows are the same all over the country.
i haven't been in a while because of the crowds of people that are 3 deep in front of the tables.
the only gun deals to be had are in the hands of people walking around, not on the tables.
i used to be one of those guys standing outside the show who hit up people coming in to sell their guns. i could write a small book on some of the incredible deals i made and still have a lot of those guns and the memories that go w/them. we had several dealers set up in back that were glad to buy our newly acquired guns at a small profit, because they knew that once another dealer in a prime front spot would buy a gun, they couldn't touch it at anywhere near a good price.
 
Jimenez is American Made ? never heard of them

Oh! had to do a search

Bryco Arms and Jennings Firearms , (Raven Arms) went bankrupt in 03

now Jimenez Firearms = PASS
 
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Rock Island Auction/Gun Show ?

Pretty much the same with gun shows around here also--too many people--to much beef jerky--to many knife sales tables.

Went to my first Rock Island Auction this year since it's only 35 miles from my front door. Very, Very disappointed.

It was called a Regional Auction so I figured it was for regional folks to come in and bid on firearms or for anyone that wanted to drive to it--unlike the premiere auctions they list.

They had everything and more that was on my grail list and some in excellent condition.

Regional to them must be the Planet Earth.

Come to find out they had Mail in bids, internet bids, sealed bids, proxy bids and telephone bids plus us fools sitting in chairs for hours waiting for our items to come up for bid. This went on for 2 solid days. Never seen anything like it.

They went through 3-5 auctions per minute---WOW !!! You literally didn't have time to blink much less think.

With so many different forms of bidding going on myself and others weren't very comfortable with the fact that we had no idea where the other bids were coming from.

Just my take--at least at gun shows and other auctions you have the opportunity to see what's going on in front of you---I'll never waste my time on another one of their auctions.:eek:
 
Please God never agian

The last "gun show I attended was 10 + years ago and if I have anything to say about it will be another 10 years before I waste my time again.

Took the "lovely and charming to the flea market this morning it was held in the same area as the local gun show. Instead of going to the show, I spent two hours following the "lovely and charming" around pretending to enjoy the carnival glass display.

To make maters worse, here in the Bible belt, I could not even get a cold one to numb the pain until 1201 hrs.
 
PALADIN85020

This is the first time I've ever seen such behavior from anyone at a gun show, but sure hope it will be the last. I have a long fuse by nature, but this instance sure shortened it. Am I wrong to be PO'd about this cretin's behavior?
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No sir you are not wrong to be upset with rude behavior! The main reason I no longer attend gun shows is your experience is becoming the norm. I'm sick and tired of having to put up with the unacceptable attitudes of the "mall Ninjas" and the angry mouth breathing red necks that frequent so many of the gun shows these days.
 
ldausmc1369 said:
Decent little show at the Louisville fairgrounds this weekend. Lots of Smiths, lots of high prices. Lots of ammo! Even an abundance of .380 albeit at a premium. Ammo Prices seems to be falling again....
Click to expand...

I was there on Sunday with my daughter. I went with the intention of replenishing my ammo stock, so I came out better than I anticipated. I was even able to find a few boxes of .38 Speer GD/Short Barrel at an OK price; I was down to my last box, and I hadn't been able to find any locally, so I was particularly pleased. I was tempted by a Model 34 snubbie that was priced reasonably (not cheap, but fair), but I was able to resist it.

However, I agree that shows are not of the quality of 30 years ago, beats watching the boob tube or mowing the damn grass!
Click to expand...

Agreed on both counts. I fondly remember huge shows in California (believe it or not) when I was stationed there in the mid-late 80s. I passed on some great guns at extremely reasonable prices back then. Ah, hindsight...
 
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Back when gas was still under two bucks a gallon, I used to run all over the place going to a different gun show every weekend (my record is three in one day). Eventually I wised up and realized that I was seeing the same guys with the same stuff every weekend at different locations. Sometimes this worked out, if I saw something at one show that I didn't have the funds/trading material to aquire, I knew where the seller would be the following weekend. Lately though, it's been getting a bit old (me too, I guess). Less and less good stuff, more and more of what one wise old collector of my aquaintance termed "hog killers". OK if that's what you're after, but I already have plenty of those. Most of what I would call good buys fall under the heading of "project guns", like the M721 Remington in 300 H&H I snagged for $245. Somebody shortened the stock to a LOP of 12 1/8" over an old pad.
 
Shows are not.....

....what they were even fifteen years ago. Now they have car polish, dolls, fake swords and the ever present beef jerky. I went to one a month ago and found that the aisles were narrower and the junk was more prolific. I stopped buying the $4.00 hot dogs years ago. This show had all the traffic stoppers such as those who just stand at tables and gab about nothing, text or chat on the phone and lastly...bring their families with small kids who run around yelling and bumping into people and tables. I left when I saw two women following their husbands and pushing double strollers...yah, that's right side-by-side strollers up the aisles. Shame on the promoters! I also "love" the clearly illegal undocumented workers who try to buy. Often you'll see them hovering around one guy who is probably legal and tries to deal for his buddies. This time the security staff showed them the door. Ain't what it used to be but neither is this country!
 
Dealing in the DARK!

Your description sure fits the shows at Wichita, Kansas in the early 80's. My table was on the outer rim and I needed and USED a flashlight. Left Kansas in 85, so don't have any current information.

Bekeart


wbraswell said:
as long as they are in well lit buildings. I have been in one small local show that you needed a flashlight to really inspect a gun.
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