I've never been to a gun show and am thinking about going to the one in Louisville tomorrow. I'm only looking for a K22 Outdoorsman. I know that you never know but do you think I would be wasting my time? Did any of you go today? Thanks for the help.
Need gun show advice please
- Thread starter Dewy12
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
alwaysoutdoors
Member
No, I don't think you would be wasting your time. You never know.
Yes, you need to go to a gun show at least once in your life.
I'll bet you will go many more times!
I'll bet you will go many more times!
i just looked at two at a LGS yesterday, one K22 with box papers and all. The other was a model 17. they're out there
Hello Dewy, if you go , take cash! Hope you find that K22.
Good hunting. Best
Good hunting. Best
Just have an open mind when you go and enjoy. Make the rounds first and go back to selected items, (unless it is too great and priced too low), don't leave the table without it. Be sure to do a "thorough" check out, once you bought it at a gun show, there is no return (unless you know the dealer well).
It's time to go... Enjoy.
My guess is that you will not find one. I rarely find exactly what I am looking for. BUT... I almost always find something that I'm not looking for, or something that I forgot I was looking for.
Sometimes it is as simple as a set of mint grips that were priced right, or a nickel plated SAT, or a $5 4" cleaning rod, or an owners manual, or an large side plate screw to replace the buggered one in your otherwise mint Registered Mag, or maybe it is just a great bag of spicy beef jerky that you cannot buy anywhere else. 
The list goes on and on - you never know what you'll find, but maybe, just maybe, you'll stumble across a table with a red picture box (or burgundy hinged patent box) hidden towards the back, filled with an as new 1933 K-22 Outdoorsman with all the tools and paperwork priced at $1,500...
...Now that would say that you're living right...
NOTE: the above gun was NOT found at a gun show, BUT a person I met at a gun show became a friend and when he ran across a collection, he called me and we purchased some very nice stuff - this Outdoorsman included - and it all started at a gun show...Enjoy the hunt, for it truly is the hunt that is the most fun. Take tons of time (and Benjamin Franklins) and ask lots of questions. Gun shows are a great place to learn and make new friends.
Let us know what you find.
Last edited:
You should have asked earlier, as we have some experts who hang out at that show.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/472115-good-gunshow-today.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/472115-good-gunshow-today.html
I actually saw a .22 Outdoorsman at the local gun show today. It was pretty darn decent - at least 95%. No box or anything else but it did have period correct prewar stocks (I wasn't able to verify originality, of course).
The price tag was not unreasonable, but it was beyond what I was able to spend today so I passed. $995 would have taken it home.
The price tag was not unreasonable, but it was beyond what I was able to spend today so I passed. $995 would have taken it home.
Go and enjoy! They are a lot of fun IMO. Just don't expect t find what you are looking for but be on the look out for that deal you forgot you were looking for.. I almost always buy something (not necessarily a gun) at a great price. But for the 5-10% of great deals there are 90-95% of junk or jacked up prices. So know your stuff.
A very true statement. Today I saw a .32 RP from the 1920s, 98%, original stocks. A beautiful revolver. Priced at $495. I attempted to purchase it on the spot. But the seller is a dealer (FFL) and "Instant Check" was "down" all day. Apparently, BATFE or someone from the govt told the dealers the system might be "down" tomorrow, too. So dealers were unable to sell guns at the show today and probably tomorrow.
Anyway, I came home without the RP. What a joke our miserable "regulators" have become! Does anyone really believe there was an "unavoidable outage" today?
Yes, go! Gun shows are fun. It may take more than one show to find that K22 at at the right price for you but despair not. And take a short list of other stuff you've been meaning to get. Ammo, holsters, reloading supplies, books, and etc are all there. Lots of beef jerky and other unrelated stuff too.
Personally, I've only been going to gun shows for the past 6 years so I missed out on the era when good S&Ws were priced lower than the beef jerky.
But I still enjoy going. Buy most of my reloading supplies at the shows. And picked up two K22s as well.
The top gun is an 18-3 that I traded a 17-3 even up. The bottom gun is a shooter grade pre 17 that I swapped for a model 15-3.
And if you're not trading, don't be afraid to make an offer.
John
Personally, I've only been going to gun shows for the past 6 years so I missed out on the era when good S&Ws were priced lower than the beef jerky.
But I still enjoy going. Buy most of my reloading supplies at the shows. And picked up two K22s as well.
The top gun is an 18-3 that I traded a 17-3 even up. The bottom gun is a shooter grade pre 17 that I swapped for a model 15-3.
And if you're not trading, don't be afraid to make an offer.
John
ldausmc1369
US Veteran
Headed out to KFEC right now to the show. Only problem is dealers start leaving early. Around noon. Louisville shows are the best in this part of the country.
Several years ago, still searching for an unmolested series 70 GM,I stumbled across this one
Last edited:
Joe Hohmann
Member
You never know what surprises you may find. A few weeks ago I found a new S&W Model 617 6" for $749. This was $30. cheaper than Bud's on-line, and $50. cheaper than my large local gun shop.
Budnjax
Absent Comrade
go to an arms collector show
I live in NE Florida and "gun shows" here are mostly just the same old dealers trying to unload the same old goods. Frequently, not even guns, but knives, tarps, camo gear, survival food, etc. I stopped going to most shows years ago except for the ones put on by an arms collector group. There you're more likely to find cherry used guns at a reasonable price without all the paperwork and b.s. since many non-dealers bring their collectible guns to these shows and are willing to deal. Most are strictly cash sales, so don't expect to use your Amex card. Years ago gun shows here had hundreds of tables with all kinds of ammo, gun parts, etc. Today it's mostly new guns they're selling and the "shows" are mostly a joke. I can generally go to several big gun stores and see more guns there than you'll see at a "gun" show an not have to pay $8 admission plus $5 to park.
I live in NE Florida and "gun shows" here are mostly just the same old dealers trying to unload the same old goods. Frequently, not even guns, but knives, tarps, camo gear, survival food, etc. I stopped going to most shows years ago except for the ones put on by an arms collector group. There you're more likely to find cherry used guns at a reasonable price without all the paperwork and b.s. since many non-dealers bring their collectible guns to these shows and are willing to deal. Most are strictly cash sales, so don't expect to use your Amex card. Years ago gun shows here had hundreds of tables with all kinds of ammo, gun parts, etc. Today it's mostly new guns they're selling and the "shows" are mostly a joke. I can generally go to several big gun stores and see more guns there than you'll see at a "gun" show an not have to pay $8 admission plus $5 to park.
Take your time- enjoy and learn
The more gun shows that you attend, the more comfortable you will get with the experience and with talking to the dealers, and you will also learn the art of negotiation. Like others have said, it may take more than one show to find what you're looking for. Usually there are numerous gun shows in the area from week to week. And don't necessarily jump at the first K-22 that you see just because it's there. You need to define your own requirements (condition, price, etc.), and, pardon the expression, "stick to your guns". I usually have a limited budget and cannot afford to buy a gun just for the sake of buying a gun. I have passed on quite a few pieces in the past (sometimes regrettably so), because I had my sights set on a particular model in a particular condition at a fair price. It may take a few months or perhaps more, but if you're smart and patient, eventually you will find what you're looking for. Good luck.
The more gun shows that you attend, the more comfortable you will get with the experience and with talking to the dealers, and you will also learn the art of negotiation. Like others have said, it may take more than one show to find what you're looking for. Usually there are numerous gun shows in the area from week to week. And don't necessarily jump at the first K-22 that you see just because it's there. You need to define your own requirements (condition, price, etc.), and, pardon the expression, "stick to your guns". I usually have a limited budget and cannot afford to buy a gun just for the sake of buying a gun. I have passed on quite a few pieces in the past (sometimes regrettably so), because I had my sights set on a particular model in a particular condition at a fair price. It may take a few months or perhaps more, but if you're smart and patient, eventually you will find what you're looking for. Good luck.
Old Corp
Member
I'm sure there's some real regional differences in gun shows. The part of Eastern NC where I live has gun shows, and it is a conglomeration of black plastic, cheap autos, Chinese cutlery, homemade jewelry and overpriced ammo.
I would never go 'expecting' to find anything special. I suppose nothing's impossible though.
I would never go 'expecting' to find anything special. I suppose nothing's impossible though.
Skeetr57
Member
Dewy12, I'm sorry you didn't make it to the show. The Louisville shows were the best I ever attended when I lived close enough to go to them. I never went to shows with a particular gun in mind, but often found something I wanted. I once went to a show in Birmingham with two friends, and one of them asked that we keep an eye out for a S&W M17. We split up with an agreement ot meet up at the entrance at a certain time. I got there a little early, so wandered down the first row of tables again, and spotted a S&W 6" Masterpiece in a display case. I couldn't see the bore or chamber size, so asked to look at it, thinking it might be a .22. It turned out to be a K .32 Masterpiece with a gold box, and the price was about half what I would have expected. Needless to say the gun came home with me.
Similar threads
