David LaPell
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Well yesterday I went to the first gun show I have been at in a year and I can telly you I learned a few things. One is that some dealers still think that just because the economy is bad they can start prices out in la la land and go from there. I saw very few AR style rifles, mostly older and antique guns. A few 1911's but none that were original, mostly copies and they were priced like some originals but these were Philippine made guns, not the nicer Kimber. I only saw a few nice Smith & Wessons, a newer production Model 22 .45 ACP for $1000, a semi worn Model 28 for $600 (I liked that gun but between the wear and the crappy grips that $600 seemed a little steep). Besides the $800 Colt SAA I mentioned yesterday (and that belonged to a friend of mine) only one or two guns peaked my interest. I was there for .22 ammo. I saw some small boxes, fifty rounders mostly and they were not even new production ammo judging by the boxes. Most of them were $10 each for fifty, some were $12. I saw only one box with anything more than that, it was a Winchester box of .22 lr 36 grain HP and there were 555 rounds there, all for $75. I hated to do it but it was the most .22 ammo I have seen in one place for a price under a hundred in over six months. We have five gun shops here locally and only one person has .22 and she sells it at $12 per box of 50 if its Remington, and Federal she takes bricks of it apart puts 100 in a plastic bag and sells them for $15. No one else has .22 up here. One guy keeps a few boxes and he tells you if you buy a .22 you get one box of fifty to go with it. I did snag a box of 50 Remingtons from an older gentleman for $5 which was the cheapest I have seen .22 in my neck of the woods in a long time. All in all I wasn't happy about paying that much for something not more than three years back would have been much much less, but right now I had the money and he had the ammo. One dealer I know told me that he had ten bricks of .22 on his table which was close to the front door and on Saturday morning it took thirty minutes to sell them all at $65 a brick. I fear its only going to get worse. I think if NY ever gets the background check system online and working it will cost gun dealers $10 PER check. I also wonder what will happen if Cuomo wins in November, our guy is a long shot to beat him, it can happen but will enough gun owners get out there and vote? One thing I can tell you that I noticed when I was walking around that gun show, you can FEEL the anger, you can FEEL the fact that people have had enough. How much more can people take? There was a rally right after the show where they burned gun registration cards. I thought that was great but at the same time, I wish gun owners in this state had stood together like that before Cuomo was elected and not been in the two camps that they were. Those that believed in being able to own anything as long as they were legal and those that thought their hunting rifles were ok but AR-'s and AK's were not but as long as their guns weren't banned they were fine with that. So it was a good show but I learned a lot since I haven't been to one. I know the next one I think I will bring more money, and maybe if I can my camera.
Don't get me wrong, polymer autos and black rifles outnumber good S&W revolvers at least 100 to 1, probably way more. The good revolvers were there tho. Also saw a NIB Model 42 5 incher for $850. an uncommon gun at a great price. 
Randy the Book Guy was there with his amazing table of gun books. Michael Kole Holsters, as well as the other leather guys that I don't use as much. 
