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To the gun show

5K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  JAGER 
#1 ·
I long ago for many reason just wrote gun shows off. Pay to park pay to get in same old stuff ect.
Had some time to kill and there was one 25 miles from here, I get there no charge for parking and 7.00 to get in not bad so I get in a long line.
To my surprise I see AK47 and AR15,Lowers and complete uppers. Some was entry level stuff and some high end parts. Quick glance I see a lot of Mags new and used.
My interest up I look closed. Used Bushmasters at 2 to 3 time what they sell for new. 300-600 dollar AK47 900 and up. Mags That fleet farm has right now for 18-19.00 they have them for 25-50.00. Ammo what junk they had 1.00 a round or more. Used Bolt action rifles with price tags higher than I could go into town and buy new.
Pretty much way over price everyday items for the most part. The New AR15 were way out of line in price, I figure that is why I did not see any walking out the door.
There were some side deals going on people that came trading their personal weapons for cash or different weapons.
A few walking around with Old 20 inch barrel .223 with some crazy prices hanging on them. Look to me like they would be carrying them back home.
My point is there is product out there maybe no where near what there should be but the prices are nuts. No way on earth I would pay the kind of money they want for The AK's and AR's. If I needed a weapon that bad I would fine something else.
In every trash pile there maybe some gold, there were a few new m14's at the going price they should be new. There were some M1 Grands That were complete rebuilds That were priced right if you were in the market for one. The odd ball foreign junk here and there , most marked up a few bucks.
One dealer there I knew from his shop told me his barrel cost were up 20 dollars a barrel right now.
Hand guns , a large number from new to junk no real deals on anything. The new ones again could be had in town for same or lower cost.
Way to many accessories scope's slings lasers ,flash lights and bad boy parts. When are they going to learn if you aren't sell the weapons your not going to move the mark up items very well.
I did make a purchase for 5 dollars 3 clips and yes they were old one not new manufacture and I have lost a couple over the years.
All in all a 12 dollar outing.
For me it will be awhile before I hit another one.
 
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#6 ·
A cheap junk gun is the same at 90 dollars as it is at 500 just make you feel better when you pay 90 for it.
Some cheap guns were not junk older SKS's sold for 70 dollars they were good. Picked up 303 Enfileds for 70 bucks great shooters and well made.
At one time you could buy Surplus M1 grands for 100 buck that was cheap then but a still of a deal.
If your buying used weapons you should know what your doing a junker can be made to look good .
 
#5 ·
Range I have been known to use sometimes has become more and more selective in who they want using the range. Because of that the user tend to be real shooters and they will shoot no madder what. They will not even sell you a weapon now unless you are a "member" basically mean they must know you and that means for awhile .
I stopped in last week and even they were out of 9mm rounds. And short on 5.56
 
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#7 ·
I went to one last weekend. Prices are up over-all for sure. There are still some good deals out there. You just have to hunt harder for them now. If I had had some money I saw a couple I would have bought.
 
#8 ·
I went to the Nations Gun Show today in Virginia. I enjoy going, but $13 at the door is a little high. Absolutely no .22 ammo in the building. The ammo vendors actually laughed when I asked for it. I went to another show recently and picked up a decent amount, but I think this shortage/hoarding or whatever you call it is a total crap.

a brick of 500 is going as high as $80 at some of the shows. When Walmart carries them those are $30-$40. I understand supply and demand, but double the normal price?
 
#9 ·
I have more than I will ever need. But like many want more. I will not buy at these prices I can wait. If Obama and DHS have their way and tie the market up then ban most of it .
I will still get by.
 
#10 ·
Ahh capitalism at it's best! I go to gun shows just to gawk and maybe buy a hairbrush that shoots pepper spray and hides a knife ;) The prices always seem to be much higher than my local gun shop. Have you noticed that the same high prices are on gunbroker? I'm finding that I can still get a decent price from my local shop but I have to be willing to wait.
 
#12 ·
Local shop are sell at a fair market up when the can get product. Shops I know are seeing price rise and shortages at any price.
Stripped Upper receivers as repair parts are next to imposable to get at any price.
One of the excuse the Military used switching to Remington as a supplier of some M4's was to easy the burden on Colt.
they had claimed even then Colt could not keep up with US Government demand.
 
#13 ·
From what I hear is that there are only 4 companies that mass produce m4 lowers. DPMS and Remington are one and the same. If you watch their site and grab it when it becomes available, the plum crazy polymer lower is a great price and is now being used by the military under the name PCR. It's true that Colt couldn't keep up and had a quarter million rifles returned because of manufacturing defects.
 
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#19 · (Edited)
Wisconsin instant back round check for long guns your out the door in no time. Hand guns 48 hour wait. By law there is suppose to be no record of the serial numbers . But we all know the Government does keep them and checks them , we seen how that works.
But that will all change before long
 
#21 ·
I haven't been to a show since the panic buying started but last one I was at there were still some deals if you looked hard enough. The key to gun shows is to know what you're looking for and what you are willing to pay before you go. First off I don't buy new guns at shows, I have a friend with an FFL for that; I go to shows to find reloading components, deals on used guns, or bulk surplus ammo. Gun shows are not the place to find deals on new guns, they are always over priced. If you're looking for new guns you should go to the local gun shops and see who's got the best deal, even the chain stores have better deals on new guns than the shows. Shows are a great place to buy components, there's very few dealers locally that stock components and those that do have a very small selection. There's one show here every few months that has a dealer there that usually has just about everything you could need, he's my source of choice for powder (god knows if he'll have any next weekend when I go). I always go up & down the aisles 3-4 times before I decide on anything if I'm looking to buy, there's always someone offering a better deal. Case in point, the last show I went to I picked up a 1971 Marlin 336 in .35 Rem for $340+ tax, that's a good deal around here. The rest of the 336s at that particular show were $400 and up. I looked at every Marlin at that show before I decided and I talked the guy down off his sticker price a bit, it was also a dealer I've done business with in the past so I trusted him.

-Infidel
 
#22 ·
Couple things to remember about gun shows.
The dealers are at the show setting up and are standing around with nothing to do hours before "you" are allowed in. Guess what they do?? Walk around and buy anything they think they can make some more money on. This is how they make a living.
They live for the local guy coming in to sell or trade a gun. Usually getting out a 2-3 year old blue book to rip the guy off. But again this is how they make a living. Buy cheap and sell as high as possible.
Used guns, especially scopes, at a show are one of the biggest gambles you can take with your money. Ask yourself why that is sitting on the table. Does it work? Is it worn out? Has it had 10 or 10000 rounds run through it? Will you be able to find the seller again if you have problems? It's buyer beware, sold as is.
"Most" dealers don't have a store or business name to uphold. They just pay $30 for a table and wait for the parade of suckers to walk by trying to milk them for all they can.
I'm to the point of just not attending shows anymore. I have set up tables at a lot of shows the last few years and it's gotten to the point that I can't stomach it any longer. It's amazing some of the crap that I've seen pulled on people. Let alone the lengths the dealers will go to just to make a buck.
 
#23 · (Edited)
The way I look at it, if I wanted a gun and ammo I'd always buy brandnew from a regular shop even if it cost me the earth.
I mean, guns are the number one survival tool and if you skimp you're putting the lives of yourself and your family at risk in a SHTF world because the last thing you want to hear when under attack by a zomb gang is the pathetic click of your hammer doing misfire after misfire because you bought a cheap second-hand gun and cheap ammo..
 
#25 ·
I'm not buying it, first of all this can happen with new guns also it's not necessarily a phenomenon limited to used firearms, every company can build a lemon or two. Second of all if you know what you're looking for and have some idea how to do a little research you'll know what issues to look for prior to purchase. Third, if you're at all handy and you maintain your firearms then this is a non-issue, if an issue crops up you fix it. Lastly most gun owners are not volume shooters so most used guns on the market haven't had thousands of rounds through them, and if they have you should be able to tell by wear on the moving part and in the bore. If the bore is nice and shiny and the rifling nice and sharp then it's been shot very little, again this comes down to knowing what you're looking for. I've bought lots of used guns over the years and never had any issues with any of them. Guns are fairly simple mechanical objects, there really isn't much that can go wrong with one and anything that does go wrong is generally a pretty simple fix. If you'd be willing to buy a used car which you'd drive every day and thus betting your life and your family's lives on I see no reason why you shouldn't be willing to buy a used firearm since let's face it there's a lot more that can go wrong in a used car than a used gun.

The bottom line is all guns need to be maintained whether they're bought new or used. If you neglect them they may well fail when you need them most. Buying used can often get you a better deal than buying new and if you know what you're looking for can get you the same quality of a new firearm at a fraction of the cost. Also there's an awful lot of firearms that just aren't made anymore so buying used would be your only option in this scenario.

-Infidel
 
#27 ·
I bought a brandnew .22 BSA Meteor air rifle from a gunshop in england some years ago but when I got it home I found some dickhead machinist at the factory had drilled the sight-retaining hole on top of the barrel too deep and had gone right through into the bore, leaving a jagged crown of metal in the bore, yet the gun had a "checked by inspector" tag hanging from it!
BSA (British Small Arms) is a long established famous firm but they fouled up bigtime there. I got a refund from the shop.
I know it was only an air rifle but it shows how even brandnew guns can be junk unless we check 'em out good.
 
#29 ·
I would never buy re-loads from someone I didn't know REAL WELL.
Buying used firearms is ok if you know how to check them out. Take a bore light, cleaning rag and maybe even a cleaning rod with assortment of swabs and snap caps with you. The best deals out there are used guns in good condition.

Every used gun I have looked at the past few months had been shot and set up without being cleaned. This will hide excessive bore wear and scratches.
I've asked the seller to swab out the bore before buying, sometimes they'll do it, sometimes they claim to have nothing to do it with. If I don't have my kit with me, I walk.

Our local gun shows require the action to be locked for safety (usually zip-ties) and the dealers will use that as an excuse why you cannot check the action. I just smile and pull out my assortment of fresh zip-ties and ask again if I can try it and then tie it back up. If they say no, I walk.
 
#30 ·
I would never try to sell a dirty gun. I have sold and bought various guns over the years. Anyone who wants to sell and buy more than once will usually clean their goods, and be fairly honest in their representation.
It's pretty straight forward to examine the goods presented so as to determine the worth of what is being offered.
 
#31 ·
just went to one here in Farmington, NM on Saturday, and was impressed with some of the "old,small hard to find stuff", but was shocked at the prices on anything complete and ready to shoot, So I must agree with the posts about buying from a reputable, storefront bussiness.
 
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