Gun show report

Doc Hoy · September 6, 2009, 01:13 PM

Norfolk, VA,

One guy had black powder pistols. All Pietta, all Steel frames, all .44. One was 1851 Colt and two were 1858 Remington. He was not budging off of Cabelas prices even though the pistol were out of the box, handled and turn. As far as I know he went home with them.

This is the third busted show in a row and I am well aware that all I have to do is stop going as many of you have done. I got some real good deals on pistols last year and I keep hoping they will come back.

I didn't even buy a five dollar hot dog or a two dollar coke. Paid five bucks to park the truck and seven to get in.

Don't pay any attention to my whining.

Tnx,

Buck Conner · September 6, 2009, 04:35 PM

Bet the guy with the candy & nuts made the most money, that's my next mode of operation.

Those guys always come out ahead of the game at any of these weekend shows. !@#$%^

Dragon55 · September 6, 2009, 04:40 PM

Doc Last show I went to Knoxville, TN made me swear off gun shows.

It's really kind of silly for us to pay their overhead then see prices the same or even higher than stuff at our local gunshops. I saw better deals in the parking lot.
AND... if you have a problem with a purchase then what? They are off to another show somewhere else.
At least with mom and pop you can go back to their store and whine in person.

Buck Conner · September 6, 2009, 04:45 PM

You always get the best deals in the parking lots around here and in Denver. Pack a lunch and watch the parking lot and those carrying stuff in.

robhof · September 6, 2009, 05:21 PM

Friend of my son works at the gun counter at a Cabelas. People come in all the time wanting to sell guns. Their expert quotes them the wholesa,e used price for a fair condition gun and they start to leave. The friend will offer around $50 more if they're in very good shape, he can't make the deal in the store so he goes on break and does the deal in the parking lot. He said that the job is making him gun rich and cash poor. Pawn shops don't even pay the min. list price for used or new, so if they won't bargain, I'll find another shop.

Doc Hoy · September 7, 2009, 05:52 AM

Rob, Buck and Dragon,

Others on the forum will remember and are probably not posting because they have already grown tired of telling me to stop going to shows. I was complaining about this identical situation about a year ago. I had been to three shows in a row at which I got what I considered to be some great deals. I bought pistols for an average of about $75.00 apiece, some in very good condition. That is where I got my Centaur and I gave 200 for it and an excellent condition Griswold and Gunnison. Then the shows dried up for black powder folks. I keep going in the hopes that some one will show up with something I want but in the last bunch of shows the fare was exactly as you all describe. I actually did stop going (missed the Virginia Beach and the Hampton show) but I went to this one just to see if things had changed.

My guess is; those hot dogs are tasteless and the coke is watered down.

eastbank · September 7, 2009, 06:27 AM

i go to shows to look for small parts and sights, if i find a good buy in the firearm line i will buy it,but most are at a inflated price. but i still like to go. eastbank.

**4V50 Gary** · September 7, 2009, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Paid five bucks to park the truck and seven to get in.

One of the reasons why I don't attend gun shows anymore.

Quote:

It's really kind of silly for us to pay their overhead then see prices the same or even higher than stuff at our local gunshops. I saw better deals in the parking lot.

The other reason why I don't attend gun shows.

madcratebuilder · September 7, 2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Bet the guy with the candy & nuts made the most money, that's my next mode of operation. Those guys always come out ahead of the game at any of these weekend shows. !@#$%^

It's a good biz, can be labor intensive. I did food and booze at summer/fall events for about six years. Only had to work five months a year, but it was hard and long hours.

arcticap · September 7, 2009, 01:24 PM

Going to gun shows or trying to find a bargain in general is just like game hunting.
Maybe you should try to find some smaller shows that are located off of the beaten path.
Or concentrate on hunting for bargains online.
Or even try to find gun shops in outlying towns that you've never visited before, then in the course of traveling it doesn't require going much out of your way to just stop in and browse around for obscure items.
Just like with game hunting, sometimes the hunter needs to stick to the edges and look for signs about where the bargain goods are hiding which aren't so easy to be discovered. Must hunt both high and low!

Doc Hoy · September 7, 2009, 02:22 PM

Best deal I ever got was for the two Colts (2nd Gen Pocket and a Signature series 1861 Navy) at a hock shop in South Carolina.

Tnx,

Russ5924 · September 7, 2009, 02:40 PM

I allow myself one Gun show a year and that cures me for another year. I used to enjoy the guns shows but anymore it the same expensive crap over and over. If they ever turn around I may start going more

mykeal · September 7, 2009, 07:06 PM

I've actually had two good experiences lately at local gun shows; bought an unfired Investarms Hawken .50 for $120 at one and a 99% T/C kit Hawken .50 with a great walnut stock for $140 at the other. I sincerely appreciate all you guys who didn't go and left them to me.

I do have to admit it was a couple of dry years before those showed up, though.

Local auctions have been much better hunting grounds.

Doc Hoy · September 7, 2009, 07:42 PM

I think the sporadic nature of the pickin's at the shows is why I can't bring myself to miss one.

When it comes right down to it, the savings are probably offset by the entrance fee, the parking, the gas, and the flowers for the wife for letting me go. (She went one time and told me she loved my interest but that she was glad it was only MY interest.) But it sure is fun to gloat over that occassional good deal.

My next post about gun shows will probably be about how a stole a pistol from a guy who was falling over himself to give it away and how I will never miss another one in my lifetime.

As an aside, I would not be the least bit surprised to learn that some good transactions occur at the various CAS meets and rendezvous events. As I said, I have done well at pawn shops on about four different pistols. (Did I mentions those two actual Colts, one for 75.00 and one for 100.00? Huh, Did I?)

arcticap · September 8, 2009, 01:19 AM

Like Al Bundy from "Married with Children" said when he won the lottery, "Oh no! That means that bad luck is waiting for me right around the corner!"

A person needs to first overpay for a gun or two (or for something else they bought or needed to repair) before they can find a really good deal to make up for it!
In the end it's all a wash anyway!

September 6, 2009, 01:13 PM	#1
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Gun show report Norfolk, VA, One guy had black powder pistols. All Pietta, all Steel frames, all .44. One was 1851 Colt and two were 1858 Remington. He was not budging off of Cabelas prices even though the pistol were out of the box, handled and turn. As far as I know he went home with them. This is the third busted show in a row and I am well aware that all I have to do is stop going as many of you have done. I got some real good deals on pistols last year and I keep hoping they will come back. I didn't even buy a five dollar hot dog or a two dollar coke. Paid five bucks to park the truck and seven to get in. Don't pay any attention to my whining. Tnx, __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

September 6, 2009, 04:35 PM	#2
Buck Conner Member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Location: Lehi, Utah Posts: 50	Bet the guy with the candy & nuts made the most money, that's my next mode of operation. Those guys always come out ahead of the game at any of these weekend shows. !@#$%^ __________________ Buck Conner NRA & NMLRA Life AMM Hiverano Degree NAF Mountaineer Degree

September 6, 2009, 04:40 PM	#3
Dragon55 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 811	Doc Last show I went to Knoxville, TN made me swear off gun shows. It's really kind of silly for us to pay their overhead then see prices the same or even higher than stuff at our local gunshops. I saw better deals in the parking lot. AND... if you have a problem with a purchase then what? They are off to another show somewhere else. At least with mom and pop you can go back to their store and whine in person. __________________ sailing ... A way to spend lots of money and go real S L O W

September 6, 2009, 04:45 PM	#4
Buck Conner Member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Location: Lehi, Utah Posts: 50	You always get the best deals in the parking lots around here and in Denver. Pack a lunch and watch the parking lot and those carrying stuff in. __________________ Buck Conner NRA & NMLRA Life AMM Hiverano Degree NAF Mountaineer Degree

September 6, 2009, 05:21 PM	#5
robhof Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2007 Posts: 712	robhof Friend of my son works at the gun counter at a Cabelas. People come in all the time wanting to sell guns. Their expert quotes them the wholesa,e used price for a fair condition gun and they start to leave. The friend will offer around $50 more if they're in very good shape, he can't make the deal in the store so he goes on break and does the deal in the parking lot. He said that the job is making him gun rich and cash poor. Pawn shops don't even pay the min. list price for used or new, so if they won't bargain, I'll find another shop.

September 7, 2009, 05:52 AM	#6
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Roger to all of you Rob, Buck and Dragon, Others on the forum will remember and are probably not posting because they have already grown tired of telling me to stop going to shows. I was complaining about this identical situation about a year ago. I had been to three shows in a row at which I got what I considered to be some great deals. I bought pistols for an average of about $75.00 apiece, some in very good condition. That is where I got my Centaur and I gave 200 for it and an excellent condition Griswold and Gunnison. Then the shows dried up for black powder folks. I keep going in the hopes that some one will show up with something I want but in the last bunch of shows the fare was exactly as you all describe. I actually did stop going (missed the Virginia Beach and the Hampton show) but I went to this one just to see if things had changed. My guess is; those hot dogs are tasteless and the coke is watered down. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

September 7, 2009, 06:27 AM	#7
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,452	i go to shows to look for small parts and sights, if i find a good buy in the firearm line i will buy it,but most are at a inflated price. but i still like to go. eastbank.

September 7, 2009, 01:24 PM	#10
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	Going to gun shows or trying to find a bargain in general is just like game hunting. Maybe you should try to find some smaller shows that are located off of the beaten path. Or concentrate on hunting for bargains online. Or even try to find gun shops in outlying towns that you've never visited before, then in the course of traveling it doesn't require going much out of your way to just stop in and browse around for obscure items. Just like with game hunting, sometimes the hunter needs to stick to the edges and look for signs about where the bargain goods are hiding which aren't so easy to be discovered. Must hunt both high and low! Last edited by arcticap; September 7, 2009 at 01:35 PM.

September 7, 2009, 02:22 PM	#11
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Yup! Best deal I ever got was for the two Colts (2nd Gen Pocket and a Signature series 1861 Navy) at a hock shop in South Carolina. Tnx, __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

September 7, 2009, 02:40 PM	#12
Russ5924 Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2005 Posts: 1,874	I allow myself one Gun show a year and that cures me for another year. I used to enjoy the guns shows but anymore it the same expensive crap over and over. If they ever turn around I may start going more __________________ Russ5924

September 7, 2009, 07:06 PM	#13
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	I've actually had two good experiences lately at local gun shows; bought an unfired Investarms Hawken .50 for $120 at one and a 99% T/C kit Hawken .50 with a great walnut stock for $140 at the other. I sincerely appreciate all you guys who didn't go and left them to me. I do have to admit it was a couple of dry years before those showed up, though. Local auctions have been much better hunting grounds.

September 7, 2009, 07:42 PM	#14
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Yup! I think the sporadic nature of the pickin's at the shows is why I can't bring myself to miss one. When it comes right down to it, the savings are probably offset by the entrance fee, the parking, the gas, and the flowers for the wife for letting me go. (She went one time and told me she loved my interest but that she was glad it was only MY interest.) But it sure is fun to gloat over that occassional good deal. My next post about gun shows will probably be about how a stole a pistol from a guy who was falling over himself to give it away and how I will never miss another one in my lifetime. As an aside, I would not be the least bit surprised to learn that some good transactions occur at the various CAS meets and rendezvous events. As I said, I have done well at pawn shops on about four different pistols. (Did I mentions those two actual Colts, one for 75.00 and one for 100.00? Huh, Did I?) __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

September 8, 2009, 01:19 AM	#15
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	Like Al Bundy from "Married with Children" said when he won the lottery, "Oh no! That means that bad luck is waiting for me right around the corner!" A person needs to first overpay for a gun or two (or for something else they bought or needed to repair) before they can find a really good deal to make up for it! In the end it's all a wash anyway! Last edited by arcticap; September 8, 2009 at 11:08 AM.