Do gunshows have reloading supplies?

BerettaBill · March 7, 2008, 02:03 PM

I am in need of some 40 S&W bullets this week. I have a gunshow coming to my city this weekend and before I order online I thought I might wait and see if anyone there will have any reloading supplies. Do gunshows normally have vendors that sell that sort of stuff?

hodaka · March 7, 2008, 02:14 PM

Most of the ones I go to have components. Usually you can get better prices by ordering on-line though. Even with the shipping.

dennymac · March 7, 2008, 02:40 PM

Good afternoon. I am just outside Louisville. I have been having more and more trouble finding 'good' prices on any components, when you can find them. Sportsman's Warehouse on Winchester off I-75 has decent pricing, but seems to always be low on inventory. You might try looking on the Kentucky State Rifle and Pistol web site at our links page. http://kysrpa.org/useful-links.html We have started trying to get a list of web sites that are friendly to shooters. Best of luck to you. DennyMac

CrustyFN · March 7, 2008, 04:43 PM

The shows by me have very slim pickings on components and no presses or accessories. The prices on the components they have are over priced. I hope you have better luck than me. The big selling feature in the last e-mail I got for a close gun show was that they were going to have a video game contest, think I'm going to have to miss that one.
Rusty

Tomas · March 7, 2008, 04:59 PM

They have always had reloading supplies out here, but like others have said, their prices aren't usually that good. You'd think that with all that traffic they'd price better, as they could really move some product, but it doesn't seem to happen much. Still, it's worth going because if you look hard enough, you can often find deals.

I bought a NIB SW 1066 for $500 cash at a show and flipped it a month later for $850.

My hunting buddy bought 100 rounds of new 7mm Mag brass at a show in Idaho last week for $4.00. Not a typo, four bucks. Clearly it was mis-marked, but you never know what you'll come across.

Vitamin G · March 7, 2008, 07:44 PM

The ones near me carry bullets and brass, but no powder or primers. I was told that the landlords wouldn't permit them. A year later, the show moved to a new location. No powder, no primers.

Prices can be all over the map too. I picked up 1000+ rounds of .40s&w brass because someone had such an overstock, he lowered it the last day to $5/500. Trading fodder.

Anyone need .40 brass?

scsov509 · March 7, 2008, 08:47 PM

I've bought a good amount of brass and used equipment from gun shows at decent prices, but the projectiles I've seen usually overpriced. Any more I just save my money and buy my supplies in bulk, because quantity seems to be where I can really cut costs the most.

T. O'Heir · March 7, 2008, 09:14 PM

As you've likely noticed, it depends on the show. Some have lots of bullets, some not so many. In any case, buying on-line involves shipping costs. They will negate any cost saving you might find on-line. Shipping costs are determined by the carrier, not the retailer, based on the weight, size of the package and distance. Bullets, in bulk, are heavy critters. Buy components locally.

scsov509 · March 7, 2008, 09:32 PM

Quote:

In any case, buying on-line involves shipping costs. They will negate any cost saving you might find on-line.

Not my experience at all, I save a ton of money ordering online. Take .40 caliber bullets for example. The cheapest local cost I can find is Oregon Trail LaserCast at about $45/500, which after local sales tax is about $50/500 or $100/1000. I can order the same size bullet from http://www.mastercastbullets.com/productpricelist.html for $45/1000, with no sales tax and I can have up to 3000 shipped to my door for $8.95 USPS flat rate. So even if I order only 1000, I'm still talking about a $45 difference over the best price I can find locally, and that's to say nothing about the fact that what I can order is a much better quality.

Plus, if I start ordering in larger quantities then half the places I shop online will ship for free. So if you shop around then you can save a ton of money buying online.

crowbeaner · March 7, 2008, 10:12 PM

I bought some 1x RP 30/06 brass at the last show here for a nickel apiece because the guy didn't want to pack it back up for the trip home. Primers were $28/1000 at another table and the guy had quite a few on the shelf. Target .22s were $10 a brick at one table but by the time I got back an hour or so later they were all gone; I think a dealer cleaned him out. You CAN find deals, but you have to look and be prepared to haggle sometimes; it's all part of the game, sport.

DWARREN123 · March 8, 2008, 01:37 AM

The ones I have been to have but never found the bullets I like at a decent price.

TexasSeaRay · March 8, 2008, 02:13 AM

I've all but given up on gun shows.

Too much junk, first of all. WAY too pricey for too much junk, second of all. Then, there's the camo-dressed yokels you seem to see at every gun show wearing their Special Forces "Mess with the best, die like the rest" shirts--in reality, the yokel wearing the shirt was in charge of cleaning the grease pits in the galley. But these heros always have some sort of black gun or Mini-14 slung over their shoulder and tote it up and down the aisles.

And when the press gets there to do the obligatory "The gun nuts were out in full force today at the civic center market hall. . ." reports, these grinning buffoons and their SF shirts, camo and black guns gravitate towards TV cameras faster than tort lawyers to a car crash.

Last gun show I went to was in Fort Worth and it cost me freaking twelve bucks just to get in. Cost me five bucks to park. Got thirsty and a small coke cost me two and a half bucks. Glad I didn't have to visit the restrooms, even though the coke was small. . . .

Everything I saw at the show was significantly overpriced for average retail, let alone online. Picked up a beat-to-hell Browning Hi-Power, made in Argentinia. Had a price tag of $749. "What's your best price?" I ask the dealer.

"You're looking at it," he replied, seemingly not giving a damn if he sold ANY of the dozens and dozens of guns he had out on his tables. "That there is a rare gun," he added. "And better than them Belgium made copies."

See ya later, alligator.

I used to know a few dealers who'd make some of the shows every year, but they've quit going. They do their business out of Shotgun News and by word-of-mouth.

Shame. I used to really enjoy hitting the gun shows.

Jeff

ludwig1138 · March 8, 2008, 06:48 AM

Waited two weeks needing primers. Went to the gun show. Not one table with reloading supplies. Ordered online. In five days I had my stuff. Good bye gun shows. They used to fill the place where they are held, now it's like a swap meet. I guess they can't/won't compete with the internet.

btefft · March 8, 2008, 08:54 AM

At the gun show here in Columbus (Eastman's) I did see reloading venders. One had some presses of various manufacturers (Dillon and RCBS were two I looked at, don;t recall the prices), cleaning media, saw some manuals, saw some powders, shell holders, primer flipper, for sure. Probably more that I missed.

Bobby

Sevens · March 8, 2008, 01:07 PM

Jeez! You guys give up so easily!

I know exactly what you mean regarding the complaints about gun shows. I could air a laundry list myself. But if you honestly write off everything in the same fashion, you'll lose out many times. Which is fine I suppose... if doing things a certain way makes you comfortable, then being happy is all that's important.

In the mean time, there are folks still walking away from various gun shows all over this great nation with terrific damn deals. Sometimes it's on guns, sometimes it's accessories, sometimes it's components, and sometimes it's nothing. In other areas of this site, posters pop on with their latest purchase and some of the deals are phenomenal. One guy just nabbed a S&W 1066 for $500 cash and flipped it a couple weeks later on Gunbroker for $850.

Shows in my area: $7 to get in. Reloading supplies? There's two or three different dealers with stuff. Tools and accessories are more than our favorite online dealers, but no shipping. Powder seems to be going for $20 cash per pound, which is cheaper than I'm getting from my local gun store. Bullets vary, there's a local caster here in Ohio and I've found some great prices at the local gun show which keeps me from having to find his lead at gun shops.

Compared to tables selling guns? Hardly any reloading supplies. And for sure, there are some shady characters at these places, too. Our local ones have posted signs and fully enforced appearance standards-- no baggy pants, no gang colors, no club crests or etc.

I don't feel like I have to get to the local show. But I enjoy going a couple times a year. If there's a growing group of people who are certain that they've seen enough and will never go again, I guess there's more deals left for everyone else.

CPTMurdoc30 · March 8, 2008, 01:59 PM

IT is hit or miss for me.

One time a guy had a 100' section of reloading supplys. Powder was $19 a pound. Had just about every name in bullets you could think of. ext gun show nothing not a single thing to do with reloading.

zxcvbob · March 8, 2008, 02:20 PM

I've seen ammo, bullets, and used brass at gun shows, but not powder or primers. OTOH, I haven't been to many gun shows.

March 7, 2008, 02:03 PM	#1
BerettaBill Member Join Date: January 28, 2008 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 53	Do gunshows have reloading supplies? I am in need of some 40 S&W bullets this week. I have a gunshow coming to my city this weekend and before I order online I thought I might wait and see if anyone there will have any reloading supplies. Do gunshows normally have vendors that sell that sort of stuff?

March 7, 2008, 02:40 PM	#3
dennymac Member Join Date: September 7, 2005 Location: Buckner, KY Posts: 16	Gun Shows and Reloading components Good afternoon. I am just outside Louisville. I have been having more and more trouble finding 'good' prices on any components, when you can find them. Sportsman's Warehouse on Winchester off I-75 has decent pricing, but seems to always be low on inventory. You might try looking on the Kentucky State Rifle and Pistol web site at our links page. http://kysrpa.org/useful-links.html We have started trying to get a list of web sites that are friendly to shooters. Best of luck to you. DennyMac

March 7, 2008, 04:43 PM	#4
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	The shows by me have very slim pickings on components and no presses or accessories. The prices on the components they have are over priced. I hope you have better luck than me. The big selling feature in the last e-mail I got for a close gun show was that they were going to have a video game contest, think I'm going to have to miss that one. Rusty __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

March 7, 2008, 09:14 PM	#8
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	As you've likely noticed, it depends on the show. Some have lots of bullets, some not so many. In any case, buying on-line involves shipping costs. They will negate any cost saving you might find on-line. Shipping costs are determined by the carrier, not the retailer, based on the weight, size of the package and distance. Bullets, in bulk, are heavy critters. Buy components locally. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

March 7, 2008, 10:12 PM	#10
crowbeaner Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2007 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 1,943	I bought some 1x RP 30/06 brass at the last show here for a nickel apiece because the guy didn't want to pack it back up for the trip home. Primers were $28/1000 at another table and the guy had quite a few on the shelf. Target .22s were $10 a brick at one table but by the time I got back an hour or so later they were all gone; I think a dealer cleaned him out. You CAN find deals, but you have to look and be prepared to haggle sometimes; it's all part of the game, sport. __________________ If you want your children to follow in your footsteps, be careful where you walk. Beware the man that only owns one gun; he probably knows how to use it. I just hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.

March 7, 2008, 02:14 PM	#2
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	Most of the ones I go to have components. Usually you can get better prices by ordering on-line though. Even with the shipping.

March 7, 2008, 04:59 PM	#5
Tomas Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 1999 Location: Blue State Posts: 441	They have always had reloading supplies out here, but like others have said, their prices aren't usually that good. You'd think that with all that traffic they'd price better, as they could really move some product, but it doesn't seem to happen much. Still, it's worth going because if you look hard enough, you can often find deals. I bought a NIB SW 1066 for $500 cash at a show and flipped it a month later for $850. My hunting buddy bought 100 rounds of new 7mm Mag brass at a show in Idaho last week for $4.00. Not a typo, four bucks. Clearly it was mis-marked, but you never know what you'll come across.

March 7, 2008, 07:44 PM	#6
Vitamin G Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 307	The ones near me carry bullets and brass, but no powder or primers. I was told that the landlords wouldn't permit them. A year later, the show moved to a new location. No powder, no primers. Prices can be all over the map too. I picked up 1000+ rounds of .40s&w brass because someone had such an overstock, he lowered it the last day to $5/500. Trading fodder. Anyone need .40 brass?

March 7, 2008, 08:47 PM	#7
scsov509 Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 819	I've bought a good amount of brass and used equipment from gun shows at decent prices, but the projectiles I've seen usually overpriced. Any more I just save my money and buy my supplies in bulk, because quantity seems to be where I can really cut costs the most.

March 8, 2008, 01:37 AM	#11
DWARREN123 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2006 Location: BETWEEN TN & KY Posts: 1,758	The ones I have been to have but never found the bullets I like at a decent price. __________________ Have a nice day!

March 8, 2008, 02:13 AM	#12
TexasSeaRay Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 810	gun shows are becoming a joke I've all but given up on gun shows. Too much junk, first of all. WAY too pricey for too much junk, second of all. Then, there's the camo-dressed yokels you seem to see at every gun show wearing their Special Forces "Mess with the best, die like the rest" shirts--in reality, the yokel wearing the shirt was in charge of cleaning the grease pits in the galley. But these heros always have some sort of black gun or Mini-14 slung over their shoulder and tote it up and down the aisles. And when the press gets there to do the obligatory "The gun nuts were out in full force today at the civic center market hall. . ." reports, these grinning buffoons and their SF shirts, camo and black guns gravitate towards TV cameras faster than tort lawyers to a car crash. Last gun show I went to was in Fort Worth and it cost me freaking twelve bucks just to get in. Cost me five bucks to park. Got thirsty and a small coke cost me two and a half bucks. Glad I didn't have to visit the restrooms, even though the coke was small. . . . Everything I saw at the show was significantly overpriced for average retail, let alone online. Picked up a beat-to-hell Browning Hi-Power, made in Argentinia. Had a price tag of $749. "What's your best price?" I ask the dealer. "You're looking at it," he replied, seemingly not giving a damn if he sold ANY of the dozens and dozens of guns he had out on his tables. "That there is a rare gun," he added. "And better than them Belgium made copies." See ya later, alligator. I used to know a few dealers who'd make some of the shows every year, but they've quit going. They do their business out of Shotgun News and by word-of-mouth. Shame. I used to really enjoy hitting the gun shows. Jeff __________________ If every single gun owner belonged to the NRA as well as their respective state rifle/gun association, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. So to those of you who are members of neither, thanks for nothing.

March 8, 2008, 06:48 AM	#13
ludwig1138 Member Join Date: July 31, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 74	Waited two weeks needing primers. Went to the gun show. Not one table with reloading supplies. Ordered online. In five days I had my stuff. Good bye gun shows. They used to fill the place where they are held, now it's like a swap meet. I guess they can't/won't compete with the internet. __________________ Look out for the floor

March 8, 2008, 08:54 AM	#14
btefft Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2008 Posts: 181	At the gun show here in Columbus (Eastman's) I did see reloading venders. One had some presses of various manufacturers (Dillon and RCBS were two I looked at, don;t recall the prices), cleaning media, saw some manuals, saw some powders, shell holders, primer flipper, for sure. Probably more that I missed. Bobby

March 8, 2008, 01:07 PM	#15
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	Jeez! You guys give up so easily! I know exactly what you mean regarding the complaints about gun shows. I could air a laundry list myself. But if you honestly write off everything in the same fashion, you'll lose out many times. Which is fine I suppose... if doing things a certain way makes you comfortable, then being happy is all that's important. In the mean time, there are folks still walking away from various gun shows all over this great nation with terrific damn deals. Sometimes it's on guns, sometimes it's accessories, sometimes it's components, and sometimes it's nothing. In other areas of this site, posters pop on with their latest purchase and some of the deals are phenomenal. One guy just nabbed a S&W 1066 for $500 cash and flipped it a couple weeks later on Gunbroker for $850. Shows in my area: $7 to get in. Reloading supplies? There's two or three different dealers with stuff. Tools and accessories are more than our favorite online dealers, but no shipping. Powder seems to be going for $20 cash per pound, which is cheaper than I'm getting from my local gun store. Bullets vary, there's a local caster here in Ohio and I've found some great prices at the local gun show which keeps me from having to find his lead at gun shops. Compared to tables selling guns? Hardly any reloading supplies. And for sure, there are some shady characters at these places, too. Our local ones have posted signs and fully enforced appearance standards-- no baggy pants, no gang colors, no club crests or etc. I don't feel like I have to get to the local show. But I enjoy going a couple times a year. If there's a growing group of people who are certain that they've seen enough and will never go again, I guess there's more deals left for everyone else. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 8, 2008, 01:59 PM	#16
CPTMurdoc30 Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2008 Location: Stafford VA Posts: 969	IT is hit or miss for me. One time a guy had a 100' section of reloading supplys. Powder was $19 a pound. Had just about every name in bullets you could think of. ext gun show nothing not a single thing to do with reloading.

March 8, 2008, 02:20 PM	#17
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I've seen ammo, bullets, and used brass at gun shows, but not powder or primers. OTOH, I haven't been to many gun shows.