Va Beach Gun show a bust for C&R stuff

Doc Hoy · May 31, 2015, 01:59 PM

Plenty of knives, jewelry, leather stuff. The paraphernalia vendors outnumbered the firearm vendors. One lady was giving out free back rubs to get you to buy her stuff.

Ammunition was plentiful.

Mac's Reloads generally has a line of a dozen folks. Today it was, "Step right up." He actually had time to stand a talk.

Same story at Georgia Arms and Ammunition.

I was able to park in the first row.

Came home with about sixty bucks worth of 9mm FMJ bullets.

noelf2 · May 31, 2015, 06:46 PM

A couple more gun shows like that and maybe the sellers will stop being so proud of their wares, and start negotiating... !

Doc Hoy · May 31, 2015, 09:13 PM

Prices were too high. Minimum for a fair condition bicycle revolver was 150.00.

Lugers started at 2250.00

I came close to e CZ 50 with two clips and a holster for 300.00 but I thought better of it.

I was trying to trade off a trapdoor but nobody was interested.

Disappointing show.

kilimanjaro · May 31, 2015, 09:52 PM

Haven't seen a table with more than two or three C&R items on it for some time, and nothing with what I would term a fair price. Seems some vendors just add the table rent to the price of every rifle and keep on doing it for each show.

Trading seems to be between collectors now, the vendors won't do it unless what they get is much more special than what they want to trade.

I know there are bargains and goodies out there, but it's scarcer now.

Tidewater_Kid · June 1, 2015, 07:56 AM

Last show in Birmingham was like that. Barely spent an hour there. I purchased some bullets and powder just to justify the admission cost. I have found a few bargains in the last year, but most are way overpriced. I took a very collectable K98 to a show to sell/trade a few years ago. It was a very frustrating experience and was never offered more the 1/2 my asking price. I asked one guy why he was offering such a low price since it was much nicer than other rifles he had on his table. He told me he was trying to cover his table fees and business was slow.

If you were in the market for an AR, there were lots of deals out there!

TK

Doc Hoy · June 1, 2015, 11:19 AM

There has been an ample supply of Mosin Nagant surplus. I did not see even one at the VaBeach show.

It is true that there was a show in Va Beach about a month ago and the market may be saturated.

Maybe that is it.

skizzums · June 1, 2015, 06:29 PM

2250$ for lugers....geezus.

so, how much is the market for mosin's these days? I know if they back down to the 125 mark I need to jump on a couple more. last I saw any for sale they were 200$ or over, but I think that was over a year ago.

I have never been to a gun show, and the more I hear about them, the more I don't think i'm missing out.

Doc Hoy · June 2, 2015, 02:07 AM

I saw two at the show, one for just over $2k and the other just under $4k. For all I know they were worth every penny and then some. But by the other prices I saw, I doubt it.

I have seen low to moderate Mosins at the 150.00 to 200.00 price range. Classic Arms seems to have established the price benchmark. I don't do battle rifles (yet) so I don't know.

I should probably mention that I complain about things a lot. I am able to spot, what I think are problems in the most perfect of situations. Anyone who has read many of my posts knows that. So here I am complaining about the gun show.

But guess what. I will be at the next one, rain or shine.

tobnpr · June 3, 2015, 09:17 PM

JMO...but internet sales and auction sites have mostly killed gun shows.

No longer does a seller need to buy a table, in the hopes of attracting a local (or not local) buyer- or a re-seller hoping to score a deal that he can flip.

List it on an auction site, the whole country gets to see it- and often top dollar is guaranteed. Set a reserve, get what you want, or keep it. With reputable sellers, high-res photos (and lots of them), and an inspection period who needs gun shows?

Doc Hoy · June 4, 2015, 02:03 AM

And the entering mindset is much the same.

I went to the show hoping to accomplish to goals.

1. I had a rifle I wanted to sell or trade.
2. I was in the market for a 9mm Luger.

Gunbroker is the solution to both of those problems.

Unrealistic as it may sound, I was able to make a deal at the previous show with which I was quite satisfied.

I had a Remington Rolling Block in excellent condition but in .43 Spanish Reformado. I wanted to trade it for something which was worth about the same as the rifle. Final trade was for a NIB Zig 1911. (I am a pushover for 1911s or clones)

I could have sold the rifle on Gunbroker, hoping to get a little more for it but in the end I decided to forego the hassle.

noelf2 · June 4, 2015, 08:56 AM

Quote:

JMO...but internet sales and auction sites have mostly killed gun shows.

Some people are not comfortable buying a gun sight unseen, especially a used gun. I think gun shows will always have their place, just don't go to one hoping a seller doesn't know what he/she has, and what it's top value (+20%) is. I only buy parts on auction sites. Face to face is the only way I buy guns. I have sold black powder guns on the auctions (and Armslist) though.

toot44 · June 4, 2015, 12:44 PM

you guys are lucky. I live in a state that has no gun shows. we have to go out of state to them.

May 31, 2015, 01:59 PM	#1
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Va Beach Gun show a bust for C&R stuff Plenty of knives, jewelry, leather stuff. The paraphernalia vendors outnumbered the firearm vendors. One lady was giving out free back rubs to get you to buy her stuff. Ammunition was plentiful. Mac's Reloads generally has a line of a dozen folks. Today it was, "Step right up." He actually had time to stand a talk. Same story at Georgia Arms and Ammunition. I was able to park in the first row. Came home with about sixty bucks worth of 9mm FMJ bullets. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

May 31, 2015, 06:46 PM	#2
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	A couple more gun shows like that and maybe the sellers will stop being so proud of their wares, and start negotiating... ! __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 31, 2015, 09:13 PM	#3
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	Good point, Noel. Prices were too high. Minimum for a fair condition bicycle revolver was 150.00. Lugers started at 2250.00 I came close to e CZ 50 with two clips and a holster for 300.00 but I thought better of it. I was trying to trade off a trapdoor but nobody was interested. Disappointing show. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

June 1, 2015, 11:19 AM	#6
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	At most of the recent shows.... There has been an ample supply of Mosin Nagant surplus. I did not see even one at the VaBeach show. It is true that there was a show in Va Beach about a month ago and the market may be saturated. Maybe that is it. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

June 1, 2015, 06:29 PM	#7
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	2250$ for lugers....geezus. so, how much is the market for mosin's these days? I know if they back down to the 125 mark I need to jump on a couple more. last I saw any for sale they were 200$ or over, but I think that was over a year ago. I have never been to a gun show, and the more I hear about them, the more I don't think i'm missing out. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

May 31, 2015, 09:52 PM	#4
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	Haven't seen a table with more than two or three C&R items on it for some time, and nothing with what I would term a fair price. Seems some vendors just add the table rent to the price of every rifle and keep on doing it for each show. Trading seems to be between collectors now, the vendors won't do it unless what they get is much more special than what they want to trade. I know there are bargains and goodies out there, but it's scarcer now.

June 1, 2015, 07:56 AM	#5
Tidewater_Kid Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2005 Location: Alabama Posts: 925	Last show in Birmingham was like that. Barely spent an hour there. I purchased some bullets and powder just to justify the admission cost. I have found a few bargains in the last year, but most are way overpriced. I took a very collectable K98 to a show to sell/trade a few years ago. It was a very frustrating experience and was never offered more the 1/2 my asking price. I asked one guy why he was offering such a low price since it was much nicer than other rifles he had on his table. He told me he was trying to cover his table fees and business was slow. If you were in the market for an AR, there were lots of deals out there! TK

June 2, 2015, 02:07 AM	#8
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	I don't know anything about Lugers.... I saw two at the show, one for just over $2k and the other just under $4k. For all I know they were worth every penny and then some. But by the other prices I saw, I doubt it. I have seen low to moderate Mosins at the 150.00 to 200.00 price range. Classic Arms seems to have established the price benchmark. I don't do battle rifles (yet) so I don't know. I should probably mention that I complain about things a lot. I am able to spot, what I think are problems in the most perfect of situations. Anyone who has read many of my posts knows that. So here I am complaining about the gun show. But guess what. I will be at the next one, rain or shine. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

June 3, 2015, 09:17 PM	#9
tobnpr Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2010 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 4,556	JMO...but internet sales and auction sites have mostly killed gun shows. No longer does a seller need to buy a table, in the hopes of attracting a local (or not local) buyer- or a re-seller hoping to score a deal that he can flip. List it on an auction site, the whole country gets to see it- and often top dollar is guaranteed. Set a reserve, get what you want, or keep it. With reputable sellers, high-res photos (and lots of them), and an inspection period who needs gun shows? __________________ Remington 700/Savage Rebarreling /Action Blueprinting 07 FFL /Mosin-Nagant Custom Shop/Bent Bolts Genuine Cerakote Applicator www.biggorillagunworks.com

June 4, 2015, 02:03 AM	#10
Doc Hoy Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Naples, Fl Posts: 5,440	It is true what you say.... And the entering mindset is much the same. I went to the show hoping to accomplish to goals. 1. I had a rifle I wanted to sell or trade. 2. I was in the market for a 9mm Luger. Gunbroker is the solution to both of those problems. Unrealistic as it may sound, I was able to make a deal at the previous show with which I was quite satisfied. I had a Remington Rolling Block in excellent condition but in .43 Spanish Reformado. I wanted to trade it for something which was worth about the same as the rifle. Final trade was for a NIB Zig 1911. (I am a pushover for 1911s or clones) I could have sold the rifle on Gunbroker, hoping to get a little more for it but in the end I decided to forego the hassle. __________________ Seek truth. Relax. Take a breath.

June 4, 2015, 12:44 PM	#12
toot44 Member Join Date: November 25, 2012 Posts: 83	gun showes you guys are lucky. I live in a state that has no gun shows. we have to go out of state to them.