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October 8, 2017, 10:44 PM | #1 |
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Weak attendance at gun show . . .
Went to Belle-Clair gun show today in Belleville IL. One vendor told me that yesterday the gate was only 300. Normally it's 12-15 hundred. Hmmmm . . .
So I bought . . . Some American Ammunition for my 38 spl. Looks a touch old but 12 bucks for 50 rounds is not too bad. Got some Mosin ammo . . . the good stuff with brass cases and FMJ bullets. Figure I am going to run out of the cheap historic stuff sooner or later and need to start learning to reload it. Paid 19 buck for 20 rounds. Pricey compared to the old stuff. Got a very beat up AK bayonet. See pic below. Am trying to learn origins via the numbers on the finger guard and scabbard but no luck so far. And I bought a small duffle that looks like my waders and fly fishing gear will fit in nicely. Most amazing, but I didn't buy it, was a Sig P238. The kind with the sort of oil on water rain bow finish, NIB for only $425. Really. Poor guy behind the table told me he had serious health issues and was liquidating his stock so his daughter would not have to deal with it when he passed. That is a $700 gun!!! Am thinking as I write this that I should have bought it and then resold it for some $$$. Ah well. And would that make me a fire arms dealer . . . illegally? Oh and all the knife dealers were loaded with "switchblades" as they are now legal in IL. One more, I sold my Ram-Line Syn-Tech 22 lr pistol for exactly what I paid for it. And it looked to me like the dealer had passed it on already only an hour later. Life is good. Prof Young |
October 9, 2017, 02:46 AM | #2 |
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poor attendance at gun show?
the bayonet looks like a well used Romanian AKM bayo, worth about $10 - $15
the gun show I attended in CA was also almost empty, very low attendance no security guard, nobody watching the door not many vendors, not much of anything, just common retail store stock and over priced bayonets, and junk, lots of mag sellers, and cheap holster vendors, and some AR parts vendors. not even one sks rifle or M44 in the show, I saw a Gen 3 Glock 19 for $599.00 a Gen 3 Glock 21 for $569, common gun shop prices attendance was below 50% Last edited by mr bolo; October 9, 2017 at 08:32 AM. |
October 9, 2017, 04:34 AM | #3 |
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Went to one locally in Saint Charles on Saturday that the attendance seemed to be about what I'm used to seeing, as did the merchandise available.
The local media had reported last week that signs advertising the show were being stolen, and on the potential for some sort of anti-gun demonstration or something. I'm thinking that was likely just wishful thinking on their part from what I saw. The same media reported that there were protests scheduled for the Belleville show, but I never heard if there were any.
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October 9, 2017, 04:54 AM | #4 |
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Went to the Guntober show this past weekend here in Oaks, PA. Two news stations were there and it was packed. 3 halls, 1700 tables, great time. Bought a small S3 tactical sling bag and 5000 primers.
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October 9, 2017, 05:47 PM | #5 |
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Oaks was actually not nearly as crowded or busy as expected. Three dealer friends had horrible shows, and one sent most of his guys home early and ran a skeleton crew on Sunday.
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October 9, 2017, 10:10 PM | #6 |
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Went to "The cross roads of the west" a couple weeks ago. Attendance seemed low. This gun show is up to $12 for admittance and they have a lot of non gun items, Bennie babies, eye glass cleaners, and the likes. To me gun shows just aren't what they use to be.
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October 9, 2017, 11:38 PM | #7 |
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Went to the Crossroads show in Reno last Saturday. Not packed, but not that bad. Everyone stopped for a moment to recite the pledge and a moment of silence for the victims in Las Vegas.
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October 10, 2017, 08:15 AM | #8 |
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The gun show in my neck of the woods is gone now.....
How's it going in Belleville Prof Young? I lived in Fairview Heights/Belleville area before moving to Colorado. Last edited by Targa; October 10, 2017 at 08:28 AM. |
October 10, 2017, 08:24 AM | #9 |
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Looks like they still have them in my area but I haven't been to one in years.
high prices on the guns, see all sorts of non gun related stuff, food, jewlery, toys, novelties. I got sick of paying 8 or 9 dollars and only walking out with ammo can's. All the guns are zip tied, no they can't be removed to inspect.. so you just look at the gun.. I can do that online.. At least at a real gun shop I can handle the gun fully. I can get better deals online.. It's not that I wish ill will on the gun shows but I don't miss them. I went to my first gun show 10 years ago and it was already like this, If they ever had a golden era it's before my time. |
October 10, 2017, 10:02 AM | #10 | |
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Quote:
Yes, it is that person/vendor's property and they can put whatever price tag they want on it. I'm just saying it's aggravating as a potential buyer seeing price tags like that to where it's almost insulting. I still go to gunshows because, yes, you do still find those rare "good deals" usually in the gun accessories department. You pretty much have to go on the last day, hours before closing down. Vendors tend to negotiate their prices more when they haven't sold much and are about to pack up. |
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October 10, 2017, 01:27 PM | #11 |
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Replay to Targa . . .
Targa:
Like OP says attendance is way down. Lotta guns there. Good prices on reloading stuff, if you shop around a little. I got good prices on the 38 spl ammo. I've bought guns a few times at the Belle-Clair show in the last couple of years and it was always a gun I knew a lot about an I always got a good price. I've sold guns there too and got okay prices. It only costs 5 bucks to get in and I usually spend a couple hours there. I look at everything, talk to all the vendors and consider it good entertainment as well as a good educational experience. Handle a lot of guns. Life is good. Prof Young |
October 10, 2017, 01:34 PM | #12 |
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I have to go along with JoeSixpack, I dont like paying 8 to 10 bucks to shop and then pay retail prices I could find online cheaper..
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October 11, 2017, 06:02 AM | #13 | |
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October 11, 2017, 07:05 AM | #14 |
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Our gun shows have good turnout usually. We did have a couple days where attendance dropped once after a vendor accidentally discharged a shotgun on his table towards the snack bar and sent a bunch of people to the hospital to get birdshot removed. Luckily no fatalities and the vendor has been blackballed. Also our attendance is low when they schedule the show on the same weekends that the local National Guard units conduct the monthly drill.
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October 11, 2017, 08:36 AM | #15 |
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When the cost to attend got to be $8 for parking, $15 to get in, and another $15-20 for gas round trip, I saw no point. One guy who did go and knew a few sellers related how the cost of their tables had gone up so much they most likely won't be coming back. A lot of folks who complain about sellers' high prices forget how much they spent upfront to attend and rent space, room, food, etc. Most small time guys, unless they specialize in something rare and sellable (like Lugers or similar) or who sell mass quantities of low cost stuff like gun cases, can't make any money.
Add in the shop and click of the Internet, and I don't see gun shows hanging around much longer - tragedies like LV notwithstanding.
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October 11, 2017, 10:32 AM | #16 |
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The same thing is happening in amateur radio. The internet is replacing traditional get togethers where lovers of X can go to buy, sell, and trade equipment. Gun shows, hamfests, things of that nature are becoming less and less of something hobbyists do.
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October 11, 2017, 02:09 PM | #17 |
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Went to a small one at the Elks Club and it was well attended, but sales weren't exactly stellar. I was tempted to buy a GP100 for only $275, but I didn't.
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October 11, 2017, 06:23 PM | #18 |
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Sound like some bad shows out there . . .
Sounds to me like there are some really bad circumstances out there. At Belle-Clair it's free parking and only five buck to get in.
Don P. Yeah - I should have bought that gun but I didn't. Ah well. Brass - I have heard rumors of this "discharge at a gun show." Some were talking about it at the Belle-Clair show. Life is good. Prof Young |
October 11, 2017, 07:02 PM | #19 |
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I have stopped going altogether and I will tell you why. 1. the prices are crazy. 2. people act like its a bother to sell you something. 3. Each question you ask is typically answered with... "i don't know". Its just NOT the gunshow that I grew up with so I simply do not go.
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October 11, 2017, 09:21 PM | #20 |
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Price of tables has gone way up since the good times.
The Old Colorful Characters and Gunsmith/Gunshop owners have faded away. The trays and boxes of parts,sights,slides,receivers,walnut blanks locks,,etc just are not there. And anything that might be interesting has an inflated "Collector" price. There was a time an old sight was a quality,functional device to aim a gun with.And priced accordingly.Now some hoarder wants them to fill a place in his sight collection.What was worth an honest $75 is now $350,or more. Its IMO,just not practical to buy one for a $300 to $500 shooter firearm. Table after table of average to high price new guns.Yawn. Mall ninja stuff .Yawn. Unknown commercial reloads. Yawn. The same component and 22 LR gougers from 2 years ago . You may rot. Nah. Gun show admission makes as much sense as lotto tickets. |
October 13, 2017, 12:08 PM | #21 |
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Gun shows are like convenience stores, the prices are a little higher than a regular store since they dont get to set up and sell for free, they have to raise the prices
the prices are higher at gun shows but your paying for the convenience of having it all in one place (show) |
October 13, 2017, 12:32 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
Regular stores get to sell for free? Where can I get in on this |
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October 13, 2017, 01:43 PM | #23 |
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I am going to my next local gun show.
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October 14, 2017, 05:07 PM | #24 |
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Fifteen years ago I used to go to gun shows at least once per month. There used to be excellent buys and deals could be negotiated on ammo in bulk. As the years went on, there were fewer and fewer deals and during the ammo shortage, no one would back off one penny of their listed price...no deals.
The last gun show I went to is the last gun show I will ever go to unless something changes. I found I could get better prices at my LGS. Seems the dealers were catering to the impulse buyers. All my friends are educated consumers and all were of the same opinion as mine. Ammo prices are down but I find that I get better deals on line and its delivered to my door. I don't go to gun shows to buy beef or buffalo jerky or other such stuff. I am not into antique guns or civil war uniforms so from a strictly guns and ammo point of view, I am finished with gun shows.
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October 15, 2017, 12:01 PM | #25 |
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Went to a small gun show in Newstead yesterday, not that many people and not that many sellers. A lot of prices were store retail, no bargains to be found.
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