I Went To A Gunshow, First one In Years.

[chop house]

$20 per box. What a deal!

... at half the price. D'oh

 

[209jones]

I like to go look and see what I can see, often find things I had no particulat interest in that I learn about, or find something that seems worth trying out, maybe the odd deal here and there. Benn to lots I haven't bought anything at, didn't have it, too much loot or didn't really turn my crank quite enough to buy that year. Then too, I sometimes jump on something, as it is the only place I may ever find it. Never know what I'll see, what I'll learn about, if I'll buy, or won't, until I get there and look, it's always something of an adventure and mystery.

 

[brokeasajoke]

I like gun shows even though most stuff is over priced. Just like to see odd stuff. Almost bought a Marlin Ballard last time I went. Think it was a 38-40. Got a Stevens favorite in 22 mag just cause I'd never seen one. It's a lot of the same vendors that come to the Asheville show. I do miss Blue collar as I always bought something from them if I needed it or not because of their fair prices. I'm not making it up, I asked about the price and was told " I ain't going to hell over a pound of powder".

 

[426nut]

The Pasadena gun show is one I remember Dad taking me to pretty early on in my life, and the last one we walked before he passed away.
I have fond memories of walking shows with him at the Ft. Bend County fairgrounds, the Albert Thomas , the Astrohall, Spring, and later on, the George R, the Astro Arena , and the Reliant Center. There were countless other shows at venues whose names I can not recall.
Now I get to take my daughter with me to our local Alaskan gun shows. Whereas I troubled my dad for shell casings, fletchets, and the like, She has a penchant for the trinkets and sparklies available at the non-gun tables. She also has the ability to keep me from dawdling too long at any one table.

 

[JSH]

Having a spring swap meet at the club next Saturday. I need to get around and gather up my stuff. I have done ok and gotten rid of stuff that is excess.
Problem is I tend to find “stuff” spend more than I bring in or take home more than I brought.

 

[NorCalMikie]

The wise politicians????

Has to be a misprint??? Remember the Nationals Car shows at the Cow Palace AND the Gun shows? Better times. Now they've only got the SH** shows in downtown SF. Watch where you step.

 

[3Ackleys]

There was a gun and knife show today at the Hernando Sportsman's Club in Florida. A couple guys bought some 6.5CM reloads from someone at the show. Tried them in their new Ruger rifles and nearly blew them up. 3 rounds in one rifle, one in the other. Blew all 4 primers and the primer pockets were greatly expanded. Powder was listed as FSP-747 @ 38 grains. Heavily etched bolt faces and an ejector stuck by a sliver of brass. I've got a pic on my phone and will see if I can upload it. Primers weren't even seated right.

Buying reloads and shooting them?? Doesn't get much stupider than that. The only problem with survival of the fittest is it isn't working fast enough!

 

[KMart]

The Pasadena gun show is one I remember Dad taking me to pretty early on in my life, and the last one we walked before he passed away.
I have fond memories of walking shows with him at the Ft. Bend County fairgrounds, the Albert Thomas , the Astrohall, Spring, and later on, the George R, the Astro Arena , and the Reliant Center. There were countless other shows at venues whose names I can not recall.
Now I get to take my daughter with me to our local Alaskan gun shows. Whereas I troubled my dad for shell casings, fletchets, and the like, She has a penchant for the trinkets and sparklies available at the non-gun tables. She also has the ability to keep me from dawdling too long at any one table.

Most all of those are gone now. Pasadena have 2 shows a month now. The Houston city fathers either priced themselves out or regulated themselves out of business. The shows are smaller now and have moved out to the Humble Community Center. The SPJST hall in the Heights holds a small 1 day show twice a year. There is a pretty good show regularly up in Conroe. After that, you have to do some driving.

 

[Propbndr]

In central Virginia, all the gun shows seem to have the same sponsor, with the same tired, old vendors showing up. I have been to a few and found that the prices for just about everything are more expensive than most of the local gun stores. The few less expensive items I would be interested in are garbage.

I stopped going to them.

 

[Knotwild]

As a kid, I remember my Dad taking me to gun shows in Columbia SC. That would have been in the 60's. I remember a lot of military surplus, Luger, M1 Garands and carbines. It was a dream world to me, but we never bought much. It was worth the fee to look. My father had a friend that was a dentist. He worked his way through dental school buying and selling Lugers. He kept the best for himself. Those were the days. We lived in an old duplex in Columbia and I found a rust encrusted Thompson receiver and barrel under the house.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Most all of those are gone now. Pasadena have 2 shows a month now. The Houston city fathers either priced themselves out or regulated themselves out of business. The shows are smaller now and have moved out to the Humble Community Center. The SPJST hall in the Heights holds a small 1 day show twice a year. There is a pretty good show regularly up in Conroe. After that, you have to do some driving.

The ones they used to have at the George R Brown went away because the City mandated that no ammunition, powder, primers etc could be sold there.

 

[Kittitas George]

I think the vendors ran off all the buyers. It seems they were trying to make a years wages off one sale. Friends did get a good deal on some 17HMR, 30% off retail, but 60% won't fire. Oh well, more gophers for me. I have much better luck finding what I need or want via the internet.

 

[snert]

There was a gun and knife show today at the Hernando Sportsman's Club in Florida. A couple guys bought some 6.5CM reloads from someone at the show. Tried them in their new Ruger rifles and nearly blew them up. 3 rounds in one rifle, one in the other. Blew all 4 primers and the primer pockets were greatly expanded. Powder was listed as FSP-747 @ 38 grains. Heavily etched bolt faces and an ejector stuck by a sliver of brass. I've got a pic on my phone and will see if I can upload it. Primers weren't even seated right.

Joe Biden reloads. "loaded with 380 greens of 7..er..7 ferty....beerdreizzle beer fops and and and Horny Intermax matchqueens . Won't work in those damn AR14 assault rifles! Where's my ice cream!?"

Dude who loaded those had to be drunk. And the guys who bought them...well....

 

[jpjulian]

Joe Biden reloads. "loaded with 380 greens of 7..er..7 ferty....beerdreizzle beer fops and and and Horny Intermax matchqueens . Won't work in those damn AR14 assault rifles! Where's my ice cream!?"

Dude who loaded those had to be drunk. And the guys who bought them...well....

I told the 2 fellows in question that education comes at a price, and $40 was cheap compared to the cost could have been.

 

[ebb]

I thought Pasadena was in California?

 

[PronePanda]

It is also a town in Texas, Southeast of Houston proper. Must have been 2013, Pasadena Gun Show was where I finally broke down and bought Primers, when the Obama drought was breaking.

Friend I was with - chemical engineer who knew something about energetic materials - expressed doubt about riding home with so many sleeves of primers behind the seat of my truck. I told him they are in factory packaging, if we get hit (by an 18-wheeler) hard enough to initiate them, we have worse troubles.

Astro Hall gun show, just before Y2K hit, my brother (shotgun shooter) expressed disgust at all the com-block rifles and steel 7.6236 ammo selling like hotcakes, and the beautiful Trap / Skeet guns going begging. My concession to the buying panic was to purchase a box of 10 Cyalume Light Sticks - if the power went out, at least I could read a book. None of it happened, no power outages / riots / breakdown of civilization.... I'm hoping it is the same this time.

But I miss walking around in Gun Shows, looking for the illusive 'deal', and seeing what is out there. Not looking to buy anything (except primers) but looking is fun - my wife calls it "window shopping" and it is cheaper than "online shopping".

 

[Rick in Oregon]

I've about quit going to the gun shows here. Got tired of seeing overpriced plastic pistols, rows and rows of them. Then nothing except black rifles and all the add-on's for them taking up entire aisles of it. If a guy was anticipating in the collapse of society any time soon, then that might have been the place to be, but for guys who might be looking for that ideal hunting rifle, a varmint rifle or a nice shotgun, a better place to find those things is right at home on the internet these days.

Myself and friends long for those old days when going to a gun show might yield a great find. But the youngsters seem to be enamored with "black", and don't give a chit about nice walnut or a sweet bolt gun (bolt gun.....what is that?)

 

[ebb]

There used to be a guy at the local gun shows that had 4 different sections of gun parts. 1903, Garand, M1A1, and 30 carbine. If he didn't have a part, he would give you a number to call when he did have it. But he most likely had it all, or it never broke or wore so he didn't carry one. He is gone. Now we have a guy that has three 98 Mausers that the metal is 100%, the furniture looks like it was drug home behind a tank. I asked him if they were arsenal refinished and he got mad at me for asking. Swore that that is the way they finished the war, and were turned in that way. The good guys are dead and gone and now we have get rich quick guys with $150 per thousand primers.

 

[majohnson]

The gun shows here in the Denver / Boulder area, seem to be filled with the same vendors from the first few shows back in 2008. Now people seem to be going for the CCW classes.

 

[Texas Solo]

Haven't been to a show in 10 years.
Nothing but junk that every guy there thinks he can sell to suckered.
Actual good products are crazy in price.

But the killer was when I went to a Saxet show in SanAntonio. There was a Mary Kay cosmetics booth. That was it for me. Done with "gun" shows.