Still good deals at gun shows

[Hoier]

A buddy and I went to a gun show a week ago and were walking up and down the isles and after walking by a table with $70/1000 for Tulas was a table that was piled high with crap(or so we thought). So my buddy is digging around and I pick up a bag of Win 284 brass and the guy looks at me and goes "I have some better brass" and pulls some of his crap off 2 boxes of Lapua, one of 6.5-284 and another of 6br. My buddy asks him what he wants for it and he tells him 100 bucks and he can have both. So while he is talking with this guy I start poking around and find a new in the bag with action screws HS tan stock with the vertical grip and hold it up to show my buddy and the guy tells me it's mine for $200. I suppose if you poke around enough there are still deals at gun shows.

 

[jonbearman]

You better buy a lottery ticket!

 

[Hoier]

That's kinda what I was thinking. Our gun shows are ridiculously high priced.

 

[Outrider27]

It's a crapshoot on both sides of the table, lol. Don't expect to find the great bargains at every show, but if you hit several a year the bargains are out there. I work part time for a dealer, and never cease to be amazed at some of the stuff that happens - remember, we don't know what's going to sell at any individual show, we can only guess; we've hauled some pieces from show to show for months, then all of a sudden a guy (or gal) walks up at 10 minutes after the 9am start time Saturday morning, they see a gun you've been trying to unload for 8 months, their eyes light up as they tell you they've been looking for one of them for ages and off it goes to it's new home after a quick conversation with the NICS people.

I once found a really great deal on a smallish standing on his hind legs mount stuffed black bear at a gun show; couldn't persuade my wife that it was just what our livingroom needed, so you miss out on some.....

 

[BigDMT]

I very rarely pay asking price for anything in the shooting world unless it is already a good deal.

A lot of prices at gun shows are high for sure, but I just treat it like a "pawn shop". I've never paid sticker price at a pawn shop for anything. So if a price is a little high at a show, I talk them down or walk away. Don't care if the item is new or used. A lot of the folks there will be willing to give a little discount if you give them a fair offer.

 

[shortgrass]

So my buddy is digging around and I pick up a bag of Win 284 brass and the guy looks at me and goes "I have some better brass" and pulls some of his crap off 2 boxes of Lapua, one of 6.5-284 and another of 6br. My buddy asks him what he wants for it and he tells him 100 bucks and he can have both. So while he is talking with this guy I start poking around and find a new in the bag with action screws HS tan stock with the vertical grip and hold it up to show my buddy and the guy tells me it's mine for $200.

I can't help buy wonder who this stuff was stolen from, to be sold at "give away" prices! A stock, such as you discribe, will sell on GunBroker for $250, the brass 1/2 of whole sale price. If the seller is ligit, he won't be in business long. Remember, he had to pay rent on the table(s), too. Table price, I am told, at the Tulsa Arms Show was $150-$165.

 

[Hoier]

Yeah, I think he was going out of business. But after we paid he shook both our hands and said its nice to see real shooters here.

 

[shortgrass]

When something's "to good to be true", there's usually something wrong, somewhere.

 

[hogpatrol]

I have a friend who's an FFL and rents a couple tables at the local gun shows. I usually have something that's been sitting around collecting dust and not worth fooling with on gunbroker or other venue so I give it to him and tell him "Get rid of it!" Price is immaterial. He makes a couple bucks, I make a couple bucks and the buyer gets a good deal. As far as prices being too high, I think the majority of gunshow vendors are just on a fishing expedition, trying to squeeze an extra five, ten or twenty bucks out of a gun. It just shows how bad they are at selling.