Gun Show Feedback/Suggestions

[eagleclaw]

I stopped going to gun shows several years ago. The main reason is I pay at the door to get in and have little to no idea what kind of vendors are going to be there. In addition to the non gun related tables there are tables of Fudd guns, military surplus stuff, obsolete or add ammo, etc that doesn't interest me. Out of a 200 table show there might be two tables of stuff that I have an interest in. I rather take road trip and visit several gun stores that stock the guns and items that I want to look at for free. Also should someone buy something from an out of the area dealer at a gun show and have problem with the items purchased , good luck in trying to return it.

[cdi]

I am not cheap. I might pay a 20.00 entry fee.
I've been to 4 shows in the last 2 years after a 20 year absence.

I was shocked and disappointed to see all the Chinese tools and tarps for sale. I keep up on pricing fairly well, being in the business. I was equally disgusted to see the pricing on arms and ammunition at the shows compared to what is out there on the retail market. Including the lack of interesting junk and collectibles that were the hallmark of gun shows back in the day.

I am very unlikely to return a show. It is not just the above that put me off. Listening to both asshole dealers and asshole customers as you walk down the aisles has a big effect as well.
Gun shows can go the way of the dodo as far as I'm concerned.

[Spaceballs]

Also should someone buy something from an out of the area dealer at a gun show and have problem with the items purchased , good luck in trying to return it.

This has kept me from buying something at a show too.

Just thinking "What if I get to the range 2 weeks from now and it doesn't work?"

I'm sure the dealer would take it back or repair it but I'd have to drive to them hours away.

Also I'm not into antiques or rare items that are fun to search for. I typically want moderns guns that are readily available anywhere. Why go to a show looking for the same thing that is in the local shop a mile from my house?

The prices aren't better at the show. What is the incentive to me?

I am speaking as a consumer here.

[bogey1]

Flea market vendors and food. Even the pickle guy.

Guns and guns only. No knives or tasers either.

Prices are too high also. When we had a normal president, it was cheaper to order online.

[JoshIronshaft]

In the past year I started going to gun shows regularly. Before that my attendance was sporadic.

I go as early as I can, because I hate how crowded it is a few hours into the show. Even when the weather is garbage. So I don’t see a lack of attendance being an issue. Maybe it’s the wrong kind of attendance. Maybe its a misalignment of expectations on the part of sellers.

I dont go to gun shows for guns or ammo. I go for collectibles and oddities. If you have an artillery shell or a Browning machine gun part then I’m interested. I havent left a show in the past year empty handed and the items I look for are usually at bargain prices.

My addictions are going to take me to two bigger/specialized shows this year in other states. Maybe I will fly out west for one big show if I can swing it. Mail my treasures back via usps before I jump on a plane.

Myself and many other buyers just may not be into what youre selling and theres nothing in the way other than personal interests. Its not the cost of getting there or the junk vendors.

The vast majority of my gun friends dont even go to shows. They call up the FFL they are closest with and place an order. They buy ammo in bulk online as cheap as possible.

Gun shows will always have a place, but that place will change with time and sellers have to change with it.

[LH243]

A few shows per year is nice. Last year it was:
Morgantown in January - nothing
Bloomsburg in February - best of the three overall, bought 22mag at a great price
Oaks in August - Oaks is so/so for me because of how busy it is but I did pick up a nice 22lr rifle - Ranger 101.16

I won't bother with Morgantown again but I'm hoping to go to Bloomsburg this February as it is on the way to or home from my father's cabin. I'll probably also head to the new Newtown show due to how close it is.

I've also been to a show in Tupelo, MS once or twice about ten years ago and it seemed different.

My gun-show attending and gun-buying days in PA are numbered as I'm moving south in a few months. Hopefully, some of the shows in eastern/north-eastern TN are worth visiting a few times per year.

[JoshIronshaft]

Hopefully, some of the shows in eastern/north-eastern TN are worth visiting a few times per year.

Check out the show of shows and the national gun day shows in Louisville KY.

[Walleye Hunter]

A few shows per year is nice. Last year it was:
Morgantown in January - nothing
Bloomsburg in February - best of the three overall, bought 22mag at a great price
Oaks in August - Oaks is so/so for me because of how busy it is but I did pick up a nice 22lr rifle - Ranger 101.16

I won't bother with Morgantown again but I'm hoping to go to Bloomsburg this February as it is on the way to or home from my father's cabin. I'll probably also head to the new Newtown show due to how close it is.

I've also been to a show in Tupelo, MS once or twice about ten years ago and it seemed different.

My gun-show attending and gun-buying days in PA are numbered as I'm moving south in a few months. Hopefully, some of the shows in eastern/north-eastern TN are worth visiting a few times per year.

I've seen quite a few billboards for a show in Lebanon, TN, down near Nashville. I don't have any more info on it though.

[Walleye Hunter]

A few shows per year is nice. Last year it was:
Morgantown in January - nothing
Bloomsburg in February - best of the three overall, bought 22mag at a great price
Oaks in August - Oaks is so/so for me because of how busy it is but I did pick up a nice 22lr rifle - Ranger 101.16

I won't bother with Morgantown again but I'm hoping to go to Bloomsburg this February as it is on the way to or home from my father's cabin. I'll probably also head to the new Newtown show due to how close it is.

I've also been to a show in Tupelo, MS once or twice about ten years ago and it seemed different.

My gun-show attending and gun-buying days in PA are numbered as I'm moving south in a few months. Hopefully, some of the shows in eastern/north-eastern TN are worth visiting a few times per year.

I've seen quite a few billboards for a show in Lebanon, TN, down near Nashville. I don't have any more info on it though.

[Sandcut]

I'm gonna be the oddball here, I suppose

I friggen LOVE gun shows!

And I like variety in my gunshows, because I never know from one show to the next what I might be looking for. I'm also about buying unusual items, whether that is an unusual revolver or a set of saké cups. It just depends on my mood. Now, honest to God fkea market stuff like bulk towel I typically walk by without a glance. But I can say the same about the lady who sells jewelery made from pistol brass as well, and that is legitimately "gun related". It just isn't my thing.

As far as the jerky and the cheap Chinese knives...that stuff made it fun for family trips with my kids. They could buy something cheap that they could afford and we had a nice day together ( In spite of the fact that I wouldn't buy them Kalashnikitty T-shirts). The one day that my wife did tag along to a show, after MANY complaints, she ended up buying a set of the first six Harry Potter books in hardcover.

So, I can't really bitch about having at least SOME miscellanious crud.

As far as price goes...I look at gun shows as a form of entertainment as much as opportunity to buy guns. As such,for me, it needs to be in the same realm of price as my other forms of entertainment. It had better be a DAMN impressive gun show for me to spend more than $12-15. For a show with less than $500 tables, I wouldn't spend more than $10.

The main rut that I think that many vendors fall into with gun shows is that they all buy the same damn stuff as every other vendor, which is the same damn stuff that my LGS has, only at higher prices. Well, shit! I'm not going to spend more money on that stuff!

Now, the last few guns that I did buy at shows were things that I just don't see at my LGSs, e.g., Rossi M68 w/4" bbl, S&W M64 w/4" bbl, Draco AK pistol. I think that's why I like to buy from ScotsGuard from time to time. He gets nice quality, somewhat uncommon stuff. I even got my daughter's boyfriend to buy a Tokarev or a Makarov (I forget which) from him.

The point being, no one vendor is going to have something for everyone. One will have gun lights. One will have cheap J-frames for $300. One will be AR parts. The point is, you have to find your niche. Glock 19s, Sig P365s, and Taurus M85s are a dime a dozen and can be purchased anywhere. I, however, will buy from a vendor who stands out in some manner.