In Houston I still have pretty good luck at the HGCA shows among others. This spring picked up a Browning Hi Power in .40 S&W NIB for $475, a couple of years ago an excellent 8x57 pre-war Mauser sporter for about $400, etc. I went up to the show in Conroe a few weeks ago for the first time and the prices there were a wee bit steep. It was the weekend before the AWB ended and they had "pre-ban" weapons marked up about 25-30% higher than normal, there were a few reasonable dealers there but nothing I couldn't live without.

The big Tulsa show (3800 tables) is still good. Beinfield Las Vegas show good too. I've quit doing the Houston Gun Collector show for alot of reasons, not what it used to be. Find most of my stuff online now, best place to sell too.

After smelL.A. city council banned the Pomona show I went to one of the O.C. shows and haven't been to another since. I really enjoyed the Pomona show, the last one had one of its seven buildings with game bird breeders which I enjoyed and looked forward to seeing again the following year, but alas there were no more. I'd spend the entire weekend at the show. I really miss it. I thought they should've moved it to either Riverside or San Bernadino, possibly up on the high desert but, it didn't happen. Now with all of our rediculous anti-gun laws I doubt we could ever have another decent show. I'm glad I bought a case of primers when I did.
I've been tempted to take a drive over to Tucson after hearing they were still having decent shows there but just can't find the time. None of my freinds are interested in going that far. But, then it isn't cost effective buying firearms out of state anymore either. I'm wondering why I would want to tease myself if I found a rifle I really liked.
Life will never be the same.
Bill

I posted this earlier:

I don't see how carrying at a gun show carries any greater risk of an accidental discharge than carrying in any of the other situations I listed in my post, or in any other situation I can envision. If someone wants to help me understand how it is, I'm all ears.

I'm still seeking clarification.

Paul Barnard

Kory - The "you" in the above post is the general public "you", not yourself.

AC

The ones I've gone to the last five or six years were in Connecticut and California, and they were sad little imitations of the real ones I used to see in Salt Lake City...

"I don't see how carrying at a gun show carries any greater risk of an accidental discharge than carrying in any of the other situations I listed in my post, or in any other situation I can envision. If someone wants to help me understand how it is, I'm all ears."



It is very simple. Out of several thousand people who might be carrying at a gun show, at least some will be unfit to carry, regardless of having been granted a CCW

permit. The persons who are putting on the show (and who will be held responsible should one of those unfit idiots actually harm someone), have no way of knowing if you are one of the many capable people, or one of the few idiots who endanger us all.



I suspect from the approach you have already exhibited here, that you would not be pleased with the testing you would have to undergo to determine which group you and all the other "carriers" would fall into. Nor, would any reasonable person expect the gun show organizers to be able to test everyone who might want to carry while attending. It simply is not practical.



A permit to carry means little more than nothing when it comes to gun-handling competency. Habit determines gun handling safety, not 4 hours in a classroom (as required in Oregon), nor 8 hours, nor 16, nor any other commonly required pre-permit safety instruction progam.



If I knew you personally, and had observed your gun-handling habits over time, perhaps I would feel you were safe to carry there. (And, perhaps not.) Still, I wouldn't let you do it. Why? Because then all the other permit holders, who I have not watched handle guns in various situations, would demand the same privilege.



Remember, we do not put this "No carrying inside the show" ban in place to just protect others from you, but also to protect you from them. It could be YOUR life that some idiot incorrectly handling a loaded gun puts an end to. It could be your wife who is widowed, your children who are orphaned, or, worse yet, it could be one of them who is injured/killed.



If you can't or won't grasp the concept that at gun shows people handle guns, and having loaded guns present might result in one being accidentally fired (as has occured in two gun shows I have attended in the last year), then I KNOW I am glad we don't allow you to carry inside our shows. You're welcome to bring your loaded gun to the show. You are welcome to leave it in your vehicle loaded, or to bring it into the show unloaded (so long as you keep it that way while inside), but you are not and never will be welcome to carry a loaded gun into our shows, EVER.



A pretty simple concept, isn't it?



Alberta Canuck

I went to the show in Puyallup WA yesterday, and I enjoyed it.
It takes 2 hours to walk past all the guns.
I talk to allot of people there.
We went to the range afterwards [to shoot some of the guns we bought] and got back home 6 hours after we left home.
That is why I go to at least one gun show a month for the past 8 years.

IMO - gun shows have gone down hill. Mostly militaria and beenie babies, boxes of crap that flashes and such.

Prices aren't a compelling issue either. Particularly when the price at the show is higher than the one in their store the day before or after. Nothing new really - I mean how many SKS' can I look at? Ar - uppers by the bushel, cameras from te 70's and now the new favorites - crappy tools (off brand).

I like just going to the mom and pop stores now more than ever- get to talk and noone (usually) 6 weeks removed from a bar of soap and some 17 year old kid looking for a "9" to "bust some caps".

My gun show is gunbroker.com. I go there in my pajamas, with a cup of homemade coffee in my home office twice a week. Great selection. Some people are awful proud of their merchandise, but right below them on the page is someone who isn't so proud.

JCN

Nope,
Just took a little kissy face with my unit to distract her from buying saddles and other tack off of e-bay.
Can't complain. She found a Sako stock for me a couple weeks ago for $29.00.

I bet you didn't pay 6 bucks to get in either

I would love to know where in WV the gun shows are good.. I've lived in Louisiana, Montana, Texas, and Maryland. They have been going downhill big time. the ones I've seen here in Maryland lately have been overpriced, and selling crap, even the reloading supplies have been questionable... But it does seem to be an excuse for the lunatic fringe to show up in force... I don't get it? Ahh...eff it... time to move

Kory,

CZ chambers its 527 model rifle in 221. Remington no longer chambers the XP 100 pistol in 221, or anything else, unless they recently re-introduced it.

Glad to know the spirit of service is alive and well in the flea market arm of the American shooting industry.

JCN

If you really want to see a terrible gun show go to one in England. Would you believe that they have wooden models of guns on the table?
In contrast, here in BC, Canada, we have some really good shows. A bit small sometimes, but well attended and a lot of stuff changes hands.
I run the show here in Salmon Arm, BC. Oct 30, 31 this year. And it's sold out. Big dealers from Alberta and Vancouver in attendance, And the prices are reasonable. Want a P14 or 1917 Enfield for a project?. About $100, Canadian. That's small change for our USA friends. How do you get it over the border?

"How do you get it over the border?"

An American would have to get import approval from BATF (a Form 6) then have it shipped to a FFL holder who would transfer it to him.

Is it legal for an American visiting Canada to buy a rifle or shotgun from a Canadian without a bunch of red tape? Any export approval required by Canadian authorities?

"Get it over the border?" Unless you lie and get lucky they won't search the vehicle!!! Last year I had a border guard(term is used loosely) ask me if "I owned any firearms"? "Yes". "How many?" "I think tonite about 347!!!" "What do you use them for?" "SHOOTING GROUNDHOGS!!!" stutter, stammer, choke on saliva....."Go on!!!!" Got paid the same as if she'd done a strip search!! If I wanted to get one in here, no problem!!!! GHD

The gunshow held at the at the fairgrounds in Tuscon is a pretty decent show they usually have good deals.

Varmint Guy wrote:

Is there something wrong with "fearing an incident" and taking steps to prevent that feared incident? Fear of certain things (incidents!) is what keeps some humans alive and maybe some others, without rational fear, attain dead status! More to say about "dead" later - naw its so important I can't wait!


Yes there is something very wrong with selectively disarming America out of fear of an incident. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with attending gun shows unarmed, but we must take pause to examine "fearing an incident" as a reason to temporarily suspend the rights afforded us by the constitution.

So where do we draw the line? Varmint Guy, let me give you a list. If you don't mind, select the ones where you think we should disarm in the name of "fearing an incident".

High School football game with 1000 in attendance
Church with 250 in attendance
Rock concert with 10,000 in attendance
Public park with 40 families in attendance
Traffic Jam involving 5000 motorists
Management area on opening day of deer season, 100 hunters
Luby's cafeteria with 75 in attendance

In none of the aforementioned situations is there an absence of liability.

I would be much slower to call a fellow gun owner "fucking stupid" for being cold to the idea of selective disarmament.

I'm glad you are in a position to get good deals at gun shows. As a consumer (not a dealer) I have found it hard to find a good deal at my local gun shows. Too many dealers are scooping up items for $45 and holding out to sell them for $1000 for the average consumer to find a good deal.

Paul Barnard

I thought I called it quits on them but since the wind was blowing 20 to 30 I didn't go to the range.
This show was held by C&E in Richmond,Va.and like last time about 50% guns and shooting stuff and 50% yard sale stuff.
Wow have the prices gone up on guns. Anyway,I went for some Rem. large rifle primers that no one around here carries. Got them for $14. a thousand and picked up some IMR4831 and RL22 at $15.99 a LB. each so I guess that ain't bad.

I went today, and saw a friend there.

I asked if he had seen any pre 64 model 70s.

He took me to one rebarreled in 243 with old Leupold scope for $450.

I thought about it, and my friend bought it for $400.



As a consolation, I got a '94 Swede carbine Carl G 1903 all matching but bubba'd stock, asking $100, I offered $80, I paid $80.

A few thoughts on Gun Shows: Entertainment value for the buck- okay. Old junk at new prices. "yeah, its priced higher than normal, but it has a scope on it" ($40 Tasco). "Wanna try some alligator jerky?". Then, there are the inevitable gang bangers hanging around the Rambo booths. DISGUSTING!

It's strange, but our shows really draw fairly large crowds, but the shows themselves have really deteriorated.
It's mostly books, old military clothing and swords, military medals and insignia, the same tired guns for the same ridiculous prices. We're down to two shows a year in Montreal, from four a few years ago. The shows are hardly worth going to. Two day shows have been condensed to one day. Of course that hasn't stopped the attendance costs from rising. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I look at it like this - if you don't exercise your rights - you lose them.

Kory:

In my post I mentioned that I don't feel a need to carry in a gun show. There is nothing more inherently dangerous about carrying at a gun show than there is anywhere else. If you are safety conscious, you are safety conscious wherever you go. If you are unsafe, you are unsafe wherever you go. I don't see how carrying at a gun show carries any greater risk of an accidental discharge than carrying in any of the other situations I listed in my post, or in any other situation I can envision. If someone wants to help me understand how it is, I'm all ears.

Paul

I set up at gun shows. Some are as described as listed here. I find that standing at your table is like watching samon swimming up stream. It seems that nothing can stop the flow past your table. I do have a technique that will snag on of those "samon". I sell a non-lead frangible bullet and non-lead ammunition. When I say "You look like a guy that needs a bullet", they usually stop and laugh, and say "that's what my wife tells me." Then we can talk about my product.
For those who say that shows suck now and that they used to be better years ago, everything is said to be better years ago. Things have changed. I do not have a shop and sell more bullets in a year than the bullet's manufacturer did his first year in business. I sell LOTS of product on-line in all the states. Things have changed and those who can or want to adjust can still make money at shows, but not like they used to.
Talk to people at their tables. You might find the treasure that you are looking for, but might just have find it in a little different style.

In Michigan, I quit going to gun shows after our "shall issue" CPL law passed in 2001.

It turned out that the very gun show promoters--the ones who claimed to be on our side in getting this legislation passed--would not allow those of us who were legally licensed to carry concealed pistols--to carry concealed at a gun show.

I consider this to be the high water mark in the art of hypocrisy. But when I said so on MCRGO's (Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners) discussion board, I was told to either stop, or be barred from further discussion.

Actually the internet provides us with a virtual gun show every day of the week, so I don't miss it in any way, shape, or form.

After about three years of not going to gun shows, because they were getting so bad, I broke down yesterday & went to the Memphis show. (It was raining, wife was busy, nothing better to do, etc...). Now I remember why I quit going!

The building had about half the tables that it used to have. And I bet only 10-20%, at most, of those tables had guns for sale.

Oh, there were lots of books, some belts, a whole lot of cheap "Ninja swords", jerky, and even a table of candles, I guess so that you can have a romantic evening of cleaning your rifle by candlelight...

Even the big reloading supply seller was a shell of it's former self. You could always justify the trip by picking up a box of bullets, or some primers without paying a haz-mat fee, but yesterday he had a few oddball, mostly opened, boxes of 8mm stuff, and a few real old boxes of mismatched discontinued stuff.

I can remember when I'd spend hours at a show. I'd go back through three or four times, because guns were always changing hands, and a table with nothing to interest you an hour ago may now have just what you were looking for. And a good portion of the guys walking around had rifles slung on their shoulders, trying to move them to get money to go pick up something else they saw. There were only a few guys with stuff on their shoulders, and most of those for $50 specials, the old single shot (or bolt action) shotgun that was Granpa's back in the Depression...

Even the attitude had changed. Nobody seemed to be having fun, or care. I got the feeling that they were doing the same thing as me... passing a rainy day.

Is anyone else noticing the same things around the country, or is it just a local thing?

BTW, if anyone was considering going to the Memphis show today, save your money. Spend time with your wife & kids instead. I know it will be a LONG time till I go to another show.

Here I was just sitting around waiting for the time to pass so I could go to the show in Nashville.

I sure hope it is better than Memphis.

If it is pretty decent show I will be sure to rub it in this afternoon.

Oh the Reed's were a bit surprised the other weekend when the first shot was a miss, they called the second for me and the third went through the left cheek of the H head at 200 with my SRH.

LouisB

Yeah, I used to like going to gun shows, but they are just not fun anymore, because they are not about guns, they truly not "Gun Shows", they are "Beanie Baby, Jerky, Sword, and train whistle" shows. There are a few that are good, and they happen about 2 times a year in each area, pay attention to the ones running it. The Arms COllectors association out of Dallas put on one whale of a show, however the Gun SHow Assn, that puts the show on in WIchita, KS wants to have as many tables no matter what they are on.

Check the back of the NRA magazine with gun shows, and it will inform you of who puts the show on. Call and ask (posing as a beanie Baby seller of course) and ask for a table, if they reject you... that is a Gun SHow to go to, if they want to fax you a sign up form you can mail in with a table fee....that is the one you want to stay away from.

My brothers and I have been going for years, and the attendees who show up now that need a bath and have beyond acceptable BO seemed to have multiplied exponentially too. The Wichita Shows are nothing but Junk anymore. THere are about 4 cool shows a year in the DFW area.

That was one ofthe reasons I was not too up set about the vaunted "gun show loophole". I saw a dying beast and knew it didn't need to waste effort on a process that may have outlived it's usefulness.

I love going to Gun SHows, but there are just not many that are worth the cost and effort.

IDEA, let's start a thread nationwide, with the Gun Show, the Organization sponsoring it and good poor great or sucked. Include the phone number or email of the organizer and shoot off a response, it might change.