gun shows - what am I missing?

[Zen]

Been shooting since I joined the Army when I was 19, but I have never attended a gun show ( I'm in my 40s).

So what am I missing?

Is it a place to find good buys? Guns? Accessories?

More of a retail outlet? Flea market? Healthy mix?

Are there some shows better than others?

Tips and tricks to attending?

[johncanfield]

I've been to a few small ones and I liken them to a flea market with a theme. Some accessories (like holsters) and cases, lots of long and short guns. If you know your firearms you might be able to find a deal, otherwise you are like a deer in the headlights.

[RottenApple]

The only real tip I can give you is: carry a smartphone or tablet with Internet access and/or someone who is VERY knowledgeable about gun/ammo/accessory prices/quality with you. If you think you found a good deal, look it up before committing.

[gfmun]

I have worked a lot of gun shows as a Vendor and did a lot of shopping and looking in my spare time.

A. You get a chance to see and handle different firearms that you are interested in. I have never found a real good deal, but it might be OK if you really want it and can't find it. Look on Saturday and buy late Sunday afternoon.

B. The only good buys I saw were from individuals selling personal stuff. Again late Saturday or Sunday is the time to buy.

C. As has been said, know your product and prices.


Thanks,
George
P.S. you'll get a lot better buys on this forum than any gun show.

[E10]

I guess the value of them is that you may stumble upon something not easily obtained at local stores or the internet. For example, I once owned a Llama .380, a miniature 1911. I sold it many years ago and sometimes wish I had it back. The only place I have been able to find one was at the Market Hall show in Dallas a couple years ago. However, the seller was asking for more money than I wanted to spend, and the gun was a later, straight blowback model that I didn't want. What I gained there over the internet was that I was able to actually handle and inspect the gun before buying it.

Generally my experience has been that most everything is overpriced. And here, as in many places, it's the same vendors at every show, with the same guns, scopes, holsters, mags, and ammo as last time. Coins, too, and I still can't figure that out. I'm getting to the point that I go only once a year. It's kinda fun to wander around and handle the stuff, but I keep my wallet in my pocket.

[chasfm11]

Part of it comes down to what you are looking for and how well versed you are in that area.

I've been around rifles and shotguns since I was young. I had never been around hand guns until 2010. I didn't have a clue about concealed carry.

So I found and still find the gun shows an amazing source of information. I make it a point to walk every isle and look at every table, some a lot longer than others. I've met a couple of vendors for accessories who impressed me and bought things from them on the spot. I really like the "touchy feely" part of getting to handle many different guns and to compare them I can look at pictures on line but I do much better when I have my own greasy fingers on it. If nothing else, I think a gun show starts to give you a sense of the changing market place so that you could recognize a bargain when you see one.

I particularly appreciate the capability of judging quality on accessories. Pictures are not much help with that. I'm always looking for the person who is marketing something unique. Most of those, you might dismiss immediately but I have found a few nuggets. I take the same approach on home improvement expos, some of which are held in the same venues as the gun shows.

[TexasCajun]

I look at gun shows like a single subject mall. There's usually lots of variety. Occasionally you can find a rare gem. But don't count on it. It really is the only type of "shopping" that I can stomach for any measurable amount of time.

[EEllis]

Most of the vendors are gun dealers and it's about the same as a sale at their store. Maybe 10% off but not a lot more. You can find some deals on privately owned guns and used stuff and it's nice to have all the choices in one place. Not every show is the same. Some are three weekends a month at different locations and are all the same dealers some are annual or semi annual and have a lot more variety.

[CC Italian]

Not much these days imo. Before 08 they where a lot smaller(less vendors) and actually worth it. By the time you add entry fees, usually longer distance costing more gas and some with parking fees you aren't getting any deals. The best thing about them is the variety. You can see all the different types of guns in one place. That is the only real reason to go imo. You can get better deals on here or gunbroker most of the time.

[rotor]

First, they are fun to go to and I always meet friends and associates that I didn't think are firearm fans. Next, they are great for finding accessories like magazines, speedloaders, gun cases, etc. Ammo is almost always overpriced. Finally, there are some nice guns that one can get at reasonable prices especially from private parties. Take a look at the Browning I got for I believe $300 sans red dot. I take my 7 year old grandson with me and think it is a good way to introduce him into the normal world of firearms.

[JALLEN]

The only one I have been to over the years is at the Del Mar Fairgrounds about 4 times a year.

We live under such byzantine rules here that there are no gun stores worthy of the name compared to what I've seen in Texas, or Nevada even. The gun show usually has a great deal of merchandise, mostly gun related, all the zillion gizmos and doohickies to customize a 10/22, for example, a bunch of accessories that the typical LGS can't keep in inventory, the odd handgun or rifle not normally found, left-handed holsters, Nazi military insignia and clothing, plus a lot of survivalist gear, canteens, backpacks, lots of beef jerky and canisters for this and that, accessories for the bitter clingers, etc. Lots of knives, and ammo of all kinds.... you can tell it's been awhile since I attended one...... but you have to pay a fee to get in the door and a fee to park, so unless you intend to spend a lot of money or just like milling around in the crowd looking at the bewildering variety of "stuff", it is costly.

[Dadtodabone]

For me it's a social thing, meeting and talking with folks from a lot of different backgrounds who share an interest with me.
And, I lead a parade of no less than 7 members, wife, kids, grandkids, brothers, sisters, BILs, SILs, nieces, nephews, everybody wants to go! .....Yes that's me carrying the range bag covered with MilSpec Monkey patches, Pampers and Even-Flo bottles sticking out, say hello when next you see me.
I've had lots of memorable moments from Wanamakers in Tulsa, the old SOF show in Las Vegas, 4 NRAAMs, etc.

[G26ster]

I must have been going to gun shows in the Twilight Zone or something, based on the posts I'm reading. Before the latest gun and ammo frenzy, I regularly attended the Original Ft. Worth Gun Show and the Dallas Arms Collector shows at Market Hall in Dallas, as well as the smaller Mesquite shows. I paid zero to park in Dallas and Mesquite, admission was $8 and in Ft. Worth the admission was $8 with $3 parking (if you don't mind a two block walk to the door) and the $3 was refunded at entry to the show. Compared to movie prices, ball game prices, etc. to me it was a bargain.

I usually found some great prices on "new" guns from several vendors, substantially lower than I had researched on the web for many weeks prior, or in my LGSs (who usually didn't have it anyway, nor could they get one in a reasonable period of time). I will admit that new ammo prices, even last year were not very good, but I didn't go to buy ammo anyway. I believe entry prices have gone up $1-2, but still I think you'd have to be in fairly dire financial condition to say $8-10 for an afternoon's entertainment or shopping, where you can fondle the guns you are considering, is expensive, at least in the DFW area. Just MHO.

[flechero]

Some shows are a great mix of new gun dealers and private sellers... and some are a crappy flea market of junk.- and I like to go to see and handle what my LGS's doesn't carry. Usually, I go when I have a specific gun in mind and want to buy. I know the prices I can get it for (LGS, Buds, Gunbroker, Etc.) and will use that as the barometer. 9 out of 10 times I can beat the price at the show, even with tax..... but you have to know what you want, exactly, and what your cost threshold is. There are always a few deals- just not always on something you want.

Some view gun shows as a waste of money- but I figure for the cast of a movie (or less) there aren't many ways for me to spend a few hours for less than $10. And I don't consider the admission in the acquisition cost of the purchase, as the fuel and ticket were already spent, regardless of the firearm, ammo or "junk" I bought.