Gun show??

[renovatio]

I'm about to buy a P229 on armslist, it will be the most I've ever spent on a handgun. I've never been to one of the gun shows in Louisville. Should I wait and look here? Do they have really good deals or is is most stuff just like 10% off normal retail prices?

[dbh]

No deals at gun shows anymore IMHO.

[dbh]

No deals at gun shows anymore IMHO.

[Looksdeadtome]

I haven't seen a "deal" at a gun show in a loooong time. Most people are charging more than crazy retail for used stuff. I saw a $925.00 dpms USED at the last cave city gunshow.

[ssracer]

You can MAYBE find an ammo deal at the show but that's about it

[Frailer]

What they said. At the tables you might find a deal on ammo.

Good deals on guns *can* be found, but rarely at the tables. You have to hang out by the door and see what folks are walking in with.

[GunningBadger]

What they said. At the tables you might find a deal on ammo.

Good deals on guns *can* be found, but rarely at the tables. You have to hang out by the door and see what folks are walking in with.

+1 this is why I go. I'm waiting for the day someone walks in to sell their ex husbands Hk for $300. Lol.

[ChopperDoc]

What they said. At the tables you might find a deal on ammo.

Good deals on guns *can* be found, but rarely at the tables. You have to hang out by the door and see what folks are walking in with.

Think I mentioned this before, but the 'good' deals I saw on ammo at the show I went to 2 years ago was reloads that were in a factory box.

Probably not such a good deal.

be careful what you buy.

[renovatio]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm swayed. Back to the classifieds.

[KYgundude]

Gun shows are for window shopping and getting really tasty beef jerky.

[Dave1965]

Muwhahahaha

Just know where to look.

Last lexington gun show I bought too much. Wish I had spent the money from the dealer and bought the brand new sig p226 with 22 conversion for 700. That was on a table. May see it again this show. It would regularly be over 1000.

The last show in Louisville I met a guy walking around with a brand new colt law enforcement carbine in the box that no one either realized, saw, or would give him anything for. I got it for 850 and then traded it to a dealer for 1500.

The deals are there. Just have to look and be well informed.

[justang1997]

wait for it.... wait for it......

[Rext]

Yea the gunshows are a relic I would stay away. Then me and Dave will buy up all the deals.

[Dave1965]

shhhhhh rex.

[awesomePOSSUM]

I went to one in bowling green. Some guy had a WASR10 ak that looked like it just came from Dunhams. He wanted $900 for it. I just looked at the price tag and laughed and kept on walking. But there's gotta be deals somewhere at a gun show.

[Niceguy]

Muwhahahaha

Just know where to look.

Last lexington gun show I bought too much. Wish I had spent the money from the dealer and bought the brand new sig p226 with 22 conversion for 700. That was on a table. May see it again this show. It would regularly be over 1000.

The last show in Louisville I met a guy walking around with a brand new colt law enforcement carbine in the box that no one either realized, saw, or would give him anything for. I got it for 850 and then traded it to a dealer for 1500.

The deals are there. Just have to look and be well informed.

Do the Lex shows seem to have better deals than the Lou shows? I am a little closer to Lou but not much.

[Dave1965]

Honestly, Louisville shows have been better from my perspective.

[dbh]

Let me rephrase my comment. If you go looking for a deal on one thing in particular, 99% chance you won't find it. If you go looking at EVERYTHING, you may luck out. Last 3 shows I went to, ammo prices were a little higher than I could get it for on the 'net. One ammo booth had a bleached blonde with the best looking tan legs that I have ever seen!! Of course I bought a case of ammo from her.

[Rem700]

IMO not many deals to be had at gun shows and in the end if you factor in parking price and entry fee you end up spending about the same or more than you would online or in a local store.

[Rem700]

But they are fun to go look and play with lots of things no stores will carry.

[WLJ]

* Get up in the morning - check
* Arrive at gun show - check
* Pay $8 parking fee - check
* Drive around for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot - check
* Walk the 8.4 miles from your car to the door - check
* Stand in line for 30 minutes to buy ticket - check
* Buy a $10 ticket - check
* Stand in line to get into show - check
* Have them repeatably tell you "no loaded guns" - check
* Squeeze into gun show hall - check
* Walk slowly behind Gomer with the muzzle of his rifle on his shoulder pointed at your head - check
* Repeatably hear over the hall speakers "this may be your last change to buy a gun - check
* Repeatably hear click-click and look and someone is aiming a gun straight at you while pulling the trigger - check
* Trying to see whats on a table while some 450lb, dress in a tight fitting Mall Ninja outfit, while holding his 5th pork chop sandwich of the morning guy stands in your way talking to the dealer about his combat skills - check
* After 3 hours find Mauser 98 in rusted, rotten condition, ask dealer why it cost $3,000? He replies "It was Hitler's" - check
* After another hour find a Walther and ask dealer, after waiting 30 minute to get his attention, why is this $800? He replies "Hitler killed himself with that one" You reply Why does it has a child safety lock this is new production? He replies "He had this one as a child stupid. - check
* Repeatably hear over the hall speakers "this may be your last change to buy a gun - check
* Keep getting jammed up by some guy standing in the middle of the aisle talking on his cellphone. - check
* Got to pee, spend 30 minutes trying to get to the restrooms. - check
* Wait in line for the restroom - check
* Stand in someone else's piss while adding your own while trying not vomit from the smell - check
* Stand in line for 15 minutes to pay $6 for a 8oz drink which is mostly ice - check
* Now try to remember where you left off - check
* Walk to a table, find the gun of your dreams for a good price and it's marked "Not for sale" WTF? - check
* Repeatably hear over the hall speakers "this may be your last change to buy a gun - check
* Keep over hearing over and over again about how how rare and how much of a bargain every gun is - check
* While looking at a scoped rifle some overbearing guy keeps telling how how he killed 300 VC in Vietnam with a rifle just like that, in a cross wind, while drunk, at night, from 3,000 yards. He looks to about 25 years old - check
* Find manufacturers boxes of ammo filled with reloads for twice the price - check
* Find $400 rifle with a $50 Chinese scope and $50 worth of Chinese Mall Ninja addons marked "Sniper Rifle" been presented by some ugly overweight girl in a camo bikini priced at $5,500 but he'll mark it down to $4,000 just for you. - check
* Repeatably hear over the hall speakers "this may be your last change to buy a gun - check
* click click
* Pick up rifle which has 1/2 inch coating of grease, spend the next 10 minutes trying to find something to wipe you hands on, all the while the dealer is telling you it was Hitler's - check
* Fuck it, wipe hands on pants - check
* Feet getting sore - check
* What's that smell? You stepped in the Fat Mall Ninja's puke that resulted from his 7th pork chop sandwich, 10 cokes and the 12 candy bars that he stored in his underwear for SHTF. And the fact that his body hasn't seen this much exercise in over 30 years didn't help - check
* Repeatably hear over the hall speakers "this may be your last change to buy a gun - check
* Half way though you notice many of the dealers are closing up - check
* Fuck it, you decide to go home and call it a day - check
* Spend the next hour slowly walking to the door, behind the fat Mall Ninja, Gomer who didn't sell his gun and yep it's still pointed straight at your head the whole time, and three kid whining that they're hungry while their mom yaks on the phone, one of them just shit his pants, got to love the smell - check
* Get out the door - check
* Decide no more gun shows - check
* Go to local dealer next time - check
* Fuck now where did I park? - check

[kokopelli]

^^^^^ pretty much sums it up

[Rem700]

WLJ nailed both my experiences at the lou convention center gun shows. I did go to one at a hotel off hurstbourne that only about half that occured lol.

[Rext]

WLJ-thats pretty funny but mostly the truth!
The mall Ninjas are the worst. I always say that if something doesnt have a price it aint for sale.Its true that a bunch of the people set up are COLLECTORS,not DEALERS because they obviously arent there to sell anything!
This is my response from ARFCOM last month on the same topic. I stand by it.

This old argument goes on every time a show comes around...
Why do you think these people set up at gun shows anyway? Sure they sell stuff, but they also buy and trade and then sell on the internet.It works both ways.
Yep,I have made some really good scores at shows. Nothing like walking in and seeing a variety of guns.Its way better to deal in person than have to send emails and mail payment and wait, then if you are the seller to ship it out.You know exactly what you are getting because you are holding it.Cash is king.When you bid on something on GB you are bidding against the whole country.At a show its just the people in the room.Plus there are many people that dont know what some stuff exactly is and you can get a deal.There are a lot of people that walk in wanting to dump a gun for some cash.Many many good reasons to go to shows.Get there early,park free, and make a good buy and you are covered.Whats better than a hunt? If you are looking for the latest and greatest and expect it to be a steal when its the hottest thing out there,then guess what,it aint gonna happen. Thats just my thoughts.

[Dave1965]

Dbh is right, going to look at one specific bull barrell bolt action rifle in hard to find caliber or specific maker AR in specific configuration will likely result in disappointment and better to order online. It is also right that if you go in looking for deals and not just specific items, you are more likely to find something.

WLJ, well, thats just a weird write-up, you been hanging in the coffee shops with the ususuals too much, I never experienced at least a couple of those items...........

As Rex says, this argument comes up all the time. I see a lot of old friends at shows...and new ones like Rex. It is a great social place for me to see and talk to people with very similar interest. My town is so small, most people hang out at the walmart, I see at least 10 people I know in there every trip. It costs me nothing to go there too, should probably just stick to it but they are not gun lovers LOL.

I don't see $20 as a great deterrent either but if I did I would probably not smoke 3 packs of smokes a day, drink a case of bud every night, or drop $20 on lottery tickets or specialized coffee every mornings for a week(I don't do any of those and dont care if people do, but I figure the $20 is my "sin tax" to spend and to do what I enjoy).

I know that several dealers there will beat your local shops prices by enough that you would save the $20. I have not had much luck negotiating with the shops in louisville but seems like everyone expects to haggle at a show so it is the nature.

But that is just my opinion. I enjoy it, it is fun to me and things can be found if you are opportunist enough to be able to jump on them.