Anyone going this year? I've had hit and miss experiences in the past there....but like the saying no risk no reward....

It's a giant town-wide flea market held in Hillsville,VA, which includes a smallish gun show, usually in the VFW hall. I worked a table there for an FFL acquaintance once. It's good for finding used Fudd type guns, but also tends heavy to the coin dealer type stuff. Southern VA dealers like Trader Jerrys are sometimes there as well.

I'll be there.  getting there bright and early on Saturday.

We go every year.  I always end up finding something gun related to haggle about.

I found my M1A there in 2008. I saw the muzzle sticking out of a shopping cart full of guns and pounced. Haven't been back since
 

But they have deep fried snickers there.....

It's worth it. You'll find $20 shotguns and old rifles mixed in with old books and milk glass.

 

Is the meth cheaper there too?

That's a long drive for some fudd guns.

Hillsville really is something that everyone should do once in their lifetime.  Its an amazing event.  Its a mix of overseas made crap, mil surplus, antiques, guns, and food.  There can be deals found but most vendors want way to much money for their stuff now that the out of towners with deep pockets started coming.  If people watching is your thing, you can see some interesting and disturbing sights.  

Always be mindful of the weather.  You don't want to go if its been raining for several days or if its expected to rain heavily.  This time of year the storms make a huge mess.  I watched one year as cars got tore up pretty bad trying to get out of a farmers field where they had parked.  Even if its has not rained, you may want to wear shoes suitable for slogging through the mud if you enter the field across from the VFW field.  Its always wet down near the creek and it does not matter how much hay they put down.  

If you go, pay the small entry fee and go into the fenced in area.  The money helps the VFW.  The gun show in the VFW hall is an exercise in frustration as it is overly packed, hot as hell, and stinks of BO from everyone packed in.  Don't plan on moving quickly as you just cannot see anything and navigate the crowd.  

I don't know if we will be going this year. I still have to talk to the wife and see if she wants to go.

I say i'm going every year....

yet too make it

I go to it every year, always finding good deals, esp in cast iron and old  radios. I do not even bother with the gun show, too crowded and can't see shit.

I never go inside the building I always go up on the hill behind the VFW to "Gun Alley" thats where I've had my best luck. I picked up a nice 22 bolt action last year that has since become my favorite squirell gun. Yes, there is typical flea market garbage there but if you like to look and dig it can be a fun time.

Well, when I say $20 shotguns, I mean you pay $20 then sell for 10x the $. Profit

I've always been told to skip the actual show. I usually walk through, but it's just like anyother gunshow with inflated prices and junk. The last time I went there was more militaria and really old guns than anything else. It was also nuts to butts through the whole way. I usually stick to gun hill. You have to be careful though because a lot of people from NC bring guns to sell. I'm not sure how they've gotten away with it for this long, but they do. I almost bought a rifle from a guy who had a smoking price on it. I walked with the guy to his car to get the box and mags and he has NC plates so I broke off the deal.



Either way I'd be there if I wasn't working this weekend and didn't have an 8 week old at home.

Headed there today myself. I will try to unload a Mossberg thats been a safe queen for years.

I think the wife and I are going Sunday.  Depends on the weather.

I went.   It was ok.  Gun alley will filled with overpriced fudd guns and really inflated AR prices.  A guy wanted 900$ for a Romanian AK


There was a guy selling colt pythons.  One was for 2k. If I had the cash for that deal it would have been close

I've been a couple times, it's fun just to walk and gaze at the junk, fields, and fields of junk, surplus, guns, and stinky people!!  It's always so hot and miserable, but so much fun.  I want to go back again every year, but it's a 4hr drive, and no one enjoys walking though it with me that will go

I used to go to pick up ammo cans, and cheap 8mm ammo.  Those ships have sailed many years ago though

I have a feeling alot of laws are broken that weekend.  I never bought any guns down there, but I have a C&R, so I could have bought any mil-surps I would have liked legally.  I know alot of folks just cash and carry from the tables, no questions asked....

As it should be in America

well I didn't sell the Mossberg yesterday....must not have been Fudd enough. Lots of lookers and droolers over it, but no takers.

We went Saturday and as usual everything was overpriced. I saw a very used 1022 for $275. I saw a neckbeard with a whole table of .22 ammo for the low price of $75 per 500 rounds. I laughed in his face and walked away.

I saw several tables of WAY overpriced 22 ammo....laughed at all of them...It was kinda a sureal experience on sunday...I ended up buying seveal firearms and everytime I bought one and walked away within an hour it was sold for profit by people asking "watcha got on that?" I ended up keeping a GSG 5PK that I picked up for a little over $150 and still walked out with $300 more dollars than what I started with....all in all I had a fun day. The only thing I noticed was a lack of people on the "Hill" this year and overall lower attendance than in years past.

I find it interesting to see how much, or really how little, changes in Hillsville.  I started going as a kid 40 years ago and have seen the progression.  Even with a couple gaps of a few years due to .mil etc its still the same old event.  

The items sold have evolved with time.  There used to be a lot more antiques and yard sale stuff. Now there is a ton of cell phone accessories, vaping gear, and dollar store expired crap sold in bins.  The one guy that I saw that had some interesting .mil surplus including 37mm launchers and rounds was swarmed with what I think was a shoplifting team.  There were a bunch of kids outside the tent yelling and fondling dummy hand grenades or .50 cal rounds to keep the vendor distracted while the older kids were inside the tent.  I could feel the tension and left.  I hope he did not get taken for anything of value.  

They did finally get smart and lay rock in the field across from the VFW.  In past years when it rained, it was a muddy mess.  Even with the rain Sunday morning there was only a couple small patches of mud to avoid.  

I did find it odd that some guys VA Sex Offender record was plastered all over including the portajohns.  But, I did have a dealer mention how he loved the sights.  I mentioned that I loved to people watch when he motioned towards a young girl walking past.  I took one look at her and looked back at him and said "dude, shes 13."  I walked away shaking my head.  

As you guys mentioned the prices on .22 was a joke.  I saw one CCI SV brick for what looked like $125.  I saw 50 round packs of thunderbolt for $20.  

Except for 2 lemonades, and a BBQ Sandwich I returned home with the money I arrived with.  My wife, not so much.