I'm missing it this year and I want to drool over your finds or feel glad I didn't waste the time and money going up.

I went to the Prince William County Fairgrounds show last week and it was pathetic!  Two tiny buildings with almost nothing to show but high prices...

I predict you won't miss much. Gun shows in general have turned to shit in the past few years. Since the loss of Rod and "Dark Sun" a major price stabilizer is gone and new gun prices at Virginia gunshows have gone full retard. The cost of tables and possibly fear of ATF scrutiny has driven away a lot of non-dealers who would legitimately like to cull and improve a collection or liquidate an inheritance. There are more and more toy and jewelry dealers as well as tables full of Chinese junk being passed off as the real thing.

Maybe it is because I am getting older or I already have too much stuff or because the last 8 years I have been financially stagnant but I just can't get excited about gunshows anymore. That is a shame. I used to look forward to these events.

The only reason I would go is for reloading supplies but I just hate driving in NoVA.  Otherwise, I'm certain I can beat all gunshot prices online for what I want.

I went once early this year. It reminded me why I hate gun shows. Ridonkulous prices, obnoxious dealers, sloppy gun handling, thick crowds, all make it a less than enjoyable experience.

As the prices have increased, it is less and less a good deal if you are trying to "save" money. Paying $12 to get into a show when you are looking for small parts is worse than paying shipping on them. I did find a new-old-stock trigger guard for one of my Garands a few years ago that almost made up for the cost of admission. I am trying to remember the last time I bought a gun at a gun show, and the answer is, "a LONG time ago."

-shooter

I go for the entertainment value.  For $12 it's like going to the movies.  I can spend 3 hrs walking around looking at guns and goofy people.

Lol!  True!   . . . but you can go to WALMART and do the same thing (sans guns) without blowing $12.



 

So, in the name of sharing some humor - I went a few years ago during a time when there was next to NO 9mm ammo available. Didn't matter to me, had plenty in my garage. I am standing next to two dealers - one the custom case guys near Dulles, and the other a random gun/ammo dealer. The case guys had a Pelican case (or similar) configured to hold half a case of wine. The other dealer says, "how much is that" and then starting talking a bunch of trash about the "insane" price. He didn't like it very much when I said, "but who is selling 9mm ball ammo at $.75 a round - speaking of insane." He got pretty pissy with me after that...but I didn't hear him as I was already walking away.

-shooter

Taking new/aspiring shooters is an eye opener for them.

Thank God we have the Dulles show...where I grew up, all we had was a shitty show like PWC.

If you're bored with Dulles, scoop up a non shooting friend or a young person and show them the glory of the Dulles show!!!

You'll be doing the Lord's work, and you'll have fun teaching while eating spicy pickles and free beef jerky samples!

I want to go pick up a couple lowers, a few 30 cal ammo cans, and some single boxes of match 22 ammo for testing.  The Gun Dude would charge me $25 per lower for the transfer, so if I can find Anderson lowers for less than $75 each I will come out ahead.  I have a strong feeling that lowers will be marked up to $100+  though.

Make sure you bring them by Dennis Todd's table to drool over the machineguns. Then explain to him WHY they cost tens of thousands of dollars, a half-inch of paperwork including prints and photos and a one year wait before you can take it home THEN take him over to the VCDL table and sign him up for a membership

ETA- I also like to take new shooters out to this show.

For me it is a social event; sad and pathetic but social

I always go to the Dulles show. Why not, since I live practically around the corner?

For a serious collector, this show is a must. Last time, I found a lightly sporterized M1917 Enfield for $350. The stock was butchered beyond recognition, but most everything else was there. I took it home, popped it into a spare NOS stock that I had, and made a $350 gun into an $800 gun!

I agree that the Manassas show a couple of weeks ago sucked. It always does, but like a glutton for punishment I go anyway. The only good Manassas show is the one sponsored by the Virginia Gun Collectors (there's one coming up on November 5th).

What type of match .22 ammo you want.  I got but loads of it.  Ely, RWS, wolf, SK. Lapua

I'm looking for Wolf Match Extra and CCI Green Tag.  So far the best groups I've gotten came from Federal GMUM and RWS R-50, with the Lapua/SK products close behind that and all the Ely stuff flying all over the place.  Ely Tenex is definitely the best ammo available and I was very disappointed that my particular rifle wouldn't shoot it.

Anyways, I'm going to leave the house at 3:00 so I don't have to stand in the rain.  I'll report back on what I see at the show later.

All I really want is cci subsonic segmented for small game, but don't want to pay the stupid online prices I see.
I don't think the price will be any better at Dulles (in anyone even has it)

I may just go for giggles. I'll make sure to not bath, feed both of my toddlers a shitton of sugar, tell them Santa died so XMAS is cancelled so they scream/cry for hours and push them slowly around in the widest double stroller I have. I'll bring a bag of small change to pay for nazi crap, 4 year old deer jerky and Chinese fakecogs.

Just got back.  I arrived at 4PM on Friday.  I had to park in the further half of Wal-Mart's lot and there was a HUGE line when I showed up, but it was all stacked on the entrance to the OLD side (most people don't realize there is now a second entrance).

Quantico Tactical has Anderson lowers for $60 each and the next cheapest lower receiver I saw was $100.

NOBODY carries 22 match ammo.  Same story as the last show I went to.

I scored 3 empty Federal 420 pack ammo cans for $9 each.

I went today (Friday). It was the usual. Unlike last time, I didn't find anything I wanted. No sporterized milsurps that were worthy of restoration. I did find some weird things, like a Mark I M1903 Springfield that had been rebarreled with an 03A3 barrel, and a commercial receiver sight added. For some strange reason, the builder had gone to the trouble of grinding off the bayonet lug and stacking swivel attachment.

I noticed that some dealers had unrealistically high prices for their collectibles. They were generally asking $4,000 to $5,000 for M1941 Johnson rifles. That's too high, IMO. Also, $4,000 is too high for an Ithaca or Remington-Rand WW2 M1911A1. I don't think they were selling at those prices.

This is getting to be like those perennial listings on Gun Broker. Some of those "sellers" don't really intend to sell. They list their guns at those prices (a) hoping that some sucker will bite, and (b) in the meantime, they placate their wives by "making efforts" to thin out their collections.

I went today with my nephew - turns out I thought LAST week was the date, so glad I wasn't able to go!

The traffic was nonexistent and there was absolutely no wait to get in but it was still a great crowd (Skins played today so that may have had something to do with it).  My nephew had a ball, he bought some MRE's and a Strike Ration.  I just looked at the prices of stuff and shook my head going, "VA Arms has better prices." "Can get this cheaper at Bud's Guns online." "Are you kidding me???"

I ended up buying some cool morale patches.  Oh yeah, a cup of soda for $3.60.

I noticed a couple booths making custom kydex holsters while-u-wait, hopefully they're around next time.

It seemed to me the crowds were way too normal.  No gangbangers, no stinky meth heads, no weirdos, no sluttily dressed hotties, just average looking folks like me, WTF???

 
LOL, I would gladly tell people I go for the beef sticks in those big packs but then I saw the exact same product+brand at Gander Mountain for HALF the price! Now it would just be for the people watching and gun pawing.


-Stooxie