Dulles Expo Center
Chantilly, Virginia

Friday 3:00pm – 8:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm

General: $13.00
Children 12 & under: Free (with adult)
12-17yrs: $7.00
3-Day Pass: $20.00

Yeah BO, strollers, jerky and pickles!

I love pickles!

That's the one.  


NGS - 300 tables of guns!

(1300 tables total)

I really have to ask myself.... is it even worth going to?

I have skipped a few shows this year and do not feel like I missed a thing. The shows I did go to, I walked away due to high prices or dealers just not having what I was looking for. I would say at least half the tables there are junk to start with. Some of the dealers there I seriously wonder how they stay in business.

I have to say ever since Rod from Dark Sun passed away there have been much of deals that I have found. Dark Sun was one of those dealers that you either loved or hated.

More tables and more junk. I don't need cheap tools, jewelry or airsoft crap. I would much rather have a smaller show without non gun/surplus related stuff.

I might go w/ a stroller.  Gotta start them young.  Sorry you old grumpy bastards

Dark Sun was a price stabilizer. Even if you didn't do business with them, you benefited from their presence at the show. Now, even Trader Jerry no longer feels compelled to get competitive (not a ding against Jerry, I like the guy).

R.I.P. Rod

High prices. A couple new dealers. A few deals. Dogs everywhere.

I just went to the Walmart next door, there was definitely spill over from the gun show, fat, smelly caukazoids with beards wearing mossy oak camo head-to-toe hawking the ammo cabinet. I got the whole gun show experience without paying $13.00

I ended up going. It was about as bad as I thought it would be. I was looking for three rifles. Remington 700 LTR, 700 compact tactical, or a 700 20" tactical AAC. I only saw a couple of the AAC rifles. The cheapest I saw was higher priced than if I ordered one off the internet. Rifle, shipping, fees and all was still $65 cheaper than I saw at the show.

Ammo prices I looked at were way higher than the internet. I just had 1000 rounds of AE 5.56 ammo sent to my house for $250 including shipping. Did not see anything at the show even close.

I also loved all the public service announcements they had going about "how not to get arrested".

I did see some old "machine guns" on display that looked cool. One I think was anti aircraft gun that looked like it was maybe water cooled, maybe .50 caliber. Not totally sure about it and did not ask. Another looked like a .30 caliber machine gun. I asked a couple questions about the gun to the dealer and the guy acted like a dick about it. Dude, if you don't want people asking questions about the awesome looking machine gun you have on display, then don't put it on display. I was not asking its value because I wanted to buy it, it was because I find it amazing how much they cost. If I had $20,000 to $30,000 to spend on a gun, I sure the hell would not be buying it at the local gun show.

Now that's funny right there...

The Richmond show at the old K-Mart back in June was similar but went the direction of thug wanna-be's vs. the neck-beard crowd.

Wasn't paying attention to ammo prices, was on a mission for a decent AK47 and picked up a VEPR.

I'll be interested in seeing how much hype will be added to 7.62x39 ammo prices, due to U.S. sanctions on Russia, when the show comes back around next month.

As a side note on 7.62x39 ammo, SGAmmo has a "sale" through Sunday night: 1000 Golden Tiger for $190.

Went today.  Parking was a shit show.  I haven't been since they opened the new (?) hall.  Fun to walk around, but didn't see anything resembling a deal.

I went from 1:30 - 4:30 on Saturday, and I had to park in the far side of the Walmart lot.  There were a few spots in the closer Walmart lot, but I'm not road raging with other people for a parking spot, so I moved on down the lanes.  No great deals, but always some new stuff.  One new ammo vendor had some .300 BLK 200 gr expanding ammo that looks like it works like the Trident ammo.  I bought a box of 50 for $55 to try out.  I got to shop around for my eventual 10mm.  One vendor had $16 per box Speer Lawman .357 Sig, which is a pretty good price.  The Malaysian 5.56 surplus was $320.  Quantico Tactical had the new ETS mag loader for 9mm/.40.  Works great!  Lots of body armor vendors these days, and they will all tell you how theirs is better than AR500.  The pickles are great as well, and I came home with 3 quarts.  I like to kill time at this gun show, but the parking really sucks, and I'm sure Walmart is not happy with us crowding their lot.  At least I didn't have to park at Burger King like I did in the spring.

Show was dead all weekend. I saw plenty of parking spots on my way to grab lunch today.

Dark Sun always had the latest Century Stuff at good prices - surprised no one has stepped up to fill their shoes.

I went to the show - bought a "grade 3" pair of Rubber covered Hensoldt military binoculars for $50 - the grade 3 were missing the eyepeice covers - could get "grade 2" with worn covers for $100.  I thought it was a pretty good piece of glass for $50,  Also bought a 700 lumen chinese flashlight for $10.

Most of guns at show were same old crap - lots of polymer pistols and ARs at fairly high prices.

Wanted to go but life got in the way.  Next time maybe.

I worked the show. Friday's rain kept the crowd down. Saturday afternoon got busy as well as moments on Sunday. Still, it was slow show for sales. There were good deals to be had if you looked closely at each table and spent some time talking to the seller.

I ended up taking home a 19th Century, Belgian made 16ga Pinfire, Side-lever shotgun with 30" Damascus barrels for $100. It is a little loosey-goosey but overall complete and in nice condition for it's age. I am not even going to try and shoot the thing but a nice example of 1)Pinfire 2)side-lever action 3)Damascus barrels, for my collection. Great wall-hanger and conversation piece.

Ammo dealers are in a bind. Prices have been dropping and many are left trying to sell inventory they paid more than current retail for (not much margins on ammo). Still, other than an oddball box of something, I haven't purchased ammunition at a show in years. It is just more efficient and economical to buy it online in bulk.

I bought some pickles, pro-2A T-shirts and a couple 5.45x39 Magpul mags as well.

Too many Dealers are in denial about the current market conditions. There is no current panic and buyers are tired of hording. Internet deals abound while tables at this show are expensive and when you factor gas and lodging, you just can't compete.

Even Marylanders crossing the border to buy normal capacity mags aren't spending what they used to.


I like gunshows

Interesting insights from the other side of the table.  Thanks.

I feel the same.  Even though much of what is there is either overpriced or just crap, I still enjoy walking through.  There are worse ways to spend a couple hours than in a room full of firearms and accessories.  The $13 fee does not break my back.

Went Sunday , and it was fairly busy. I enjoyed browsing as usual, and walked out with wall art from flags of valor. 

Saw some solid SCAR deals...table near the concession stand had a SCAR 16 for $2200ish, and another table had a 17 with Giessele for $2900. 

Went Friday afternoon as the show opened. Picked up a nice Bushcraft knife from LT Wright.