I see a listing for a possible gun show on July 30-31st 2016 but not  by the usual promoters and before driving down from NC would hope I can some feed back if it worth it as a gun show or more of flea market with bug out zombie ninja swords that can't hold edge type flea market......  
The info I have found is $12 to get in with a $2 off coupon  Figure it is still $5 to park at the state fairground correct?

That the classes are extra at $99 and just in the am for a few hours practicing suturing and stapling on a pigs foot. Skills worth knowing but not that much for traveling, and having been the recipient of my fare share....
The promoter is
RK Prepper Shows http://www.rkpreppershows.com/

Looks like more of outdoor show with very small firearms and accessories. Where I would do better to just  look at PSA weekend deals and order?

I wish the NC hometown forum had a "NC HTF big box of odds and ends ",  you guys make me jealous. What a great way to always make sure those detentes have spares traveling around through the circle.

I think you would do better, checking for RKprepper shows that have already occurred in other locations and ask that State HTF forum for a report. I am not going to that show. IMHO, the price of the show $12 and price of parking $5 is too much for an unknown show. If one of us did go, by the time you could read a report, it would not be worth the trip. I am strongly suspicious that most things for sale there can be had online for less.

Good advice.

I suspect that it's less of a "gun show" than you're being led to believe.

Thank you both, that was what I was afraid of, and wanted to make sure they hadn't changed the name for the fairgrounds regular gun shows for some P.C. hoopla. A Saturday report would help for the Sunday drive down choice. I'll think I'll pass unless I hear something otherwise. Thanks for saving me the gas and the PSA warehouse store is closed on Sundays,  so  we miss out on the saving on shipping trick. The price seemed steep.   The $10 ticket gun shows are now asking with the  buck off coupon is pushing it. If they keep raising it might as well just hit the local ffl, and online the rest because prices aren't great at shows anymore. Table costs are too high for friends to go in together  and sell off odds and ends which used make the shows interesting and have real surplus.Plus we've


A heads for the SC folks the Metrolina Expo has closed down and there are no more gun shows at the location. The land is being redevelopment again. Many people didn't know that the only paved strip you drive  on to park was an old runway from when it was an airport. Sad to see the old girl go, the gun  shows had expanded to fill in between the other two  overflow buildings.

If coming up to Charlotte NC,

Dixie Gun and Knife went to the Park Expo on Independence blvd(highway 74) besides the arena and Ovens Auditorium. The building used to be called the Merchandised Mart before it changed hands.

C&E moved their Charlotte show(the smaller of the two) to Concord Cabarrus Arena & Events Center out in Concord on Highway 49. If going, from I-85 to Highway 49,  do the speed limit in Harrisburg. They are almost as famous as MCBee for traffic revenue. If there is a race avoid that show for traffic or time yourself to the race for arrival and departure.

Sorry to hear about the Metrolina Center.   I always liked that show esp when they expanded to fill in between the overflow buildings.

To answer your original question further the regular gun shows (Mike Kent Shows is promoter) still go on at the fairgrounds but a lot of us simply don't go there anymore. Between the cost of admission/parking and the same old vendors selling the same old stuff it's gotten old.

The parking on top of admission  hurts, cuts into any savings that might be found. Going up on table rental prices and admission just isn't smart for the long term.  Maybe we should be glad they haven't just added it  to the tickets, so you pay for parking even if you carpool with friends. Sounds good, no lines collecting parking fees until you realize you paid 3-4  parking fees  for going in a group or 2 for a couple like they do at some concert venues. Charlotte has been on the edge for parking fees  with the venues, the Park Expo /Dixie show is rare for not charging like most other shows at the venue.

 Since we only make it  once or twice a year to each other's bigger  shows the grass of different vendors often appears greener. Sadly Charlotte has had the educational historical firearms booth slowly fade away. It is rare to see  the old vet or reenactors /collector with the collection out for the good of public knowledge.

The STATE  Newspaper did a write up of the show this Sunday. The STATE obviously goes for the lame easy page filler material. Its no longer a serious news source. No mention of attendance that I saw when I skimmed the article. Anyone on here actually go?

My sons are up there working. They said yesterdays attendance was more than 2000 people through the door.

It was ok if you're into the prepping thing or were bored(like me). I just bought a few knives and a fire starter.  No guns allowed in the show but I did see ammo and a few uppers. Went today around 10, not too busy.

I got there around 2pm and it was pretty slow.  I talked to some of the vendors and most of them said that the show was ok.  A couple of them said that Saturday was a lot better.

I saw lots of women at this show.  I would say that there was a higher percentage of women at this show than any gun show I have ever been to.

40 vendors?  150 tables?

$5 to park I'm ok with.  $12 to get in is pricey - if it was a gun show would anybody have gone?  $17 to get in....wow!

$17 to get in the door, huh? Uh, NO.

Thank you    Sanlanman ,  Anathema   ,  Russ_sc  and DOGolden  for taking the time to post and let us know what is was like  and what was available for vendors . If they have another show it will help others to know what to expect.


If anyone here  is active in the Georgia hometown forum, you might want to give them a heads up  about  the what to expect since they have the same people/show on  August 7th 2016  at Gwinnnet County Fairgrounds Lawrenceville, Georgia  so they know what to expect. The website contradicts it self on the main page its August 7th but on blog lists  August 27 - August 28  (assuming 2016) they seem to have shows scattered around the country.   hile.

Which having firearms at the backpacking/hiking/outdoors/camping/prepper style show does help with a visual presence and exposure to people who wouldn't go to gun show. They will see the firearms booths as just being there and registers subconsciously.   Then there are those few who were sooooo sure they will see the millions of guns being sold through that gun show loop hole, only to be really disappointing and left with a dead cell phone battery.     So even if this might not be a big win for a new gun show, they fact they are having classes ( a bit high priced in my book) but that adds to the event.

Imagine gun shows where they have break out rooms where people could attend a whole class or wander in and out while some speaks about reloading, hunting regulations,ect.  Like the classes at conventions and trade shows. Although that would probably be more manufacture reps teaching. Which having worked conventions, the scale of the extra space and break out rooms would be hard and add costs but the educational value would be a big bonus.  Guns shows would be like trade shows conventions in way.


I  always have high hopes for new small shows coming to the market(rooting for the little guy and shows with regular average joe/jill people selling off what their junk box has accumulated that wasn't worth the hassle(more so pre-internet & Gunbroker days) who can't afford the tables at big shows with more vendors then space.   Sadly these new shows  are often the worst kind show by the flee by night type promoters. Many who resurface every 5 years after the hatred and memories have dulled from time and their are lot of new now legal people to sucker in.  The kind of shows that  couldn't get enough vendors and still charges high door rates. Burning the area for future attempts. It puzzles me that the flea market stuff vendors make enough to show up at every show and have multiple ones with the same stuff.

the bad promoter is a very old story centuries old in fact.  That is very old and was common with Circus & Amusement ride type Fairs .   Which is if you know circus history about "Ringling Bros And Barnum & Bailey Circus", they would put up fliers in cities where other circus were doing shows that they were coming to soon. That read "Wait for the Big One". They still are referred to as "the big one" for all circus .  Since  some circus and ride traveled the same  circuit(the travel route a production takes as it travels trying to hit every where in between big cities, since if your not set up and drawing crowds you aren't making money, and a production company has to have food and facilities to bath and sleep)  and  cheated the locals on every game. To add to the lynch mob building anger, they then put on a very not worth the money production with the trickery of misleading advertising play on words.... They would also buy supplies on credit and then flee several days before the show was scheduled to close, to run out which was "burning the lot" aka town) for themselves and all the other traveling shows that were more legit that might be coming there next in week(s) or month(s). One of the things the LEO's of the day and town store owners used  to do was take the wagon wheel nuts  until they paid their debts. So they couldn't ride off.  Hence the "Making the Nut" become the term for breaking even and crossing over into making profit.  

Here's hoping Mike Kent brings back the Fort Mill gun Show.... It was close to Charlotte which was hard for pistol sales but long guns and all the ammo and other surplus was good to go.

I wish there was good documentation of the gun shows over the years. the culture and the variety has shift so much, rifles and ammo that we never thought wouldn't be there are now scarce and  yet the AR parts are plentiful in ways we' wouldn't have believed back in the 1980's.

I quit going to the state fair grounds because its posted against lawful carry even for off duty police officers....