At the local SAXET gunshow I saw, get this, two Pre-Ban Norincos, for, listen up now, $1300 and $1100 respectively.  

I picked up the one with the folding bayonet and the dealer chimed up saying "That there is a real pre-ban AK47."

I replied back, "What ban is that?", with a smirk look on my face.  

He shutup as he realized I was not a sucker.  It is a shame that most dealers are like this now.  

Along the same lines I stoped a local retail store (other buisness) and while I was there I saw a SKS D and a Feg AK with a buthole stock so I inquired $850.00 for the "D", $950.00 for the FEG I said no thank you and he got all bent started raving, I told him a D would sell for about half that and the buthole FEG would sell fora lot  less . I was told People like me was ruing the gun buisness because I knew to much about Guns, he only wanted to sell to folks who didn't know to much about them so any story he told them would be correct. I didn't say  anymore,, but next time I see him out of state at a show selling ,,well add your own ending..

Campy, the only 'deals' I saw were Glock LE mags for $20 (which is really just a so - so deal) and the Feather , I swear I almost bought it ! It had two 20rd mags included and really was the only good firearm deal in the whole show.

I think it's going to take a while for the slower of the bunch to realize that , "No, your used beat up Glock 19 magazine is NOT worth $60".

Funniest thing I heard was a "dealer" nearly having a full out conniption fit when his buddy showed him the good deal he got on a S&W 9mm and began to explain to the dealer how he could make the magazines hold 15rds instead of 10rds.

Dealer - "OMG ! Y-YOU CAN'T D-DO THAT !!!!!" Buddy - "Um , whadda ya mean , the ban is over".

I am actually surprised that there wasn't more of that. and there I was , all prepared to fire off the ATF letter web address.

I'm sure the shady crowd will go with the ol' "buy it NOW , it's banned" til they find another shtick to part suckers from their hard earned cash.

I guess this post answered my question as whether or not to go to the show. Good thing I saved $5 and a tank of gas.

I love my glock by the way.

I learned gun shows are for militant kids wearing camo's pretending to be a rambo thinking that a uzi is a do it all weapon to blow the whole world up kind of attitude. then you ask for a price on something then get snobed of like there doing you a favor, knowing most of the junk that is in there are thrown out because of a blemish! I learned $3.00 for parking $6 to get in just is not worth it to me.

Well . . . . ..

at the toy show in Medina the weekend before the ban expired (September 11) I overheard a "vendor" tell a guy that he could not use a 15 round mag in his Beretta 92 because he bought the pistol during the ban.  

So . . . .  I opened my big mouth and ask "Why ? ? ? ? ?"

Vendor :  "federal law"

What a butt-hole  ! ! ! ! ! !

We all knew it would be this way.... The dealer side of the firearm's industry (in my opinion) has the most liers, crooks and out right con-men than any other industry, even the used car business...lol...  There are a few good ones in that mix, you should feel lucky to be a part of this forum as most of the "good ones" are here...

Went to a show today in NC, freeking morons everywhere and not a single Romanian sar-1 because they say their not being made anymore!  But gee whiz i did find TWO wasr-10s, figured ok I'll finally break down and get a dremel. Asked the guy how much and he said $400, I said for both? Nope EACH!!
Puff puff pass....  heckfor $4 bucks a box more than wal-mart.

Guess I'll have to call some dealers in the area monday. Would like to check for slanted sights before forking over about 330 for one that doesn't need dremel work lol.

One last thing I hate about shows, why do they have those tables full of total crap, those plastic guns, ww whatever relics no one can afford or care to buy.

Blackops1.

There were some bozo's at Dayton today too. However there were some good deals. I got a like new Chinese drum w/ pouch and acouple of "normal " capisity pistol mags cheap. Also found a like new early Russian bayo for my milled Russian kit.
Had one vendor tell I'd go to Federal Prision for making my own AK recivers. I just told him I be carefull and keep them in the safe.

Well on my last sucky gunshow run I bought a AKM gas tube, a Kel-Tec 380 mag and some beef jerky.

The High end guys at gunshows seem to be closer to realitiy than the run of the mill gun dealers. I saw some pretty nice shotguns, at fair prices. Colletors are often OK guys also.

HEE HEE HEEE... Gun show......

I belive I have the answer..


Only the moron dealers setup at gunshows, the reputable dealers do enough buisness at their store so that they do not have to pray on un-knowledgable folks at the show...

Quoted: another rocket scientist had obviously alumahyded ar mags listed as "new" for $15. the dents were no extra charge.

I think I saw that guy at Medina.

We need to get some shirts together for the Summit Co. show next weekend - something along the line of "WAKE UP! THE AWBAN IS OVER!" (we can make plateshooter wear a pink one).

I went to the Gun Show in Hampton, Va. yesterday and things haven't changed much. I think the "dealers" will have to see their competion with fresh stock selling at resonable prices before they suck it up and lower the prices.
I did pick up a couple of large ammo cans for use as stationary storage at a fair price.
There were a lot of people looking, I didn't see many buying.

Hey Campy,
Ever thought of heading south for a gun show? Maybe Dayton , Wilmington, or Columbus. You would at least get to see a different bunch of morons. Hell you could even go shooting with us after the show.

Quoted: I think we need to start making copies of the ATF letter and plastering them all over the place at gun shows. Bwhahahahahahahah!

Hand them out at the door....

The stupidity... make it STOP!!!

It truly saddens me to hear all of these gun show horror stories. So much for comradity. So much for community. Hell... so much for common decency!

All I can do is shake my head in disgust & wonder why we do this to ourselves? Isn’t it enough that we have the entire American Left out to end our way of life?

I swear, sometimes we are our own worst enemy!

Campy; just remeber that it's only three weeks until Knob Creek. Two full pole barns of 'real' unbuyable merchandise at really unbelieveable prices. Hope to see you down there.

OMG ! I forgot about the 'Homies' "Straight out da Jets" - fo real

Sadly, I did have a 'needing shower' encounter. The bad part is...... My sense of smell is practically nil and I could still smell the guy 10 feet away!

Quoted: Well . . . . .. at the toy show in Medina the weekend before the ban expired (September 11) I overheard a "vendor" tell a guy that he could not use a 15 round mag in his Beretta 92 because he bought the pistol during the ban.   So . . . .  I opened my big mouth and ask "Why ? ? ? ? ?" Vendor :  "federal law" What a butt-hole  ! ! ! ! ! !

One of my co-workers has the same misconception.

The market will right itself.  There will be a time of turmoil and price fluxuations but the market will decide what is fair.  The guys that over price the guns will have to eat them.  The paid high so they want high. The market conditions have changed, it will not happen but will take time for the morons to realize this.

Gold standard still goes to the 1 armed bandit who saw me poking around a G3 clone last year. "It's a Special Weapons build, and they are so fanatical about quality that they fix the things even HK misses."

I think I would have literally fell out in the floor laughing.  I have tried to keep my cool around alot of these clowns, and even let a few of them spout their ignorance without a challenge, but you know what??  I'm tired of it.  I am not going to just sit back and take what they dish out.  They won't bat an eye if I give them 1500 bucks for a post ban neutered rifle, so I ain't going to appologize for speaking my mind.

FWIW
Doc

Yeah, I think some of you guys have misconceptions about gunshow table holders.  First off:  'prices' at gunshows are not carved in stone.  You're not shopping at Wal-Mart with their take-it-or-leave-it price.  Most people like to get a 'deal'.  If I put a price of $300 on an item worth approximately $250, chances are someone just might pay the full $300.  Probably not though.  More likely someone will come along and ask if I could do a little better.  I'll smile and say 'Sure, what do you have in mind?'  A little haggling and a customer walks away thinking he's gotten a deal and I (hopefully) have some cash.  If I had marked the item $250 and replied to everyone that showed interest that 'That price is firm', I would probably be going home with it.  

I think our society in general has just gotten away from dickering on prices as a way of determining true values of products.  There's even a car company (Saturn) that's set up to eliminate price discovery (that's high falutin' for dickering).  Wouldn't you love to see their customer list so you'd know who the suckers, I mean sheep, I mean spineless, I mean 'valued customers' are, so you could quarantine them and their offspring.

Look, I wish I could go to cherry picked gunshows, too.  Only the stuff I'm interested in and good prices to boot.  Other people like other things though and their stuff gets taken to 'my' show and I end up walking farther and finding less to buy.  I'm getting older and grumpier.  Gas costs, parking and admission  and food take a bite out of my budget.  I think maybe it's just not worth it.  Then I realize that I spent two hours at a GUNSHOW.  Life is not all bad.  Beats baling hay, getting shot at and a whole big list of other things I've spent time doing.  

I agree there are some folks on this planet that are just...'dificult'.  Some of them go to gunshows and some of them set up there, too.  If I choose to spend my money with them, fine.  If not, fine.  The thing to remember is, it's my (our) choice.  We don't go to the commisar and buy our approved single shot and 10 authorized shells.  Yet.

We still get to go to gunshows.  They are not perfect.  They never were.  But neither are gunstores, the big box retailers or internet sellers.  Maybe it's because I'm pretty dumb, but I usually end up learning something new every time I go to a show.  I try to go with an open mind and the manners my folks taught me.  Unfortunately, not every one does the same.  Still, there are usually more decent people than not.  I think it would be a mistake to think of gunshows as a purely commercial endeavor.  There are a lot of table holders who are there as a hobby.  They may have the same stuff year after year.  They pay there fees and it is probably cheap entertainment.  To each their
own.  

I'm still going to go to gunshows.  Been doing it for forty some years.  Pisses me off what some of them are like now.  Still, better ones are out there.  We just have to find them and support them.

Bob, your descriptions of the venders cracked me up!!!!!!!There's coffee and boston cream pie on my keyboard...I've also noticed that guy with the lugers at EVERY show. Is he trying to sell them, or just display them?????I'll have to make the Summit Co show this Sat. Maybe I can talk Engineer into taking me out to breakfast first........

There's a show here in Charlotte next month that I'm going to be attending.  I wonder how that will be.

Quoted: doc, you got to understand...some of these dufus bastages have had the SAME DAMN RIFLES on their tables for over ten years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the prices on them keep going UP!!!

You simply fail to understand the concept of 'appreciation'. These are rare collectibles that will only go up in prices!

I think the antiques roadshow people need to go to some gunshows...give them real appraisals of their 'collectible' firearms.

Quoted: I belive I have the answer.. Only the moron dealers setup at gunshows, the reputable dealers do enough buisness at their store so that they do not have to pray on un-knowledgable folks at the show...

I see better deals at the Gunshows then I do anywhere local, its rare for me to get anything localy.

Quoted: if the summit county show, next weekend, isn't any more intelligently staffed than this one was, i may have to swear off gunshows for a couple of months!

Campy,

I'll be setting up for the second time ever at Akron as it is less than two miles from the "Armory" (Pro-Gun). Tom Procaccio and I "cut our teeth" at shows twenty five years ago when ther was only a few shows per year. Guys could not "wait till next week" to buy what they needed or wanted. Now I call Gun Shows.....G-MART!

Tommy won't go, so I am just promoting my little AK-74 deal.

Akron?  Figure about a 95% "Suck Probibility".  With me there,.....at least 98%.

At least my "shit" sells!

Grampy

I blew off Niles and went to the PGCA show held as usual at the Monroeville Expo Mart, but this time they rented both sides of the complex and filled 1/3 of the other side with militaria, mostly Nazi scheisse and likely half of it counterfeit. I saw dozens of four-digit-priced Kar 98k rifles, some in pristine condition (too good to be true horn was going off) that were as high as $4500. A few dealers had vintage US slings, belts, boots, haversacks, uniforms, etc. One outfit had just about any military-related movie you'd want on DVD and VHS, including some obscure foreign titles. Great selection, but I didn't feel the need. Anybody interested in going for the militaria show, this ain't no JAG!

The regular PGCA show seemed to be lighter-attended and probably due to the 5" to 8" of rain that Western PA saw in the past 24 hours. Some of the usual dealers were not there, probably due to the shows in OH, and one at Valley Forge, PA this weekend.

There were some WASRs wearing Romanian Folders for $375 to $395, and one guy with two tables full of preban AKs of various configs and flavors and a few other semi-autos like FALs, all at historic pre-ban prices and not much moving.

Lots of Russian Mosins -- M38s, M44s, M91-30s at the prevailing rates just below to just above $100.

Lots of Russian Capture 98K Mausers for mid-$200s. Czech 98s for $179 with dirty/rusty bores. Several dealers had AS NEW Yugo M59/66 SKSs at prevailing rates. Boy, if you haven't got one or six of these yet. don't wait.

Not a lot of of the current finish-worn No4 Enfields were in evidence at the show, but I saw several at a shop on the way home.

In addition to the usual FA display, Ohio Ordnance Works had three racks of ridiculously-priced milsurps, but that's OOW and their guns.   JMO, but I realize that lots of people worship the ground they walk on, and I'm sure that they get their exercise lugging that same stuff from show to show . . .

Maybe a dozen or two Bulgie military Maks with the huge CAI dot-matrix "billboard" on the right side, $149 at Eagle Arms. Dan Tobin had a few with the tasteful PW Arms markings, and had a couple Zastava M70 .32s a well. He now had Yugo 59/66 SKSs.

A few "dealers" had obvious CMP Garands from $595 "Ratty Ass" Grade up to one $1500 Winchester. Scott Duff was there enjoying the attention of a few of his fawing fans.

It seemed as if many of the dealers had their hi-cap mags hidden, and those that had them out were trying to prop up prices by saying "buy now, you don't know how the election's going to go." A couple dealers were peddling new Glock hi-caps for $20 to $25.

It seems that many dealers at shows these days go to them to buy inventory, and peddle it on the 'Net.

Don't know if I'll make the drive to Summit Co. next week or not.  The past couple times that I went there the aisle spacing was wider each time, and there was increasingly more junk.

Noah

Think they will have things straight at Knob Creek?

Quoted: I belive I have the answer.. Only the moron dealers setup at gunshows, the reputable dealers do enough buisness at their store so that they do not have to pray on un-knowledgable folks at the show...

In Ohio, I've found it to be exactly the opposite, especially in Cleveland.  The dealers here tend to price gouge, sometimes to insane degrees ($600+ Taurus PT99).  I once overheard a guy working in the [now defunct] gunstore in Milan declare that there should be no private sales, and no gunshows.  I stopped doing business with them after that.

I'm looking forward to the Berea show next month.  There are some good dealers who attend, including the people from whom I got my AR lower and both uppers.

Still trying to decide between a Kalashnikov and a 6.8mm carbine upper for my AR.  

I don't usually go to the shows. And when I do its to pick up reloading supplies. I do find its cheaper to buy stuff at the shows because you don't have to pay a hazmat fee.

You guys who haunt the NE OH shows, what is the chance of me finding a cheap(inexpensive) 22 revolver for plinking? A Single Six would be nice but a cheap H&R wouldn't be bad either.

The Tulsa show this past weekend had new Bushmasters with flash-hider and collapsing stock for $700.

I guess it depends where you are.

Quoted: You guys who haunt the NE OH shows, what is the chance of me finding a cheap(inexpensive) 22 revolver for plinking? A Single Six would be nice but a cheap H&R wouldn't be bad either.

Excellent.  I'd be very surprised if you couldn't find that sort of thing at the Berea or Medina shows.  

LOL.  I was surprised how reasonable some of the prices were.  I saw a DPMS with M4 barrel, chrome carrier, FH, and four position stock for 749.

Quoted: Bob, your descriptions of the venders cracked me up!!!!!!!There's coffee and boston cream pie on my keyboard...I've also noticed that guy with the lugers at EVERY show. Is he trying to sell them, or just display them?????I'll have to make the Summit Co show this Sat. Maybe I can talk Engineer into taking me out to breakfast first.......

I don't think he can afford to feed you!

Quoted: Quoted: Bob, your descriptions of the venders cracked me up!!!!!!!There's coffee and boston cream pie on my keyboard...I've also noticed that guy with the lugers at EVERY show. Is he trying to sell them, or just display them?????I'll have to make the Summit Co show this Sat. Maybe I can talk Engineer into taking me out to breakfast first....... I don't think he can afford to feed you!

What is it with Masons and food? Went to pick up some suits today and had to give directions to someone with a Freemason license plate on how to get to a Boston Market.

Who's gonna make Summit County this weekend?