Posted: 10/6/2001 1:56:13 PM EDT
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Wearing my AR15.Com T-shirt, I, along with my friends were among the first into the show this AM. The number of vendors was as usual, with the number of attendees average to slightly above at our time of departure (1230 PM). VERY FEW M1As for sale, NO FALs, NO CETMEs, NO H+Ks. M1 Garands selling for quite a premium, 90% HR: asking price $900. Lotsa parts. Few M1A mags, FAL and CETME mags available at fairly reasonable prices. Used AR mags: 30rd, $25 and up, WAY up. 20rd, $30 and also skyward. M-1 15 rd Carbine mags 80%, $8. Didn't see any Mini-14s, nor mags, either. The only gas masks I saw were Soviet skull-cap types with their filters already attached. USGI chem suits were available, in original sealed packaging. Don't recall price. Antique Weapons sellers reported disappointing sales. Primary AR-type vendor was Sherluck, with a fair amount of stock and accessories. No shortage of customers at their tables. Business was brisk, with lots of accessories of all types being sold. No weapons sold that I saw, but they were available, mostly Bushmasters at an impressive mark-up. To be fair, the other much-smaller AR vendors also had similar healthy profit-margins. Plenty of Militaria of all periods, WWII thru Vietnam mostly. No comment on ammo prices, as MA will not allow out-of-staters to buy. Business in outdoors ammo tent seemed steady. All-in-all, for me, a worthwhile show; got most of the odds and ends I was looking for, at decent prices. |
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I will go tomorrow (Sunday) morning. I will have to dig out my [b]Team AR15.COM[/b] shirt that I have been saving for special occations like this. I have my want list all made out. My main goal is to buy some reference books. I know that there is a guy there that has good prices on first rate books, plus no tax or shipping at show. I also want to get a nice bolt action 7.62 rifle, either one of those Indian Enfields or a Spanish FR-8. I just got the Garand, so must get some Garand clips and misc items for it. While I am at it, I need a bolt for a Mauser M1895. If I see a extra-specially nice Yugo M48, at a fair price, I will grab it. On my list from last show is a M1903A3 stock set and metal to restore my Remington back to military configuration. Maybe this time I will get lucky. Wish me luck OSA |
| I went today. Good show. High caps were a bit pricey but there in abundance. I seemed to notice alot more chem suits for sale, didn't really look at prices. Not many masks only ones I saw were relics. I noticed a few guys selling m17 filters, one guy for $25 ohter for 19.9something. I remeber when they were $5, made me chuckle. |
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I spent the day at the Lima, Ohio show. Ammo sales were brisk at the "Ammo Store" table. Became hard to walk by table around noon because of so many people in line. I picked up some Black Hills 68 gr and a South African 300 round battle pack later in the day. I saw only two AR's throughtout the whole show. Both were priced decent. I missed a nice one by hemming and hawing on a H&R M12 trainer and got scooped by a gentleman who knew a good deal also. $400 for a NIB rifle w/o sights was a nice deal. Wish I had not hesitated. I'm going to try the Dayton show this month. Anyone know the schedule for the Dayton shows? |
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I just got back. Prices were high, people were rude, but over-all it was worth it. I did pick up a real nice FN 1949 in 7.92mm. I also bought a bunch of Garand clips 4/$1 (cheapest I seen, most were $1 each and Shurluk had them for $0.50 but they were all rusted to heck). I did pick up one of Shurluks flat-top scope mounts, and a rubber plug for the bottom of my grip. I bought a few books also, from the guy on the side wall. OSA |
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I didn't find anything I liked, except the custom handguns form the guy from VA, who had no clue about MA gun laws. He had a couple of beautiful Hi-Powers, but no way for me to buy one. I was able to have a guy rig up a sling for my 590A1, all out of Bagmaster pieces. Ended up costing me abouty $20. Of course the most reliable attraction is the beef jerky table, always in the first row from the wall on the left. Some Terriyaki jerky and some Polish sticks (love the multi-national mix). Somewhat dissapointing, but fun anyway. |