I went to the Bloomington Armory gun show today-

yes, there were a few dealers there with really good selections in handguns and such,

but im tired of half of the show's consisting of folding knives and all sorts of stuff unrelated to gun shows. I realize one man's trash is another man's treasure, and everyone has the right to bring what they have for sale, but i want to see some quality shows...

thankfully the Oct. 1-2 gun show is just right around the corner at the fairgrounds.

Things that bugged me at the show today- I looked at a WW2 P38 pistol- it was a CYQ built pistol- with an asterisk on the frame meaning the Germans rejected the frame at first, then later used it in a pinch. the guy wanted $800 for it. its a $550-575 dollar pistol.  he then proceeded to tell me and my buddy how rare it is, and that he doesnt think its ever been fired. dont fucking insult my intelligence, i had $2K in my pocket in case the right items were there, and if he priced his gun right and didnt bullshit me, he would have had cash in his pocket. Then i look at the Browning hi-power he had. he tried to tell me its extremely rare, and "i dont think this one has ever been fired either !"  listen fucker, the Germans didnt build guns at the height of the fighting in WW2 and not use them.... i walked away at that point.

I wish there was more curio / relic type stuff. One guy had a really cool Mosin Nagant, priced right- it was a Finnish captured rifle, only problem was the bore was weak at the muzzle, either worn down or counterbored, but, im a shooter, so it just didnt meet my needs for "perfection"

saw a couple other things that were close but not good enough.

I dont know why im ranting about this, i think i just miss the days when gun shows use to amaze me....  or impress me.

I can relate to this feeling, I went to two gun shows last year and was not very impressed.....I'll do my shopping on the interlinkin

I also experienced this when I was a kid and went to sportscard shows...seemed like everything was just inflated in price....and that 1980's Topps card of Joe Blow was so rare and whatever else the dealers could pull out of dark places

It is hit or miss but you have to be there incase a what if happens.

I have scored on some pretty big deals (3-4) this past year, the years prior have been crap. It is amazing what comes out of the wood work some times.

Did you see me at the beef jerky table?

How come you don't say hi anymore????

the last time i bought beef jerky from you, i had the runs for 3 days.

He didn't say hello  because of the crowd at my beanie baby table next to your table.

I'd have loved it if you said them exact lines to the douche selling the

items for way to high, then pull out your wad of cash and tell him to FOAD!



On a serious note, is it possible that the items then and now were pretty

much the same but now that you really know what you're looking at you're not impressed?

i was tempted to go back today and throw 550 bucks on the table for the P38 and see if he takes it.

i dont know if IM the one whos gotten harder to impress or if the SHOWS have gotten less impressive, but i feel like all the things i use to go and look for, have gotten much more scarce.


see im into the World War 2 stuff-   when was the last time you saw Japanese flags at a gun show? when was the last time youve seen a All matching, unmolested German Mauser K98 at a gun show? all i see are Yugos, Russian captures. When was the last time you've seen M1 Garands in respectable condition for under $1000 ?

All of those things, have become scarce. I dont know if they have found permanent homes in collections, but i do know less of it is coming out of the woodwork.

I love the guys who have whatever WWB 9mm ammo and it's priced at $25/50 since 1991.  He hauls these plastic totes in ever since and never sells a thing, don't get it.

it's not you its the shows.  i remember as a kid about 20 years ago, those shows kicked ass.  all kinds of stuff to buy and great deals as well.  sucks these days.   some of it could be the net, where we are conditioned with seeing all kinds of stuff from dealers/guys from all over and then you go to a local show and its a let down.... some of the old time dealers/sellers are either dead or in the nursing home.  LOLOL

ah the good ole' days

Some of the dealers just don't get it with their prices.I'm not there to pay the same price or more that I can
find at gander mountain .Most have lost a lot of buys.It's not like you would get the customer
service like you do from a store front if something goes wrong down the road.Not saying all of them
but most I believe.That's why most are still stocking the same stuff show after show and at the same price.
Their might be a reason that glock isn't selling for $629!!!-Oh wait it does come with 2 mags!!!
I enjoy most of them,it's nice to look and maybe spot something but the frenzy was over in 2009.
The gun shops are usually a better value but don't have the sometimes vast selection.
It's mostly hit and miss these days.

Can you save a purple monkey for me at the next show, Fedgunner????

Its even getting hard to find ammo at the shows for a reasonable price. I haven't bought anything at the shows in a few years. The best deals are the other shoppers walking around with guns they are trying to sell.

My observation over the last couple of years.

The FFL dealers at the shows who have a store front are there because that is how they got started and they like going to the shows. Most dealers have been through some good time since obama ran for office and see no reason to start marking down the prices. 2012 could be a huge year for gun sales, bigger than 2008. If obama were to get reelected some people feel that is when we will see the anti-gun bills getting pushed. I feel if obama does not get reelected that is when we will see prices fall.

I still like gun shows, I just don't bring as much cash because I don't think I will find a lot of deals.

+1

i bought a can of 5.45X39 from Element Arms at a show this spring, that was my biggest purchase at a show in a long time, aside from guns that people were walking around with to sell. Typically i leave shows empty handed. I go there "just in case"   if i do buy stuff from shows its usually WW2 military, medals, badges, bayonets, etc.

Next time you run a special on Nagants, I'll be in on it. I missed it last time around...



 

What are these "gun shows" you speak of? I thought they were just Beef Jerky and WWII curios shows?

well, the military show was awesome for me today.

Kriegsmarine flag- 1 TINY pin hole, $300 dollars. its about 3' X 5.5'  these often sell for $450 for ugly ones, up to 650 for ones in this shape.

WW2 German army back pack / rucksack. JKH '43 stamped on it, the leather straps are damn hear perfect, very good shape. He was gonna try to sell it for $165, i got it for $125.

picked up a VolksSturm arm band, what the German civilians wore when they took up arms at the end of the war, very good shape,

also picked up a very nice WW2 German War Merit badge with swords, and ribbon.

thats three things i had on my list of items to find, the backpack was just a bonus. i was hoping to find a nice Edelweiss pin, and other things on my list- Jap bayonet, Jap flag, they were there but i was holding back from spending any more money.

This was a great show for me, truly an example though of how it pays to know people, as some of those items came to me through friends / collectors / dealers.

I walked through the big gun show, just didnt have anything on my list there, one German Mauser K98 looked promising from afar, a BYF '44 rifle, which unfortunately, someone had buffed off the front band numbers and restamped it to match so the rest of the rifles serial numbers could have been screwed with too. its a shame they have to do that to a rifle to try to earn more $, when they could just leave it alone and let someone appreciate it in its current form.