Do all gun shows suck?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
11,834
Location
The Midwest
I wasted $6 going to a local gun show last weekend. Everything was overpriced making Gander Mountain look like a bargain. Everyone was leaving the show empty handed. I did see a pistol manufacture I never heard of: Jimenez Arms.
I looked up dealers when I got home and discovered many are located in ghetto area pawn shops.
 
I gave up on them years ago because I felt they sucked. No bargains to be had, and the same [censored] year after year.
 
They are now that guns have become a commodity. People can't buy guns they just like or enjoy to shoot without being in competition with people trying to flip guns and even ammo. People still show up at Wal-Mart at 5 am on Wednesday to buy up .22 ammo for $6.95 to take it to the Flea Market and sell it for $15. Since most gun gougers really know little about guns, most of them will probably get stuck with overpriced junk automatics (Jimenez). I really feel gun prices and ammo prices are going to dive once imports open up with Russia. Being a avid gun colloector with around 100 guns, I couldn't be happier either. Because even though I got some prized guns worth mega bucks, I bought them because I liked them not to re- sale for profit. Hope they all the gougers get stuck with ammo, that they probably dont know, doesn't last forever.
 
Last edited:
I havent been to one in 10 years maybe... no wait, almost 9 years. Pay your admission and wander around looking at all the overpriced junk. Mostly garbage to tack on to your SKS or some sort of commy bloc [censored] for sale. Always end up listening to Bubba and how awesome his guns are and how accurate his hand loads are. No thanks.
 
I go to put my hands on different manufacturers guns( especially pistols) , all under on roof. If I find something i like, I usually buy from a local gun store.
 
Last edited:
Last gun show I went to was at the George R Brown convention center in Houston 25 years ago. It was nice with plenty of bargains. Thanks for the heads up on how they've deteriorated. I'll save my $$$....
 
Jimenez is the successor to the old Jennings company, one of the infamous "Ring of Fire" companies, of which the old AMT brand was the king of the hill. AMT's still jammed and their use of simialr stainless alloys for frames and slides caused galling issues.

Jimenez is lower than Hi Point if that gives you an idea of their quality.

As for gun shows, you can occasionally find a deal or two if you have eccentric tastes. For instance I found a few old school European 32ACP guns (Mauser 1934, CZ27, Manurhin PP ) at one. But I was there early and on the first day of a three day sale. If you go there looking for a deal on anything tactical or collectible (M1 garand/carbine, 1903, Krag rifles, etc) you going to pay premium prices.
 
Last edited:
Gun shows in central IL have women selling beanie babies, gun cases, a few junk SKS rifles for $700, some randomly old junk muzzle loaders, laser pointers, tasers, ammo cans, high points and junk. Our gun shows are missing the guns, brass, powder and primers.

I quit going several years ago.

Several years ago (2009ish) we went to a gun show in either Collinsville, IL or Belleville, IL and promptly left upon discovering they had allowed 3 different hate groups to have booths there. That was disgusting and unnerving.
 
The only thing they're good for around here is to buy Beanie Babies and to get your knife sharpened by a guy who knows what he's doing.
 
Only things I ever guy at gun shows are the oddball guns that no one else would be interested in... Mainstream or collectible stuff is nearly always over priced. That being said the shows around here generally have a pretty good selection at least.
 
Most of the shows Ive been to in California Ive been to the last few years totally inhale.

They are only good for buying ammo or ginsu knives.

They are full of weird guys that have great stuff but wont sell them. Guy had a 4" colt python in a case and Ive always wanted a shorter barrel version of my existing one, they guy gave me a price and I whipped out the cash then he refused to sell - and then said its a gun "show", and I'm here to "show it". Thanks for the tease.

The shows are so expensive to attend everyone needs to mark up their stuff making the show a worse deal than just haggling on the phone.

No loophole here in Cali.

UD
 
No they don't all suck. Well, they do if one expects to go and find things for sale for less than you think they're worth. Gone are the days when a gun show was actually a gun show with guys showing their collections and doing some buying and trading and telling tales. 95% of tables are now people out to make a profit. As was said earlier gun shows are good places to go see things you probably won't get to see at your local LGS and face it, these are people interested in guns, maybe not all the same interest as you but it's not like you're with a bunch of people who collect yarn balls or something.

A couple of weeks ago I drove an hour and 45 minutes and spent $18 to get into the Small Arms Review sponsored show in Phoenix with nothing more in mind than cruising through 6 large buildings and a couple of huge tents full of gun stuff of every description. It's gun culture overload. Nothing in particular on a buy list except a box of .257 Roberts ammo for my boss.

But I did buy a rifle. Private sales are legal in Arizona and I was happy to buy this 1996 Stainless Ruger 10/22 that appears to be unfired for $160 with in the first 1/2 hour. .22s aren't really selling and the dealers were offering less, the walk-around seller told me his price and I bought it. Could have re-sold it 3 times.
1022ss_zpskzd8m2mj.jpg
 
Gun shows suck but I would go if they were $6 to get in. Looking at over $10 to park and get in around here. I'll pass unless I have a reason to go.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top