Gun Show experiences

[Dj15802]

It's a great show. Just know local prices of what you are looking for before you go and cash is king!

 

[JettaKnight]

Buying a gun and then reselling it for a profit without a license is not illegal. Operating a business that buys and sells guns without a license is illegal.

I don't know of any business that makes just one or two sales per gun show.

1. He's not a business.
2. It's buying and selling the same gun in a 24 hour period.

I do recall ATF stings (or at least hints of) involving this.



Now on the flip side, I can't find a single source to back up my position.

 

[Snapdragon]

I got a great deal on a S&W model 14, but the guy selling it was a squatter, not a vendor.

 

[Rocketscientist]

Eat before you go.
Preferably something that gives you horrific gas so you can play the "fart & dart" game... Maybe that's just me...
(the fart & dart game is where you fart then dart away and wait for people to walk through the stench you just left there and gag.... pretty fun)

Aaaaahhahaha! I play this same game at the Chicago Auto Show! I'll try out the leather seats in say, a new Mercedes. Rip an SBD, Bail out and shut the door. The next guy has no idea the vile horror that awaits.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Make sure you stick to your diet of Cabbage, hard boiled eggs anda bowl of bean with bacon soup, washed down with Miller Beer, and a side of Kimchi. wear some sort of Real Tree garb that shows off a Beer Belly, and you'll fit right in!

 

[shootersix]

ah i remember my first beer (i mean gunshow) gunshows have changed a lot since i went to my first, tables after table of gun goodness, and omg the prices...back then i thought to myself, man how can these people sell these guns so cheap!...now i think to myself man how can these people look themselves in the mirror!


back in the day, sks's 79.99 at a show, and 139.99 at a lgs, now its reversed, any thing you find at a shop is cheaper than a show, a few years ago i bought a s$w lower at a lgs for 129.99, and the next day at a show i saw the same one for 279.99 (not a typo)

i paid 500.00 for my pmr30 and the last gunshow somebody wanted $1000.00(not a typo)

bucket of bullets 119.99 at a lgs and 170.00 at the gunshow!(1400 remington golden bullets)

now if you want cheep holsters,chinese knives, or to buy a high point c9 at 20.00 over what a lgs sells it for, gun shows are AWESOME!

now im not sure about the 1500, ive never been to one, but i do go the the ones here in evansville, and thats my experiances.

but like everybody said, the 3 most important things to remember are, cash,cash,cash..cash is king!
good luck

 

[1861navy]

Went to the 1500 a few years ago, didn't see a whole lot of good deals then. It was a lot of overpriced food, jewelry, flea market junk, etc. The prices on guns weren't much different than a LGS but that was October 2011. Parking+entry+anything you buy means you probably spent more than you would've anywhere else. Shoulder to shoulder walking through others gas for several hours after paying, not my cup of tea.

 

[JettaKnight]

Indy1500?

Expect lots of people and lots of guns.


And lots of bad odors and some flea market crap and a few people that actually will price their guns to sell.

Oh, and expect me - I look just like my avatar.

 

[calcot7]

I have been to a few...... the best deal I have ever gotten was on a SA V-10 Ultra Compact at the "Plainfield Shooting Supply" table. But then some of the best deals I have gotten from local gun shops have been from their store. Makes sense I guess.

 

[Mauser-K98]

I've always enjoyed the 1500. It is a carnival atmosphere. Highlights are the Busse knife booth if Mike is around. Other than that, I go just to buy random crap with no agenda. Bags, random gear, grips, whatever. I always bring something cool home, usually don't spend more than $100.

 

[deanald2pt0]

Why did you start 2 idecntical threads?

 

[Winamac]

Make sure you stick to your diet of Cabbage, hard boiled eggs anda bowl of bean with bacon soup, washed down with Miller Beer, and a side of Kimchi. wear some sort of Real Tree garb that shows off a Beer Belly, and you'll fit right in!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Now that is FUNNY!!!!

 

[RobbyMaQ]

You can also find a great deal on tactical snickers bars.

 

[indyjohn]

Indy1500?

Expect lots of people and lots of guns.


And lots of bad odors and some flea market crap and a few people that actually will price their guns to sell.

Oh, and expect me - I look just like my avatar.

I look forward to you stopping by!

 

[jwh20]

The Indy 1500 gun show is great entertainment. Its fun to look around, see new products, and see friends with the common hobby of guns. Its cheaper than a movie and lots more fun!!

I guess I must disagree with the "cheaper than a movie" sentiment. Unfortunately I can never get outta there for less than $500-$600! This go-round was no exception. I found a Springfield XD Mod.2 9mm that just kept calling out to me no matter what. I just HAD TO buy it! Damn!

If you're smart you'll avoid this gun show like the plague!

 

[Trigger Time]

This show was rediculous. Packed to the max like sardines. It's long past time for Dan to kick out the nicknack venders who don't sell gun **** and WIDEN THE ISLES!!! This has not only become a comfort issue but a safety issue as well. There is no way people could safely and quickly reach fire exits without running over and killing people. I really can't believe the state or the fire marshal hasn't forced this issue.
with hundreds of conversations going on in the isles where're it strikes their fancy, I found it impossible to move through the show. But even with people on both sides of an isle turned towards the table and looking it was IMPOSSIBLE to move past. Walking through the isles I felt more like a pinball than a customer. I walked away from buying several things because I simply couldn't get to the area of the table I wanted. And how many things did I miss because I just skipped those tables or rows all together?
there was also plenty of room left in that back room. Force some of the bigger vendors back there to increase traffic and exposure. Something needs done. We pay $12 to Dan just to get into the door and our concerns have merit. So is it more about him making money or is it about safety and gun owners having an enjoyable show? But also about vendors making more money if customers could actualy get to them! Hel they have 4 vendors stuffed into a freaking hall way!! A hall way!! And 2 of them are ingo advertisers. Talk about the worse location of the whole show!! Time to fix this!
I think we need to organize a phone campaign to bombard the 1500 phone likes in the next couple month to demand a change.
this 1500 was the first one in the corse of 25 plus years where I simply did not have fun because it was more of a battle just to navigate the hoard.

 

[Rock River]

This show was rediculous. Packed to the max like sardines. It's long past time for Dan to kick out the nicknack venders who don't sell gun **** and WIDEN THE ISLES.

I couldn't agree more. It's a gun and knife show, not a gun, knife and (insert random ridiculous crap here). Especially the glassware booth. I think the gun and knife buyers would be more likely to show up with just a few changes to clean it up.

 

[HiRoller]

One thing people don't see is the set up of the tables before the show, the layout is much tighter on the vendor area and more open in the isle ways. I have set up a few times in years past and the first thing you see most of the vendors do is push out the tables to give themselves 6 feet of walkway inside the space thus consuming half of the patrons walk way. It is what it is ..........a very crowded room

 

[Trigger Time]

One thing people don't see is the set up of the tables before the show, the layout is much tighter on the vendor area and more open in the isle ways. I have set up a few times in years past and the first thing you see most of the vendors do is push out the tables to give themselves 6 feet of walkway inside the space thus consuming half of the patrons walk way. It is what it is ..........a very crowded room

yeah I'm aware of that and also the swapping of the dealer name stickers on tables to get better spots. Been there done that. But now it's gotten rediculouse.
the crap vendors need to go away. Even in the contract it says non gun or knife related stuff is not allowed. How to solve vendors from moving tables? Have some of the staff walk through with a long pre measured stick and enforce the isle width. Vendors violate it then start kicking them out. They won't be the first to get kicked out of a show.
there IS plenty of room now, they just need to manage the space and the dealers better.

 

[68_F100]

I've been going and buying for years. This is my first ever gun show as a dealer. Really not sure how I feel lol. It's been a long weekend but only 3 hours left.