Gunshow disappoinment

[Point-Man]

I just attended the gun show in Birmingham,Al. I have been to a lot of gun shows in my almost 66 years. Each time I say I`ll never go back, but I always do. Drive 60 miles, pay six dollars to park and another eight to get in after standing in a two block line for thirty minutes. Went straight to the reloading tables. Absolutely no bullets I was looking for. Powder and primers about two dollars more than I can buy it for at the local gun shop. Every rifle I looked at was more than the ones on Gun broker. Things have really changed over the years. Some for the good and some for the worst.What would we do without the internet.

[GRUMPA]

I went as a Vendor at a show in Phoenix AZ last year, which wasn't a large show by any means. Because of the location (inside a football stadium) there were no powders allowed, which sucked rocks since it took me 4 1/2hrs 1 way to get there. The thing that sold real fast was the loaded ammo from a local warehouse (J&G) but most of the other vendors weren't doing all that well, me included.

Just like the OP prices were up there but not on the ammo, that was priced pretty low by retail standards. Being a vendor for the first time a person can walk around before the show opens, which being the first time thought that part was kinda nice. But most of what I saw was over priced and could be had cheaper if you just shop on the net.

[WarEagleEd]

I haven't been to the Birmingham show in years. I was hoping to attend one in the near future, but after your experience I may not be so quick to go. It's a 2-hour drive from where I live, so I don't want to see everything overpriced. I can find that without driving 2 hours.

[Mbaker78]

There is a local show near me every month, I try to go every now and then. It's only $8 to get in and free to park, 45 minutes away... Usually I'll take my dad and he pays my way in, so I'm just out a coup,e gallons of gas if it's a bust.

About the only thing I look for when I go any more is reloading components or tools, maybe small AR parts if I'm in need of something. Other than that I don't bother really even looking at the guns unless it's something exotic (which is kind of rare anymore)...

[gandog56]

Well, the ones in Mobile are no charge for parking, never a big line unless you are there right when they open, and only $6 to get in. I've been to a few of them but have yet to ever buy a gun at one. But I do keep finding deals on accessories.

[Mbaker78]

That's a bit far away from me, I just go to the ones in dayton, Ohio

[gandog56]

I keep going to them, but I never actually buy a gun at them. I usually end up buying accessories and ammo at them.

[Happyguy]

I usually don't purchase guns at a show due to the inflated prices but like Cappie I sometimes find some reloading or accessories at a bargain. David

[Shooterontheline]

Quit going to the trade shows for the same reason. Higher cost and poor selection. Its interesting that this cycle didn't take long to form. Well maybe after the next financial adjustment things will be better.

[DukeInFlorida]

I'm an NRA Reloading Instructor. Here's what I tell my students:

1) DO NOT expect to go looking for bullets, primers, or powder, at virtually the last minute, and find any. You'll usually be sorely disappointed, and pay way too much, due to your panic.
2) Gun shows are sometimes a valuable resource, BUT... ONLY if there are known reloading supply dealers in attendance. Regular gun shops who do NOT actively sell primarily reloading supplies will gouge you on the prices.
3) Better to buy WAY ahead, typically mail order.
4) Buy powder in 5 and 8 pound containers. It's the cheapest per pound. The cost of putting a pound of powder in a one pound container usually costs more than the powder itself. Hazmat fees are about $30 for up to 50 pounds of powder or primers. So, if you are going to buy 8 pounders, buy six of them! (6X8=48, which i right up against the 50 pound limit for one hazmat ticket). 48 pounds of powder sound like a lot??? Maybe for some. But, I like to buy in large lots so that the LOT number today is the same as the lot number I reload a year from now. No need to keep re-developing load data.
5) Ditto when buying primers. Buy as many as will fit on a hazmat ticket. DO NOT BUY primers 100 at a time, or even a thousand. Negotiate a better deal buying a case of 5,000 or more.
6) If you have a local reloading supply dealer you like, offer to pay him in advance for powder and primer deals. That will go LONG way towards getting what you want faster. I use a mix of the local loyal dealers and on-line sources for powder and primers. I have never bought either at a gun show.
7) I have never seen deals at gun for bullets. Waste of time looking. Mail order and local reloading supply dealers. For rifle bullets, seek out the places that sell pulled military surplus bullets. Cheap and effective for most of my needs! I can also get deals on surplus powder from many of the same places. For pistol bullets, I use a LOT of Berry's, Extreme Bullets, Ranier, and Montana Gold, all great prices, and fast delivery in most instances. Only Rainier won't sell direct. BUY as many bullets ahead as you can afford. I keep stockpiles of thousands of the sizes that I use most. I have never had a panic moment.
8) CAST bullets make for cheap reloading. The biggest cost component is always the projectile, the bullet. I cast every caliber I shoot. I also shoot lots of plated and jacketed bullets, but the vast majority of what I shoot is cast. I just set up a AR in 300 blackout. Test rounds were developed for 150 grain jacketed bullets. BUT... the quantities that I want to make staggering, and the marketplace is now overwhelmed with 150 grain jacketed bullets at the moment. So, I bought a custom mold from NOW through the group buys at CastBoolits, and have a 5 cavity mold for 150 gr SP with gas check (I make my own gas checks, also). As soon as I fire up the lead pot, I will have endless supplies of cast lead 150 grain bullets for my 300 blackout!

Moral: Don't expect that any gun show will get you your supplies. Especially not these days.

Use gunbot.net and ammoseek.com as search engines for finding supplies in stock. Use your local reloading specialty shops, and be loyal. Spend money up front, and avoid panic.

[gandog56]

Yeah, what Duke said. There are deals to be had, just don't expect to go there and find them easily. Gun shows have been the only constant source of 8 pound jugs of powder around. And no hazmat shipping fees mean even to pay a little more than going rate for online, you can still make out. My last show I scored 6 cans of that old military bore cleaner fluid in the olive drab green cans from like the 50's. Just the stuff for cleaning up after shooting corrosive primered milsurp ammo. Got the 6 cans for like 15 bucks because the show was about over and he didn't want to put it back in the truck.

[DukeInFlorida]

One of the best cleaner/lubes is what they still refer to as "red oil"....... It's what" KROIL" is......

Here's a link for making it.... cheap to make, and it works GREAT!!
http://angusarms.com/education/articles.html

First article....

[gandog56]

The Hoppe's#9 in the ingredients of the recipes supposed to clean the corrosive salts. Nothing else listed is. Straight Hoppe's #9 was what I normally used until I got the surplus cleaner.

[LEP]

I was out of country for 5 years, so the first gun show I went to this year was highly anticipated. No reloading supplies at all. No powder, primers, bullets, or even dies. Very sad-I had bought CCI#34s in 2008 for $15 a thousand. Found a used press, back then, for $20.
This year was all black guns, coins, jewelry, knives, and overpriced handguns.
I like garage sales better.

[gandog56]

I was out of country for 5 years, so the first gun show I went to this year was highly anticipated. No reloading supplies at all. No powder, primers, bullets, or even dies. Very sad-I had bought CCI#34s in 2008 for $15 a thousand. Found a used press, back then, for $20.
This year was all black guns, coins, jewelry, knives, and overpriced handguns.
I like garage sales better.

I am an avid yard saler. I pretty much spend Fridays and Saturdays going to them if it isn't raining. But it is very, very rare to find gun stuff at them around here. I don't think I've ever found one with reloading stuff, EVER! This Saturday I went to one that had some holsters, but that was about it. I did by a Swiss 96/11 straight pull rifle at one though a couple years back. Seen a pump shotgun a couple weeks ago, but I already had one of those.

[Mbaker78]

I need to start going to yard/garage sales...

[gandog56]

Yep, I went to the one in Mobile yesterday. Pretty much it was the same old guns they didn't sell at the last couple. I only saw one Mosin Nagant (My specialty) and it was a common 91-30, of which I already have several. But what was really amazing me was that it seemed like half the tables were not guns. It was coins, jewelry, books military surplus junk. I saw one table that had reloading supplies. He had several smokeless powders at semi decent prices, and lots of Win primers, but nothing I needed. Another table had lots of clean brass, but no calibers I needed and he was charging a pretty stiff fee. There WERE a whole lotta people selling new 10-22 takedowns, but I don't want one.

[gandog56]

I need to start going to yard/garage sales...

I've only run into a few in the two years I moved down here that were selling guns. That's the problem there. Never seen any at local flea markets, either.

[SSGOLDFART]

you can still find deals at the shows but your going to have to wade through a lot of junk to find them

[gandog56]

The problem is it seems like half the tables at my last gun show wasn't guns. More and more jewelry, knives, coins, and other crap keep moving on in.