Went to Trip-State gun show today...

[Okimeister]

My god!!! Someone might want to mention to the vendors that the last gun craze is calming down.
Ammo was ridiculous, I saw some M1a/M14 20 round CMI mags, supposedly new..they weren't in the wrap and the finish looked to have been dragged down the street...$40 (manuf. list price is $28 ), you can find them online easily for $19 in the wrapper.
I wonder if they know they would probably sell a lot more product if they dropped their profit margin a bit?
This was the first time I have been....never again

 

[SouthernStar25]

My impressions were very similar. Incredibly overpriced on guns and ammo. I will go again because a day at the gun show is a heck of a lot better than a day at work.

 

[DSmith78]

its not just the tri state shows, they all are that way

 

[straight-shooter]

Gun Shows are quickly becoming a thing of the past. I used to not mind driving a hour or more to various local shows but I won't even waste my time if it was 2 blocks down the street anymore.

 

[asevans]

people must be buying at the high prices. they are making money or they wouldnt be there. i think they carry most of the overpriced stuff home with them week after week. I dont know though. i frequent alot of shows. stuff just keeps going up and up.

 

[jaybird_123]

I have not been to the last 3 or 4 of Evansville`s gun shows for the same reason. I`m tired of looking at crap, that looks like crap, and them trying to pass it off as new. Way too high prices on actual new stuff. I expect them to make a profit, but they don't need to slash ones wrists to get it.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

Gun Shows are quickly becoming a thing of the past. I used to not mind driving a hour or more to various local shows but I won't even waste my time if it was 2 blocks down the street anymore.

This pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

 

[Osprey]

I went to the one in Kokomo. The prices on things were decent but some of the ammo was higher. Gander is 5-$10 cheaper on the ammo I looked at. There wasn't a lot of guns and it seemed 50% of the vendors were knives and such. This is my fourth trip to Kokomo and it seems the prices are going up each month. There were some private sellers/collectors and I'm sorry, those prices were freaking outrageous! The handguns I was looking for weren't even there.

 

[Purdue1000]

The best thing about the gun shows is you can see a large variety of guns in one location. Figure out what you want to buy then go home and get online and find the best deal.

 

[Mosineer]

I mainly go to just support the cause at the door. I do find reloading components every now and then, but those are getting few and far between. I don't see how the majority of the venders make their table rent back. By the look on most of their faces I'm sure they do not. Some I am sure make their deals (and their rent) before the doors ever open to the public.

 

[BE Mike]

Frankly, I'll believe that things are calming down, when I see .22 ammo for sale at the local Meijer store. I haven't seen any for sale in the past year. I really miss the good old days in the 80's and 90's when there were deals to be had, even on new guns at the gun shows. Now I go to see the show and maybe buy or sell something, but I really don't go with high expectations.

 

[JBI812]

I was there Saturday morning. I didn't see a lot of money changing hands. The turn-out was better than expected. I think a lot of folks may have stayed home expecting bad weather. I saw more people selling than buying.

I did see a new Ruger GP100 and SP101 revolvers. I hadn't seen either of those for a long time. I manage to pick up a nice used stainless SW model 66 with a long barrel. The asking price was at the high end of the book appraisal but cheaper than others I've seen on line.

I bought 22 long rifle couple weeks ago a .05 cents a shot. That's not as good as the .038 cents I paid a couple years ago but not as bad as the .40 cents/shot I've been seeing. I haven't seen any .44 Special at anything less than .80 cents a shot.

 

[radar44]

I saw a 22 mag. bolt action rifle for 107.00 cheaper at Gander Mountain . ( two different venders with the same type rifle )
Now I know the gun show vender prices are off the charts..
Do these guys ever even go into a store to see what this stuff cost ? It's straight up pidgin poaching at those shows now.
When you drag the same gun around to 45 shows for 5 or 10 years and it doesn't sell , either the price is WAY to HIGH or he has no plan to really sell it .. Oh well , later days might be better days ........

 

[countrylivn01]

I don't mind to go to look but I never plan on buying unless I find a great deal and that usually never happens.