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Do you still go to gun shows?

  • Yes I do! Whenever I can.

    Votes: 22 15.7%
  • Yes, but sporadically or only specific types of shows.

    Votes: 34 24.3%
  • I haven't in a while. But I will get back to regular ones soon.

    Votes: 19 13.6%
  • Nope. Total waste of time.

    Votes: 57 40.7%
  • Never been to one so, I guess not.

    Votes: 7 5.0%
  • Um, eh (bromp!), what wuz duh ques'n again?

    Votes: 1 0.7%

  • Total voters
    140
I went to the Grants Pass gunshow last weekend, of course there was overpriced ammo and such, but there was a ton of interesting small stuff, that I haven't seen in a long time, more like what the old shows were like years ago.
 
I took my mom to one a couple weeks ago. But that was only so she could touch a bunch of guns and find out what feels good and what she can rack. Other than that very specific instance, i tend to avoid them like the plague.
 
My lovely wife took me to a Montana Gun Show for my 65th birthday. Several hours of beautiful driving to get there. I had never been to a gun show before this one. I now have no need or desire to attend another. Our time at the Big Bear cabin we rented was primo. Even got to see it snow :D The gun show was m'eh. Nothing special although it was advertised as a great one. Nope, several years later now and I have no desire to attend another. Life goes on and life is good. I would rather attend a paint drying contest than attend another gun show. This is just my opinion ... :rolleyes:
 
My favorite gun show put on by the Cascade Mountain Men , is the one show I go to each year.

As far as modern gun shows go...
Every once in awhile I'll go...but the dumbazz requirement of a BGC for private sales , makes it a PITA to buy , sell or trade at times....So between that and the endless row after row of cookie cutter tactical guns , has really cut down on my :
"Yay , its a Gun Show enthusiasm"....:oops:
Andy
 
ARPC, Rickreall, OAC, are still great shows. Seek out the small-town shows that aren't put on by one of the big promoters. You might be surprised at what is out there.
 
I'll never understand all the hate for gun shows. Some people seem genuinely offended that they still exist.

I go to gun shows whenever I have the chance, which anymore is when I have the time and it's conveniently close. Yes, they have gone downhill dramatically in the last couple decades, for various unavoidable reasons. I think they're still worthwhile, but I also understand that my interests in going are probably different from some of you all.

1. Most of the promoter shows are pretty lame. It's usually the same old vendors with the same old stuff, and high prices. I still go to these when they're close by, because I enjoy visiting with some of the old-timers, and occasionally finding something cool. If I walk past 20 overpriced junk tables to find one good one, it's worthwhile.

2. The club shows, like Roseburg, Albany, and Rickreall, are usually far better, more like the old-time gun shows. They're still going to have a number of tables with overpriced junk, and you might even encounter the dreaded and fabled beef jerky and Beany Baby. :eek: If you do, it will be OK. Simply walk past that table and move on to another. They won't harm you unless you stop and open your wallet. I promise.

3. Political environment matters tremendously. In any time like the current environment, shows are going to suck. High prices and picked over junk is about the norm. In times like a couple years ago, I found great deals on all kinds of stuff.

4. If you go in expecting a smorgasbord of great deals on the guns you're looking for, you'll be disappointed. Go to your local gun shop instead. If you like browsing, looking through odds and ends for interesting junk, and talking to people, then you're more likely to enjoy a show.

In short, if you're the hard-driven type who just wants to grab the best deal and be on your way with no chit-chat or old-timers slowing you down, better to just avoid gun shows, and leave them for those of us who like them.

Personally I move at a little slower speed. I almost never go to a show with any intention to buy a gun or ammo. I enjoy wandering around, talking to a few folks, and looking through the old odds and ends for anything interesting. I can almost always find something to make it worth-while. I enjoy the environment, and for me it's a nice, relaxing way to spend a Saturday morning with my son, even if I don't buy anything at all. That's just me - To each their own.
 
When I lived in Boise too many years ago I loved going to the gun shows at the fairgrounds. Never had a problem finding something cool to spend money on. Now I live in Seattle area and I go to the shows periodically hoping that they will get better. Last one I went to was in Everett, WA in 2019ish. I don't think I spent more than 15 minutes before leaving. That was the last one I will waste entry fee money on.
 
I was going to gun shows regularly before the shut down as a dealer. Occasionally I'd find something I didn't know I wanted yet or if not me then maybe something for my wife. Besides the obvious business side of selling my ammo, I really enjoy the gun and ammo talk. After attending the same shows a few years in a row I have developed some friends that I see once or twice a year. .
 
I see the promoted ones in Ridgefield later this month and might go for a Saturday.
It's a mixed bag, and if you aren't willing to waste an entire day you shouldn't bother going imo.
I tend to look for small parts, incomplete items that I may already have parts for, and knives. Also, I'm grown enough to just go ahead and pay full price for something that I decide I want. Deals and steals are not what gunshows are about, unless you catch someone walking in with their trade goods before they get abused by the table sharks.
 
Not since the...

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Used to go all the time with a couple of real good friends. We'd spend a bunch of time at the show, spend some bucks, then
head off to a good burger joint or something similar. We'd BS until we felt guilty for sitting in a booth for so long. A real good
day put away. Now, if I'm going stir crazy for some reason and I can find somebody, I'll go. Last gun show for me was the
spring show in Albany. Kick azz. Wish it was like it used to be. But then, I wish that about most things nowadays.
 
Bottom line is, if you don't enjoy them, don't go, just like anything else. I used to really like fishing when I was a kid. The last few times I've taken my kids, we had a hard time finding a good place to go, it was crowded, and we caught nothing. It wasn't terribly enjoyable, and we're not likely to spend much time fishing in the future. A lot of other people really love fishing though, and enjoy the time whether they catch anything or not, so I'm not going to post endlessly online that fishing is a stupid waste of time.

So long as people keep going to shows, they'll keep having shows. That is, until they ban them. Many of you all sound like you'd be fine with that, but it will be a sad day for some of us. I know full well that most gun shows are a shadow of their former selves, but we still enjoy them.
 
I enjoy the Albany shows put on by ARPC, and the Rickreall shows when I'm able to attend. Often don't bring anything home, but sometimes I find something that I can't leave behind. As others have stated, most of the shows aren't what they used to be. Many fond memories going as a kid with my Dad 25-30 years ago.
 
Haven't been to the JO-County show at the fair grounds for quite awhile. For one thing I hate to have to pay to get in, I think that's a rip off. Especially when I see what is displayed for sale. My BF and I go to one just to get out of the house now and then.
But the same entry fee will let me into the Sportsman's club shooting range where I can probably pick up that much fired brass, a win, win situation
In AZ before I moved here you could find better deals at the flea market also known as a "Swap Meet" back there. AND entry was free, but if you were a seller, you had to pay space rent and it was held on the grounds of what used to be a Drive In Theater.
They kept the snack bar and sold drinks and snacks, including burgers and hot dogs.
Of course this was before BGC's and all that crap!
Gabby
 

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