Is the Portland collectors west show worth going to?

[nextgenar]

Hi All, I live in south western Oregon, and was thinking about making a road trip to Portland this weekend to check out the Portland Gun show. I have several guns to sell and was wondering if it would be worth my trip up there. Or should I just wait and go to the Grants Pass show the first week in August?
Thanks in advance.

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[The B]

I went to almost every one years ago, when it seemed like it was more guns and less surplus/chinese/beanie baby crap. It remained a good place to stock up on ammo until the first "panic," and it's just never recovered since. The guns and ammo aren't discounted any, and there's more Condore and UTG tables than both anyway.

But I guess it's going to depend on what you're looking for

 

[Blaylocke]

I went to almost every one years ago, when it seemed like it was more guns and less surplus/chinese/beanie baby crap. It remained a good place to stock up on ammo until the first "panic," and it's just never recovered since. The guns and ammo aren't discounted any, and there's more Condore and UTG tables than both anyway.

But I guess it's going to depend on what you're looking for

My friends have said all of this. However, the part that got me was "beanie baby crap" I thought that was a joke. There are literally beanie babies? It's the third time I've read that somewhere.

 

[The B]

I'm sure they were to entice the wives/daughters into letting dad "stop by real quick," but yea.... there were fuccin beanie babies at gun shows back when that bubblegum was hot.

 

[Blaylocke]

I'm sure they were to entice the wives/daughters into letting dad "stop by real quick," but yea.... there were fuccin beanie babies at gun shows back when that bubblegum was hot.

Comedy gold. It seems gunshows are pretty pointless unless you know exactly what you want, and are willing to haggle for it.

 

[nextgenar]

Thanks for the info haven't decided if I will go yet or not, the beanie baby stuff is so true at some gun shows, I went to a Wes knodel gun show in Medford last winter, which is over 100 miles on way from my house, and it was almost all that kind of junk. Believe it or not there was one guy there selling old copies of the Medford news paper, and I don't mean collectors type old these were like papers from within the last year or 2, I don't believe there is any way that guy made back the cost of his table. Anybody know if the crowd up there is into buying from private sellers wandering around with guns for sale. I've noticed some shows are better for selling than others. The Roseburg Rod and gun club show is always a great place to buy or sell, as is the Grants Pass show, while Eugene's crowd don't have many buyers.

 

[The B]

Last time I went, there were still a lot of guys doing private sales. The best way seems to be to throw everything in your pack, and hang a menu of items you're looking to get rid of and what you're looking to trade them for/price you want for 'em off the back. Then don't be surprised when guys start following you... they're just reading your menu.

 

[nextgenar]

Thanks for the helpful advise might have to try that.

 

[Blaylocke]

I'll double down on what Ben said. People toting around their goods with a list has always seemed to work where I've seen it done.

 

[Ironbar]

Q. Is the Portland collectors west show worth going to?

A. No.

 

[DeanfromOregon]

Because of hard times the beanie baby tables have combined with the confederate flag/Nazi tables to save costs.

It's not pretty.

 

[t.huynh]

I can't even tell the difference between collectors west and the Wes knodel shows. They both have the same vendors with the exact same crap. I'm never going again.

 

[Papa Jon]

If you have something unusual or hard to find it may be worth your time and money. With the high cost of parking and entrance fees to go and look at the junk is just is not worth my time or money. If your looking for a something new the larger gun dealers can give you the same deal at their store without the added cost.

 

[LogicBomb]

its a great place to go to find the $2000 DPMS AR15 and the $1.25 a round .223 ammo

 

[Spitpatch]

The Portland shows are NOT what I particularly enjoy about gun shows (having attended and exhibited at them since age 12), but I keep going, because pretty darned reliably, about every second or third show, I stumble on an incomparable gem (very often at a steal of a price). I don't go to gun shows to buy what can be bought in stores with the hope of getting it cheaper (new guns, ammo, AR accessories, etc., etc. etc.). I go there looking for the hidden treasures. Here's a few examples of my gleanings in relatively recent years (some off dealer tables, some from "walk-ins"; guys carrying stuff around for sale):

A M94 Swedish Carbine (6.5x55), all original in the barreled action, but with a hand-fitted, well done black walnut sporter stock (probably finished in the 60's): $200.
A Model 94 Winchester in .25-35. Stone mint. $400.
A Model 81 Remingon .300 Savage. Stone mint. $400.
A Model 62 Marlin, Caliber .30 Carbine. Good condition. $200
A Model 62 Marlin Caliber .256 Winchester Magnum: Looked like a dog, Dealer begged me to buy it, since I was the only person at the show who knew what it was. Cleaned up to be a fine gun: $175.
And most recently (two months ago), A Model 722 Remington .300 Savage. Stone mint. $175.

This stuff is what keeps me going back. Gotta examine each table, gotta keep your radar ON!

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Because of hard times the beanie baby tables have combined with the confederate flag/Nazi tables to save costs.

It's not pretty.

So you now have beanie babies wrapped up in confederate flags wearing Nazi helmets?

 

[mrblond]

I go for the sheer entertainment value of watching the crowd. PLus from time to time, you find something you have been looking for . and its also a place where you can handle almost every type of firearm there is then either get the one you want online, or order one from a LGS if they don't have one in stock.

 

[The B]

The Portland shows are NOT what I particularly enjoy about gun shows (having attended and exhibited at them since age 12), but I keep going, because pretty darned reliably, about every second or third show, I stumble on an incomparable gem (very often at a steal of a price). I don't go to gun shows to buy what can be bought in stores with the hope of getting it cheaper (new guns, ammo, AR accessories, etc., etc. etc.). I go there looking for the hidden treasures. Here's a few examples of my gleanings in relatively recent years (some off dealer tables, some from "walk-ins"; guys carrying stuff around for sale):

A M94 Swedish Carbine (6.5x55), all original in the barreled action, but with a hand-fitted, well done black walnut sporter stock (probably finished in the 60's): $200.
A Model 94 Winchester in .25-35. Stone mint. $400.
A Model 81 Remingon .300 Savage. Stone mint. $400.
A Model 62 Marlin, Caliber .30 Carbine. Good condition. $200
A Model 62 Marlin Caliber .256 Winchester Magnum: Looked like a dog, Dealer begged me to buy it, since I was the only person at the show who knew what it was. Cleaned up to be a fine gun: $175.
And most recently (two months ago), A Model 722 Remington .300 Savage. Stone mint. $175.

This stuff is what keeps me going back. Gotta examine each table, gotta keep your radar ON!

And if you're into all that old man bubblegum, it's probably still a good place to go. My use for the gun show was for my AR parts, cheap ammo, and big discounts on all the guns I waited all year to buy at the gun show. Used to be pretty much the only place to get AR parts... you could order from QPI, and I think Armalite had a customer-direct mail-order catalogue, but other than that, it was Shotgun News and other weird fly-by-night mail-order parts dealers and if the part fit at all, it was often only after taking a file to it. LC ammo could be purchased by the case for around $150, and then once wolf came on the scene, you could get their original real copper-jacketed steel for $79.99 a case, and I could usually talk 'em down to at low as $65/case for buying several. Pistols were there for one reason- bulk sales meant cheap prices. First pistol I ever bought from an FFL was a brand new HK USP 45 full size for $590 at the gun show. It became my way to self-moderate... no matter how much I wanted a gun, I'd wait till the gun show, where I could get it for cheap.

There's two big contributing factors in my mind- 1, guns are super main-stream these days. They weren't, in the 90s and early 00s, when I was gun-showing. The huge influx of buyers who will pay whatever price is written on the gun, and fact that soooo many people started attending gun shows brought prices up. Both guns and ammo. 2, the internet made stuff way more available- you could get gun-show prices any time of the year, because the guys who used to buy table space realized WEB space allowed them to move gun-show volume all the time, not just during shows.

Could very well be that I started going at a time when the show was changing from what it was and morphing into what it's become... so the "good ol' show" in my mind was nothing more than a transition period. Probably. Whatever the case, I personally have no use for them anymore.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Well, theres still some of us that like all the "old man bubble gum" stuff, so if your looking for AR parts look elsewhere, BUT they do call it the collectors show for a reason. And I'd be willing to bet some of those old man bubble gum rifles spitpatch is talking about are worth far more than the kiddie stuff anyway

I picked up a beautiful Steyr in 6mm Remington in a full length Mannlicher stock (really, really rare) on a piece of walnut that would make you drool for $250 a couple years ago, so if you're interested in that sort of thing I'd say yes. But I do agree that a sign on your back is getting pretty popular and effective. Good luck, or happy hunting.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Salmonriverjohn, I can appreciate where you are coming from but unfortunately most have the mindset of the last few posts. We are a dying breed.