Portland show was busy- also a heads up if you're buying brass.

[CLT65]

I hadn't been to a Portland Expo Center show in years, so a friend and I made the trek today just for kicks.

I would say it was crowded and prices were high, but I think that's a pretty generic statement that's usually true, and is probably less true now than it was last spring. I'm surprised that I still can't find reloading components and .22 lr for more reasonable prices, but maybe I'm just getting old and am stuck back in the olden days when things were cheap. "Let me tell all you young-in's about the times when you could buy gas for 10 cents and .22 ammo for $14.99 a brick..."

Speaking of reloading components, if you are going to the Portland show tomorrow and buying brass, be careful about a guy with a table full of USPS flat-rate boxes full of brass for sale, toward the back of the show as I recall. I bought a box marked 1,000 pieces of .30 Carbine brass, for what seemed like a fair price. I thought it seemed light for 1000, but they're small so I took him at his word. I got home and counted 571 pieces. What seemed like a fair deal got real expensive for what I got.

On the chance that he's not a crook, and it was an honest mistake of some kind, if someone is there tomorrow and sees him, I'd appreciate it if you would mention to him that he should recheck his counts on his brass because he's got unhappy customers.

Otherwise it was a fun show. I just go for amusement; walk around and see what's out there. My friend found a good deal on a new Beretta Nano that he's happy with.

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[Dunerunner]

How, as a seller, do you mistake 500+ empty brass for 1000? That smacks of dishonesty to me! I hope he makes it right...Got his name and phone number?

 

[Mark W.]

I don't remember reloading components ever being common at gun shows (aside from Misc boxes of slugs and Brass)

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

also usps flat rate boxes shouldn't be used as personal use/sale.

I personally think he is trying to scam people, because most of them will not sit there count how many brass cases are in the box.

but, who knows.

 

[CLT65]

I hope he makes it right...Got his name and phone number?

Nope, just a random table at a gun show. He didn't strike me as the shyster type, but who knows. He said all the brass belonged to a close friend who died, and he was selling it for the widow. Live and learn, not the end of the world.

I glanced through the box before I bought it, and counted 10 zip-lock bags, assuming each had 100. When I got home I looked at them and thought it just didn't look like 100 in a bag. I knew it was bad when I counted 56 in the first bag. Maybe they used a scale to estimated wrong, since each bag had between 56 and 58 in it? Again, don't know. If I was going back I would ask him and see if it was an honest mistake, but I'm certainly not driving another hour each way tomorrow, paying $8 parking and $10 entrance, so I'll just let it go and learn to be more careful and less trusting next time. Those are just the chances you take. I've lost more than that on stupid mistakes before.

I don't remember reloading components ever being common at gun shows (aside from Misc boxes of slugs and Brass)

There's usually a fair amount if you look for it. It was funny because someone had several cans of random powders marked "half full", and they were asking $15 to $20 each. Even if that was a reasonable price, half full means someone opened it and used some. Who knows what got dumped back in. (?!?)

I always watch for good deals on brass, because it ranges in price from "I just want to get rid of it" to "I'm waiting for a sucker".

There is one guy who always has a whole bunch of loading gear and components, and his prices are always slightly above "fishing for suckers" level. It would seem to me that he would have to be embarrassed standing behind the table with prices that high. To each their own, though, and maybe I'm just behind the times on prices nowadays. But like I said, I don't really go to gun shows to buy stuff. If I find something worthwhile occasionally that a plus, but mostly it's just for entertainment.

 

[Dunerunner]

For me it would be much more than an hour and a considerable investment in fuel. By comparison, you're close!

But, as you have said...Such is life!!

 

[U201491]

I hadn't been to a Portland Expo Center show in years, so a friend and I made the trek today just for kicks.

I would say it was crowded and prices were high, but I think that's a pretty generic statement that's usually true, and is probably less true now than it was last spring. I'm surprised that I still can't find reloading components and .22 lr for more reasonable prices, but maybe I'm just getting old and am stuck back in the olden days when things were cheap. "Let me tell all you young-in's about the times when you could buy gas for 10 cents and .22 ammo for $14.99 a brick..."

Speaking of reloading components, if you are going to the Portland show tomorrow and buying brass, be careful about a guy with a table full of USPS flat-rate boxes full of brass for sale, toward the back of the show as I recall. I bought a box marked 1,000 pieces of .30 Carbine brass, for what seemed like a fair price. I thought it seemed light for 1000, but they're small so I took him at his word. I got home and counted 571 pieces. What seemed like a fair deal got real expensive for what I got.

On the chance that he's not a crook, and it was an honest mistake of some kind, if someone is there tomorrow and sees him, I'd appreciate it if you would mention to him that he should recheck his counts on his brass because he's got unhappy customers.

Otherwise it was a fun show. I just go for amusement; walk around and see what's out there. My friend found a good deal on a new Beretta Nano that he's happy with.

First tank of gas was 9.9 cents a gal, and 22LR were .50 a box/ $4.89 a brick Sometimes less.
damn..... long ago

 

[U201491]

I don't remember reloading components ever being common at gun shows (aside from Misc boxes of slugs and Brass)

You need to get out more. There used to be tables of nothing but reloading supplies.

 

[oknow]

First tank of gas was 9.9 cents a gal, and 22LR were .50 a box/ $4.89 a brick Sometimes less.
damn..... long ago

Yeah I can remember Penny a piece on the 22's if it was more I passed on it.

 

[badbob85037]

They had a Crossroads gun show a couple of weeks ago at the Cardinal's stadium about a mile from my house. By the time you pay for parking and to get through the door it's cheaper to drive to J&G Sales in Prescott to get what you need. 10 or 12 years ago my wife got me a set of 7.62 x 39 reloading dies for Christmas. I thanked her thinking there would never be a time I would use then when you could get a case of 1440 rounds on stripper clips all day long for less than 80 bucks. I was wrong. There are youtube videos showing how to reload berdan primmed steel cases. It has cost less to buy live rounds with brass casings than to buy the brass alone. The 1440 round cases of ammo, Olympic Arms put out a pistol firing the 7.62 x 39. Overnight the round was re-classified as armor piercing. Dealers had to pull the ammo from their shelves and private sellers were selling the stuff for a buck a round. Olympic Arms offered to stop the sales of the weapon but the BATF would have none of that. Those were the days Bill Clinton was the worst humanity had to offer. Looking back he now looks like a patriot in compair.

 

[Certaindeaf]

How much did you buy those 571 pieces for?

 

[Mikej]

First show I'd been to in a year and a half or so. I was NOT going to fight the crowds in the recent past. I felt like I was going to Disneyland! Couldn't believe the guys with the miscellaneous powders at $45.00 per POUND....But hey, they were taking $5.00 off! CCI100 pack 22lr $15.00. Saw some other pretty crazy priced (In my mind) stuff.

The guy toward the back with a bunch of brass and bullets.....Seemed kind of high. If your buying handgun stuff at per 100 quantities you NOT really saving by reloading. $33.00 for NEW .38 special brass doesn't seem like saving.

There was a lot of handgun ammo at what seemed like pretty fair prices for the non-reloader. A couple tables were selling local reloads at, what I thought, were great prices. One table had that ?Washugal ammo company's? stuff, looked nice. And, a shout out to "Eric's Armory" and Jesse. They had their own reloads that were mighty fair priced. Had a pile of CCI LP primers and mag LP primers at $35.00 per K. I picked up a K of the LP and was talking with him about my issue loading .44 special cast bullets. Jesse threw in a 100 LP mag primers N/C. I just need to call and let him know if it helps my situation!

Primers.....That booth that has all the ammo and ammo cans, can't think of the name, had CCI SP at $26.95 per brick!! Couldn't believe it, $126.00 for a 5000 box.

Always seem to meet nice people at these shows, love the atmosphere, and it was good to be back. Only problem was Wifey was hoping to find a Sig 938 Extreme at Kieth's and there was none. And I knew I wasn't't going to find the EAA Witness I wanted.

Mike

 

[Major Payne]

I went,wasted $20 to get in and park. Everything was overpriced,pistols,rifles and especially ammo. Won't be going back,definatly a waste of time

 

[SevenRemMag]

i was there early on saturday and was disappointed to see that there was little to no 7mag, that and the prices on the guns were laughable.

 

[tackleberry]

I go for the entertainment of it all. Yes the cost to get in is more then i like to see. I miss the shows up north in Puyallap. I go to browse with a few bucks in my pocket. I take my wife and daughter the usually find some thing. I was able to find some A/R accessories. 22lr was over priced made me laugh a little when some one would buy a brick of 500 for $50. Pistol powder was few and far between and over priced. I saw lots of ammo some over priced and some in the ball park. Primers where $35 which seems to be the going rate. All in all it was time well spent with the family.

 

[CLT65]

How much did you buy those 571 pieces for?

$75. It's actually more like 500 pieces now, since I went through and culled a bunch. Some of them had been fired in something with an oversized/bulged chamber or something. They were seriously bulged at the base to where it left a ring when I sized them. One was even ruptured. I don't know what the deal was with those, but I tossed any that were questionable.

I'm usually more careful and don't get taken like that, but I just didn't take the time to look through them before buying. He gave me a good deal on a bunch of .44 mag brass, so that helps. The count was right on those!

Primers.....That booth that has all the ammo and ammo cans, can't think of the name, had CCI SP at $26.95 per brick!! Couldn't believe it, $126.00 for a 5000 box.

I think I know the place. It was real crowded when I went by so I didn't check it out carefully. I wish I had because I would have definitely bought some primers. That's a great price nowadays.