Gettysburg Gun Show 01/30,31/2021

[John from MD]

At 100 yards?

Sorry. I was referring to my results at 50 yards.

 

[Biggfoot44]

That's still decent in the context of sporting .22lr autoloaders .

 

[THier]

Sorry. I was referring to my results at 50 yards.

Wasn't doubting, just curious. Thanks

 

[John from MD]

Wasn't doubting, just curious. Thanks

No problem, we're good.

 

[mpkills]

Went to this show which really should have been called the gun, knife, juke show. To much non gun related tables there! No really great bargains.

 

[Docster]

Went to this show which really should have been called the gun, knife, juke show. To much non gun related tables there! No really great bargains.

Have you been to the Timoniun Show? That fits your description much better

Gun shows aren't really for deals anymore. They provide availability in one spot; ammo (modern, rare and obsolete), mags, parts, supplies, etc.

IMHO, York, Gettysburg and Harrisburg are the top 3 shows in the area all things considered

 

[Bertfish]

Have you been to the Timoniun Show? That fits your description much better

Gun shows aren't really for deals anymore. They provide availability in one spot; ammo (modern, rare and obsolete), mags, parts, supplies, etc.

IMHO, York, Gettysburg and Harrisburg are the top 3 shows in the area all things considered

Don't criticize Timonium you'll get mauled on here

 

[Docster]

Don't criticize Timonium you'll get mauled on here

I understand that but truth still matters. The truth is that likely this thread will now morph into ...........

 

[Bertfish]

It's a damned double edge sword.

Support MD shows or they go away. Don't want that.

But you're supporting a show which is more like a flea market than a gun show. So what incentive is there for the promoter to do better?

 

[offthepaper]

It's a damned double edge sword.

Support MD shows or they go away. Don't want that.

But you're supporting a show which is more like a flea market than a gun show. So what incentive is there for the promoter to do better?

Alas, the nail has been struck.

 

[38super]

Shows are what they are. If you look hard most times you can find stuff. The big great shows of 20 years ago are gone. The shows used to be a event. Dealer's would do 1-2 shows a year and always had neat stuff. When you have a show every three weeks and inventory dried up they are what they are. It seams to be the same people complaining about the shows no mater what. When 9mm was 180 a thousand " I can get it cheaper on line the show sucks"

 

[Bertfish]

I don't know what it takes to put on a show and be a promoter. I have to wonder what your success would be if you advertised a show as a promoter as "this show is gun and hunting related only. No junk tables". Would it do anything to draw in more shops? Some people would care others wouldn't. Legitimately I don't know if that marketing strategy would work.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Another factor is you will find different vendors at Gettysburg . For a lot of them this is as far south/ east that they come .

 

[Melnic]

Went to this show which really should have been called the gun, knife, juke show. To much non gun related tables there! No really great bargains.

I could not disagree any more. It was a REAL gun show.
This climate now determines the bargains.

I went to OAKS one year when I was in that area on other activities. Place puts Chantilly to shame. There was Plenty of other stuff there including Knives and food stuffs and even some Jewelry.
In general, I'm ALL IN FAVOR of having vendors there for the ladies that tag along with their husbands. (not to be sexist but you KNOW most women are not there for the guns but GOD bless those that are). As a matter of fact, my wife is proud of her one Big Jewelry purchase at a Gunshop/Jewelry couple table that was appraised for 4x what she paid for it! The very reputable Jeweler offered her 2x on the spot for it also. Sorry, No sale.

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

I don't particularly enjoy the non-gun related vendors either but I have found nice gifts for my wife and our daughter on occasion from them. Another way to look at it is if the promoters don't rent tables the shows become non-profitable and then they go away altogether. The rent for the venue probably doesn't change whether the building is full or partially so all costs go up if vendors don't show.

 

[ground chuck]

F this show and the promoter. Was supposed to vend last march with my flag cabinets and panels. Paid for 2 tables, got 86 bc of covid. Never got a refund or the chance to set up at another show later in the year.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[dblas]

I don't know what it takes to put on a show and be a promoter. I have to wonder what your success would be if you advertised a show as a promoter as "this show is gun and hunting related only. No junk tables". Would it do anything to draw in more shops? Some people would care others wouldn't. Legitimately I don't know if that marketing strategy would work.

I'm not sure what the price of facilities are at Howard County or Frederick, but 25+ years ago, I was in charge of running the Gaithersburg hamfest. It was by far the largest hamfest on the east coast in the fall. Commercial venders wanted tables for free, clubs wanted tables for free, or fleamarket spaces outside for free, people took up three spaces and only wanted to pay for two, on and on. We did this once a year and started the planning the week after the show ended. We tried to keep it amateur radio, electronics, computer related, but we ended up with "other" vendors in order to sell tables.

Shows bring in money two ways, table sales to vendors, and then door sales to you and I.

Failing to sell tables to vendors means they need more people to walk in the door, and I ma guessing (based on my experience) that for every table they don't sell, they need 10 people to walk in the door to pay for the venue and turn a profit.

Should they be more "pure"? I would like them to be, but I walk past those tables and spend more time at the tables that have stuff I am looking for. Sometimes I find a dal, sometimes I pay market price, sometimes I come up empty.

 

[Art3]

I'm not sure what the price of facilities are at Howard County or Frederick, but 25+ years ago, I was in charge of running the Gaithersburg hamfest. It was by far the largest hamfest on the east coast in the fall. Commercial venders wanted tables for free, clubs wanted tables for free, or fleamarket spaces outside for free, people took up three spaces and only wanted to pay for two, on and on. We did this once a year and started the planning the week after the show ended. We tried to keep it amateur radio, electronics, computer related, but we ended up with "other" vendors in order to sell tables.

Shows bring in money two ways, table sales to vendors, and then door sales to you and I.

Failing to sell tables to vendors means they need more people to walk in the door, and I ma guessing (based on my experience) that for every table they don't sell, they need 10 people to walk in the door to pay for the venue and turn a profit.

Should they be more "pure"? I would like them to be, but I walk past those tables and spend more time at the tables that have stuff I am looking for. Sometimes I find a dal, sometimes I pay market price, sometimes I come up empty.

That is some good insight. I must confess, I was about halfway through your post before I realized that I was thinking of the wrong type of "ham"

 

[THier]

I'm not sure what the price of facilities are at Howard County or Frederick, but 25+ years ago, I was in charge of running the Gaithersburg hamfest. It was by far the largest hamfest on the east coast in the fall. Commercial venders wanted tables for free, clubs wanted tables for free, or fleamarket spaces outside for free, people took up three spaces and only wanted to pay for two, on and on. We did this once a year and started the planning the week after the show ended. We tried to keep it amateur radio, electronics, computer related, but we ended up with "other" vendors in order to sell tables.

Shows bring in money two ways, table sales to vendors, and then door sales to you and I.

Failing to sell tables to vendors means they need more people to walk in the door, and I ma guessing (based on my experience) that for every table they don't sell, they need 10 people to walk in the door to pay for the venue and turn a profit.

Should they be more "pure"? I would like them to be, but I walk past those tables and spend more time at the tables that have stuff I am looking for. Sometimes I find a dal, sometimes I pay market price, sometimes I come up empty.

Hmm, sounds a lot like the BARC Hamfest. We had the full Timonium fairgrounds for the longest time. Then we backed out of the front building, and it went from there.

 

[N3uka]

25+ years ago, I was in charge of running the Gaithersburg hamfest.

Went every year. Would find the craziest non ham related items.

Picked up one of these infrared scope kits in working condition (no firearm included). Wish I would have kept it.



Loved going.