Gun shows, in general

[snakep]

This is pretty much how I feel about gun shows…at least those few that maryland still has.

The Death of the Great American Gun Show - The Truth About Guns

The Great American Gun Show has gotten lame in the last decade or so. They just aren't what they used to be and that bums me out.

www.thetruthaboutguns.com

 

[ToolAA]

Blame the internet mostly. This is not just a gun show problem. Lots of small hobby and craft shows have suffered the same fate. The laws governing gun sales don’t help, but the laws of economics have a greater impact. In order for these shows to be profitable for stores, they have to overcome the cost of the space as well as the time for travel, setup and takedown. There still may be some enthusiast vendors that mostly do it as a social event and are willing to break even or even lose money, but those types of folks are literally dying off. The younger generation of business owners wouldn’t see the value in trying to sell at shows.


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[wreckdiver]

It’s sad. My first gun show was at the armory in Baltimore city back in 1983. My parents weren’t “gun” people, but my dad humored us and drove the 2 hours from Communist New Jersey so my brothers and I could look at guns. It was paradise. Guns as far as you could see. After moving to the “free” state I was so excited to start going to gun shows again. It used to be a treasure hunt at every show. You never knew what you were going to find. Sadly, the author nailed it with that article. Not a bad place to handle a bunch of modern guns, but the days of finding a hidden gem or great deal are over.

 

[trickg]

I find gun shows to be somewhat entertaining, but it used to be that the main reason I would go was because Maryland was still taking info from everyone buying gunpowder, so I'd pick up powder and primers out of state - typically at the Nation's Gun Show in Dulles. I could usually find a decent deal on primers and powder and it was worth it to not have to pay HAZMAT fees.

The last couple of shows I went to the vendors who had powder were gouging something fierce, so I opted out - it has been less expensive to buy several pounds and pay the HAZMAT than dealing with the high prices at at the gun shows.

 

[ohen cepel]

Many things are hurting the shows, some touched on already. I think the promoters have gotten greedy and are holding too many shows. This means they aren't a special event but just another weekend thing. When I was young growing up in America, there were only 1-2 shows in our area per year. So, if you wanted/needed to buy/sell something you either did it that weekend or waited months or a year longer. So, people cut deals to move stuff and vendors would make the drive as they knew it was going to be a good show since people were sitting on 6mns or a year of $$.

Also, many more private sellers as that was legal then/there.

Add to it that the Exchange Club which brought foreign exchange students here or sent ours overseas was who ran it. So, it was a community event to raise $$ for things the community liked. However, a POS "promoter" (no, they are not all POS but this guy was) started up and booked the weekend before at the 2 venues which ran those major shows so pulled a lot of confused vendors/customers away from the historic events and eventually ended them. Then, he started doing 8 or 16 shows instead of the 1-2 per year in the area. That spread the $$ out a lot so less vendors made the trips, less people did, and less $$/sales were made.

So, the community support went away as it wasn't going to support something they cared about but instead into this POS's pockets, which also made it easier to crank up the gun laws and help to spin things into the toilet.

In the end, it wasn't a single thing, but more a death by a 1000 cuts (and a few POS).

 

[davsco]

used to be, the shows had some pretty good pricing on guns, ammo, etc. now, they're no better than online if not worse. also, the more firearms i have accumulated over time, the less i need to buy now. still it's fun walking thru and seeing everything.

 

[SKIP]

I haven't been to a gun show since 1997.
All my purchases were local or off this forum.
Reloading supplies are mainly from the Internet.
At 75 I no longer are interested in purchasing.
Focusing on selling rifles which I hate to do for I don't want the burden left with my bride.

 

[pre64hunter]

It’s sad. My first gun show was at the armory in Baltimore city back in 1983. My parents weren’t “gun” people, but my dad humored us and drove the 2 hours from Communist New Jersey so my brothers and I could look at guns. It was paradise. Guns as far as you could see. After moving to the “free” state I was so excited to start going to gun shows again. It used to be a treasure hunt at every show. You never knew what you were going to find. Sadly, the author nailed it with that article. Not a bad place to handle a bunch of modern guns, but the days of finding a hidden gem or great deal are over.

My story is the same except started in 1975 at the Armory! My parents weren't into guns either. My cousin would come down from Johnstown, PA and we would go both days all day. I now have a table at the same show that's now in Timonium. (March 18-19). The show is still good but the younger generation as a whole does not seem interested in old Winchesters, Marlins, Civil War and antique guns.
The show used to be packed, you had to worm your way in to a table and shuffle along elbow to elbow with the crowd. The last several shows you could shoot a cannon down the aisles and not hit anybody.
I traveled every show between Easton, MD and Pittsburgh, PA when I could but the promotors have changed. Shows that had a lot of nice guns are now flea markets, half fudge, jerky, cheap jewelry, gutter guards, tee shirts and Chinese made accessories.
A lot of the old gun guys are gone replaced by junk dealers. Timonium is very disappointing. I get the impression that some of the vendors that go from show to show don't want to price their stuff reasonable because if they sell it, they won't have nothing to take to the next show.
The small local shows are worth seeking out. You'll find guys who have too much stuff, they don't want to take it back home and do shows every weekend.

 

[Michigander08]

I haven't been to one since 1990. It has a feel of a flea market. You have to know what you are looking for to find the gems.

 

[Threeband]

My dad took me to my first gun show around 1970 at the Pikesville Armory. I still have some of the knick knacks I picked up that day: a nazi stripper clip with 5 live rounds of 8mm Mauser dated 1938, an American stripper clip of .30-06, an en bloc with 8 live rounds, another en bloc with 8 blanks, a .38 Rimfire round, and a cannon friction primer. Also bought a hard cover copy of Small Arms of the World.

Not only were there lots of guns and accessories for sale, but I remember there were collector's displays. For example, one guy had a big display of historic Winchester rifles. These displays used to be a big part of gun shows, and are actually the rationale behind the transport law authorizing collectors to transport all or part of their collection to a public or private exhibition. Collectors used to do that.

The last Pikesville show I went to was probably about 1990. You could still get Trapdoor Springfields and even Spencers for a few hundred dollars. These were the days when brand new Chicom SKSs were flooding the market for $175 or so. That's about what I paid for a Blue Sky M1 Carbine.

I also got a Finn 28/30 Mosin for $105, and a nice '17 Enfield for $150 around that time.

I kinda doubt I'd find many deals like that anymore...

 

[mauser58]

Used to go to a show twice a year at a lodge off of Old Harford Rd. Another nice one was Pikesville armory and one in Belair. The same ones I see now have turned to people selling hobby stuff, socks, candy and other unrelated stuff. Also some vendors I have seen year after year with the same rifles and shotguns following them. Seems handguns move faster. Less tables of actual guns it seems. I did always enjoy the beef jerky vendor though. Some people I have heard complain about fee to go into show. Well these hall rental fees are very high now so... Used to go to Silverado shows and Appalachian Promotions shows. Times have changed. Government trying to shut down gun shows and with the internet stuff selling on these sites like gunbroker and others its cut down the attendance at shows.

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

I think gun shows have changed for numerous reasons...politics of course is a major reason. Also...many of the old-time vendors have retired or passed away leaving a hole in the shows not often picked up by new blood. Many would-be vendors may have decided the orange isn't worth the squeeze regarding the costs involved. Many gun show attendees have aged and maybe aren't as interested anymore, too inform to attend or passed on themselves.

 

[Rambler]

In Maryland, the end of private sales of long arms will make gun shows even less desirable.

 

[Doctor_M]

Gun shows were awesome when you could do private transfers. It wasn't just the dealers, it was all of the attendees who had signs or rifles on their backs to sell.... that was what made them great... you never knew what you were going to find.

 

[Rambler]

There were some guys who were regulars at Maryland shows that did a lot of private sales. One guy I remember had a large hard case with a listing of handguns on the side. As he sold them, he would cross them off. He always seemed to sell out quickly.

 

[Trepang]

I go for obscure and obsolete ammo.

Last show at Dulles I took an index card with what I was looking for written on it and just handed it to each ammo dealer.

Had to hit every table but I finally found all I was looking for including some 8mm Nambu.

I don't see a point in going to anymore anytime soon.

Black guns don''t do much for more me and that seems to be 99% of what is there.

 

[Triggerfinger]

Despite the obvious cons of losing gun shows, there may be a silver lining here. Not all guns can sell off the internet, and we might see a viable emerging market for those guns being sold on forums like this, at pawn shops or yard sales. They have to be sold somewhere.

 

[Parry]

I think if you expect the gun shows to be a gun outlet or flea market for guns, then they seem to have shifted away from that. But, if there were no more gun shows, I’d be sad about another event that has become extinct.

I still enjoy going and I’ve been successful the last few times to introduce these events to those who are just curious and have now become firearm owners and 2a supporters.

While I agree that it can be much better, I’ll still support them by attending.

 

[WatTyler]

First of all, EVERYTHING used to be cooler. That's the human experience. But specifically, the entire showplace hall-type retail thing is dying out. In my business (not gun-related), we used to do half a dozen hall-type shows a year along the east coast. And we'd see the same exhibitors, many of whom would do several dozen shows a year and do the whole RV lifestyle. But starting around 2000, the shows themselves started drying up. The whale exhibitors were retiring and nobody was taking their place, and the production companies weren't able to fill their halls. And the customers weren't coming out. Why walk aisles when you can see and click on exactly what you want from your easy chair? And Covid didn't help in the least. Consumers are still afraid of crowds. My business does one show a year now, and though it's a lot smaller than it was, I count my blessings. Let's be thankful that there are still gun shows. They're fun. Support and make the most of something that, for most other areas of interest, has disappeared. I wish things were cooler, but I wish I was younger and richer, too.

 

[Docster]

This is pretty much how I feel about gun shows…at least those few that maryland still has.

The Death of the Great American Gun Show - The Truth About Guns

The Great American Gun Show has gotten lame in the last decade or so. They just aren't what they used to be and that bums me out.

www.thetruthaboutguns.com

Agree with the article. Gun shows have gone to hell. It really doesn't matter who/what is at fault, it is what it is. Unfortunately around here saying anything bad about local gun shows like Timonium raises the ire of many.....