Gun Show...
Yesterday, I made it to my first real gun show. Sure, I've done a few around here in Hunt County, but that was it.. Before today, I'd go to Hunt Country fairgrounds, pay my $5 or $8 entry fee, walk in a building smaller than my garage, see less than a dozen folks set up to sell their trinkets, with 1 or 2 having anything worth looking at. I'd bought my first 9mm handgun here, but was disappointed in the choices.
Can't say I was prepared for yesterday. When we pulled up , there was a line of vehicles threading their way through the overflow parking lot. We were there early, yet hundreds of people were already leaving, and many more of us attempting to replace them. After jumping the curb and sneaking into a spot a long walk away, we hiked it up the hill with the rest of the folks, everyone looked to be in a great mood.
At the entrance was a line of more than 100 people we joined to pay our $7 Entrance fee. At this checkpoint were also three officers checking weapons , ensuring they were being cleared before being allowed. in. Being my first 'real' gun show I've attended, I found a smile creeping on my face as dozens of folks had their personal pistols and rifles on them, with signs attached to their barrels or their backs advertising their gun for sale. If one of your fellow show-goers had what you wanted, Cash and Handshake later, it was all yours. No Paperwork. No phone calls. ...and from what I could see around me, no nut jobs. Just Hard working folks with a belief in their Right to own/carry guys, exercising them with a flair of capitalism.
Once inside, I knew it was going to be busy .. but.. I wasn't prepared for this. I'm thinking the building was approximately 150 yards wide and 50 or 75 yards deep. There must have been 100 different vendors. And the kicker was, it was controlled chaos in there. Every table seemed to be encircled by people, shoulder to shoulder. Traffic was flowing steadily between every area, folks should to shoulder, front to back ... slowly moving. As you moved past each table one tried to spy what was on the tables; I don't know how others did it. I've got the gift of height so I could see over/past 98% of the people . When you saw something that piqued your interest, you stopped to the dismay of the dozens behind you who then created 3 lanes of traffic, and you timed your entry into the 'circle' around the table. Problem is. You have 1-2 people working their space that averaged 4 - 6, 6' tables with a dozen or two customers vying for their attention. A friggin' circus .. and .. I loved it!
Good news is there were deals to be had. A LOT of accessories for guns were being sold. Even got me some T Shirts that are sure to raise a few eye brows of Gun Control idiots. I came across a vendor that I plan on doing some future business with to modify one of my shotguns. I found some magazines I needed before any changes in laws might be implemented. So for me, it was a worthwhile trip. Hell, I'd have paid the $7 just to walk the aisles and see the options we have available to us.
Bad news is many folks are getting gouged on prices. We all know why this is happening. AR15 type Rifles looked to be selling 2x what they were a few months ago. Used to be you could get into one for about $800 for a Bushmaster AR15. Now , they are going for $1600-$1800. Colt AR15s were north of $2,000 . Handguns seemed to be about 10 to 20% higher than what I consider normal. On the name brand models, they were proud of them. On the lesser known models, you could snag a hand gun ( 9MM, 40cal, etc) for less than $200 easily. Point being , one still had choices. Ammo was Expensive! The .223 rounds prices are through the roof! I wonder if the dealers are making minimal margin, or if they got lucky and we are getting screwed while they are making crazy margin off surplus stock they had. Probably, just the manufacturers that are making the big money ; hard to say.
It'll be interesting to see where we're at in a a few months with the Gun Control Climate as it is. Me, I've taken care of #1 and waiting to see how this all plays out.....
Note : Came across a guy that runs "Shotgun Blasters" in Dallas. Custom configured Shotguns. Pretty cool hun?
Can't say I was prepared for yesterday. When we pulled up , there was a line of vehicles threading their way through the overflow parking lot. We were there early, yet hundreds of people were already leaving, and many more of us attempting to replace them. After jumping the curb and sneaking into a spot a long walk away, we hiked it up the hill with the rest of the folks, everyone looked to be in a great mood.
At the entrance was a line of more than 100 people we joined to pay our $7 Entrance fee. At this checkpoint were also three officers checking weapons , ensuring they were being cleared before being allowed. in. Being my first 'real' gun show I've attended, I found a smile creeping on my face as dozens of folks had their personal pistols and rifles on them, with signs attached to their barrels or their backs advertising their gun for sale. If one of your fellow show-goers had what you wanted, Cash and Handshake later, it was all yours. No Paperwork. No phone calls. ...and from what I could see around me, no nut jobs. Just Hard working folks with a belief in their Right to own/carry guys, exercising them with a flair of capitalism.
Once inside, I knew it was going to be busy .. but.. I wasn't prepared for this. I'm thinking the building was approximately 150 yards wide and 50 or 75 yards deep. There must have been 100 different vendors. And the kicker was, it was controlled chaos in there. Every table seemed to be encircled by people, shoulder to shoulder. Traffic was flowing steadily between every area, folks should to shoulder, front to back ... slowly moving. As you moved past each table one tried to spy what was on the tables; I don't know how others did it. I've got the gift of height so I could see over/past 98% of the people . When you saw something that piqued your interest, you stopped to the dismay of the dozens behind you who then created 3 lanes of traffic, and you timed your entry into the 'circle' around the table. Problem is. You have 1-2 people working their space that averaged 4 - 6, 6' tables with a dozen or two customers vying for their attention. A friggin' circus .. and .. I loved it!
Good news is there were deals to be had. A LOT of accessories for guns were being sold. Even got me some T Shirts that are sure to raise a few eye brows of Gun Control idiots. I came across a vendor that I plan on doing some future business with to modify one of my shotguns. I found some magazines I needed before any changes in laws might be implemented. So for me, it was a worthwhile trip. Hell, I'd have paid the $7 just to walk the aisles and see the options we have available to us.
Bad news is many folks are getting gouged on prices. We all know why this is happening. AR15 type Rifles looked to be selling 2x what they were a few months ago. Used to be you could get into one for about $800 for a Bushmaster AR15. Now , they are going for $1600-$1800. Colt AR15s were north of $2,000 . Handguns seemed to be about 10 to 20% higher than what I consider normal. On the name brand models, they were proud of them. On the lesser known models, you could snag a hand gun ( 9MM, 40cal, etc) for less than $200 easily. Point being , one still had choices. Ammo was Expensive! The .223 rounds prices are through the roof! I wonder if the dealers are making minimal margin, or if they got lucky and we are getting screwed while they are making crazy margin off surplus stock they had. Probably, just the manufacturers that are making the big money ; hard to say.
It'll be interesting to see where we're at in a a few months with the Gun Control Climate as it is. Me, I've taken care of #1 and waiting to see how this all plays out.....
Note : Came across a guy that runs "Shotgun Blasters" in Dallas. Custom configured Shotguns. Pretty cool hun?
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