Went to the gun show this weekend not.loohing good any time soon!

[john k]

in my opinion, gun shows havent been a good place to buy stuff since before the sandy hook induced panic of 2013. it's been way cheaper to catch a sale for something online and buy it there. anderson lowers were usually $60-$80 depending on the seller. you could catch them online for $30-$35 sometimes. even with the FFL fee it was cheaper than the gun show. primary arms used to have sales every single weekend it seemed.

the only thing i'd usually buy were MRE's as they usually $3-$5 each and military surplus manuals and clothing. the only deal i found was a company out of georgia that sold match .308 for about a $1 a round that my rem 700 loved and match .223 for less than $1 a round. i'd also go in and buy all the loose AR15 lower parts (springs, detents, etc). you could also find deals on Pmags for $8-$10 if looked around enough.

i usually only used the shows to go hold a pistol or factory rifle to determine if i wanted it. then i'd buy it online or go to a local gun store if i had to have it right away.

I totally agree with your assessments of gun shows. The only time I will go is when I'm bored and to get a laugh. Many years ago I enjoyed them and even purchased items from the shows. Now, seems for the most part they are an extension of gunbroker. Maybe If I wasn't a long time hunter/shooter and did not have a well stocked inventory I would feel different.

 

[Hound-1]

I was at sportsman's warehouse in Elmira NY yesterday, they had quite a few ( 1000 CT ) bricks of CCI primers ( small rifle and pistol ) plus 9 bricks of CCI 200 large rifle primers. Limit was 1 brick of 1000 per person. The price...
$23.99 Per 1000. I grabbed 1000, and a fella next to me grabbed a brick of small rifle. The store associate said they should be getting more soon.

 

[cajun]

People just need to chill out and not pay these prices and things will get better.

 

[wasskeet]

I'm very fortunate here to have an excellent local dealer. He has had trouble getting some things, but pricing has remained low to very low on everything. He has limited ammo/primer/powder purchases, but he has stuff that neither Sportsman's Warehouse, Bass Pro, Academy Sports or Cabela's has - at least those local to me.

 

[Triple BB]

Doesn't seem like much of an indicator of anything. I always thought you went to a gun show with the expectation of paying retail plus 25 - 50% markup? Guess that's why haven't gone to one in 25 years...

 

[dgr416]

It's just funny when a $15 box of 357 hp cost twice as much as a box of 338 win mag .A $25 box of 45 colt for $200 twice as much as a box of 416 rem mag .Powder at $100 a pound is out of reach and not worth reloading any more .I am going to use lead for practice and to train kids to shoot . If internet sales are banned like one bill says that will be a blow to shooting like we have never felt .I see 200 people a day line up at stores when they know ammo is coming then it's a two box limit .I am pretty good stocked but missing lots of stuff I need !

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

.....and who do we blame !!!! OURSELVES....everytime a single far fetched conspiracy story hits the phone the HOARDERS AMONGST US run and start the shortage EVERYTIME, WE CAUSE OUR OWN PROBLEM...and as they say, GOOD FOR YA !!

 

[josh roberts]

I went to the gun show here in GA and it's not going to get better for May be the next four years . There was lots of ammo that was super high .Its funny it depends how popular a round is to how high it is .
Take 338 win mag it was like $45 before this it's about $65 now that's enough increase .Then look at 45 colt it was $25 for 50 now it's $200 for 50 .The regular old 3030 3006 and 270 that was $20 is now $60 a box of 20.Your regular box of 22 bulk pack that was $20 is now $125.
The more popular it is the higher it went .Its crazy and these gun shows and gunbroker are making the prices go shy high .These people have runners that get ammo in stores all over and have bots on their phones to buy out suppliers in 5 seconds some times .Thats why you can't get anything they are hording it and driving up the prices . Dang 9 mm new whole sale for 50 fmj is $99.99 and will be $200 at the store .Guns were crazy too ruger Americans were $600.Ar 15 were $1000 and more .The scary part there were tons of gang members buying tons of ammo and getting their girl friends to buy guns for them . It really hurts us with these prices . There is no way to go dove hunting any more or prarrie dog hunting or target shoot all day long .I bought three things at the gun show only bargins besides a win model 70 458 in perfict shape $950 and a browing eclipse 270 with a boss for $700 .I don't see normal comimg back .I am buying lead a bunch of it to cast bullets to be able to shoot any .I am not shooting up my jackets bullets .One guy there is buying blank 223 to cut down to make 300 black out dangerous it's loaded .I like swap meets between people best that way no high prices would like to see more here this is the best shooting forum I am on .

I agree this is only going to get worse! I kid you not I reloaded primers on my bench last night. They all past the chamber test, now on to loaded rounds.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

To be fair...Georgia gun shows have always sucked. I remember being a kid and going to gun shows with my dad and uncles a couple a weekends a year until I graduated highschool. Prices have never been good. Ever since the early 2000s mark ups are about 25% over what a brick and mortar store offers. It's just a bunch of retired weekend warriors with FFLs who undervalue your stuff and overvalue theirs. That's how it's always been and always will be. Lol

 

[reconrover]

The gangsters girlfriends and wives really bothers me. Sooner or later the "straw purchases" will always catch up. During the big concealed sized pistol spree, I was at my local, country guy kinda gun shop, and it was filled with females, talking on phones and showing pictures of the pistol racks to their boyfriends on the other ends...all making the purchases. So obvious. What do they make...like $100 profit on a pistol, then the gangster boyfriend sells it for another couple of hundred extra? I guess it's worth the knock on the door down the road...cuz ya know it's coming.

 

[Lnewton]

I have never purchased a firearm or ammo at a gun show. I think most of mine have come from pawn shop finds, okshooters or armslist face to face or trades with friends. As far as ammo goes, it will come back and if they tax it a little more, I guess I will pay the tax. I enjoy shooting and will not let some of these crazy people change that. Hopefully we can get back to a decent price again. My local shop is getting about 1/3 more than normal price across the board but that is only because his costs have increased to get it. Said all that to say: "Not a gun show fan".......

 

[Tex_Hunter]

Making 300Blk from 223/556, is the only way to do it on the cheap. At about the same price as reloaded 223/556, with very little effort.

I think the OP was saying the seller was buying 223/556 Blank rounds and cutting them down, probably fine assuming that Blanks use the same case as a normal loaded round, would absolutely be concerning if the case has a different case head/wall thickness though.

 

[seattleman1969]

"Its funny it depends how popular a round is to how high it is"

This is why I bought a .357 Sig barrel for my 226... I can find 357 sig at decent prices still. Bought 500 round for .60 a round just a couple of weeks back.

 

[Chas1]

I'm as pained by this as the next person, but my approach is to pay it no attention, and let it calm down.

+1. Not going to pay crazy prices or spend countless hours on the web trying to be the first there when something all of a sudden shows in stock. I just shoot a little less (weekly) and if I do by chance find something in stock I just get what I need to keep me going for 6 months or so and adjust frequency of shooting.