Gun Show Tomorrow!

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Largest one in Michigan @ Birch Run Convention Center. If I come home empty handed, I'll be upset. I got my pistol purchase permit at the sheriff's dept. on Monday. Ready to go!
 
I go to gunshows to see and handle a lot of brands under one roof. If i like one and the price is right i get it. frequently i find what i like and later buy it from a local dealer that carries it. Sometimes the gunshow prices are not that great on new guns.
 
Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
How do things go in terms of the ATF at shows like this in MI?


Like they do anywhere else in the US.

Buy a firearm from a dealer (who are the only people allowed to sell in a gun show) and do ALL the paperwork and background checks.

No such thing as the "gun show loophole". Yes in some states you can purchase weapons PRIVATELY but NOT at a gun show.

ATF is at EVERY gun show I've been to and they do "remind" folks who are walking around with trades that only to dealers are allowed. When you leave you MUST have your weapon plus a receipt from a dealer.

The exception is IF you came into show with a weapon and leave with the same.

Take care, Bill

PS: I've been to shows in UT,AZ,CO,MT,ID and NV. (I worked with a friend who loaded and sold ammo at shows over one summer. Loved it!)
 
If you buy a gun at a gun show, make sure you use a credit card.

Long story. A shooting buddy of ours finally gave in to peer pressure and bought a .45 at a gun show here in Vegas. It was a small Taurus (not a 1911 model). At the range, the striker didn't hit the primer hard enough to fire our reloads (we had put literally 10s of thousands of these rounds through our 1911s, with very few failures). When we tried factory ammunition, the Taurus would fire, but wouldn't cycle.

The seller owned a gun store in Utah, but since he sold the gun at a gun show, he refused to warrant it. Turned out the gun had previously been returned to Taurus, and had been "repaired" then shipped back still defective.

My buddy called his credit card company to reverse the charges (they had processed the payment through their store), citing defective product, then shipped the gun back to the gun store in Utah. They accepted delivery, then shipped it back to his home address. He refused delivery. They made a lot of threats, and he told them basically to shove it.

The moral: If he hadn't used a decent credit card to make the purchase, he would have been stuck with the gun. Small claims court would have been a difficult option.
 
Well that was a supreme waste of a trip. No one willing to deal, prices higher than the internet, local shops, pawn stores, etc. The only thing I got was a 12ga copper bore brush for $1.25. So we stopped at every gun store from BR to home and I made a deal on a "like new" P95 Ruger for $260 OTD. Picking it up Monday.
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Well that was a supreme waste of a trip. No one willing to deal, prices higher than the internet, local shops, pawn stores, etc. The only thing I got was a 12ga copper bore brush for $1.25. So we stopped at every gun store from BR to home and I made a deal on a "like new" P95 Ruger for $260 OTD. Picking it up Monday.


I've never been to a gun show that wasn't a waste of time. numbchucks and tazers are all I ever see, well that and a bunch off throw away guns.
 
Originally Posted By: Mixologist
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Well that was a supreme waste of a trip. No one willing to deal, prices higher than the internet, local shops, pawn stores, etc. The only thing I got was a 12ga copper bore brush for $1.25. So we stopped at every gun store from BR to home and I made a deal on a "like new" P95 Ruger for $260 OTD. Picking it up Monday.


I've never been to a gun show that wasn't a waste of time. numbchucks and tazers are all I ever see, well that and a bunch off throw away guns.
Don't forget brass knuckles, chinese knifes, and samurai swords...
 
Beef Jerky anyone? We seem to have a lot of that at time here.

Sorry to hear that it was a bust. I picked up a nice new SR9C once for $349 plus state sales tax which at the time was $70 below the best price I'd ever seen.

The P95 is a known rock solid weapon! Get a few mags more "just in case".

Bill
 
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah

The P95 is a known rock solid weapon! Get a few mags more "just in case".

Bill


I have the 17 round mec-gar mag for mine, works great, with one in the pipe you have 18 rounds! Fits flush does not stick out.
 
I hardly go to any gunshows any more. I can do better with the net or word of mouth sales. I did get some 'Dave's Insanity Sauce' at the last show, it is pretty hot too.
 
You'd think this is their prime showcase to make a buttload of sales. Mark it down and move it out. How can they even pay their table fees when the sit on overpriced merchandise? Does one sale make the day for them rather than 10-15?
 
Like anything else, you need to know prices (and the stuff) before going in. Find a good deal, go for it. The last couple I've gone to had most of the dealers for the state there, so it was kinda nice to see lots of guns for once. Can be good just to window shop too.
 
Random thought came to me: one downside to the shows I've been is that you can't operate the trigger---everything is zipped shut / otherwise made safe. I'm not sure if the seller would break the seal for you try out, but even if they did they probably would not be happy with you trying out a bunch.
 
Our gun shows "allow" private sales.

The WAC show (Wash. Arms Collectors) is private membership and you need a CPL or background check to join. Rent a table and sell, many dealers. Some amount of junk. I went Saturday (It's only 8 miles from my house to the Monroe fairgrounds). I bought an AR softcase, rectangular, HD, made in the USA. Also, got some Magpul P-Mags, OD, new sealed - $10.99 each and some cleaning swabs. The local ammo factories have good deals. Quantico had a huge display and great prices. Guns - hmm - no screaming deals - the 7.62x25 AR upper was calling my name. Most guns are overpriced.

Other shows have private sales here. Not sure how that works, never been only heard.
 
I haven't been to gun show in a long time due to the reasons posted here. They used to be a great place for ammo and reloading deals but I think those days are gone.
 
The last two gun shows I've been to in the last 5 years were both a hugh waste of time and the $7 admission. Everything was super expensive!! Didn't make sense to pay top dollar for guns or ammo, thought gun shows were about makin' deals and what not. Every new gun I saw they wanted more than the local gun store, reloaded ammo was still more expensive than you can get the new stuff for at Wal-mart. Used guns were way overpriced and you have no idea what you're getting. Maybe they work, maybe not. Might be buying someone else's junk for all you know. Didn't see one good deal.
 
Originally Posted By: Sonic
The last two gun shows I've been to in the last 5 years were both a hugh waste of time and the $7 admission. Everything was super expensive!! Didn't make sense to pay top dollar for guns or ammo, thought gun shows were about makin' deals and what not. Every new gun I saw they wanted more than the local gun store, reloaded ammo was still more expensive than you can get the new stuff for at Wal-mart. Used guns were way overpriced and you have no idea what you're getting. Maybe they work, maybe not. Might be buying someone else's junk for all you know. Didn't see one good deal.
Yes, you nailed it.
 
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