Kenner Gun Show
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Kenner show has been disappointing for a while now. Surprisingly, I liked the Mandeville show better, maybe because I found more M1 parts there. The Tulsa show is on my bucket list, but my fear is that if I go it'll become a yearly pilgrimage.
Dirtchevy841
Reloader
That's the problem with the Kenner show. Higher admission cost and less and less vendors. People don't go to most of the shows now because of the high prices vendors are charging. Used to be able to get good deals on ammo and guns but not anymore. Maybe it's the big box stores but these vendors are buying ammo and guns at wholesale prices and charging double or triple in some cases. This is the reason why nobody goes to shows anymore to buy because of the high prices. It's a shame because people used to look forward to the shows to get deals but not anymore. Not when they have vendors selling 500 rds of 22 still for 100 bucks when they paid wholesale price for it and other items. Sad day for the gun shows.
Generally speaking, I think Gun Shows are failing because for the past few years they had become populated with a bunch of scumbag vendors only interested in fleecing the public. Any breathing person who has heard of the internet and has an even basic functioning understanding of how that internet works, no longer wander into the gate like cows to the slaughter. What is left are the people who don't know any better, ie: the vendors perfect victim.
Dirtchevy841
Reloader
Amen Dave
machinedrummer
Well-Known Member
Are there any shows that doesn't have ffl's selling weapons? Private owners setting up tables and actually dealing with people? The old Slidell show (1980's) is what I wish we could bring back. I just think gun shows now are mainly for the new naive shooters that don't realize they are about to be taken for a ride. Oh well times have changed.
Dirtchevy841
Reloader
Well I went for the first time to the ponchatoula lions club gun show at there hall last month and it was pretty good. Just found out that they were having shows there a week before it. Really small but there's not many dealers that go because locals buy up the table space really quick. A lot of private tables. Think I only saw 4 or 5 dealers if that at normal shows. Really good deals. They don't have a lot per year like other shows and it was only 6 bucks to get in. Can't wait to next show. This show reminds you how shows used to be.
BeerManNOLA
Yep!
IMHO, the real value of the gun shows is to put your hands on the guns they have, and see how they feel. It's no benefit for the pricing on the guns, or God forbid the ammo, but to test out the grip on multiple guns and see how they feel in the hand, it's a good experience.
Well, that at the roasted nuts.
Well, that at the roasted nuts.
Hattrick 22
Well-Known Member
Meh I see where your coming from with a little extra thime you can do the same at Academy or a number of another stores. Then while standing there go online and find said gun much cheaper. I would care more about the small stores and vendors if there wasn't such a large price difference but when you can get something for 50 to 75% less I'm going to go the cheaper route for the same quality.
I have no loyalty for those trying to essentially rip people off and frankly if they are reading this and don't want to change the way they do business I hope they go out of business. To me they fall into the same category as cheaper than dirt...
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BeerManNOLA
Yep!
I see your point, but it's hard to get all the different models and brands at once in a big box store - provided you aren't just looking for a single model. I suppose my comment was more along the looking-for-a-silver-lining aspect than anything else. And for those who are newly into guns / shooting, I think the multiple guns at one stop can be very educational, as long as they know they are not likely to get a good deal at the time. And that's not true of every vendor, as I've gotten a good deal or two at the Kenner show, but it's more true than I would like at the present time.
Of course, you also have those who are trying to hide purchases from the significant other, so it's a cash transaction or nothing. Harder to hide an internet purchase when both of you see the credit card bill at month end. Not that I would know anything about that first hand or anything.
Yep. Quite a few years ago, when I bought my first Hk, I bought my gun at the Kenner gun show for $50 less than I could have bought it the very next day in the very same store. That is what a gun show should be like!
I would have to agree with you.
I have been going to guns shows for the last two years. Never bought a gun from one yet. I use the shows as a place to get my hands on as many models as I can to get a feel from them. Can't find that kind of selection near me.
Shows are alright for ammo at some vendors. Shipping can get expensive on Ammo from internet purchases, due to how much it can weigh. You don't get much selection at most big box stores, either. You have to buy enough ammo at a show to make the 8 dollar entry fee worth it, though, or you might as well pay the high shipping fees over the internet. I've also found some decent prices on non-gun stuff, like survival gear, some knives, etc.
Prices on guns are obnoxiously high at shows though, almost twice what they should be at some of the vendors. I don't see why they even bother unless a lot of customers are really that retarded. That's not making a profit, that's robbing the ignorant.
It's not just the shows to blame though, a lot of people try to make too high of a profit and it's really hurting the business. I've seen people advertise used guns over the internet for more expensive than you can get them for new at retail prices. I'm not even talking about the stuff that's had upgrades, either. You're not going to make millions of bucks in the gun business unless you're making your own guns, so stop trying to get filthy rich. All this is doing is helping the anti-gun movement.
Prices on guns are obnoxiously high at shows though, almost twice what they should be at some of the vendors. I don't see why they even bother unless a lot of customers are really that retarded. That's not making a profit, that's robbing the ignorant.
It's not just the shows to blame though, a lot of people try to make too high of a profit and it's really hurting the business. I've seen people advertise used guns over the internet for more expensive than you can get them for new at retail prices. I'm not even talking about the stuff that's had upgrades, either. You're not going to make millions of bucks in the gun business unless you're making your own guns, so stop trying to get filthy rich. All this is doing is helping the anti-gun movement.
[sarcasm]Surely not on BayouShooter! And if you did see it here, it was because they have already broke it in for you. Saving you the cost of the 500 rounds needed to properly break it in.[/sarcasm]
But for real, I don't get it either. If I can order it for $70 less with free shipping and pay a $20 FFL fee, why would I buy a 2 year old NIB safe queen?
Maybe some sellers don't check prices online. They just know what they (over)payed for it.
I agree that the old Slidell shows and come to think of it the Chalmette shows were some of the best. Many of the people who sold guns at those shows are either dead or do not feel like setting up and carting around a lot of guns. May were collectors who were always interested in adding to their guns and were willing to deal and trade. I don't find that now. As many have noted here, people are out to make as much as they can.
I think things changed dramatically after Katrina. Many good sporting guns were ruined in the flooding. Protection became a consideration when it was realized that the police may not always be there. Obama was elected. Hi-cap restrictions ended. Gunshows went from individuals selling to each other to dealers selling every imaginable semiauto, black rifle, spray&pray type gun that was available. Fueling the public feeding frenzy.
That was a turning point in my consideration. Even though I am a Vietnam veteran, I never had any desire for an auto weapon. I either had an M1 carbine or a Rem 870 over there(Air Force didn't trust me with anything else!). That having been said, I know that there are many people who have spent time in the sand pits of the Mideast and they are much more familiar and comfortable with these types of weapons/guns. When these starting making the rounds at gunshows the old guys who still went did not have sales. Table prices went up, sales were taken by the new guns, rifles, pistols, accessories ad nauseum, etc, so many quality people dropped out.
At this same time many went to the internet. List it online, take the money, get the ffl, send the gun. Nothing to it.
I went to Lafayette today, and considered it a great show. A lot of neat stuff. First gun I liked, I went back 10 minutes later - it was gone. Same with the second gun on the list. If you snooze you lose! I routinely drive to shows within two hours distance from Ponchatoula, but I have not gone to Kenner or Gonzales for three years. Nuttin there for me.
I agree with the above posters that the Mandeville and Ponchatoula shows are fun and interesting and are close to home.
All this - just my 2 cents worth.
I think things changed dramatically after Katrina. Many good sporting guns were ruined in the flooding. Protection became a consideration when it was realized that the police may not always be there. Obama was elected. Hi-cap restrictions ended. Gunshows went from individuals selling to each other to dealers selling every imaginable semiauto, black rifle, spray&pray type gun that was available. Fueling the public feeding frenzy.
That was a turning point in my consideration. Even though I am a Vietnam veteran, I never had any desire for an auto weapon. I either had an M1 carbine or a Rem 870 over there(Air Force didn't trust me with anything else!). That having been said, I know that there are many people who have spent time in the sand pits of the Mideast and they are much more familiar and comfortable with these types of weapons/guns. When these starting making the rounds at gunshows the old guys who still went did not have sales. Table prices went up, sales were taken by the new guns, rifles, pistols, accessories ad nauseum, etc, so many quality people dropped out.
At this same time many went to the internet. List it online, take the money, get the ffl, send the gun. Nothing to it.
I went to Lafayette today, and considered it a great show. A lot of neat stuff. First gun I liked, I went back 10 minutes later - it was gone. Same with the second gun on the list. If you snooze you lose! I routinely drive to shows within two hours distance from Ponchatoula, but I have not gone to Kenner or Gonzales for three years. Nuttin there for me.
I agree with the above posters that the Mandeville and Ponchatoula shows are fun and interesting and are close to home.
All this - just my 2 cents worth.
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[sarcasm]Surely not on BayouShooter! And if you did see it here, it was because they have already broke it in for you. Saving you the cost of the 500 rounds needed to properly break it in.[/sarcasm]
But for real, I don't get it either. If I can order it for $70 less with free shipping and pay a $20 FFL fee, why would I buy a 2 year old NIB safe queen?
Maybe some sellers don't check prices online. They just know what they (over)payed for it.
Not just that, but it's just plain easier to order something off the internet and get it through a FFL or buy retail than it is going to meet some random who you'd be smart to worry about whether they're going to just rob you or not as well. It's not much of a worry if you're only making a $20 purchase, but if you're bringing enough money to buy a gun, there are a lot of people out there that would kill you for just a couple hundred bucks or less. I'm not exactly the paranoid/worry-wart type, but if I'm going to go through that extra stress/precaution, the thing better at least be cheaper than I can find it retail, otherwise why bother?
Not to mention you still have to go through the hassle of finding the place to meet up at. That's not a problem if you're meeting at the wal-mart you normally go to, but if it's their house or just some neutral place you don't know in your head how to get to, out comes the map or GPS or whatever and the extra headache associated with each.
At least I feel more comfortable about not getting robbed by the people from here, but I can't say the same for some other places where there's not really a community like we have here.
