Big E Gun Show thoughts

SKS Ray

SKS Ray

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I got back from the Big E show a little while ago. My first reaction when I got inside was "Somebody forgot to tell half these people it was ok to bring guns to sell"
Only about half, if that, of the tables had firearms for sale. Lots of knives and bayonet heaven, and the usual crap like hot sauce, clothes, and airsoft guns. Being the gun/knife/militaria show opens up the vending to anything you can buy/sell in Mass and throw in some stuff thats ilegal like post ban high cap mags and switchblades.
I saw some of the usual high priced guns that are at every show. Maybe if that one guy would lower the price of his sniper rifles by a thousand dollars someone would actually buy one.
I wound up getting a Chinese military SKS for $125. Its a bit worn but has a great bore and what looks like a freshly done crown, plus it matches all over. No import stamp that I can see and the sling swivel is on the bottom, not near the side like the Norinco civilian models.[smile]
I was looking for the vendor I saw at the last Springfield show that had a rack of cheap 22 rifles as low as $30. I remember handling an old Remington target model and the price was around $50, but he wasn't there. In fact a lot of the regular dealers I see weren't there. I did see Terry Goode and when he asked what I was looking for today I told him an SVT40 and he said (and this is just like I predicted) "I had one at the last show we did"
I told him how I went to the Marlboro show that day hoping to find one there and figured he'd be in NH selling one just because I didn't choose that show to go to.[crying] Oh well, what can ya do. My cloning machine was on the fritz that day.
All in all not a bad show, something for everyone of course, especially if you've got deep pockets or can haggle well. If you're a re-enactor you can practically deck yourself out in any clothing and accessories you could ever want. Of course being a knife and militaria show there was just about any kind of bayonet you could ever want as well. The ammo tent was even ok for prices with Wolf 7.62x39 coming back down to around $170 a case, can't remember exactly how much but it wasn't the $200 like Wilmington. I saw some guy leave with 2. He musta not bought any guns today. [laugh] I picked up another sleeve of Ruger 204 and some ammo for my 1891 Argentine Mauser.
As for NESrs I met up with USMA-82, Jhrosier, and Madmarc0.
Next one is Marlboro in September 23 and 24 and then the 900 table Big E one a few weeks later in October.
 
Thanks for the report. I hope to go tomorrow morning. Can't afford any firearms right now, but I love to drool and look for parts and pieces.
 
Oh well, I won't be at the September Marlboro show, they picked Rosh Hashanah for their dates.

Likely I'll go to the Concord NH show on Labor Day weekend, that is always a good show.
 
Hopefully we will see you guys at the October show. I'll try to put a meet and greet together for that one. There is a good Chinese buffet just up from the Big E.
 
MrsWildweasel said:
Hopefully we will see you guys at the October show. I'll try to put a meet and greet together for that one. There is a good Chinese buffet just up from the Big E.
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Sue,

That is an idea. It looks like I won't get to the show today either. Just too much to do and not enough time to do it all.

[crying]
 
That has been our problem also. We have our sorta sons graduation this week also. Too many things going on and not enough time for all.[smile] We try to make the one in Oct always. Depending on time frame also our sorta son my be deploying then also. All depends on if he gets him MOS changed. I get one kid back and then the other deploys. Knowing Alan he will try to deploy again with Justin. He's already talking of a second deployment.
 
I've been to two shows now. The Big e show and the last Marlboro one. I though both were OK, but just OK. But, I don't have much of a background to compare them to other "better" shows.

Big E was better than Marlboro, but somewhat expensive at $13 ($8 for entry and $5 for the priviledge of parking on their property) to be JUST OK. Some fine guns, some junk, lots of decent accessories. I thought the prices were a little high, but not too bad on most things. I've been impressed by the fact that for the most part, the dealers were all very nice and accomodating.

Saw some folks dressed like Nazi's - thought that was in very poor taste - in fact one of the dealers was talking about it.

All in all, I could probably not go to one of these shows again and be pretty happy.
 
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Thor67..... The thing about gun shows is that while most guns are either overpriced or priced a little above fair, once in a while you bump into that one dealer that either A: has no idea the value of what he is selling and you get a hell of a deal. B: You come across that dealer that knows the value and just wants to get rid of it for a fair or better price. All it takes is that one great deal to make all the cash spent on gas, entry, and parking worth it.
You go to enough shows and you get to where you're friendly with some of the regular dealers and if they know you're looking for something sometimes they'll keep something aside because they know they'll see you early in the morning on oppening day.
The shooters/collectors that make out the best are the ones looking for military surplus guns. Accesories, and parts are always plentiful, and once you bump into someone you know like a fellow NESr, you can trade info on where certain guns or items are in the sea of tables at the show.[smile]
My advice... go to all the shows you can while you can because you never know when you'll find that deal of a lifetime or when shows may be banned, and by going you're suporting shooting sports here in Massachusetts.
 
We also find the Big E show better in the fall than this time of year. We know the local shops the do sell at the Big E do mark the prices up just for the show. If you go into AAA guns you will see they do that. So doesn't the Drop zone. We usually go there to look and find parts.Like Milsurp said every once in awhile you will find a great deal. It does happen.
Like I said depending on what is going on for the Oct show I will try to put a meet and greet together. Depends on everything here.
 
Milsurps, check your PM

I ended up getting a beautiful SVT Navy at the show!

And being a vendor it's like sitting in a tree stand and waiting for the deer to come to you!

It was a pleasure to meet you.
I got the gun not 5 minutes after I saw you.
 
If your looking for anything we must stay going to shows for its that one show we don't go to that bites us. With that said for the ones who didn't like this past show you must go to the october or fall big e gun show its probably double in size with lots more of everything. Even though it like getting into one stop shopping lately too. I buy the jerky, slab smoked bacon and the dog bones too just before we leave. See you there in the fall.

I have one dumb question I notice at all these gun shows lately there has been less and less guns. When there is finally no guns there what will they call them? Jerky, Bayo, accessorie shows? (kidding but the name must change) I'm seeing a big change in gun shows in the last 5 years. One more question why don't they put all the vendors with guns in one section and put all the accessorie selling people in another section? I get confused and miss a lot of stuff if the place is crowded. The flow of surplups hasn't been that great lately too the only other choice we have is to be in the right place at the right time when an older collector trades in his stuff. If the planets are in the right position too we score.(slim chances)

One more dumb question to think about. As the prices get higher is it still worth doing?

I'm not cheap, i'm very very frugal but i do have my set price what something is worth and how much i'll spend unless my "really gotta have it bell rings" then i can get stupid and pay what ever within reason for it then have buyers remorse on the way home too. I'm sure we have all done it right? My price range is between $100 to $300 tops. Well I guess I won't be buying too much anymore. Won't be buying just kidding but think about it most of us don't go to a gun show looking to give away $500 all the time right. I think that $500 is a lot of money now that can buy a family of mosins right now rather than one gun unless that one gun fits a hole in your collection. Funny as it may seem i do try to get the most bang for my buck at times. At first in the beginning i would run into a gun show as fast as i could walk which is very slow and look and buy any good looking swede mauser at first.(M96) Is just one enough? "NOT" I do try to stick to my above rules but i will fail at any moment, its like that temptation of one more buy, just one and that gets me everytime, just one more big buy and it leads to another and another. I have come to the conclusion that collecting is a never ending story it goes on and on till its over.

The bottomline is I was as happy with two surplups as I was with 10 and it doesn't make a difference on how many you have even if you have just one your smarter than the guy who has none right. He who has none is surely missing out because we get to own, to hold and to shoot a piece of history. Sometimes i really wonder were they have been and what battles they were in. When i watch the "World at War" I wonder if thats my 98K the German is carrying or is that my Finnish Mosin that Finn has ever wonder that?

Sorry for thinking too much.
 
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madmarc0 said:
Milsurps, check your PM

I ended up getting a beautiful SVT Navy at the show!

And being a vendor it's like sitting in a tree stand and waiting for the deer to come to you!

It was a pleasure to meet you.
I got the gun not 5 minutes after I saw you.
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Good find congrats. At my very first big e show i went looking for an svt after reading about in the backwoods home magazine they had an article about how great military surplus rifles make cheap game getters. I guess when the article was written the svt's were much cheaper. Well i was at the fall show and at the very last table the last gun was my svt. I was tired from walking by the last table too but finding it was worth the trip i got my holy grail that day. There wasn't much there that day too. A few shows later there were around 4 hakims, 3 rasheeds, 3 svt's, and i lost count on the FN49's they were comming out of the woodwork that day and even the sks's were to. Since then its been kind of dry.
 
Milsurps 4 Me said:
BTW, did anyone see the crate of milsurp U.S. 22 trainer rifles all looking brand new?
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Were they for sale? What manufacturer? Who had them?
 
FPrice said:
Were they for sale? What manufacturer? Who had them?
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I don't know, I walked past as fast as I could because of temptation. I glanced at the sign and saw they were still in what looked like cosmolene. I know the price was up there.
 
I thought it was OK

I'm a pretty big critic of gun shows. This was as much a gun show as it was a militaria. Yes, I saw the whack job german wannabes walking around, but they are there every time. As long as we recognize them as being the whack jobs they are, then it is still a free country.

I never go expecting to find any bargains. Maybe a part, a handbook or something. I parked outside. It was actually large enough that you could actually see stuff which you can't do at Marlborough because of all the fat boys (like me) hogging the aisles and jawing.

I thought it was a pretty entertaining rainy saturday for $8 plus gas.
 
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