Gun show in Marlborough

There were a few dead-guy basement clean outs there with good quality reloading stuff, and sellers willing to dicker; I bought a bunch of primo stuff (especially bullet molds) and also found a box of SR primers for $20.

I went there with a negative attitude but walked out with a smile.
 
All said and done, I go to shows to browse not buy. It’s novel for a few of my friends to go who are new.

If I need/want something I’ll hit the mill and online.

And when did SKS’s hit $800+???
 
Not your car but yes, carry free, specifically they hold your ammo and zip tie your gun. Pointless.
Except that most of the gun show veterans don't actually do any of that... they supply a muffled "nope, not today" just kind of smile and nod and keep walking..
 
All said and done, I go to shows to browse not buy. It’s novel for a few of my friends to go who are new.

If I need/want something I’ll hit the mill and online.

And when did SKS’s hit $800+???
After Sandy Hook/2013s newbs started buying up all the SKS and Mosin and driving the prices up. Because these people were f****** retarded it resulted in permanent price increases. Buyers before this point really only bought those two guns because they were cheap otherwise they were completely unattractive. Any price increase was treated negatively and had an enormous market tamping effects... people just wouldn't buy the things... but once the fresh gullible meat came along that was the end of that..... 🤣
 
After Sandy Hook/2013s newbs started buying up all the SKS and Mosin and driving the prices up. Because these people were f****** retarded it resulted in permanent price increases. Buyers before this point really only bought those two guns because they were cheap otherwise they were completely unattractive. Any price increase was treated negatively and had an enormous market tamping effects... people just wouldn't buy the things... but once the fresh gullible meat came along that was the end of that..... 🤣
I remember them at $79 ea.

Waited too long and bought one for $400 numbers matching and slathered in cosmoline. Thought that was rape priced
 
Prices at the gun show are high in NC but really not that much worse then the stores. But what's interesting is the amount of Glocks. Unrestricted AR-15s/ AKs and the cheaper garbage guns from everything from higher end stuff.

I've been wanting a Girsan Regard MC which is a Beretta 92 knock off and the standard turkish police military sidearm allegedly.. all they had was this white one... Nope..

Even down here you probably would come out the same $$ wise or even ahead if you went on line say for a new S&W J frame and sent it to the FFL and it would be cheaper.

Southern gun shows are better but mostly the same stupid prices and random Nazi (instead of Nazi Confederate stuff) and unrelated flea market stuff and knives.
 

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Well, that or just answer NO when they inquire at the door. Always worked before.

How about the parts guy with the bucket style Schlitz hat that is older than me? (Both the guy AND the hat)
Was he there?

I used to love "Crazy Vest Guy." He had all those probably-illegal-in-mASS weapons like monkey's fist and such. And the CCW vest. He always wore the vest. He'd try and talk to you and you'd realize he wasn't 100% right in teh head. (Hence, CVG.)

Then there was the target guy who used to, years ago, have his daughters wear low-cut tops to sell more targets. Think about that. Pimping out your daughters for targets and crappy holsters.

And recently there was the IWB/bellyband guy. Don't let him stop you. Look intently the other way as you walk by. He's a nice guy, but I don't need his holster and likely you don't either.

I go to the shows hoping to find vintage classic collectible handguns (mostly S&W's) at fair, non-rape prices.

If 500 tables fills the place, it must have been down well below 300 today with just a handful of busy, full-display gun dealers.

Like I said elsewhere, the usual bulk ammo guy didn't show up. No one knew why.

At least one of the usual milsurp parts guys was not there.
Yikes. I thought it might be quiet. But damn. Seems like a lot of guys just wanted to go somewhere and not many dealers wanted to go. Although, it seems that MA gun shows are a lot more "& more" than guns than they were 20 years ago. I recall hte old Foxboro shows - THAT was a lot of guns compared to today.

I believe the Jerky guy is at the Big E

You mean the E
 
Yikes. I thought it might be quiet. But damn. Seems like a lot of guys just wanted to go somewhere and not many dealers wanted to go. Although, it seems that MA gun shows are a lot more "& more" than guns than they were 20 years ago. I recall the old Foxboro shows - THAT was a lot of guns compared to today.
I never went to the "old" Foxboro shows. Guess I was too busy with work and extensive business travel back then. The more recent Foxboro shows were kind of a disappointment, but I never expected any big scores there. I think I picked up one scarce pistol magazine and that was about it.

Dave the parts guy missing and the ammo guy missing really bummed me out on Saturday. Same with Mike (Guns & Parts in W. Spfld) missing. There went half the vendors I was specifically going to see. I've scored nicely before with Avid, but they had nothing for me Saturday. Same situation with Stoney Acres.

I mostly ignore Tombstone since they went "Bonded Warehouse" on us. Mass Armament seemed to be doing a lot of business, but it's easier for me to visit them at their store. B&K didn't show up. Pete's didn't show up. Hunter's didn't show up. DGS didn't show up. The list goes on. :(

I'll most likely be skipping Wilmington. I may have to consider West Springfield (Yeech!) if we get a semi-decent early report out of there. :confused:
 
The internet..... transferred to my local FFL two miles away is my only gun show now.

Ammo....Reloading, TSUSA prime and local WM for shells as no one beats them.
My biceps in the mirror are my only gun show.

Everything else is just a gun store selling fun stuff.
 
I never went to the "old" Foxboro shows. Guess I was too busy with work and extensive business travel back then. The more recent Foxboro shows were kind of a disappointment, but I never expected any big scores there. I think I picked up one scarce pistol magazine and that was about it.

Dave the parts guy missing and the ammo guy missing really bummed me out on Saturday. Same with Mike (Guns & Parts in W. Spfld) missing. There went half the vendors I was specifically going to see. I've scored nicely before with Avid, but they had nothing for me Saturday. Same situation with Stoney Acres.

I mostly ignore Tombstone since they went "Bonded Warehouse" on us. Mass Armament seemed to be doing a lot of business, but it's easier for me to visit them at their store. B&K didn't show up. Pete's didn't show up. Hunter's didn't show up. DGS didn't show up. The list goes on. :(

I'll most likely be skipping Wilmington. I may have to consider West Springfield (Yeech!) if we get a semi-decent early report out of there. :confused:

Yeah. I wanna say Foxboro closed up around 99/00. I recall the last one everyone showed up and the show didn't happen. I think the place decided to not hold gun shows anymore. Hence, Mahhhlburrah was born. The new ones are a shadow of their former selves. Hell, I remember going to the Springfield shows and the entire arena was full of tables. I stopped going 10-15 years ago when it was 1/3 full. Sucks to drive 1.5-2 hrs for that little.

That's what made Foxboro so nice. It was close for me. 20-25 min. And back in the day, it was chock full of guns.

But if you're looking for ammo, I have to believe picking it up online is cheaper than the guy at the gun show. I haven't seen "cheap" ammo at a gun show in. . . . maybe 20 years. It's been that long since suplus EVERYTHING was flooding the market and making it crazy cheap. Now the shipping isn't killing you b/c the prices that big shops like TUSA get are so much better than Gun Show Ammo Guy.

Plus I don't have to lug it around. I got a case of Hirtenburger (sp?) .308 eons ago. Made hte mistake of parking FAR away that day. With coat-hanger handles. I'm not tough enough for the Austrian/German/Whatever army. LOL

My biceps in the mirror are my only gun show.

Everything else is just a gun store selling fun stuff.

You prefer peashooters, eh? ;)
 
But if you're looking for ammo, I have to believe picking it up online is cheaper than the guy at the gun show. I haven't seen "cheap" ammo at a gun show in. . . . maybe 20 years. It's been that long since suplus EVERYTHING was flooding the market and making it crazy cheap. Now the shipping isn't killing you b/c the prices that big shops like TSUSA get are so much better than Gun Show Ammo Guy.
First, I'm not a TSUSA Prime member, so that makes shipping small & mixed quantities of my "oddball" ammo from TSUSA rather expensive. Second, while TSUSA is probably getting back to competitive on bulk orders for the popular calibers, they are not nearly so competitive on my oddball calibers.

Since none of the brick & mortar dealers carry any of my oddball calibers in my preferred brands/loadings at this time, that's where I thought the gun show ammo guy might be able to fill the gap. Well, I'll never know now because he didn't show up.
 
Stop shooting oddballs, you deviant. You have 4 calibers to choose from 9, 45, .223 and .22LR. Other than that, you can get on your high horse and take off! ;)

I hear you. I haven't found the big ammo vendor guy competitive for a lot of my odd calibers for a long time. Although before it was commercially available again, he was the only source for 7.62Nagant ammo that I knew of. At $1 a round back 20 years ago. LOL. It was cheaper to shoot 50BMG at the time.
 
First, I'm not a TSUSA Prime member, so that makes shipping small & mixed quantities of my "oddball" ammo from TSUSA rather expensive. Second, while TSUSA is probably getting back to competitive on bulk orders for the popular calibers, they are not nearly so competitive on my oddball calibers.

Since none of the brick & mortar dealers carry any of my oddball calibers in my preferred brands/loadings at this time, that's where I thought the gun show ammo guy might be able to fill the gap. Well, I'll never know now because he didn't show up.
That's where reloading fills the gap.

Any oddball stuff (which I guess could be just about anything nowadays ala 32 winchester costs) I reload. And if 32 winchester is 80 dollars a box...its for shit sure worth it to do so.
 
Stop shooting oddballs, you deviant. You have 4 calibers to choose from 9, 45, .223 and .22LR. Other than that, you can get on your high horse and take off! ;)

I hear you. I haven't found the big ammo vendor guy competitive for a lot of my odd calibers for a long time. Although before it was commercially available again, he was the only source for 7.62Nagant ammo that I knew of. At $1 a round back 20 years ago. LOL. It was cheaper to shoot 50BMG at the time.
The poor availability and crazy high cost for "oddball" rounds post-COVID/post-Biden/post-latest-ammo-crisis does take a lot of the fun out of shooting my oddball vintage handguns. I stocked up well and cheap pre-COVID etc., but apparently not well enough for the oddest oddballs. [laugh]
That's where reloading fills the gap.
That's the standard answer I get from all the shops that still don't have my oddball ammo back in stock yet. While true, I gave up reloading 4 decades ago and I refuse to go back. :(
 
That's where reloading fills the gap.

Any oddball stuff (which I guess could be just about anything nowadays ala 32 winchester costs) I reload. And if 32 winchester is 80 dollars a box...its for shit sure worth it to do so.
100% - reload.
Will never find oddball at reasonable prices.
 
First, I'm not a TSUSA Prime member, so that makes shipping small & mixed quantities of my "oddball" ammo from TSUSA rather expensive. Second, while TSUSA is probably getting back to competitive on bulk orders for the popular calibers, they are not nearly so competitive on my oddball calibers.

Since none of the brick & mortar dealers carry any of my oddball calibers in my preferred brands/loadings at this time, that's where I thought the gun show ammo guy might be able to fill the gap. Well, I'll never know now because he didn't show up.
Gun Broker is a good place to find oddball stuff. Some have stupid prices but a lot are usually at low bidding and bo one bids on them.

For example, I just bought 100 casings, primed, of 360 DW brass for $30 and 100 357 MAX for around the same price. But several sellers had it for $1+
 
100% - reload.
Will never find oddball at reasonable prices.

My problem is: I never shoot or shot an oddball gun nearly as much as I planned to when buying the reloading stuff. I was far far far better in ALL circumstances buying made ammo.

My worst was making a Navy conversion many years ago. You had to use 38 Wadcutter bulelts. I didn't reload 38 so dies, and such. Work up a load. Put your wadcutters in. (Not SWC - wadcutters).

I think I shot 3 cylinders of them. Probably bought 200-300 bullets. A box of 50 would have been far cheaper. LOL

I have to pull that one out some day. It was fun to shoot. Not as fun as the 58 Rem that aims perfectly for me. I'll probably need to buy a box of WC's. ROFL!
 
My problem is: I never shoot or shot an oddball gun nearly as much as I planned to when buying the reloading stuff. I was far far far better in ALL circumstances buying made ammo.

My worst was making a Navy conversion many years ago. You had to use 38 Wadcutter bulelts. I didn't reload 38 so dies, and such. Work up a load. Put your wadcutters in. (Not SWC - wadcutters).

I think I shot 3 cylinders of them. Probably bought 200-300 bullets. A box of 50 would have been far cheaper. LOL

I have to pull that one out some day. It was fun to shoot. Not as fun as the 58 Rem that aims perfectly for me. I'll probably need to buy a box of WC's. ROFL!
Well ... if you dont shoot them, then it makes sense.

I am the opposite, I get bored with the common stuff and shoot the oddball stuff way too much. Why have those oddball calibers if I won't shoot them?
 
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