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Manchester NH Gun Show

K

KC80113

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Hi,
Noob to this site - glad to have found you guys. I'm a former LEO from CT now unfortunately living in MA for the next few yrs.
I would like to pick up a small semi-auto carry and some (dream-on...) ammo for that as well as for my Glock 26.
When I lived in the south, gun shows were THE ONLY Place to get both guns and ammo. You'd be crazy to go elsewhere or else you'd pay wayyy too much.
Regarding this DiPrete Gun Show in Manchester, I've heard both GOOD (yes, go to NH and you'll get some decent deals at the show) and BAD (stay the hell away, you'll get fleeced and won't get any ammo at all).

I'd love to hear input form the members here.

Also, if anyone can direct me to some reliable dealers (NOT in MA) and any sources for ammo (both range and protection - MA or anywhere), I really appreciate it.

Thanks much,
KC80
 
I have been to the Dipetre show before the hysteria in Winchester. It was alright, but no real deals to be had.
Reliable dealers in the Manchester vicinity would be Rileys, Shooters Outpost, and Collectible Arms. Collectible Arms has a great selection of carry ammo. Rileys and Shooters have a decent supply of bulk stuff.

The deal with ammo is no one has so much of it laying around that they will think it is a good idea to bring it to a gun show and sell it for a discount. They are selling it just fine at the high prices.

Thing about a gun show is, they have got you captive. You paid to get in, you probably drove a distance to get there, and you have a number in your head of what you want to spend.

Welcome to the forum. Go green and find in stock updates on the three stores mentioned, and others in the members section.
 
First of all, welcome to the community [smile]. Riley's and Shooters Outpost in Hooksett NH are good dealers as well as having many of the popular calibers in stock. As for the show, I've never attended it.

Looks like I got beat to the punch. Damn tv is distracting me from posting[popcorn]
 
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In addition to the other dealers mentioned, also consider Acme Armament in Londonderry- good dealer and good folks as well.

As you are a resident of MA- purchase of a handgun in NH will require that it be transferred to you by an FFL in MA. So you will need to have a transfer dealer in MA to work with- and they are subject to all the MA AG rules regarding handgun's.

Be aware that Shooter's Outpost insists that as a MA resident you must show your MA LTC or FID before they will sell you ammo- not a legal requirement but store policy. The other dealers do not do so.

The gun shows have tended to be full retard on prices lately- DiPrete had one in Concord NH last weekend and the reports were that the ammo prices are still stupid- but as supply has increased that may be changing. If you come up for the show and find no deals you can hit the stores.
 
KC80113 said:
When I lived in the south, gun shows were THE ONLY Place to get both guns and ammo. You'd be crazy to go elsewhere or else you'd pay wayyy too much.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum.

Your time in the south must have been at least 15 years ago. You could get some deals at the really big shows in the mid-90s, but for at least a decade gun shows have pretty much sucked for bargain hunters.
 
KC80113 said:
Hi,
Noob to this site - glad to have found you guys. Regarding this DiPrete Gun Show in Manchester, I've heard both GOOD (yes, go to NH and you'll get some decent deals at the show) and BAD (stay the hell away, you'll get fleeced and won't get any ammo at all).

I'd love to hear input form the members here.

Also, if anyone can direct me to some reliable dealers (NOT in MA) and any sources for ammo (both range and protection - MA or anywhere), I really appreciate it.

Thanks much,
KC80
Click to expand...

First off welcome ! You'll find this group very informative... and if you want opinions,,, well no one here has ever been accused of not having one! ( In some cases many and going in a number of different directions !!! [grin] )

As for your questions DiPrete Gun Show in Manchester... it is the biggest Gun show in NH

For your info...
DiPrete Gun Shows: Manchester, NH
location; Radisson Hotel, Center of NH
October 12 - 13, 2013
Saturday 9 to 5
Sunday 9 to 2
Admission: $8.00
DiPrete Promotions, Inc, Gun Shows

The last two times I went the line to get in was crazy... 1 to 2 hours to get in. Inside it was quite crowded which is par for gun shows. As for deals on ammo few and far between. There are a few bulk ammo dealers that sell at the shows but no great deals.. they have a "take it or leave it attitude" and they only take cash (so bring lots of cash because the ATM at the hotel runs out of money in about an hour of the show opening on Saturday) Some of the smaller dealers will have ammo deals but the longer you wait to go the sooner the great deals get bought up. The 'great deals" gun shows of the past are gone for the most part, but you can find deals if you look hard. Lots of dealers selling guns, gun parts, cloth gear, etc.

If you go and park in the garage be sure to have your parking ticket validated as you pay you admission.. there is a small machine by the admission tables and you can get a few $$$ off your parking fee.

There are deals to be had if you look, hunting is part of the experience!

As for Reliable dealers in the Manchester vicinity:

If your going up Rt 3/Everett Turnpike to get to Manchester... I'd first get off at exit 12 and check out Collectable Arms and Ammo (619 Daniel Webster Hwy) in Merrimack first. They always seem to have a good supply of new and used guns and ammo. Also the stop would be a good bench mark for gun and ammo prices for comparison for the show. They have a good reputation in the area for pretty good prices on ammo and guns.

Northeast of Manchester off exit 9N is Shooters Outpost and Rileys. They also carry ammo and guns but limited "big Bulk" ammo offers. In most cases deals they are hit or miss.. word of good ammo deals spreads quickly in the area and supplies sell out quickly. They are well worth a stop and check if your in the area.

In any case welcome.... go green and happy hunting!
 
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caboose84 said:
In addition to the other dealers mentioned, also consider Acme Armament in Londonderry- good dealer and good folks as well.
. . .
The gun shows have tended to be full retard on prices lately- DiPrete had one in Concord NH last weekend and the reports were that the ammo prices are still stupid- but as supply has increased that may be changing. If you come up for the show and find no deals you can hit the stores.
Click to expand...
That's a shame. With availability improving, I was hoping things had settled down some. Guess I'll keep buying my ammo from Acme.
 
Going to a gun show to look for ammo deals? Since Obama has been reelected it's been nothing but this.... Things were nice in the run up to that November, but after that 6 month window, it's been nothing but....

 
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Kevin_NH said:
That's a shame. With availability improving, I was hoping things had settled down some. Guess I'll keep buying my ammo from Acme.
Click to expand...

Plenty of ammo to be had/found at non-retard pricing these days. Not difficult to locate it for far less than what I saw at the Concord show. Make the local store circuit and you'll be able to get plenty at far better rates. Some stores still have box limits on ammo (I know Acme does not).

I'm going to the show tomorrow to see Andy, get a belt from him, and see if Umlaut has any of the 40 round PMag's for sale yet.
 
If Rileys shows up he has some ammo deals sometimes. I will be working the show at the Stoney Acres tables so stop by and check in.

I am bringing two handguns I bought years ago and never fired... A Hungarian Style markrov and a German made HSC chamber in 380, nickle plated with the box and papers some of which are in German where the pistol was made. First dibs goes to NES folks of course.

Hope to see some folks there.
 
Golddiggie said:
Plenty of ammo to be had/found at non-retard pricing these days. Not difficult to locate it for far less than what I saw at the Concord show. Make the local store circuit and you'll be able to get plenty at far better rates. Some stores still have box limits on ammo (I know Acme does not).

I'm going to the show tomorrow to see Andy, get a belt from him, and see if Umlaut has any of the 40 round PMag's for sale yet.
Click to expand...

The Concord show just plain SUCKED. Labor day weekend, what in Gods name is the promoter thinking, never mind I know, she not thinking.
 
soloman02 said:
They always have that show labor day weekend...
Click to expand...

And normally tons of people attend. It's the one NH show each year that I typically attend. Current availability and pricing make any show a joke and mostly a waste of time, so I suspect many (like myself) are cutting down drastically on how many shows we attend . . . which appeared evident to me in Concord (10:30 Saturday morning). For instance I almost always see ~6 BR&P members there, only saw one this year.
 
Little to no line, not overly crowded. Big change from the gun shows even a year ago

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk now Free
 
Went about 10:00 AM, walked right in no line. Was looking for some 30-06 for my Garand, found some HXP but the guy wanted $150 for 200 rounds,claimed he just lowered the price from $170 This stuff is $105 shipped from the CMP. I ended up finding 8 boxes from another dealer, 4 HXP and 4 Lake City 1962 Match all for $96 so I am happy. If you look you can find decent prices on certain things.I thought it was a decent show.
 
Picked up some Gen2 PMags from Umlaut, as well as one of his t-shirts. Also got a nice belt from Andy. Grabbed a SKS bayonet that I plan to adapt into a beer tap handle. We then made our regular circuit. Got some 300 Blackout ammo from SO, attitude from Riley's, and them some Kroil from Acme. Along the way Dave's truck scared a few folks. Got an unexpected bonus item in the bag from Acme.

You just need to be smart about what you are looking for. There were enough things at retarded prices.
 
LenS said:
Current availability and pricing make any show a joke and mostly a waste of time, so I suspect many (like myself) are cutting down drastically on how many shows we attend.
Click to expand...
Definitely the case at today's show -- no line to get in, no crowds once inside. All the usual vendors.

Perhaps half the vendors hadn't got the message, were still asking frenzy prices for ammo and firearms, but there were deals to be found, including fair prices on mags, ammo, etc.
 
There was an old coot there with a couple of 555 bricks of 22LR with a price of $90 on them.
The Crowds were no where near what it was back in Februrary at the show.

The 300 Blackout ammo at SO was Barnes VOR-TX 110 grn Black tips. These are pretty much made
of unattainium. They were priced at $37/20 but Barnes has a $5/box Rebate going on too. The
Rounds will be for my Defence Ammo. I have 1K Copper Plated Cast 150 grn projectiles and other
components to make some 300 blackout plinking ammo at about 30 cents a round.

Malodave


Golddiggie said:
Picked up some Gen2 PMags from Umlaut, as well as one of his t-shirts. Also got a nice belt from Andy. Grabbed a SKS bayonet that I plan to adapt into a beer tap handle. We then made our regular circuit. Got some 300 Blackout ammo from SO, attitude from Riley's, and them some Kroil from Acme. Along the way Dave's truck scared a few folks. Got an unexpected bonus item in the bag from Acme.

You just need to be smart about what you are looking for. There were enough things at retarded prices.
Click to expand...
 
I was there, harassed by these guys guys with 300 BlackOut pistols! ;)

Met 50BMG and a couple of other NES'rs (the Stranges!). I saw a few guns WELL over MSRP which is just plain WRONG. Ammo seemed high. I bought nothing but coffee!

Andy
 
Summary: Mrs.StrangeNH and I went to gun show, bought knives. Entirely satisfied.

Met several new-to-us NESers. Greeted several good'ole NESers. 16 bux well spent to get in, 5 to get out.
 
I was going to go up to the Manchester show but halfway there I snapped out of it.. went to Collectable in Merrimack (nice guy gave me a tutorial on Yugo's and M44's)... then around to Acme where I met Nicole and Adam and a dog named Dad.. (very nice people)... then to Shooters Warehouse in Tewksbury (where one of the guys gave me a tutorial in lever action rifles... ) A Saturday well spent I think.... didn't get any beef jerky though.
 
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Talked to Andy and we talked about how slow the show was. Hardly any folks at all. Some dealers still have old rusted Trapdoors for 2K etc, did see the new Kimber SOLO 9mm compact. My next ankle gun for sure[wink]

By 2 o'clock there were only a handful of customers around. Just my two cents but this may be a good time for a new promoter to step up and mix things up a bit.

Did pick up some primers to load some 45/70. Picking up my reproduction Sharps chambered in 45/70 on Tuesday and planning on going to the range as soon as the ink is dry on my paperwork[smile].

Also dropped my Ruger 1911 slide off with Perry Engravers to have some work done.

It was good to see some NES folks but once again the crowds were not there.
 
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I didn't make this one, but I always enjoy the shows. I don't usually find big things but there's always a deal to be had on something. I remember at the Wilmington show when the 420 round 556 cans of green tip were 170 every where I found 2 stuffed under a table for like 145 each. (This is unthinkable now). I always pick through the mags and old ammo boxes etc. If your patient and dig around you will find things worth the trip.
 
50 BMG said:
By 2 o'clock there were only a handful of customers around. Just my two cents but this may be a good time for a new promoter to step up and mix things up a bit.
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DiPrete seems to be taking attendance for granted, I didn't see any promotion. They'd usually buy a spot in the community paper, etc. The website hasn't even been updated with 2014 dates. Google search finds this NES thread, little else.

CWulf said:
A Saturday well spent I think.... didn't get any beef jerky though.
Click to expand...
No jerky at the show, either. There are a couple of places on 101A that sell good beef jerky.
 
Kevin_NH said:
DiPrete seems to be taking attendance for granted, I didn't see any promotion. They'd usually buy a spot in the community paper, etc. The website hasn't even been updated with 2014 dates. Google search finds this NES thread, little else.
Click to expand...

DiPrete buys two inch two column ads in lots of small papers, like the Colebrook Chronicle, Coos County Democrat, etc.

For example, page 18: http://www.colebrookchronicle.com/Oct112013.pdf

I don't know that his money is well spent north of the notches, but we welcome it just the same.
 

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