Gun Show in Dade City Florida

[Doc Hoy]

Had occasion to travel to Florida over the week end and just my dumb luck, my wife spots a sign for a GUNSHOW in Dade City Fl.
Kind of a small show but there sure were a lot of black powder vendors there. Some excellent deals too.
One guy had four brass Remingtons he was selling for some good prices. He was starting at 200.00 but he was very negotiable. I think any one of them could be bought for a hundred or so. Another guy had an unfired (but no box) ROA, long barrel blued for 400.00. This pistol was 100%. Same guy had an unfired in box Signature Series Walker for 800.00. He was not budging off of those prices but my tought is they were already pretty good. There was also an ASP Brass 1851. In .44. Didn’t ask the price because I need another brass .44 1851 like a turtle needs seatbelts. There was a guy with a Second Gen Colt 1851 in the original presentation case, complete with all the stuff for 595.00. I got his address in the hope that he still has it when I have saved up some pennies.
I did buy a CVA/ASM .31 Pocket with a fully fluted cylinder. This pistol was purchased by the original owner and then some form of antiquing was applied to the steel parts. There is not a hint of powder on the revolver anywhere. The hammer channel shines like new. Bluing on the nipples is also like new. I am certain it was never fired. Problem is, the revolver does not index properly which is true of the last two used revolvers I have purchased. I gave him 75.00 for it. I am going to clean this crap off of the barrel and cylinder and then reblue it. Never saw one like it.
My wife sent it back home to Virginia while I was doing my business so now I have convinced her she could be convicted of interstate trafficking of firearms. The post office wheenie helped her wrap it so I guess she figures she has an official partner in crime.

 

[mykeal]

My wife sent it back home to Virginia while I was doing my business so now I have convinced her she could be convicted of interstate trafficking of firearms. The post office wheenie helped her wrap it so I guess she figures she has an official partner in crime.

Uh, you're kidding, of course.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Mykeal

Yep! Of Course!

I was kidding about the trafficking bit. In point of fact, without my knowing it, or realizing it, my spouse has become quite familiar with the ins and outs of my admiration of BP revolvers. I was not kidding about the Post Office skirt helping my wife to wrap it up and put it in a box.

One thing she is not well informed about is the number of revolvers I presently own.

 

[ClemBert]

Nice to hear a gun show, down here in the swamp, was worthwhile. When you said "Dade City" for some reason Dade COUNTY stuck in my head. I was gonna say I'd find it odd that a gun show in Dade County would have a decent stash of BP firearms. I honestly didn't even know where Dade City was and had to look it up. Didn't realize that it's just west of here. I've gotten to the point where the only thing that'll get me into a gun show in these parts is if I'm really bored and looking for some entertainment. Seems that every time I go I find over inflated prices and the BP firearms are few in numbers. Those that have them to sell I guess don't keep up with sale prices over at Cabelas.

 

[bedbugbilly]

Congrats on your find Doc! I hope you'll post some pics of it when you can - it sounds interesting. Now for my question . . . didn't they have any holsters to go with it????

 

[mykeal]

Doc,

I think there's ample evidence she is more familiar with your collection than you realize.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Coupla responses

Mykeal,

She knows enough that if she needs to come after me for some transgression, the Walker is the pistol of choice. (But she calls it "the big one") She doesn't know how to load it, but she is certain how to wield it.

Bedbug,

Yes. IIRC I still need to post some photos of the Hawes as well.

Clem,

It is really nice country. There are actually some hills. And for the size of the community, the draw or vendors was quite impressive.

 

[jcowan]

I went to a gun show a few hours away this weekend. I did not go for BP stuff, I went to look at lever action Winchesters. The show really sucked. There was NOTHING decent in the whole show. I went up to a table to buy a chance at a fundraiser table raising money for a young shooters proram. While I was filling out my chance books I saw a guy with a Colt 1851 2nd gen in the box with all the accessories. I asked him if he was selling it and he said he wanted $400.00 for it. It was in perfect never fired condition. I did not have the $400 to spend so I told him that if he keeps it and posts it on this forum he can easily get $500. He said he would do that but I haven't seen it come up. If you see it grab it, it's a beauty.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Here are photos

Whatever is on the Pocket absolutely MUST come off. Haven't had time to fiddle with the indexing problem. I realized too late that I originally said "full fluted" which is obviously not the case.

The holster I bought with the Hawes sold on eBay for 15.00 and change so the final price on the Hawes was 85.00.

 

[Hardy]

Doc--not sure what you mean about the pocket. But, have you ever used GM gun blue creme? By the way, are you writing a book on BP Guns? some professor is--just wondering if that is you.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Hardy

Never used GM. I have Vans and Permablue but not GM.

When you look close at the Pocket Model (it doesn't show up very well on the photo) you can see that some kind of coloring was put onto the barrel and cylinder and then a second process was applied which did the antique effect. It may actually be paint. but it is quite thin with an almost transparent appearance. I have never seen the effect before (which really doesn't mean anything because there is plenty of stuff I have never seen) but it is not going to be there very long, because I am taking it off with the refinishing process. I might add that the more I fiddle with this revolver the more convinced I am that it has never been fired. I think it was purchased as an ornament and never used for anything but. I don't think it was cycled very much either. The nipples are like new so it probably was not dry fired. The nipple openings in the cylinder are not damaged and the way the pistol indexes, if the hammer dropped the cylinder would show significant damage. But it doesn't. Once I get the finish right and the indexing fixed, I think it will be a nice shootable revolver.

It is Dr. Jim Davis AKA bprevolver who is writing a book. I would love to colaborate with him but I don't have anything of value to contribute.

 

[Bill Akins]

Doc, I wish I had known you were in Dade City Fl at the gunshow. I'm in Hudson Fl which is about 1/2 hr to 45 mins from Dade City. Next time you are over that way, give me a shout beforehand and maybe we could do some shootin together at my place. Oh yes, nice acquisitions you got at the show.
The Dade City and Brooksville shows are always better than the large rip off shows of Tampa and Lakeland. Mostly overpriced dealers at those two big shows. My friend went to the Tampa gunshow this past weekend and he said there was only one single BP table and not that much even at that table.

After hearing about all the BP at the Dade City gunshow, my friend should have gone there instead of to the Tampa gun show. I told him Dade City Fl and Brooksville Fl are the best shows around here to go to. Because the dealers go to the big city shows where they can work off of ignorant quantity of mass buyers. But at the smaller shows where there are less dealers, there are more regular Joe's there just selling their personal collections to pay their rent or make a car payment. So more chances to get a good deal. Just like you did Doc.





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