todays gun show prices? cheaper than stores?

[9mm]

are today gun show prices cheaper a bit than stores? I remember a year ago I bought my LCR 22 from a gun show for $379 and stores locally wanted $429 or more. But this was a year ago, can you still find good deals? I am looking for a new sig p238 for conceal (used to have one years ago but regret selling it now) and hoping to find one at a gun show for $550ish, stores locally want $620 :-/
I remember the same time I bought my LCR I saw p238 for $530-$560 at tables but again this was a year ago, last April or so.

Has anyone been for a show lately and found good deals? $20-$50 cheaper than stores?

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Depends on the area. In TX - the shows consistently have dealers that will beat big box stores on standard new items.

For instance, a Gen 4 Glock 17 will run 539 at the show, 579 at the best big box price (in the 600s at some national chain big boxes) and 600's at the LGS.

Now I've found some good used prices at the LGS and it's negotiable at the shows.

Ammo is a rip off at the shows - unless it is for an uncommon caliber. I've found good deals on the revolver 32s. For 22s - at the show - it's a total rip off - fest.

 

[9mm]

Thank you.

 

[Jo6pak]

Sometimes it depends on the promoter. Some are "gun shows" in little more than the name.
I have gotten deals at shows, but mostly from vendors that I have dealt with in the past, the so-called "good customer" discount. As a matter of fact, I just had a guy knock $20 off 500 rounds of .40 ammo.

Sometimes you have a better chance to haggle with prices at a show...especially on the last afternoon when some vendors would rather sell than pack things up.

 

[vkeith]

Here in TN, most of the vendors just pull the guns out of their store displays and bring them to the show with the store price tags still on them, but I've seen some good deals from private sellers. I've also been able to get vendors to come down on prices some when they've had a slow weekend at the show, and near the end of shows when they are about to pack everything back up.

 

[filthy phil]

Like glen said, in tx they're usually still trying to gouge on ammo in Tx.
Mags are pretty cheap here tho

 

[skizzums]

they are usually a total fail here in georgia, ever since the gun craze, the shows are all trying to keep the hysteria prices going

i went last month and still selling sks for 5-600$ and nagants for 179$+, almost every vendor was marked up from the LSG price, i do go for milsurp ammo just to save the shipping costs and hassles

 

[7n6]

The better question is are they still selling guns at gun shows?

Seriously last month RK gun show at KCI only like 30% of the 1000 tables they claim where gun vendors. Everything else is candles and beef jerky or over priced ammo.

And I dont really find good deals on firearms there anymore either every once in a while you can find something hiding, all the haggling I do is getting them to knock off the sales tax.

 

[Sierra280]

All depends on area. Around here the gun show prices are HIGH. Even a lot of LGS's get booths at the shows because they can mark their stuff up. So if you want to sell a gun/ammo our guns shows are good, or maybe if you are trying to find something unique or collectable you might have a little better chance at a gun show.

 

[Kev]

Used to go to a huge gunshow at the L.A. County fairgrounds in Pomona,Ca.
Complete with military reenactments and tables and tables of PRIVATE collections for sale.
Dad did a lot of swapping/bartering and it was always fun.
Up at 7am and get home around 7pm.
Fondest memories of my youth

Fast forward to the last few years..
10% of the tables are private collections, 60% are LGS (which in of itself isn't terrible, I can scoff at 50 LGS at once, rather than driving hundreds of miles)
The other 30% is split with the end of the world MRE guys (tactical beef jerky?)
And the bubba para military army swat vest seal team 1 Charlie bravo "yes that comes in 4X clothing booths.

I long for the shows of my youth.

P.S.
4 got tables with $200.00 worth of Chinese knives that are being peddled for 500% mark up..

 

[Brotherbadger]

Shows around here are ok. Ammo is too expensive, very few handguns and some mosins/sks for above retail costs. There is usually some cool random stuff to be found, but rarely do I find a must have item. Then again, I might just be getting there too late.

 

[vkeith]

Seriously last month RK gun show at KCI only like 30% of the 1000 tables they claim where gun vendors. Everything else is candles and beef jerky or over priced ammo.

RK Shows hosts the shows in this area, too. It hasn't gotten that bad here, but about 40% of the tables are selling non-gun related merchandise. It increased to that level during the last shortage.

 

[RodTheWrench]

est deals on guns around here (for new anyway) are from newer FFLs that advertise on our local gun classifieds. They usually work out of their house or a side room at their regular business. They are usually 10% less than the LGS, which stands to reason as they don't have to pay lease on a large building with good frontage.

I see some of these guys at the gun shows and their prices still seem to be good there. They seem to make up a good 1/3 of the gun tables.

The rest of the actual "gun vendors" at our shows are either:

Pawn shops dragging their beat up crap to the show to sling on a few tables

Professional "Gun show only" gun guys. They travel a circuit from show to show and you can always tell by their set-up. They buy low, sell high.

Old farts that just like to hang out and chew the fat with other old farts - they usually have multiple signs warning anyone and everyone off who even THINKS about asking to touch/pick up one of their Frontier/Milsurp/strange-named guns.

Private collectors like me. I chew the fat a bit, like to see different guns that people are packing around and generally just set up a table for the entertainment. Sell a few, buy a few and trade most. Never make any money, but that's not what I want to do.

 

[JohnKSa]

In my area, you can definitely find better deals at the shows.

In fact, you can usually get a better deal from a given dealer at a show compared to what the gun would cost you from that same dealer if you purchased it from their brick & mortar location.

I've heard a couple of dealers try to claim that the reason their gun show prices are lower is because they have less overhead at a show. That's obviously not true. They don't get a break on their rent for their brick & mortar location while they're at the show and all their other bills keep rolling in. Furthermore, to attend, they had to rent space at the show and pay for fuel to transport their wares to the show. And unless they close their shop, now they have to provide manning for their show table AND their shop.

Clearly their overhead increases, probably by a considerable amount, while they're at the show, it doesn't decrease.

I believe prices come down at the shows as the result of competition. If you can walk 20 feet and pay $50 less at another table, that's a significant incentive for the dealers to cut their prices a little to try to compete.

 

[LockedBreech]

Almost all the gun show prices I've seen in the last few years in the southern WY and northern CO areas are easily beaten by Bud's or Slickguns, as well as my favorite LGS.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Not really in my area (Northern Virginia).

Prices are all over the place.

 

[zincwarrior]

Gun shows in this part of Texas (central) are utter garbage. Prices for new firearms are usually a quite a bit higher then a good LGS or online. Ammo prices are still overpriced, and it seems half the booths are no longer selling firearms related items at all.

Don't waste your money.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My observation locally is gun show prices are outrageously expensive. But, it didn't seem to bother the buyers, all tables were busy selling.

 

[Skans]

Generally, you can get a better price on a gun at a gunshow, if you are knowledgeable and willing to bargain within fair-price parameters. SOMETIMES, a gunstore wants to lower its inventory for whatever reason, and you can get a better deal, IF it is running a special on the gun you are looking for.

I bought my Ruger LC9 + holster for $360 from my LGS. At the time, that was better than what you could find them for at gunshows.

 

[Don P]

It's hit and miss here in FLA. As Mike stated all over the place. Some are reasonable and some are overly proud of their wares, and more than a few are out right insane with what they are asking for.