HGCA gun show on 1/23-24

[jgedmond]

My wife went with me yesterday, we were there for 4 hours. She was saying if we walked around here for this long and you don't buy something, I'm gonna be pissed. So, I HAD to buy something.

wow, sounds familiar. well in the last 20 minutes, I picked up a HD shotgun and some ammo to go with it. of course if money was no object, I could have backed up a semi and filled it up, but then she'd be singing a different tune.

 

[The_Hunter]

I did really see any smoking deals on anything. Esp if you add the $16 to park and get in. All in all it was something to do for an afternoon, and I got to put my hands on some things I have been wanting to order from the web.

 

[Eli]

I made it out with everything I made it in the door with, had a LOT of stuff around. I've decided that taking any 'real' (pre-89-ban) AK isn't worth the effort, EVERYBODY wants to paw at it then gets shocked at the $1500 price tag.
I think I'm going to consign most of the stuff I'm selling to Fountain.

Eli

 

[matefrio]

What seemed odd to me was most dealer prices actually seemed good, while the individuals seemed to be completely out of their minds. That is in contradiction to the prices at shows where I used to live.

Many individuals bought high last year during the Obama scare and want to recoup their investments. Vendors were able to dump inventory and then after the scare were able to buy surplus when the market regained sanity and manufactures over ran production.

 

[mrseatle]

I went on Sunday, it was a big show, but only a couple dozen HGCA display tables (usually theres about a hundred.)

I saw a few deals and unique items. Also saw plenty of guns on FFL dealer tables for $100 more than they sell at Academy.

Still one of the Best gun shows!

 

[Texasjack]

Random thoughts on the HGCA Show:
Ammo was readily available (good!), but prices were high (not so good).
Some dealers were selling at very good prices (looks like the economy has cooled the prices from 2009's scare). There are always a few overpriced tables trolling for a sucker.
Reloading components were rare. I did manage to get some primers.
Junk always out-sells quality. I saw some Pakistani/Chinese knives that probably sell for $5 on ebay that were marked up to $100. And do you really dress your 2 year old daughter in pink camo? Really??
Bright LED flashlights were being sold on every aisle. China must be selling boatloads of them.
The HGCA tables were pretty sad. I like looking at really good displays. Some lady had a whole table with a single pistol on it which she proudly displayed because it looked like one her Daddy had.
I saw a lady with a "close out" sale on holsters that I've seen with that same sign for at least 3 years.
A few years back, I got to meet a pilot from the Nagasaki atom bomb plane. He was very interesting and it was extremely touching to see former Marines coming up to him and thanking him for saving their lives. One said he was on Okinawa and he knew that if they had to invade the Japanese mainland, he would most likely be killed. Sadly, almost all of those old heroes are dead. There were a few old guys signing photos and such at this show, but none quite so famous.
The show was very crowded on Saturday. I parked in a different zip code than the show was in. I was glad I didn't buy anything heavy by the time I got back to the truck.