[95sniper]

I have never been to a gun show, my first one is a dixie gun and knife show coming up in the next few weeks... What should I expect? How good are the deals?

[vincent]

Expect a crowd...you can't swing a dead cat around by the tail without hitting 10 people......no, seriously...you can't...

Most everything is negotiable, if you find something, don't be afraid to haggle...

As far as prices...meh...the stuff I'm interested in (mil-surp, ammo, accys) is nothing to write home about, but fair I suppose...again, haggle...

I'd be cautious about buying ammo at a show, some less than honest folks will sell crappy reloads in factory boxes for a "great deal"...

You'll see a metric azz-ton of poly frame handguns...lots of rifles...AR/AK platform is always popular, lots in that dept, tons of gadgets, gizmos, literature, preps and impulse buy stuff...not much for wheelguns sadly last time out but every show is different...

Grab some business cards and chew the fat with some vendors, I'm sure if what you're looking for isn't on the table, someone can give you a lead...

Get a pretzel, make sure to stop by the GRNC table and toss a couple of bucks into their donation bucket and have fun!!!

[95sniper]

Thanks for the advice

[Ruger52]

You need time. Ya cannot go there, in and out in 15 minutes. Even if you know what you want. When I go to a gun show, and I go often, I plan three hours. There I can see most of the vendors, and look at stuff, I might be interested in. Sometimes I buy, sometimes not. But I just don't want to miss a deal on something, that I want or need, because I got in a hurry.

Lotsa of fun at those shows also. Enjoy!

[95sniper]

I went to one last weekend, I didn't see anything I wanted (that I could afford) and looked around for 5hrs. It was great fun although we stood in line outside for an hour and a half

[Old_Crow]

I am not one to go to gun shows. I have found deals on reloading supplies but I have never bought anything else at a gun show. Usually in an hour or so I grow tired of looking at overpriced stuff and leave. It's fun to go with a bunch of friends but don't bother going alone.

[95sniper]

Yes, I bought mags for my remington 597 $8 cheaper at walmart than the ones at the show.

[Kdub]

Lots of Chinese made junk. Be sure to do your homework before you go. Know what you are looking for and how much it goes for elsewhere. Impulse buys are easily made at gun shows.

[Vikingdad]

Bring your smartphone so you can look stuff up. I see lots of stuff that is way overpriced at the show. Another good tip is to get there as early as you can and run through it once to get a feel for it. If you see something that you want then go through and see if another vendor has it cheaper (or more expensive) and then use them against each other to haggle them down.

If you have any accessories that use lithium ion batteries write down the numbers and look for them at the show. Those batteries have a shelf life of 10 years (which means they will probably last longer) and you can find them dirt cheap at the show. At the last show I bought a bunch of the ones for my head lights and haggled an even cheaper price because I was buying so many of them.

[Brue182]

I agree you will most likely need 3 hours minimum depending on the show. If I'm not looking for a gun and it is something I think multiple vendors will have (like ammo or AR stuff) I will walk the show once and take note of the things I'm looking for and what price it is. I then walk the show again slower this time and pick up the stuff I need. Also I find it good to be the first ones there if you are looking for something hard to find or later on the last day if its a more common item. Oh and bring cash I don't know how many times a wad of cash makes people want to make a deal when they were firm on their offer just seconds before.