gun show today....

[musclehead]

in Brooksville FL. it wasn't real big but there was a great representation of vintage guns. some from wars in the 1800s-1700s

I saw one vendor that had two winchester model 42 (410ga) I now proudly own my dads 42.

one had the price of $1500 and the other $2400    good thing I'm not gonna sell!

there was a 50BMG in an AR style riflle but it was bolt action ???  looked cool but for $7,000 I think he'll be hanging onto it for a while.
I was at a flea market a guy had a ruger redhawk 44 mag for $695, looked like a good deal, wifey said NO! 
I could never be a gun merchant, I'd keep way too many to make a profit 

[highcountry]

I have a pre-war skeet grade model 42 that might be worth almost as much as my Valk.     Having paid $100 for it about 15 yrs ago, it is definitely one of my better investments.

[musclehead]

mine is a plain jane and well used with about 70% blueing left. skeet models are priced sky high 

[Jess from VA]

This is the thing about gun shows..... if you started going 25 years ago, the prices now are just nutz.  Of course prices on everything including guns goes up, and inflation; but not double-triple.  

For a $100-200, you could get worn but perfectly working/shooting Mausers of all kinds, Mosin Nagant, 1917s, and other Milsurp.  A little more for Brit SMLEs.  A perfect '03A3 with mint wood for $300.  And $450 would get you a very nice Garand or '03 (a perfect shooter if not collector).  You could pick up a nice used Smith K frame for $250, and a Colt 1911A1 for $400.  

Now you need to save up..... waiting, to go and get one thing.  

I still love going to shows, but my days of coming home with three firearms and a knapsack full of ammo, slings, stripper clips, cleaning stuff, yada, are over.   :'(

I am wondering if anybody here ever had a chance to go to a Great Western Gun Show at the LA County Fairgrounds (before they were closed by the hoplophobes)?  Six or seven airplane hangar sized buildings full of everything ever made to shoot.  For sale, and many of the finest collections you've ever seen (not for sale, just to look, and every bit as good as the NRA museum).  WWII jeeps and halftracks in crates.  To see every table in one day would require you to maintain a slow jog without stopping.  And a thousand guys walking around with one or two of their own firearms for sale slung over the shoulder.  And the majority of small tables were operated by a guy (and maybe his wife) who had no commercial FFL (which you can no longer do).  Never seen anything like it since.

http://www.nrawinningteam.com/greatwestern/

[The Anvil]

I am wondering if anybody here ever had a chance to go to a Great Western Gun Show at the LA County Fairgrounds (before they were closed by the hoplophobes)?  Six or seven airplane hangar sized buildings full of everything ever made to shoot.  For sale, and many of the finest collections you've ever seen (not for sale, just to look, and every bit as good as the NRA museum).  WWII jeeps and halftracks in crates.  To see every table in one day would require you to maintain a slow jog without stopping.  And a thousand guys walking around with one or two of their own firearms for sale slung over the shoulder.  And the majority of small tables were operated by a guy (and maybe his wife) who had no commercial FFL (which you can no longer do).  Never seen anything like it since.

http://www.nrawinningteam.com/greatwestern/

You just described a kind of heaven and you say it happened in California? Crazy talk... 

[F6TRVLR]

  I live 15 minutes from the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds are that was pretty much the way it was. 3 days of drooling and you could go the first day get your hand stamped and return the next two days for free. It took 2 solid days to see everything there. Cases of ammo on pallets outside the trade buildings stacked as high as semi trailers. People with hand carts piled with stuff they bought. Cheap prices. Closed down by the county supervisors. It was a dream.

[musclehead]

amazing who'da thunk it?