Gun show weekend. That sucked BIG TIME.

[The Mechanic]

So went to the Crossroads of the West Gun Show here in Del Mar Ca. Took the family and figured if the gates open at 9:00 we should head out about 8:00 get there about 8:30 with the dolly and pick up a "couple " of things. What a mistake that was. We get about 4 miles from the exit and WTF? traffic at a stand still. Looks like the rest of Southern California had the same brilliant idea I had. Took almost 2 hours just to get a parking spot 3/4 of a mile away from the entrance.

Hey look I say this will make it easier. A few of those trolley thingy's so the girls don't have to walk so far. But NOOOO! they shut them down because there is to much traffic!! What are you even here for? Why are they paying you to sit in that seat if you won't drive them? Must be city employee's. OK so I got tickets ahead of time online so I won't have to be in the big line we can just walk in right? Well no, there are two lines one for tickets and one for admission. I kid you not it was almost a mile long. Took an hour and 45 minutes just to get inside. So here we are just getting through the door and it is already 12:15.

Hey honey, what is that line over there? Looks like it is by the MiWall ammo guys. I need to go there first for some .45, 9mm, .40, .22's, .308, and some 5.56, powder, and primers so lets find out. Me to a guy in line "hey guy in line what is this for?" Oh he says this is the ammo line here, over there is the other ammo line, and that long one is the primer, powder line. Gulp! How long is the wait? "Oh" he ways about 3 hours from this point. AAARRRRGGGHH! I was at the side looking at hundreds of pounds of Varget, I shit you not maybe a million primers or more, maybe 500 ammo cans of each of the major calibers, and the prices were like the shortage never happened!

So what to do so first things first it is time for a big ass tri-tip sammich. OK I found where the shortage is $8.00 for a small sandwich and $4.00 for bottled water. Yeah this is not going to end well. The place is supposed to shut down at 5:00 so I go to one of the sales guys and ask him "hows biz?" he goes "incredible we will be sold out by the end of the day. We brought over 3/4 of a million dollars or more worth of product and we will be going back to the shop with empty semi's.

Anyways didn't get anything but a nice tan and found out they broke a record for people that day by a long shot. Estimates are over 20,000 attended times $10 to park and $14 admission. At least my wife and daughter got some earrings.

 

[herro_prease]

If it makes you feel any better, they don't get any better anywhere else that I've been.

 

[roggom]

I quit going to gun shows about 2 years ago, stuff is so over priced, I only end up buying beef jerky. I just save the time and frustration and go to 7-11.

 

[High Binder]

Damn Mech, that sounds crazy. The good thing is that people are buying which means we aren't the only ones who see the writing on the wall. Sounds like you have cool gun-shows, the ones here are just numbchuck/tazer shows.

 

[Cartman]

I quit going to gun shows about 2 years ago, stuff is so over priced, I only end up buying beef jerky. I just save the time and frustration and go to 7-11.

I pretty much agree with this. But once and a while a buddy and I go the the Del Mar Crossroads show just to look at the crazies and young women who let a lot hang out. One can almost always do much better online, even for ammo. But glad I didn't try to go this year because a zoo like that wouldn't be worth it. That must make a guy feel like a woman heading to a mall at Christmas time -- not for me.

 

[k20350]

All they are around here are fucking yard sales with a few overpriced guns .......

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Went to the Palmer, Alaska gun show today. Try to go once a year since we don't get many shows up here--at least in comparison to the ones growing up in Texas. It sucked. A bunch of over priced ammo that folks had snatched up earlier in the week from other retailers. Bunch of used/abused guns overpriced because that's what folks heard things were going for on Gunbroker in January.

Cool to see this many like minded folks together, buy fairly miserable as shows go. Picked up a nice
Mini-14 my secretary had purchased and got a couple guns at local shops--drank too much with my buddy the night before--so overall a great weekend, but the show lacked any form of luster.

All that bitching said, I'll drive up the 4-hours to do it again next year.

Will

 

[milo 2.0]

Hey honey, what is that line over there? Looks like it is by the MiWall ammo guys. I need to go there first for some .45, 9mm, .40, .22's, .308, and some 5.56, powder, and primers so lets find out. Me to a guy in line "hey guy in line what is this for?" Oh he says this is the ammo line here, over there is the other ammo line, and that long one is the primer, powder line. Gulp! How long is the wait? "Oh" he ways about 3 hours from this point. AAARRRRGGGHH! I was at the side looking at hundreds of pounds of Varget, I shit you not maybe a million primers or more, maybe 500 ammo cans of each of the major calibers, and the prices were like the shortage never happened!
(

Mech,
Sorry about the lousy day, I wouldn't have had the patience.
My question is, who has all this powder and primers, and how did they get it? I haven't seen primers in stock on any website since the first of the year. Who is MiWall?

Side note, I'm glad you Cali guys are able to get some goods, with your loony douches running the state, I'm sure you'll feel the crunch first.

 

[grunt1345]

The gun shows in South Florida are about the same only smaller scale.
The last one here in Ft. Myers the Suncoast Gun Show, doors opened at 9.
I arrived 7:30 by the time they open the gates to get in "line" to get in, the line was over a mile long behind me.
Traffic was backed up to the interstate. When I go in, I have already contacted my guys in there. I pre-order an pay for my stuff
on their websites, and just pick up to avoid shipping and handling charges. This used to work well for me, in out 20 minutes and done.

I don't go to gun shows to purchase a gun. That is the definition of sucker bet. I usually just pick up ammo, and the occasional
whats it, or who's it. The show's used to be out of hand, until Shoot Straight showed up and rented half the tables out of all of the place, and they kind of set the bar for pricing now, and since they have a huge retail store, it pretty much keeps the insanity in line on guns.

 

[thrusty]

Here's the upside to the craziness...
Hopefully the scare has brought people who were "on the fence" into the sport. Making our fight to keep our rights stronger by having sheer numbers.
When all these dumb-ass laws are repealed, there will also be a metric shit-ton of components flooded to the market at great prices for us life-long shooters buy.

Regardless, I'm glad the gun shows are continuing to have such high turnout...it shows people we stand united despite being demonized by the ignorant gun-haters.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Your a brave man Danny, I quit going to gun shows almost 8 years ago, not just because of the false expectation of good deals. But because of all the F@cking idiots that show up there. Its like all the ass clowns you see at the range got together in a giant orgy of ammo, hair, and multicam. It's disgusting.

 

[Deadshot2]

I'd rather watch a fat lady on a trampoline than go to a gun show anymore. My last one was about 4 years ago and can't think of anything that's there that I want or need. Especially at the prices that are asked.

the shows near me are pretty much a bunch of Dealers selling for at least 15% more than in their stores or those who've been collecting a bunch of junk parts over the years and think they're made of gold.

As for standing in line for powder, primers, and bullets? A little bird told me that things would be like this back in October '12. Funny thing, Powder Valley just happened to have a "No Hazmat" sale on orders 32# of powder or more. The UPS and Postal Service people were delivering at my house for a week.

Who really didn't KNOW that this was going to happen with Obama being "anointed" for another term.

 

[Trapshooter12]

I stopped by Scheels in Reno on Fri. I already knew what I would see.

They had 0 powder, 0 Primers, a few 243 Bullets, and other off brand Bullets, and no Brass.

What did surprise me was that they had 10 boxes of 22 Long Rifles for $10 per hundred and some brand of AR Mags.

 

[40xs]

If it was that much interest in the gun show at Del mar then all those folks must not have voted in the last election!!! so sad! too bad! we'er dead!

 

[The Mechanic]

They only sell at gun shows. Sucks because they could do a lot more biz if they sold online. They are always the "big player" at the show. Always come with lots of product at prices that can't be beat even online. but that is why the lines are so long I guess.

http://www.miwallcorp.com/

Mech,
Sorry about the lousy day, I wouldn't have had the patience.
My question is, who has all this powder and primers, and how did they get it? I haven't seen primers in stock on any website since the first of the year. Who is MiWall?

Side note, I'm glad you Cali guys are able to get some goods, with your loony douches running the state, I'm sure you'll feel the crunch first.

 

[Luky]

I stopped going to the del mar gun show after the last CA AW ban in 2000. You couldn't really buy anything other than overpriced accessories, knives and jerky. I could always find ammo on line shipped for less than miwall. Add in the cost for parking and entrance and there were no bargains. Went to a gun show in vegas while visiting my folks a couple of years ago and it was awesome. Even not being able to buy guns there was plenty of stuff availabe at decent prices. Worth the drive. Since you said they had powder at the show now I am thinking of going to the costa mesa show in two weeks. Although I will heed your experience and ride my motorcycle to avoid the lines weather willing. Can probably fit 4 or 6 8lb jugs in the saddlebags and trunk (buying for my brother inlaw too)... I already have bullets and 5k primers in the garage but I am on my last jug of Varget. Did you happen to notice the cost for the 8lb jugs of Varget from miwall?

 

[Queequeg]

Suncoast gunshows was in Tampa this weekend.

I played golf yesterday and did paperwork, cleaned out my truck, sharpened chisels and otherwise chilled. Life's too short to endure unnecessary fucktardation.

 

[wfjames22]

Life's too short to endure unnecessary fucktardation.

Exactly my thought on gun shows...and quite a few other things actually.

 

[KYpatriot]

I see it as a positive. Let's compare lines at the Feinstein gun buy-back to the ones at the gunshow. People say you can judge what a person values by what they spend money on...hogwash. You judge what a person values by what they spend time on, the only thing once spent that cannot be regained. The people are saying loud and clear that they reject the gun control agenda. I like that.

 

[LakewoodGunner]

Most of our gun shows are just that, shows. People show off what they got with a hefty price tag and then take it home .

 

[vwhugger]

I see it as a positive. Let's compare lines at the Feinstein gun buy-back to the ones at the gunshow. People say you can judge what a person values by what they spend money on...hogwash. You judge what a person values by what they spend time on, the only thing once spent that cannot be regained. The people are saying loud and clear that they reject the gun control agenda. I like that.

There ya go! I feel the same way. I went to one in Eau Claire, WI this past weekend and was surprised by the number of well kempt youngsters there. Both male and female. And on both sides of the tables, mind you. I thought it was a welcome relief from always seeing the fat ass old slobs that I normally see. Most stuff there was not overly priced, just normal market reaction to demand.

The only real negatives were the normal motormouths and that the show's sponsors upped the admission fee from $5 to $7.

 

[jcfd2201]

I just heard about the crazy crowds at DelMar from a friend that works the gun shows. He was telling me it was worse this time then the last. That's absoulutely crazy. May be worth it to head over to the Phoenix show this coming weekend since it has not been that crazy.

 

[The Mechanic]

If MiWall is at it then they have a lot of powder, primers, and a huge amount of ammo.

 

[ACK]

My visits to Crossroads of the West is usually for reloading supplies. No hazmat fee and usually the prices are reasonable. I blew off the last two local "funshows" I guess the panic has not subsided. Why the panic in ammo/reloading supplies? Next door neighbor is getting a group buy for 15,000 small rifle primers. A slingshot may be my next buy.