1500 Deals

[rnmcguire]

So did anyone see any deals on the first day of the 1500? Kinda wondering if it's worth going. I hear they have 7.62/54r ammo for $80

 

[stormryder]

Paid
$30 apiece for 5 20 round mags to my LR-308.
$70 for a BSA 4-16x40 illuminated scope and rings.
$85 for a pair of fold down sights
Plus got a signed copy of Michael Z Williamsons latest book.
Only thing I'm steamed about is the $5 pops.

Plus came home w/more money than expected, that is always a good thing.

 

[dieselrealtor]

I am kicking myself for not buying the first 2 I looked at, a keltec P11 for $189 & an LCP for $219. Saw those when I first went in the door, thought to myself, if that is what I am seeing the first 30 seconds there must be some other deals & I really don't want to spend the majority of my budget in the first 5 minutes.

I saw the majority of the booths, didn't see anything else that (within my limited realm of price knowledge) I thought was any better deal than I can get right here, Bradis or Gunbroker & without the BO.

I did however get to take a look at the Johnson Safes though, I have been wanting to see them for a while.

I was hoping to see less dealers & more deals.

My buddy did find some 6.5 Japanese ammo that he was wanting.

 

[smokestack]

I didn't see anything special. Same ol stuff-a long line to get in, no room to breathe when you get in, no super deals that I seen. I collected some good info and did buy a couple of things but probably will skip the future 1500's until they change something. It's just not worth the price or the headache.

 

[Amattern]

anyone have any Spikes Tactical AR 15s im planning on going tomorrow?

 

[M67]

Some prices were high, but a lot of prices were the same from the January show.

Like it's been said before, nothing special.

 

[thompal]

There were several attendees who really should've taken a shower before they went. Whew!

No blowout deals that I saw. Accessories seem to be down in price a little bit.

 

[762minigun]

Nothing too special. Much better pricing can be found online. While I'm not really looking for anything specific. There really wasn't that many people there today. Kind of strange.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

There were dozens of deals at the show.

What are you looking for?

 

[Reaper]

Agreed!!! Half the time I was walking I was holding my breath. And one guy almost spit tobacco on my Khaki pants (indoors).

There were several attendees who really should've taken a shower before they went. Whew!

No blowout deals that I saw. Accessories seem to be down in price a little bit.

 

[anthony010]

There were several attendees who really should've taken a shower before they went. Whew!

Agreed!!! Half the time I was walking I was holding my breath. And one guy almost spit tobacco on my Khaki pants (indoors).

Did they have any surplus gas masks???

 

[Bapak2ja]

Why do folks keep going if the prices are ordinary, the entry fee is high, the placed is overcrowded, one can't get to the tables to fondle the goodies, and the customers stink?

I am looking for a lever action rifle, and I suspect there would be a few at the 1500, but why would I drive two hours from the Fort to attend the 1500 based on the evaluations posted here?

I have been there twice and decided not to go again for the same reasons as others are posting here. Seems to me if it is as bad as stated, folks would quit going and declining attendance would cause the sponsors to upgrade their product. But the crowds seem to be as big as ever, and the complaints still flow.

Can someone "splain" this to me?

 

[mms]

deal of the day $700 draco 1 mag

 

[MikeA]

Why do folks keep going if the prices are ordinary, the entry fee is high, the placed is overcrowded, one can't get to the tables to fondle the goodies, and the customers stink?

I am looking for a lever action rifle, and I suspect there would be a few at the 1500, but why would I drive two hours from the Fort to attend the 1500 based on the evaluations posted here?

I have been there twice and decided not to go again for the same reasons as others are posting here. Seems to me if it is as bad as stated, folks would quit going and declining attendance would cause the sponsors to upgrade their product. But the crowds seem to be as big as ever, and the complaints still flow.

Can someone "splain" this to me?

Because its simply not true. There are deals to be had at most gun shows for the educated buyer. Granted your not going to find a Glock 19 for much less than the local competitive store has them marked down to 489.00.

Case in point, silver bear ak ammo is 200.00 out the door at the show. In Indy the closest place is bradis and I believe that they are 240.00 or higher then you have tax on it.

Some of the best deals walk through the front door. After the dealers offer them half of retail you can pick up used glocks in Like new condition for 375.00.

People stink, but so does my brother if you get close enough to him. Its just a fact of life that some people have better hygiene than others.

The simple fact that just about everything in the gun world that you would want to see is under that roof makes it worth the 10.00 entry fee.

MikeA

 

[Donnelly]

Because its simply not true. There are deals to be had at most gun shows for the educated buyer. Granted your not going to find a Glock 19 for much less than the local competitive store has them marked down to 489.00.

Case in point, silver bear ak ammo is 200.00 out the door at the show. In Indy the closest place is bradis and I believe that they are 240.00 or higher then you have tax on it.

Some of the best deals walk through the front door. After the dealers offer them half of retail you can pick up used glocks in Like new condition for 375.00.

People stink, but so does my brother if you get close enough to him. Its just a fact of life that some people have better hygiene than others.

The simple fact that just about everything in the gun world that you would want to see is under that roof makes it worth the 10.00 entry fee.

MikeA

Decent first post (his post count currently shows 2).

 

[Destro]

I was looking for a gen 2 Glock 22 with dead nite sights for a gift....found 1 dealer had one marked $495! nothing special about it, I offered 325 and was laughed at...ohh well guess I will have to pay a 10 bucks more and buy at my leasure.

Some of the dealers claim 10% over their cost is the price....They must be buying from their Distros at MSRP

I go for the surplus, hard to find classics, and parts...My purchses this time included a black fleece for $15(steal), some beef jerkey, and Girl Scout Thin Mints.

 

[IndyBeerman]

I was in more of a browsing mode than buying.

Picked up 4 windowed P-mags for $14.00 a piece, everyone else I seen was selling them for $17.00.

Also, I seen from the git go Friday that there was vendors already squeezing the aisles creating choke points.

There is no darn reason that there should be a 4 foot wide walkway because vendors decided to push the table out 2-3 feet.

I'm half temped to call the Fire Marshall about this, I bet he would have a thing or two to say about restricted walkways if an emergency occurred.

 

[tman]

I wasn't looking for anything special. The M1 Garands seemed to be going for $100+ what you can get them from the CMP. I did see some 1903s and 1903A3s that looked nice in the $575 - $675 price range.

+1 on doing a better job of keeping the vendors from pushing the tables out into the aisles.

 

[Steven]

Why do folks keep going if the prices are ordinary, the entry fee is high, the placed is overcrowded, one can't get to the tables to fondle the goodies, and the customers stink?

I am looking for a lever action rifle, and I suspect there would be a few at the 1500, but why would I drive two hours from the Fort to attend the 1500 based on the evaluations posted here?

I have been there twice and decided not to go again for the same reasons as others are posting here. Seems to me if it is as bad as stated, folks would quit going and declining attendance would cause the sponsors to upgrade their product. But the crowds seem to be as big as ever, and the complaints still flow.

Can someone "splain" this to me?

Thousands and thousands of people go to the 1500. The complaints you read are just a very small % of the total.

A savy buyer will ignore the distractions and dig to find the bargains, they are there.

Where can you go and find a larger selection of lever rifles for sale under one roof ?

 

[thompal]

I go for the surplus, hard to find classics, and parts...My purchses this time included a black fleece for $15(steal), some beef jerkey, and Girl Scout Thin Mints.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the reason to go. There are tons of parts, surplus items, and oddball accessories that local stores just simply don't carry.

Granted, some, if not all, of it is available on-line if you visit enough sites and figure out what to look for based on what someone decided to call it, if he spells the description right. But, things like an AR15 chamber brush. I haven't been able to find one locally. I've found it on-line for a couple of bucks, but then would have to pay shipping, plus get the money to the seller (I don't give credit card numbers over the internet), wait for weeks, and then hope that it's what I wanted and that it's in usable condition. Several times I've run into situations online where the seller's idea of "like new" is identical to my idea of "has been run over by tank."

There are things that I'd rather buy locally, but which just aren't available. Liquid Breakfree, is a great example. Everyplace I've found locally has it in an aerosol spray can.

Other things I really like to examine before I buy. Either to check condition, or simply see if it's what I want. How many times have you looked at something like a sling on-line, and it looks like just what you wanted. But when you see it in person, you realize it's either cheaply made, or the design isn't going to work for what you intended?

And as much as people gripe and moan, a lot of people just plain enjoy going to a gun show. Two things really kind of ruin the enjoyment factor for me: $13 to attend (parking and entrance), and the neighborhood.