why go to the 1500???

[chuddly]

In all seriousness why go to the 1500 gun and knife show? Im not trying to bash dealers that go and i have been there my self. BUT every time i have gone i end up saying that if i count all the stuff i paid the same amount or more than i would have on line or at a local shop. Last time i was there i got some ammo because i wasnt set up for reloading that round yet. I saved about $20 but i had to park and get in and drive there and all that cost money too. Everything else i bought there wast EXACTLY the same price i could get it online for and that was reloading supplies. I understand wanting to go to see things and just hang out with the guys/the guns. Im not saying that there are NO deals there but lets all be real if you were told you had to drive 50 miles to get a 1 in 1000 chance to save $20 and for that chance to save $20 you had to put out $30 would you do it? Probly not. Ill just go to my LGS or even better to Bradis and pay the same amount and not have to pay to get in or park.

 

[JetGirl]

Huh. I mainly go for two reasons;

• To hang out with peeps I don't get to see often
• Reloading stuff

At the March show, I looked for the RN .452 230gr bullets that I usually get for $128... but the guy doesn't have that table anymore. I got his phone number from his friend (also a vendor) and got the same deal delivered to my door with just a quick phone call.
This last time, I also found Lrg pistol primers (by the 1k brick) for $19. I took the rest of what he had in those.

 

[Mgderf]

Why, to meet up with JetGirl, of course. What other viable reason could one conjur up?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

It's not about "saving money" on your next polymer gun filled with MIM. It is about Corvettes in garages.

One does not look at the tables, one looks at the crowd.

Read all about finding a pistol worth several thousand for several hundred: https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/general_firearms_discussion/28237-indy_1500_savings.html

 

[rockhopper46038]

Like JetGirl said, reloading components in general are worth my trip (although I live quite close, so that makes it easier); once I'm in the door I get a chance to look for that rare, but present, killer deal.

 

[Stschil]

To see what kind of trouble the ICC gets himself into.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...es_of_the_traveling_ingo_combat_cock_icc.html

 

[GoDawgs]

If you are looking for a 'deal' on a standard piece of equipment like an XD or bulk 9mm, the prices aren't going to be any better at the 1500 than your favorite local store.

Personally, that's why I think of the admission price as a entertainment opportunity for me and a few friends to browse around for a few hours, rather than thinking of the ticket as a Costco membership where it has to 'pay itself off'. You get a deal? Then great. If not, you had a good time regardless.

 

[jgreiner]

I can't speak to the 1500, since I have yet to attend one (looking at going to the next one), but i go to gun shows because I NEVER know what I am going to run across. the last show in Lafayette ran me face to face with an old Winchester model 67, just like the one I bought when I was 9 years old, only this one looked like it was nearly brand new. And since my bratty little brother wont return the one he snitched from me decades ago, I pounced on it.

And then I spent a GREAT afternoon with my 16 year old son, reminiscing and shooting that old gun......and having a blast shooting the centers out of all the targets. (I had forgotten just how accurate that old model was).

I am really looking forward to the 1500.

 

[Electronrider]

I go because I enjoy wasting a day wandering around all the tables, and people watching. I usually end up spending about a hundred bucks by the time I get back home. I really enjoy the experience. I have taken a LOT of newer shooters to the 1500 ( I average 1 or 2 every time I GO) and they are usually blown away by all the guns ans other stuff there. It is worth going if you want to just waste a day.

I get a kick out of all thepeople that ***** about crowds and prices. They KNOW they can get a better price elsehwere, but again and again, the same people complain! If it is something you do not enjoy, knowing that prices aren't the absolute best, the crowds will be large, and good luck finding the rare widget your looking for, then why go?

 

[JettaKnight]

I go just to give us something to [STRIKE]talk[/STRIKE] complain about on INGO every 3-6 months.

 

[dom1104]

Mostly just to get reloading components.

 

[SHEEPdOHdoubleG]

I go to get a first hand look at things I am interested in (that I have seen pictures of online)... well... that and I go to blow some money on something I love... I go because it's fun. I would much rather spend $10 for 2 hours at the 1500 as opposed to paying 12.50 to see a movie. Either way you look at it, it is entertainment.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

I go to hand out free underarm deodorant and bars of soap to stinky bastards!

 

[OneBadV8]

Huh. I mainly go for two reasons;

• To hang out with peeps I don't get to see often
• Reloading stuff

At the March show, I looked for the RN .452 230gr bullets that I usually get for $128... but the guy doesn't have that table anymore. I got his phone number from his friend (also a vendor) and got the same deal delivered to my door with just a quick phone call.
This last time, I also found Lrg pistol primers (by the 1k brick) for $19. I took the rest of what he had in those.

This... AND Where else can you shop at that many local places in one place? You get to shop at gun stores from across the state and compare pricing without having to drive from one place to the next. The parking and Entry fee is probably cheaper than driving to all those places individually.

I go to hand out free underarm deodorant and bars of soap to stinky bastards!

Funny but true. This is the reason I try to go right when it opens on Sat or Sun and get out by noon or so before it starts getting really gamey in there.

 

[the1kidd03]

In all seriousness why go to the 1500 gun and knife show? Im not trying to bash dealers that go and i have been there my self. BUT every time i have gone i end up saying that if i count all the stuff i paid the same amount or more than i would have on line or at a local shop. Last time i was there i got some ammo because i wasnt set up for reloading that round yet. I saved about $20 but i had to park and get in and drive there and all that cost money too. Everything else i bought there wast EXACTLY the same price i could get it online for and that was reloading supplies. I understand wanting to go to see things and just hang out with the guys/the guns. Im not saying that there are NO deals there but lets all be real if you were told you had to drive 50 miles to get a 1 in 1000 chance to save $20 and for that chance to save $20 you had to put out $30 would you do it? Probly not. Ill just go to my LGS or even better to Bradis and pay the same amount and not have to pay to get in or park.

It depends on how you look at it. I don't consider the parking and entry fees as part of whatever I buy. Why? Because as far as I'm concerned it was a days worth of entertainment. It would cost me as much to go to a movie, which would only last for a couple hours.

Also, if you go there looking for SPECIFIC deals on SPECIFIC items, you WILL NOT find it. I literally BABYSIT available prices on EVERYTHING I'm interested in CONSTANTLY. I make a weekly trip to each of the best LGS, and watch online ads and auctions DAILY so that I know exactly how much everything I would be interested in goes for. I would recommend doing this for a week or two leading UP to the 1500 AT LEAST. Then you will know exactly what a true "good deal" is when you see it. As far as guns, you can find an occasional deal here and there. Ammo and gear you will be hard pressed to find better prices anywhere in the Indy area or online (of course, assuming you're not including cost of parking/entry which is the "entertainment" price IMO.) As far as ammo pricing if you reload, I cannot comment on the cost/value aspect because I do not currently reload. I don't have enough time for it or room to setup for it at the moment. Otherwise, all else remains the same.

Additionally, the BEST shows are October and January. I don't care what ANY local vendor tells you, THERE ARE THOSE DEALERS WHO DO raise their prices during the other shows EVERY year. How do I know? Because in my "penny pinching" search for the best deals I keep track of all the prices on a notepad app on my smart phone, so I know the prices from one show to the next. I can always find MORE deals on guns during those two shows too.

*Edited to reflect MrsGungho's point/disagreement.

 

[Hoosier.Patriot]

+1 On Sheepdog

I go to get a first hand look at things I am interested in (that I have seen pictures of online)... well... that and I go to blow some money on something I love... I go because it's fun. I would much rather spend $10 for 2 hours at the 1500 as opposed to paying 12.50 to see a movie. Either way you look at it, it is entertainment.

I go to gun shows because it is a chance to see, hold, talk about things I've only read about online or in a magazine. I usually don't buy them but since I've been "doing my homework" before I go, if the dealer (or private sale person) is giving me a good price I buy it from them because they went to the trouble of going to the gun show and it keeps my purchase here in Indiana and helps our local economy.

 

[Hoosier.Patriot]

+1 The Kidd

It depends on how you look at it. I don't consider the parking and entry fees as part of whatever I buy. Why? Because as far as I'm concerned it was a days worth of entertainment. It would cost me as much to go to a movie, which would only last for a couple hours.

Also, if you go there looking for SPECIFIC deals on SPECIFIC items, you WILL NOT find it. I literally BABYSIT available prices on EVERYTHING I'm interested in CONSTANTLY. I make a weekly trip to each of the best LGS, and watch online ads and auctions DAILY so that I know exactly how much everything I would be interested in goes for. I would recommend doing this for a week or two leading UP to the 1500 AT LEAST. Then you will know exactly what a true "good deal" is when you see it. As far as guns, you can find an occasional deal here and there. Ammo and gear you will be hard pressed to find better prices anywhere in the Indy area or online (of course, assuming you're not including cost of parking/entry which is the "entertainment" price IMO.) As far as ammo pricing if you reload, I cannot comment on the cost/value aspect because I do not currently reload. I don't have enough time for it or room to setup for it at the moment. Otherwise, all else remains the same.

Additionally, the BEST shows are October and January. I don't care what ANY local vendor tells you, they DO raise their prices during the other shows EVERY year. How do I know? Because in my "penny pinching" search for the best deals I keep track of all the prices on a notepad app on my smart phone, so I know the prices from one show to the next. I can always find MORE deals on guns during those two shows too.

I'm the same way, obsessive about my research...

 

[the1kidd03]

I'm the same way, obsessive about my research...

The most time consuming part is the day to go around to the LGS. Online is quick and typically cheaper than LGS. But, you save a LOT of $$ over time. Right now, every used pistol I own is in great shape and I haven't paid over $400 for any of them thanks to my patience and research. I have Glocks, Berettas, Sigs, Kahrs, etc. Most of them are "like new" even.

 

[MrsGungho]

It depends on how you look at it. I don't consider the parking and entry fees as part of whatever I buy. Why? Because as far as I'm concerned it was a days worth of entertainment. It would cost me as much to go to a movie, which would only last for a couple hours.

Also, if you go there looking for SPECIFIC deals on SPECIFIC items, you WILL NOT find it. I literally BABYSIT available prices on EVERYTHING I'm interested in CONSTANTLY. I make a weekly trip to each of the best LGS, and watch online ads and auctions DAILY so that I know exactly how much everything I would be interested in goes for. I would recommend doing this for a week or two leading UP to the 1500 AT LEAST. Then you will know exactly what a true "good deal" is when you see it. As far as guns, you can find an occasional deal here and there. Ammo and gear you will be hard pressed to find better prices anywhere in the Indy area or online (of course, assuming you're not including cost of parking/entry which is the "entertainment" price IMO.) As far as ammo pricing if you reload, I cannot comment on the cost/value aspect because I do not currently reload. I don't have enough time for it or room to setup for it at the moment. Otherwise, all else remains the same.

Additionally, the BEST shows are October and January. I don't care what ANY local vendor tells you, they DO raise their prices during the other shows EVERY year. How do I know? Because in my "penny pinching" search for the best deals I keep track of all the prices on a notepad app on my smart phone, so I know the prices from one show to the next. I can always find MORE deals on guns during those two shows too.

someone forgot to inform me of that.
we raised our prices if OUR prices from distribution went up and only IF they went up.

 

[the1kidd03]

someone forgot to inform me of that.
we raised our prices if OUR prices from distribution went up and only IF they went up.

is that: "we check our supplier prices BEFORE going to the gun show and adjust accordingly" or "we base our prices off the perceived current market" or "we adjust prices accordingly with what we ACTUALLY spent on what's currently in inventory"

See, if I'm a LGS and I pay $100 per for an item and I have tons of them in inventory which I payed that for, I'm not gonna go to the show 6 months from now and adjust the price of THAT item according to what it would cost me NOW. I will mark it up according to what I ACTUALLY paid for it and nothing else. At least, this is how is SHOULD be done.

Your statement is very vague. You've made this point before, the problem with it is that the public doesn't KNOW the difference in what you consider to be "adjusting with YOUR prices." As the consumer, all I know is that from one show to the next prices raise whereas they have remained largely unaffected at LGS or online. I buy where the best deal is, unless it's something I need on hand at that moment. Regardless, it simply means that one shouldn't go to a show "uneducated" on CURRENTLY available prices elsewhere.