Gun Show Tips and Tricks

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Gun Show Tips and Tricks by Prepper Ray 10/02/15 (Fri) 20:28:12 No.609

Gun Show Tips and Tricks by Prepper Ray

http://survivalblog.com/gun-show-tips-and-tricks-by-prepper-ray/

By now, many of you reading this should have attended a few gun shows. If not, you should go to one. All across the country these shows are meccas for shooting enthusiasts, survivalists, and gun collectors. Gun shows are great places to pick up items that you just can’t find anywhere else. But be warned, you won’t always get the best deal at a gun show unless you have the right tools and information before arriving at the show.

Here are a few tips and hints along with a little insider information so that you can get the most out of your next show. I have worked the gun show circuits in the Southeast for six years as a dealer and I have learned that the customers that are best prepared usually get the best deals. Of course you should already know that being prepared always has a better outcome, right?

Gun Show Arrival

Get to the show early on the first day, so that you will have the most inventory to choose from. If you decide on going to the show on the second day you will find that everything has been picked over, so don’t waste your time. If you can’t make it the first day, then you might not find what you need, and last minute end of the day deals are few and far between.

Remember to be respectful of the dealer’s products, ask before you touch, be polite and courteous. Remember they have spent hundreds of dollars for the tables, driven many miles and worked long hours setting up usually with a poor night’s sleep in a cheap hotel. The last thing they want to deal with is a “know it all” customer with an attitude that only finger fondles their stuff and then walks away.

page 2 10/02/15 (Fri) 20:29:03 No.610

Don’t Get in Trouble

Know the law and obey it. Remember crossing state lines to buy or sell any [post-1898] firearm is a felony [under Federal law] for private party sales. Any transactions of modern guns across states lines must be “to or through” a FFL dealer. Gun shows are known for having undercover law enforcement officers in the crowd. If a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Don’t buy anything that is questionable from anyone. I have seen fully automatic parts kits and those oil filter gun cleaning debris catcher “solvent traps” (suppressors) that are at least in my ind not something I even want my fingerprints on. If you are not fully informed of the law or licensed to possess an item, just keep walking. You don’t want to get that tap on the shoulder and a badge flashed. That just messes up your whole day.

The Dealers

Remember this: Dealers are not always in competition with each other, in some cases dealers are actually working in collusion. Dealers sometimes know each other can easily communicate by phone or text during the show. Many times I have had a call from a dealer a few tables down, the call goes something like this: “Hey there’s a guy trying to sell a Model 1911 .45 coming your way, I offered him $300.” This happens all the time. So don’t think that every dealer is completely independent of each other, they are not. They will work together to profit at your expense. I have had to buy quite a few beers at dinner for other dealers that provided me with a whisper call about a gun trade or sale.

page 2 10/02/15 (Fri) 20:30:22 No.611

After the Show

If there is something you like or don’t like about a gun show, maybe the fact that there are too many tables that are selling items not related to guns.If so, be sure to tell the show promoter about your concerns. Your comments and suggestions can make a difference in the quality of the dealers at your next gun show. You can usually find the promoter or manager at the entrance or just ask. They are glad hear what you have to say, positive or negative, let them know how you liked the show. – Prepper Ray in Lexington, SC

JWR Adds: I strongly agree with Ray about doing your homework. If you are considering buying a particular model of gun at an upcoming gun show, then spend a few evenings studying up on all of the details on model variations, production numbers, prices, and key inspection points before attending the show. If need be, print out hard copies of references and bring them with you. These references used as leverage, in price negotiations. I have authored and co-authored several can also be used as leverage, in price negotiations. BTW, I have authored and co-authored several FAQs on guns and ammunition that you might find useful to print out as references.

Preparedness-minded individuals are strongly encouraged to gain experience on both sides of the gun show table. Even if you don’t need any extra income, I recommend gathering up some extra items and renting a table at a local gun show for a weekend. By acting as the seller rather than the buyer, you’ll gain some very important skills and insights that could be crucial to a future barter-based economy. Haggling skills take time to develop. It also takes time to develop a smoothly-paced spielabout your merchandise. (There is a fine line between extolling the virtues of your merchandise, and being too pushy.) And you will learn to be observant for shoplifters. Most importantly, you will also soon develop a discerning eye about your customers–their backgrounds, their personalities, their motivations, their income levels, their intelligence, and their level of knowledge about guns. These are crucial “people skills” that might prove to be worth their weight in gold, in a post-collapse society.