contender
Ruger Guru
Folks lament a lot about how gun shows have degenerated over the years. From selling all kinds of junk that has nothing to do with firearms,, to over-priced stuff,,, to nothing but black, plastic, tactical for the spec op wannabe's.
I can usually agree.
Too many promoters have allowed flea marketers to put up a table of cheap jewelry, or hemp oil salve, or other things that do not have a connection to firearms.
Then there are the gun shops,, who use the gun show to try & sell their NIB new inventory guns at inflated prices.
Or the guys who are wannabe gun dealers,, who buy up hard to find stuff,,like .22 ammo, other ammo, primers or whatever at fair prices,, then jack the price to stupid levels.
Once again, I agree that it has degenerated the true old timey gun shows where folks would bring out their old, odd, unusual, or whatever guns & related items to swap & sell.
But,, they can still be a good place to spend a Saturday,, wandering around,, looking at the assorted stuff out for sale. And if you take your time,, looking closely,,, you'll usually find a selection of true gun show vendors. Guys that enjoy the hobby. Guys that buy stuff,, say from an estate, or auction, or even get "grandpa's guns & stuff, because grandma wanted them gone" etc. Or the only occasional gun show vendor who accumulates all sorts of stuff he no longer needs & wants to sell it to clean up his personal gun stuff.
These are the vendors I enjoy seeking out.
Yesterday,, a buddy of mine had been planning on us attending a nearby gun show. So,, we went. He was looking for a few sets of used, fairly priced reloading dies, (some for a Dillon SDB, & some RCBS,) as well as anything that struck his fancy. I didn't have anything I was truly looking for,, except maybe a S&W M57 in 6" at a shooter price. I didn't expect to find one,, but you never know.
And of course,, the occasional hidden Ruger treasure.
Well, we know a local guy who has a couple of tables full of all kinds of odds & ends,, mostly associated with reloading. My buddy has purchased (2) Dillon SDB's from this gentleman,, and I've bought a few things,, myself over the years. Well, Danny scored a like new, in the actual box,, SDB,, and (1) set of RCBS dies he was seeking. Throw in a partial box of Hornady .41 mag bullets,,, and a couple of RCBS tool handles for brushes & such, all for a grand total of $302.00.
Good vendor, and a fair deal all around for Danny.
As we continued to wander,, I spied a vendor,, kinda out of the way,, against the wall in an odd area. who, had several handguns in a couple of cases. The fact that 6 of them were SA handguns,, of which, 4 were Rugers, got my attention. Especially since I saw a worn, but obvious OM black eagle grip. I casually eased over to the table. Upon inspection, I discovered a non-prefix OM .357 Blackhawk hiding under that worn eagle,,a NM .357/9mm convertible, an OM 20-prefix .22 Single-Six,, and a rubber baby bumper gripped OM, .45 Colt, short bbl. With a calm study of the .22 & .357,,, casually glancing at the price tags,, my hopes were lifted when I picked up the .45. The .357 showed use & wear,, while the .22 was in better shape,, but it too had some flaws. Yet,, the .45 was in very good condition,, especially since I expected to see more wear due to the rubber baby bumper grips. (For those who don't understand,, I stole that grip description from FlatGate.)
With full knowledge that OM .45's were made in lower numbers than the OM .44 Flattops,, and how desirable they are,, I was a bit hesitant to look at the price tag. But just like the others,, it was actually very reasonably priced when all was considered. Enough so,, that with a bit of discussion,, I added it to my stable of OM .45's. After I purchased it,, the vendor mentioned he'd had a Ruger .45 short barrel, convertible he'd sold the evening before to another dealer. That dealer is a good friend of mine,, and a member here. I quietly cussed a bit under my breath. Then I went to see my friend/dealer. A big sigh of relief when I discovered the convertible was a NM, but pre-warning. He had it under his table, not out for sale.
My point to this long-winded post is that while many gun shows have seriously degenerated in quality,, and too many of them are no longer what they used to be,, you can still find deals if you are careful, look closely, and have a bit of cash to play with to bring home the goodies. I'm not going to share what I paid,, because,, well, I might get arrested for potential stealing of something. It was a very good deal,, and one that any Ruger fan of OM's would have been stupid to pass up.
As rugerguy likes to so often say; "The deals are still out there!"
I can usually agree.
Too many promoters have allowed flea marketers to put up a table of cheap jewelry, or hemp oil salve, or other things that do not have a connection to firearms.
Then there are the gun shops,, who use the gun show to try & sell their NIB new inventory guns at inflated prices.
Or the guys who are wannabe gun dealers,, who buy up hard to find stuff,,like .22 ammo, other ammo, primers or whatever at fair prices,, then jack the price to stupid levels.
Once again, I agree that it has degenerated the true old timey gun shows where folks would bring out their old, odd, unusual, or whatever guns & related items to swap & sell.
But,, they can still be a good place to spend a Saturday,, wandering around,, looking at the assorted stuff out for sale. And if you take your time,, looking closely,,, you'll usually find a selection of true gun show vendors. Guys that enjoy the hobby. Guys that buy stuff,, say from an estate, or auction, or even get "grandpa's guns & stuff, because grandma wanted them gone" etc. Or the only occasional gun show vendor who accumulates all sorts of stuff he no longer needs & wants to sell it to clean up his personal gun stuff.
These are the vendors I enjoy seeking out.
Yesterday,, a buddy of mine had been planning on us attending a nearby gun show. So,, we went. He was looking for a few sets of used, fairly priced reloading dies, (some for a Dillon SDB, & some RCBS,) as well as anything that struck his fancy. I didn't have anything I was truly looking for,, except maybe a S&W M57 in 6" at a shooter price. I didn't expect to find one,, but you never know.
And of course,, the occasional hidden Ruger treasure.
Well, we know a local guy who has a couple of tables full of all kinds of odds & ends,, mostly associated with reloading. My buddy has purchased (2) Dillon SDB's from this gentleman,, and I've bought a few things,, myself over the years. Well, Danny scored a like new, in the actual box,, SDB,, and (1) set of RCBS dies he was seeking. Throw in a partial box of Hornady .41 mag bullets,,, and a couple of RCBS tool handles for brushes & such, all for a grand total of $302.00.
Good vendor, and a fair deal all around for Danny.
As we continued to wander,, I spied a vendor,, kinda out of the way,, against the wall in an odd area. who, had several handguns in a couple of cases. The fact that 6 of them were SA handguns,, of which, 4 were Rugers, got my attention. Especially since I saw a worn, but obvious OM black eagle grip. I casually eased over to the table. Upon inspection, I discovered a non-prefix OM .357 Blackhawk hiding under that worn eagle,,a NM .357/9mm convertible, an OM 20-prefix .22 Single-Six,, and a rubber baby bumper gripped OM, .45 Colt, short bbl. With a calm study of the .22 & .357,,, casually glancing at the price tags,, my hopes were lifted when I picked up the .45. The .357 showed use & wear,, while the .22 was in better shape,, but it too had some flaws. Yet,, the .45 was in very good condition,, especially since I expected to see more wear due to the rubber baby bumper grips. (For those who don't understand,, I stole that grip description from FlatGate.)
With full knowledge that OM .45's were made in lower numbers than the OM .44 Flattops,, and how desirable they are,, I was a bit hesitant to look at the price tag. But just like the others,, it was actually very reasonably priced when all was considered. Enough so,, that with a bit of discussion,, I added it to my stable of OM .45's. After I purchased it,, the vendor mentioned he'd had a Ruger .45 short barrel, convertible he'd sold the evening before to another dealer. That dealer is a good friend of mine,, and a member here. I quietly cussed a bit under my breath. Then I went to see my friend/dealer. A big sigh of relief when I discovered the convertible was a NM, but pre-warning. He had it under his table, not out for sale.
My point to this long-winded post is that while many gun shows have seriously degenerated in quality,, and too many of them are no longer what they used to be,, you can still find deals if you are careful, look closely, and have a bit of cash to play with to bring home the goodies. I'm not going to share what I paid,, because,, well, I might get arrested for potential stealing of something.
It was a very good deal,, and one that any Ruger fan of OM's would have been stupid to pass up. As rugerguy likes to so often say; "The deals are still out there!"
