Originally Posted by ckcarr
"Show" is kind of a misnomer. It's really a flea market of salesmen...
Twenty to twenty five years ago (maybe longer) I went to just about every gun show in Denver, and other parts of Colorado. They were big events back then, held at the Merchandise Mart every couple weeks. My brother and I would go, and it got to be a very expensive "one upper" hobby as to what we could acquire.
The good thing is most of those acquisitions are worth a heck of a lot more than what I paid back then. The ones that aren't were the drunken purchases of "plastic" semi auto handguns that I would never touch today, although those are the better shooters. They just don't go up in value, whether Glock, Sig-Sauer, Ruger, Smith & Wesson...
So you are going for either a cheap junker, good reliable shooter, or collectability. I'm still mad I never bought any Colt Peacemakers back then (thought they were too expensive, or they were for me)...
What I would seek out, were the older men that were funding their retirements, and selling off their collections of old Brownings, Colts, and Winchesters. No paperwork, cash on the barrelhead.
Colts were my choice, new in box, .22 caliber mainly. Many absolutely pristine items purchased back in the day.
Guns, and learning what the quality guns are - even within the same manufacturer are a skill that takes a while to develop. Serial numbers mean something. Lots of books out there on the subject.
Simple rules are: Don't pick up a gun without asking the seller first. Some won't care, but some will. If you don't know how it works, ask and they will be happy to show you. Cash is good, but won't really get you a better deal, it's just convenient.
It's been so long I don't even know what the laws are these days. I know that both gun sales and bicycle sales are surging right now for no good reason.
A good deer rifle in Wisconson with all the forest and trees may be the simple Winchester model 94 30-30 lever action. Or a Marlin. Hunting there versus out west, with long shots and scopes is different.
|