RK Gun Show Lawton - day 1 mini-review - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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mugsy

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First, truth in advertising - I am new to OK and this is my first gun show here. I have been to many in Georgia. I also realize that Lawton is a small town and it isn't reasonable to expect the kind of turn out one might see in OKC or Tulsa. So here goes...

- The Good - they give a 50% discount ($4 vice $8) for active or retired military and the fee is good for entry both days of the show.
Unusually large displays of pocket knives at good prices and gun manuals (how to disassemble/clean, etc.) that are often hard to find online.
- The Bad - after walking into the main display area - this is one of the most poorly attended (by vendors) gun shows I have ever seen. I estimate that there are 20-30 vendors tops (likely fewer but I am trying to be generous). Very few pistols on display. There is a decent array of hunting type rifles mostly used. Two vendors have nice though small displays of AR variants.
- The Ugly - some very high asking prices - one vendor was asking $695 for a Rossi Circuit Judge. I just saw the same make/model for sale at Wally World across town for over $220.00 less. I understand that volume dealers get better wholesale prices but nearly 50% difference! They also didn't seem very much interested in dealing down the price.

Special Note: Doubledsteel.com (also guntargets.net ) have a very nice display of steel targets from small 4-point "tank trap" type targets to multi-plate arrays. All of his stuff was at good prices and seemed very competitive with Brownell's and other online sources.

I may try a second day and probably will pick up one or more of the steel targets.

:soapbox:
 

Seadog

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Sounds about right for a show in Lawton. I use to like going but they just seem to get worse with time. Less guns, more crud unrelated to firearms and a higher price to get through the door. Once in a while they have something good at a vendors table for a fair price but that is rare
 

garrett09

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This was the worst lawton gun show. You right on the prices were high. I saw a grendall p11 for 375 that was beat up. I did buy some steel targets and a glock 19 rtf2. That rijas AR dealer was selling dpms with ncstar rail and sights for 1200-1400 and talking them up like there the best ever.
 

ratski

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I figured it was going to be a bust. There is a large show in OKC this weekend. I don't know who planned two gun shows on the same weekend within 90 miles of each other, but I'm pretty sure that the larger vendors are going to go to the larger population area and more heavily promoted gun show.

Drove into the parking lot and saw very few cars. Most of the past shows have been well attended and the parking lot was full.

Another tip off was the hand lettered sign at the entrance to the show. No production signs to be seen.

I turned around and took off back home.

I will admit though that many of the shows there in the last couple of years have been pretty good. Full floor, 90-95% firearms/firearms related tables, sometimes foot traffic made it hard to walk down the aisles.

I think that the big factor here was the other gunshow in OKC. I just didn't feel like driving up there for it this weekend.

Dave
 

mugsy

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I good not convince myself to settle for the prices the vendors wanted for a pistol or rifle.
But I did buy a steel plate target set with base - very nice and sturdy for a good price. I'll be using those targets at the SCRAP range this upcoming weekend.

DoubleD Steel ( DoubleDsteel.com ) probably was the best value for dollar at the show. He also basically sold off his stock.

I hope future gun shows are better planned and don't look so "garage sale" style.
 

Seadog

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I was in town this weekend to see my folks. Was killing some time with my dad and figured we would stop in to check it out and see what there was to see. I was a bit hard on my earlier post this beeing Lawton and all but this was the all time worst. It was a waste of 8 bucks. Like stated above Ive never seen a parking lot so empty. The OKC gunshow definitley killed it.
 

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