Wanemacher spring gun show

[zghorner]

Depends. I've found great deals during the dealer setup days, or gotten parts before the unwashed masses descended upon them, but I've also found excellent deals being walked around by show visitors. Be sure and keep an eye out for the latter, you never know what might turn up. Of course, there are those vendors who prowl the parking lots, looking for deals to flip on their tables...

last fall on sunday a guy was walking around with a mint Benelli montefeltro I snagged for (iirc) $625...absolute steal on that gun. The year before I bought a 5.56 saiga for $460 from an individual. So i have to agree that its worth your time to ask "whatcha got there man is it for sale?"

Also a good tip is to bring a small notepad or flash card and if you find a deal that you are on the fence about, simply write down the item description, price, row/isle and any land markers to help you find it if you havnt stumbled upon a better deal by the end of the day.

 

[Kid Glock]

My suggestion as has already been stated, is to wear comfortable footwear and allow yourself enough time to see the show.
Personally, I have to work at it to see it all in only 2 days. I think that if you're a gun guy, you need to make Wanenmachers at least once.
The NRA guys, Lapeirre, Supica, etc. are frequently there as well as the list of celebs I've seen while there is pretty long, but that's not why I go.

 

[dc4ou]

Good advice so far. There is so much to see. The first time I went I spent 2 days and never saw it all. Now I only go one day. I know what I am looking for and I don't stop and look at stuff I am not interested in buying. There is so much stuff there you cannot see it all.

The only thing no one has mentioned is money. It is not any fun to go if you don't have some money in your pocket. You can spend $500 on just cool stuff. Take some cash!! There are tons of revolvers and lever guns.

 

[tRidiot]

Lotsa stuff is overpriced, some is about comparable to what you'd find online and in shops. I think a lot of shops up their prices to get the suckers sucked in, and if you want to dicker, you might talk them down to their normal prices.

For instance:

This gun would be a minimum of $1000 at Wanenmacher's from my experiences.

 

[rlongnt]

Totally agree. Dealer prices are usually not any better than what I can go to 2A 2 miles away and buy something for. There will be lots of used Glock 17/19/22/23 Gen 3 pistols for $475-$499. I can buy it brand new all day long for $499 or $529 for gen 4. Not worth it for that. I go for the oddball stuff I can't find easily.

 

[surjimmy]

I don't understand, I have yet gone to a gunshow and not found any deals. Sure I see over priced stuff, but that's all some of you seem to focus on. I have had guys want to sale me their Taurus 638 for $525, have had people offer me $400 for a 5 screw pre model 28 but that's the nature of the beast.

 

[clintbailey]

I don't understand, I have yet gone to a gunshow and not found any deals. Sure I see over priced stuff, but that's all some of you seem to focus on. I have had guys want to sale me their Taurus 638 for $525, have had people offer me $400 for a 5 screw pre model 28 but that's the nature of the beast.

The only ones I've really been to have been the little ones in Elk City or McAlester (same show with slightly different dealers), and the used gun/good deal table is usually nonexistant. I can faintly recall going to big shows in Dallas area with my dad when I was a kid, but of course that was 30 years ago!

 

[tRidiot]

I don't understand, I have yet gone to a gunshow and not found any deals. Sure I see over priced stuff, but that's all some of you seem to focus on. I have had guys want to sale me their Taurus 638 for $525, have had people offer me $400 for a 5 screw pre model 28 but that's the nature of the beast.

I dunno, maybe it's all I focus on because that's mostly all I've seen. I don't look for older stuff, old classic rifles like a lot of guys here seem to look at, etc. I am into new black rifles and newer handguns. I was in the market for 1911s a couple years back and I found them to be pretty high for what I was looking for at the Wanenmacher's show. I've gotten some halfway decent deals on AR parts, but honestly, I've yet to see anything at ANY gunshow that I thought was better than deals I see most every week in the Classifieds here.

Maybe there are occasional good deals at the shows... I hear about them once in a while but never found anything I thought was a spectacular find. Best I've gotten was trading an older late-80's S&W single-stack 9mm for a 9mm Shield, straight across. Of course, I think mine had 5 mags with it, too. Maybe wasn't a great deal, but it had sat for several years without even being fired, so I figured might as well get rid of it in favor of something newer and concealable.

 

[mightymouse]

If you're looking for something special--I look for high-end .22 rimfire sporters--you'll likely find it at Wanenmachers. I looked at four different Winchester 52B sporter reproductions before finding the one that I wanted. You rarely ever see such a rifle at one of the small local shows.

 

[Hoov]

You should go to one before Joe dies. They may suck or cease to exist after he goes. Dang sure bring a memory or pen and paper if you plan to go back to a table. Walking shoes are a must. Watch out for scooters, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. And yes, you will get crop dusted. A lot.