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Gun Shows Having a Revival?

One of the largest gun shows around Atlanta will be Sept 17&18 put on my RK.
Jonesboro Road just off 285. $15 to get in but always a huge show with just
about everything. I have a table for this show... :triumphant:
That one became hot garbage a few years back. It's big, but when tables are selling heat pads, Chinese wall decor, and other garbage, it's just a modern day flea market with guns.
 
That one became hot garbage a few years back. It's big, but when tables are selling heat pads, Chinese wall decor, and other garbage, it's just a modern day flea market with guns.
Yes, lots of junk, but also by far the greatest quantity of guns on tables that you'll find in the ATL area. Also, the greatest number of attendees, and the best deals are *always* walking around the aisles.
 
I go to the RK show about once every 3 years and that is enough. ODT spoiled me permanently for gun shows. ODT is the 24x7 gun show without the sarcastic dealers and constantly having someone point a gun at you sometimes pulling the trigger. I have been at 4 gun shoes with rounds going off. The craziest one was in Gwinnett when a plastic bag of 45 ACP was dropped and one or more rounds detonated. I did not know it was possible but I saw it personally. The other three were people pulling a trigger. Had one 380 round go over my head by about 10 feet.
 
Found some good buys at the Jonesboro Rd. show. Gotta get there early.
I find some humor when people say over and over they cannot find anything at the shows. Gotta know what your looking at and have cash to buy it in a lot of cases. Very rarely have I gone to a show and did not find something.
Curious to hear from others on here. Am I one of very few people on here that has a broad depth of knowledge on firearms and related items and their values and the cash to buy them?
Are there others here that can look at a box of parts and make an educated decision to buy or not?
Any others here that can identify a magazine in a box of junk that will bring a lot of money?
Any one else here that feels a rush when you see a new vendor with stuff on a table that everyone else just walks by?
Where are the previous Southeastern Arms Collectors members?
Where are the former table holders that we used to have a great weekend with at the shows?
Where are the true gun collectors that used to attend the shows?
Where are the product catagory experts that used to haunt the shows? The 1911 guys, the HK guys, the rimfire guys, the Colt guys, the S&W guys, the Winchester guys, the ammo guys?
Maybe we need a gun club for these folks that are dedicated and would put on 1 or 2 shows a year for members only. Like OGCA or AGCA. Do we have enough interest in metro Atlanta or suburbs to do that?
Anyone a member of a local gun club that sounds like this?
 
Found some good buys at the Jonesboro Rd. show. Gotta get there early.
I find some humor when people say over and over they cannot find anything at the shows. Gotta know what your looking at and have cash to buy it in a lot of cases. Very rarely have I gone to a show and did not find something.
Curious to hear from others on here. Am I one of very few people on here that has a broad depth of knowledge on firearms and related items and their values and the cash to buy them?
Are there others here that can look at a box of parts and make an educated decision to buy or not?
Any others here that can identify a magazine in a box of junk that will bring a lot of money?
Any one else here that feels a rush when you see a new vendor with stuff on a table that everyone else just walks by?
Where are the previous Southeastern Arms Collectors members?
Where are the former table holders that we used to have a great weekend with at the shows?
Where are the true gun collectors that used to attend the shows?
Where are the product catagory experts that used to haunt the shows? The 1911 guys, the HK guys, the rimfire guys, the Colt guys, the S&W guys, the Winchester guys, the ammo guys?
Maybe we need a gun club for these folks that are dedicated and would put on 1 or 2 shows a year for members only. Like OGCA or AGCA. Do we have enough interest in metro Atlanta or suburbs to do that?
Anyone a member of a local gun club that sounds like this?
Wait, whut? You mean have a show where loads of cud chewers AREN'T coming in expecting to buy at the lowest price ever seen, in person, from a dealer who paid for tables, hotels, travel exp, etc., and has a need to make a small profit INSTEAD of ordering from a website and having it shipped UPS or US Mail? What will those people do? Go to Walmart and haunt the ammo counter?

Your assessment is spot on. Gun shows are great for the most part. It's rare that I can't make up at least my admission and fuel to get there.... If your knowledge base is limited to what you read on Bud's Guns and Atlantic Firearms or Ammoseek.com, then no, stay home and save your $15 for Happy Meals for the family. Gun shows are great for bargain shoppers, if they have the knowledge to buy well.
 
The first gun show that I attended was in a downtown Atlanta hotel over 50 years ago. Probably a Georgia Arms Collectors Assn. show. Back then most or all exhibitors were collectors. I don't recall seeing retail gun dealers at Georgia shows until the 1980's and even then the collectors vastly outnumbered them. Those collectors came from all over the southeast.
What happened? Non-club promoters saw an opportunity to make money putting on shows. The clubs were non-profit and kept the dealers to a minimum but the for-profit promoters will sell a table to anyone.
We don't have a gun collectors club in Georgia anymore that I'm aware of. And it's a lot of work putting on a show if there's no profit incentive. South Carolina has a good club as does Alabama and they put on good shows so it can be done.
We still have serious collectors in Georgia but we're not organized.
 
Had another great buying day at the Jonesboro Rd. Gunshow today. Heard one table holder talking bad about the show to attendees just ten minutes after it opened. Not sure why you would do that. If he had been looking around instead of criticizing the show he might have found what I did.
Today the tables were sold about to capacity. Maybe could have had 1 1 /2 more rows.
Would like to hear if you were there, how your day went.
 
Had another great buying day at the Jonesboro Rd. Gunshow today. Heard one table holder talking bad about the show to attendees just ten minutes after it opened. Not sure why you would do that. If he had been looking around instead of criticizing the show he might have found what I did.
Today the tables were sold about to capacity. Maybe could have had 1 1 /2 more rows.
Would like to hear if you were there, how your day went.
I walked it fast. Had to get back to Warner Robins. Seemed a good show. Saw a lot more cool old stuff so that's good.
 
Haven't been to a show in a couple years (5 years for the Jonesboro Road show as it was half purses & jewelry the last 2 times I went). I’d be interested to hear if they are still going that way or are more gun oriented vendors returning back to the shows? More gun vendors hopefully equals better prices.
 
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