A morning at the gun show

I drove down to the gun and knife show at Franklin, TN this morning.  It was an interesting visit, the first time I've been to that particular show.  It had almost as many tables as the Nashville gun shows to which I'm accustomed, but fewer people walking the floor.  I was pleased to see that at least two dealers had marked their firearms at prices almost as good as the best I've found online, and I've made a mental note to talk to them in future about my needs.

There were quite a few folks trying to sell guns privately, too, and I was sorely tempted by a couple of them . . . but I was there to sell two of my own guns, not buy more.  I'm planning to give several Crimson Trace handgun lasers as Christmas gifts, and install them on more of my own handguns too, so I was raising money for the purchase.  I sold a Winchester .357 Magnum carbine for a reasonable price, and that money's already gone into the laser kitty, so to speak.  A pistol attracted less interest, so I may try again tomorrow.

Many ammo dealers don't seem to have got the word yet that stocks are returning to normal - prices, too.  There were many sellers asking 15c per round and upward for brand-name .22LR ammo, which I've been able to buy at retail for 10c per round or even less for some time now.  They weren't doing much business.  One of them professed disbelief when I informed him that I'd been able to buy CCI Minimags (which carry a premium in the market) for $10.95 per box of 100 earlier this week.  He wanted $19.99 for the same thing.  Needless to say, I didn't offer him my money.

I was surprised to see that some dealers don't keep up with internet pricing.  For example, right now CDNN Investments is offering new-in-the-box Ruger SR45's at $369.99 (the best price I've seen for that model in a long time).  However, a dealer was offering an older model, a Ruger P345 (long since discontinued), for $450, allegedly 'new-in-the-box'.  When I pointed out that it was a discontinued model and priced much higher than its replacement, he was rather huffy about it.  Oh, well . . . that's his problem.  He might find a sucker willing to pay that for it, but not me.  I'd say the discontinued P345, even new, should be more in the $300-$325 range, and its predecessor, the P97, in the $250-$275 bracket.

All in all, a relaxing morning.  I don't get to many gun shows these days, so it's nice to enjoy one when I can.

Peter