Gun Show good deals and rip offs, crazy people elsewhere, mostly

[TXyakr]

I went to a large Gun Show in Dallas this past Saturday (I rarely go to these) it was sort of fun and thankfully I did not have my radio on so I had no idea that just a few hours before a mentally disturbed man had attacked the Dallas Police Department HQ a few miles away. No police or bystanders were injured. The suspect was evidently a very poor shot so he was then taken down by the police. Very sad for his son and loved ones and all the people he traumatized. Failure of the health system and his own common sense I guess, but I am not a mental health professional so I don’t know.

At the show at least one vendor had a few new Gen 4 Glocks for about $60 cheaper than in any area stores and an endless amount of ridiculous/fun stuff to add to them, also many vendors selling AR/AK and vintage firearms, all fun. One vendor tried to use a Japanese sword to cut thru 40+ bamboo mats and failed, only about 22 mats. Ironic that we can buy great machetes and swords but we cannot carry anything with a blade over 5" in public (because of the mentally ill and terrorists I guess). Perhaps under our car seat, it does not require reloading. I will not admit to that. I was mostly interested in a Glock 17 ($509 cash at show, versus best price of $569 credit/debit at local Gun Shops) for target practice because 9mm is relatively inexpensive and Glocks are cost effective choices for life IF you like them for other reasons. I also like Ruger, S&W and some other handguns manuf., but I mostly shoot rifles and shotguns for hunting.

I saw several vendors selling .22lr (a much cheaper ammo) for anywhere from 50% to 300% mark up above what it typically sells for at local retailers. Some boxes looked like they had water/moisture damage and or was very very old probably 20% or higher duds. Sad that people might (did not see anyone actually buying) resort to paying 20+ cents a round for Rem Golden Bullets or CCI M-M and other improperly stored .22lr. I was tempted to sell some of mine for just 20% markup, but not worth my time or a visit to Chiropractor (sore back) after carrying ammo cans with “.22lr 4 sale” signs around the store and ticking off these vendors who were trying to break even on cost of table. Perhaps I will use a canvas backpack and practice long distance hiking with a 30-50lb assault-pack. ;-)

I was in a good mood. I woke up at 5am was on the lake by 7:30 providing water safety for triathlon practice swimmers, then drove on down to the show after dropping off my kayak with friends at a second lake. Left the show at about 5pm after spending less money than I had anticipated. Life is good.

[Zack]

I went to a large Gun Show in Dallas this past Saturday (I rarely go to these) it was sort of fun and thankfully I did not have my radio on so I had no idea that just a few hours before a mentally disturbed man had attacked the Dallas Police Department HQ a few miles away. No police or bystanders were injured. The suspect was evidently a very poor shot so he was then taken down by the police. Very sad for his son and loved ones and all the people he traumatized. Failure of the health system and his own common sense I guess, but I am not a mental health professional so I don’t know.

At the show at least one vendor had a few new Gen 4 Glocks for about $60 cheaper than in any area stores and an endless amount of ridiculous/fun stuff to add to them, also many vendors selling AR/AK and vintage firearms, all fun. One vendor tried to use a Japanese sword to cut thru 40+ bamboo mats and failed, only about 22 mats. Ironic that we can buy great machetes and swords but we cannot carry anything with a blade over 5" in public (because of the mentally ill and terrorists I guess). Perhaps under our car seat, it does not require reloading. I will not admit to that. I was mostly interested in a Glock 17 ($509 cash at show, versus best price of $569 credit/debit at local Gun Shops) for target practice because 9mm is relatively inexpensive and Glocks are cost effective choices for life IF you like them for other reasons. I also like Ruger, S&W and some other handguns manuf., but I mostly shoot rifles and shotguns for hunting.

I saw several vendors selling .22lr (a much cheaper ammo) for anywhere from 50% to 300% mark up above what it typically sells for at local retailers. Some boxes looked like they had water/moisture damage and or was very very old probably 20% or higher duds. Sad that people might (did not see anyone actually buying) resort to paying 20+ cents a round for Rem Golden Bullets or CCI M-M and other improperly stored .22lr. I was tempted to sell some of mine for just 20% markup, but not worth my time or a visit to Chiropractor (sore back) after carrying ammo cans with “.22lr 4 sale” signs around the store and ticking off these vendors who were trying to break even on cost of table. Perhaps I will use a canvas backpack and practice long distance hiking with a 30-50lb assault-pack. ;-)

I was in a good mood. I woke up at 5am was on the lake by 7:30 providing water safety for triathlon practice swimmers, then drove on down to the show after dropping off my kayak with friends at a second lake. Left the show at about 5pm after spending less money than I had anticipated. Life is good.

Sounds like a great time!

[TXyakr]

Shot almost 500 rounds at a local indoor gun range yesterday from about 11 am until past 8 pm with a short break for lunch and much talking to the employees there. More fun than a day at an amusement park and without all the kids running everywhere, but my lungs may have aged a year. lol. Also should have worn gloves, washed hands frequently and before eating.

200 9mm rounds thru old Glock 17 gen 2, and rented: Glock 19 Gen 4, S&W M&P Full Size, and Ruger SR9 which I liked on paper (specs) but it was NOT fun to shot! Then I got tired because I am old, out of shape, left arm has tennis elbow from excessive WW kayaking, and I am half blind. So I switched to .22lr.

200 rounds of CCI Mini-Mags which I brought, gun range only had Agulia Standard Velocity (jams in semi-auto a fair amount more than Hi-velocity) so they were fine with me using my own ammo in their guns: Browning Buck Mark and Ruger 22/45 Mark III with original trigger. Both still jammed some because they were well used and not cleaned well and rim fire so expected. But lots of fun. I really like B-Buck Mark a LOT MORE! Coutour is on my wish list so I can put "red dot" on Picatinny rail due to my old man failing eyesight when shooting more than 5-10 yards. Then I shot a few hundred rounds of misc brands (7) and types of .22lr thru a Marlin model 60 that my Brother-in-law bought at K-Mart about 10 years ago and never fired. Rifle has been sitting in my safe for most of this time looking very sad. I guess he bought it instead of a Ruger 10/22 because he is cheap and did not know any better. Oh well, it shoots just fine, has a few advantages over Ruger 10/22 but is a pain to reload, relatively speaking, could be worse. Not bad for $125 10 years ago. Good for hunting small varmints I guess. Will need to try it out for that some time. Bro-in-law does not want it. My conclusion: Guns are fun. Depending on you needs/preferences some are better than others, so try them out BEFORE you buy!

BTW I was most accurate with Glock 17 (9mm) and in .22lr obviously the rifle then Browning Buck Mark both it and Ruger 22/45 had 5.5" barrels. All iron sights, when I use one set of eye correction wear I see sights clearly, target is a blur, use other sights are blur and target is clear, so this old man needs rail optics to hunt unfortunately and a rifle preferably but handgun at home for personal protection if I cannot get to my shotgun.

Gun Range for members is $7 all day, and $5 per gun rental after first two for $10 each, not as cheap as on Grandma's/relative's ranch with my guns or those of friends but less walking and driving for an old guy.

IMO the only useful firearm is an accurate one that suits its intended purpose so figuring out which one is best for that purpose is important and then training with it is also critical. But this can be fun as well.

[TXyakr]

Check list of things to take to Gun Range, public or your own on private property

Guns + mags in cases (water resistant, incase it is raining when you leave)
Ammo in metal ammo can (hot spent shell casings flying everywhere)
Eye and ear protection
Spotting scope or field glasses (running target up and down wires is a waste of time and makes it swing, this is also waste of time and frustrating, some systems swing a lot.)

Targets + butcher paper
Tape (masking) + small scissors
Weights for bottom of targets (wooden or metal clips)
- wooden clothes pens with thin wood strip glued to weigh down so target will not blow excessively from vent fans, stick like used to mix paint or similar, better than metal paper clips, cheaper and less ricochet if hit at 3 yards.

Pens (Sharpie), 2-4 colors write date, gun, ammo, shooter etc. on target then photo with your phone, keep phone in protective case ejected casing can break screen, take photos outside shooting area.

Water and snacks like nuts, power bars
Small folding stool taller than chairs provided
Gloves and/or soap that removes carbon from hands if range does not provide.

If you take a small child or delicate teenage girl (relative) have them wear appropriate apparel, like closed in shoes and long sleeves. Large caliber firearms can send fairly hot casings flying and these can hurt a little on bare skin. I see people there in shorts and flip-flops. All the females in my household are very delicate, perhaps my daughters were swapped at the hospital or something, I am considering having their DNA checked. Only joking. 17 year old shoots well but prefers to dance.

What else did I forget on my list? Most public gun ranges do not allow you to clean your guns there but on private property a cleaning kit and repair tools are a very good idea. At minimum one mult-tool. Flash light or head beam?

[hunter63]

Haven't been to many show lately....and have found many deals.
I do like digging thru junk boxes and looking for Handi Rifles and barrels....Now that they quit making them, the prices have really gone up.

I have a range at "The Place" our cabin, but drives the dogs nuts, as they think they need to go retrieve some thing, so generally run into town ( about 3 miles) and use the local gun club's range (I'm a member...$5 bucks and year, $10 family)

Part of my carry kit for town.....

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Also have a 3 ft. brass rod just under .25 to pound out stuck brass or a rare stuck bullet (reloaded no powder)
This has been borrowed many times.

Private ranges, I include a 5 ga bucket (to carry stuff and brass), with shooting stand/sand bags, folding chair and shooting stand.

Haven't been out for a while

[TXyakr]

Hunter63, great kit! I need to add sand bags to my kit list! One public/club gun range provides them and one does not, both fairly close to my home (6 & 15 miles) ranch land 3 and 5 hours away. The range that does had about 5 feet of water in the building and surrounding outdoor ranges during the historic flooding a few weeks ago in May (N-TX, was worse in Houston) Then some just now again with hurricane. I stopped by on way back from a lake to check it out 2 weeks ago, bags were all out dying. Another range in Irving/Dallas area (Elm Fork) is still closed due to flood water damage, so all their sand bags got damaged, also safe with guns and ammo etc at range in Garland. Indoor ranges further north are more busy than normal I think, I don't know, my schedule is flexible I don't shoot public on weekends, it is a zoo then.

Hard container or bag for empty brass shells good idea, many ranges allow you to pick up your own and those that fly over at you. I like to inspect to see how much residue a "new to me" type of ammo has on casing/shell. Some is much more dirty than others. Was told "freedommunitions.com" is fairly clean for good price by older manager at gun range. I need to try it. Freedom Munitions pays about $2/pound for brass, but shipping is more than that so this does not make sense to me. Reload or sell locally.

OH BTW, for flood water control NOT shooting (unless you cover with canvas) I had to buy some sand bags, the only place that had them locally was Army/Navy Store for $1.50/each OUCH!!!
Home Depot for $0.33 each if ordered ship to store in boxes of 25 or 100, but there are some online places that have them for under 20 cents each. If you have water drainage problems (for me it was 5-7 inches of rain in a few hours 2 days in a row on my patio that seeped into house) or live in bottom land near creek/river (1000 year flood plane) it is a good idea to have at least 50 - 200 on hand and a source of sand. Much faster to fill than plastic garbage bags which rip and spill.

[Zack]

Check list of things to take to Gun Range, public or your own on private property

Guns + mags in cases (water resistant, incase it is raining when you leave)
Ammo in metal ammo can (hot spent shell casings flying everywhere)
Eye and ear protection
Spotting scope or field glasses (running target up and down wires is a waste of time and makes it swing, this is also waste of time and frustrating, some systems swing a lot.)

Targets + butcher paper
Tape (masking) + small scissors
Weights for bottom of targets (wooden or metal clips)
- wooden clothes pens with thin wood strip glued to weigh down so target will not blow excessively from vent fans, stick like used to mix paint or similar, better than metal paper clips, cheaper and less ricochet if hit at 3 yards.

Pens (Sharpie), 2-4 colors write date, gun, ammo, shooter etc. on target then photo with your phone, keep phone in protective case ejected casing can break screen, take photos outside shooting area.

Water and snacks like nuts, power bars
Small folding stool taller than chairs provided
Gloves and/or soap that removes carbon from hands if range does not provide.

If you take a small child or delicate teenage girl (relative) have them wear appropriate apparel, like closed in shoes and long sleeves. Large caliber firearms can send fairly hot casings flying and these can hurt a little on bare skin. I see people there in shorts and flip-flops. All the females in my household are very delicate, perhaps my daughters were swapped at the hospital or something, I am considering having their DNA checked. Only joking. 17 year old shoots well but prefers to dance.

What else did I forget on my list? Most public gun ranges do not allow you to clean your guns there but on private property a cleaning kit and repair tools are a very good idea. At minimum one mult-tool. Flash light or head beam?

Besides most of the gear on your list, I bring a few other things. I take plastic shopping bags to collect shotshell hulls (or brass) for reloading. I bring a pair of needlenose pliers, cheap (free to me, actually) flashlight, and a small knife too. Several different tins of glasses and an extra pair of foam earplugs go with me as well. Paperwork and rule book for competition go in the "map pocket" of the range bag. Sometimes a small bottle of RemOil and a rag.

[Zack]

Shot almost 500 rounds at a local indoor gun range yesterday from about 11 am until past 8 pm with a short break for lunch and much talking to the employees there. More fun than a day at an amusement park and without all the kids running everywhere, but my lungs may have aged a year. lol. Also should have worn gloves, washed hands frequently and before eating.

200 9mm rounds thru old Glock 17 gen 2, and rented: Glock 19 Gen 4, S&W M&P Full Size, and Ruger SR9 which I liked on paper (specs) but it was NOT fun to shot! Then I got tired because I am old, out of shape, left arm has tennis elbow from excessive WW kayaking, and I am half blind. So I switched to .22lr.

200 rounds of CCI Mini-Mags which I brought, gun range only had Agulia Standard Velocity (jams in semi-auto a fair amount more than Hi-velocity) so they were fine with me using my own ammo in their guns: Browning Buck Mark and Ruger 22/45 Mark III with original trigger. Both still jammed some because they were well used and not cleaned well and rim fire so expected. But lots of fun. I really like B-Buck Mark a LOT MORE! Coutour is on my wish list so I can put "red dot" on Picatinny rail due to my old man failing eyesight when shooting more than 5-10 yards. Then I shot a few hundred rounds of misc brands (7) and types of .22lr thru a Marlin model 60 that my Brother-in-law bought at K-Mart about 10 years ago and never fired. Rifle has been sitting in my safe for most of this time looking very sad. I guess he bought it instead of a Ruger 10/22 because he is cheap and did not know any better. Oh well, it shoots just fine, has a few advantages over Ruger 10/22 but is a pain to reload, relatively speaking, could be worse. Not bad for $125 10 years ago. Good for hunting small varmints I guess. Will need to try it out for that some time. Bro-in-law does not want it. My conclusion: Guns are fun. Depending on you needs/preferences some are better than others, so try them out BEFORE you buy!

BTW I was most accurate with Glock 17 (9mm) and in .22lr obviously the rifle then Browning Buck Mark both it and Ruger 22/45 had 5.5" barrels. All iron sights, when I use one set of eye correction wear I see sights clearly, target is a blur, use other sights are blur and target is clear, so this old man needs rail optics to hunt unfortunately and a rifle preferably but handgun at home for personal protection if I cannot get to my shotgun.

Gun Range for members is $7 all day, and $5 per gun rental after first two for $10 each, not as cheap as on Grandma's/relative's ranch with my guns or those of friends but less walking and driving for an old guy.

IMO the only useful firearm is an accurate one that suits its intended purpose so figuring out which one is best for that purpose is important and then training with it is also critical. But this can be fun as well.

You say the Ruger SR9 "wasn't fun to shoot"? Why not? I've read a few brief reviews and they seem to work well. They're pretty looking guns, too. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.