Saturday, May 13, 2017

The Gun Show - How Could I Have Forgotten?

So, I wrote the most recent previous post about what Brendan and I have done together son far here in AR and I said it had not amounted to much. Thing is I forgot to mention one thing we did last weekend - we went to a gun show in Hot Springs, AR (the boyhood home of Bill Clinton - or so the signs said). Since, in that last post, I wrote about how AR is not all that different than NY I do not know how I forgot to mention the show both because of how different it was in maybe two ways and how alike it was to NY gun shows in other ways.

First of all the differences:

1) They had a good number of so called assault weapons on display, ones that are forbidden in NY'istan, such as semi-auto AKs and ARs. Of course, you don't see that stuff in NYbecause of the NY SAFE Act and the tyrant of a governor there.

2) They had full auto guns for sale (some were real assault rifles).

3) They had suppressors for sale.
 

4) The place was just about empty of attendees and we got there around an hour after the door opened. I met the promoter and he told me since it was a Sunday, it would be their slow day and it had had a lot of attendees on Saturday. Maybe that is a Bible Belt thing but in NY the heathens, right along with the church goers, would have packed the place on Sunday too. In NY, any gun show I have been to within the last 10 to 15 years has packed in the customers like sardines in a can or worse yet like Japanese commuters on a train in the peak of rush hour.

Now the similarities:

1) Cost to get into the show - $10, the same as many NY shows.

2) Things for sale that should not be allowed for sale at guns shows, like non-firearms or ammo related items such as: jerky, jewelry, toys and even teddy bears and a whole table of scented lights and candles.

3) Prices on both guns and ammo were, for the most part outrageous just like in NY. In fact, I think they were probably higher than what you would have seen in a NY gun show for the most part. One perfect example was a Remington Model 141 in 35 Remington. It had an asking price of $750 and that regardless of the fact that there was extensive pitting on the metal that had obviously been reblued right over the pitting. The wood was fairly dinged and I think refinished as well as was the metal. I picked up one of these rifles in NY (at an auction) for $350 or was it $375. The metal on mine was in much better condition with no pitting at all and about 75 to 80% finish remaining and the stock had what looks like a factory repair (or one done by a very skilled woodworker). Also, the forestock may have a hairline crack, I'll have to look better with a magnifier to see if it is a crack or grain. It is a shooter and a good one from the 7 or 8 shots I fired through it while here in AR. Yes, I got it at the Hessney Auction on the first day of this road trip and it has been with me, so to speak, since then.

4) Some of the dealers were typical gun dealer gurus and others were very nice. Nicest guys I met were the promoter and another guy who was selling knives (and I think sharpening service).

I did not buy a thing. Meant to get a metal "Nuthouse" sign showing a family of three deranged squirrels and wanted to get a few confederate flags but wound up forgetting about them when it was time to leave. Brendan picked up some patches and other trinkets to send to friends back in NY and also gave me a couple. The guns and ammo were, as I said, just way to expensive to even consider buying. Regardless, it was fun as has been just about any gun show I ever have attended.
 
All the best,
GB

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