Where to begin???
We just got back from the gun show, a side trip to the Sony store in the Wrentham Outlet and dinner at a local restaurant.
To put it bluntly, if you live >15 minutes away from the Big E, save your time and money and do NOT WASTE YOUR TIME GOING!
There were ~300 tables there (advertised 600) and yes, I did a rough count by counting them on two rows and counting the rows!
Many "regulars" (dealers) weren't there. One dealer that I know casually (the jerky guy) mentioned that the radio in Springfield area was announcing that this was high school graduation weekend for damn near all high schools in the state. Thus, the parents and grandparents weren't at the show (dealers or attendees).
Damages for this show:
- $5 parking, $14 for two to attend (we had two cards for $1 discount each). = $19 in the door.
- Don't know what my Wife paid for the coffee there.
- Bought a holster for my Surefire E2d Defender for $11
- Bought 8 of the ammo can locks for $38 OTD from Amherst Drop Zone (the guy someone mentioned about the cleaning supplies).
- $4.20 on Mass Turnpike tolls.
- $13.00 for gas (~230 miles RT)
- Beef jerky for $1.
Now for some comments:
- This was advertised as a Militaria Show, thus the "period" gear, uniforms, items. Yes, this includes a few of the dealers in Nazi paraphernalia who dress the part and occasionally some will dress in Colonial garb as well. I can honestly say that I have not seen any of the folks dressed in Nazi uniforms doing anything freakish. Being Jewish (and having lost most of my Parents Families in the Holocaust), I have never seen any behavior by these folks that I would consider unsettling. If someone is offended by this, I suggest that they skip the May/June gun show as it is always advertised as the Militaria show.
- There wasn't much of great interest there today. Most guns were tremendously overpriced. I saw some "banned in MA" mags (some marked LE/Mil only) . . . BUYER BEWARE (possession is a felony and you lose your gun rights forever under both Fed and MA Laws!).
- Ammo: Obnoxious Steve from NY was there. The XM193PD that he had was FALSELY ADVERTISED (intentionally, I'm sure) as the same stuff our troops are using in Iraq!! WRONG!!!! The "PD" variant is widely reported to be "SUB-STANDARD" and seriously problematic. I don't recall where I've seen the documentation, but it is definitely out there and I might be able to reference it later if someone needs convincing. XM193 (WITHOUT the "PD" suffix) is the good stuff, but I'm told that the troops have been NOT using this for years, instead they reportedly use M855. Since I have an inherent distaste for dishonest businessmen, I avoided the temptation to pick up 1K of Fiocchi .45 230gr RN for $179 from Steve (he now takes charge cards, so you don't have to listen to him rant if you were to ask if you could pay by check any more). I'll ask Carl at Four Seasons if he can come close to that price if I feel the need to get it.
- No other ammo dealers and the guy from Candia ME who sells mostly bullets was absent.