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September 24-25 Marlboro Gun & Knife Show
- Thread starter Paladin
- Start date
Adam_MA said:
Adam,
I think that the answers are in this thread, but I'll try again . . .
They don't take guns, they ask you to unload (2 NDs that I know of occurred while I was working gun shows as people unloaded!). They take the loaded mags and ammo that you give them. That's been what I have personally seen. Someone else said that they gave him back the empty mag . . . I haven't seen that, so I can't confirm or deny his statement.
They do NOT search your body, this isn't TSA . . . no strip searches to enter gun shows.
They tie-wrap the gun open, best that they can. Thru barrel, thru mag-well/chamber, locking hammer down to trigger guard, etc. Whatever works for the particular gun.
ALL guns that they see will be tie-wrapped in one way or another.
Chris
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I know of at least one person who has walked in, cleared Gun #1 as required and 'forgot' gun #2, etc.
Very much an 'honor' system.
And yea, muzzle awareness is HORRIBLE. Few years ago I smartly moved a muzzle that was pointed at my head and the guy had the nerve to give me some flack about it. Just walked away.
I swear, the most $$ I have spent at a gun show recently is on the Venison Jerky. (^_^)
Lately I've just picked up bulk cleaning patches and that A-Zoom dummy ammo.
Dunno if I'll make this one. Saturday is booked for us (unless I get there as the doors open) and
Sunday is our annual trek to King Richard's Faire with all the kids. (picture about 2 dozen little princesses and princes from about 2 to 14 and about 8-10 adults going out of their tree and you have the right idea.) My group of friends started this back before any of us had kids as a "free" day for the parents. Well, some of my friends are wondering when their "free" day will occur. (^_^)
Yea, we all dress the part. I've got my hooded cloak, leather belt, walking stick/kid catcher and Sabersmith sword. I'm sure the IWB isn't period, but when we first started going I learned that you must "Cheat to Win". (^_^)
I'm just glad that the parents pay for all the kids - Getting freaking expensive.
Very much an 'honor' system.
And yea, muzzle awareness is HORRIBLE. Few years ago I smartly moved a muzzle that was pointed at my head and the guy had the nerve to give me some flack about it. Just walked away.
I swear, the most $$ I have spent at a gun show recently is on the Venison Jerky. (^_^)
Lately I've just picked up bulk cleaning patches and that A-Zoom dummy ammo.
Dunno if I'll make this one. Saturday is booked for us (unless I get there as the doors open) and
Sunday is our annual trek to King Richard's Faire with all the kids. (picture about 2 dozen little princesses and princes from about 2 to 14 and about 8-10 adults going out of their tree and you have the right idea.) My group of friends started this back before any of us had kids as a "free" day for the parents. Well, some of my friends are wondering when their "free" day will occur. (^_^)
Yea, we all dress the part. I've got my hooded cloak, leather belt, walking stick/kid catcher and Sabersmith sword. I'm sure the IWB isn't period, but when we first started going I learned that you must "Cheat to Win". (^_^)
I'm just glad that the parents pay for all the kids - Getting freaking expensive.
Chris said:
YUP! One of the Foxboro shows, I was working the GOAL table. Wondered around and talking with a buddy of mine (former Boston Municipal PO) and his Son when some jerk at the corner of the hall takes a rifle off the rack and trains it on us to check it out. Along comes the detail cop (who I had gotten to know) and I flagged him over to us . . . I pointed out the jerk and asked him to chat with the guy and tell him that if he did that again, he'd see the barrel of my loaded gun pointed back at him in his scope! The cop made his point and the jerk disappeared into the crowd. We were at least 100' away and midway down an aisle when it happened or I would have done it myself. Very un-nerving, but not unique experience.
Last Big E show, my Wife and I paid $20 to park and enter (with $1 discount card). I spent ~$45 at the show and according to MrsWW, what I bought would have been cheaper if I had gone to the guy's shop directly instead of buying at the show. [She claims that he jacks his prices up for the shows.]
More than a few shows I only bought the jerky for lunch and nothing else! That's one of the reasons that I can't see making the trip to Springfield more than 2x/year (and carefully pick which shows). May is a Militaria show with significant exhibits (not for sale) of old military hardware (interesting to those of us into C&Rs). December "should be" good as it is before Christmas and focused on shopping for gifts. Thus, these tend to have more tables at the shows (ignoring the advertising).
I do wish that I didn't have the conflict for this Saturday's show in Marlboro, but them's the breaks and Sundays at these shows are a waste of time/money unless you live real close (Marlboro is still ~100 miles RT).
Adam_MA said:
As far as whether you are armed, they take yoru word for it. I have never seen anyone searched at the door of a MA gun show.
Yes, for "safety" they will tie wrap your gun -- all guns coming in the door are tie wrapped.
Hammerless guns are tie wraped thru the action, or thru the frame of a revolver.
HTH.
C-X
Adam,
On the other hand, trying a loaded gun in various holsters is a dangerous venture!
Besides, you aren't likely to find many holster vendors there at all. Usually the only worthwhile holster vendor is Walton's from NH and I'm not sure if he's still doing the shows (didn't see him at the last show I attended). He has some dummy guns to use in testing out holsters, but of course he might not have your model.
On the other hand, trying a loaded gun in various holsters is a dangerous venture!
Besides, you aren't likely to find many holster vendors there at all. Usually the only worthwhile holster vendor is Walton's from NH and I'm not sure if he's still doing the shows (didn't see him at the last show I attended). He has some dummy guns to use in testing out holsters, but of course he might not have your model.
LenS said:
Is he the guy with that HUGE booth where his daughter helps run the booth?
I hope that he's there. He has good prices on the plastic ammo boxes for when I'm reloading.
And he has TONS of holsters. But other than that, I don't remember anyone else that has them either.
Please be assured.. Weather or not I let up the information at the door as to weather or not I am carrying a gun, I have EVERY intention of unloading my handgun and replacing the loaded mag with an empty one before I enter the show. I wouldn't take those chances with my own life, so therefore I wouldn't take them with anyone Else's.
Adam
Adam
C-pher said:
Yup, Lance Walton, his Wife and two Daughters. The Daughters used to sell candy bars at the shows, made a small fortune. One of them is now in college. I recall when they were both very young kids.
Lance is a full-time court officer in NH and runs a gun shop up there as well.
Well, i live in SOuthborough so I think I'm going to squeeze in a little time between the kids' soccer games and go to my first gun show. I have no intention of buying a firearm, but I would like to see if I can find a deal on some +P or +P+ ammo in 9mm, along with some ammo storage boxes. I read somewhere that factory +P+ loads are hard to find other than at gun shows. Based on past experiences, are there any ammo vendors I should track down?
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Deals
Yeah - Go to Four Seasons in Woburn if you are looking for deals; go to the gun show if you're just going to look.
Yeah - Go to Four Seasons in Woburn if you are looking for deals; go to the gun show if you're just going to look.
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This will be my first trip to a gun show as well (and it's my first post). Finally got my LTC about three weeks ago. I'm still searching for my first firearm, and thought the gun show would provide a good opportunity to handle several pistols. What opinions do you guys have of actually buying a gun at the Marlboro show? Bad idea? Good idea? What else am I likely to find there?
First, Welcome to the board.
This will be my first gun show too, but I have read from several here that you may not get the best deal on a firearm. My advice would be to check local prices on guns you are interested in before going to the show so you don't pay too much.
As for dealers, I HIGHLY recommend Four Seasons in Woburn. http://www.fsguns.com/ Great service and great prices.
Adam
This will be my first gun show too, but I have read from several here that you may not get the best deal on a firearm. My advice would be to check local prices on guns you are interested in before going to the show so you don't pay too much.
As for dealers, I HIGHLY recommend Four Seasons in Woburn. http://www.fsguns.com/ Great service and great prices.
Adam
Adam_MA said:
Welcome to the Forum Falstaff66!
Adam has some good advice. You probably wont find any deals at the Marlboro show. But it is a good place to see everything. When you are ready to purchase Four Seasons is the place to go.
Adam_MA said:
Yes, welcome.
And just so you know, the prices at a show aren't set in stone. And there are many of the same guns at different booths.
If you play them right, you can get a good deal. I watched a friend get 200 bucks off a Colt 1911 Gold Cup. He went around to different dealers and and haggled. Then would tell the next guy what another guy was going to sell it for...he did this for about an hour or so until one dealer agreed to his price.
So if you don't mind haggling, you can find a good price. It just takes some work.
Also, bring along any items you have that you could offer in partial or full trade. You can often get a better price, and get rid of something you don't want or need.
At some shows, Milsurp rifle deals can be found.
Milsurp ammo selection can be good. Like some handgun prices, factory boxed ammo can be a bit on the high side.
Books, accessories, ammo is what I usually walk out with.
Plus it can be like going through a museum, but you can handle a lot of the "displays". 8)
Four Seasons is tops for service & being able to go in and handle a variety of handguns.
If you already know what you want, live around Northboro, don't want to drive to Woburn, then give Mike a call at Tite-Group across from GOAL.
Milsurp ammo selection can be good. Like some handgun prices, factory boxed ammo can be a bit on the high side.
Books, accessories, ammo is what I usually walk out with.
Plus it can be like going through a museum, but you can handle a lot of the "displays". 8)
Four Seasons is tops for service & being able to go in and handle a variety of handguns.
If you already know what you want, live around Northboro, don't want to drive to Woburn, then give Mike a call at Tite-Group across from GOAL.
Cash talks. You don't want to use a credit card, they're far less likely to give you a great deal, since calling in a card is a hassle when you're busy.
Definitely do your home work before you go, and have a list of items you want. Know the values of any firearms on that list. It helps you haggle, and keeps you from being snagged into what looks like a good deal, but is actually overpriced.
The only ammo to buy at a show is MILSURP, Cheap shooting ammo (like Wolf and such), and remanufactured stuff. Avoid the factory ammo made by the big companies like Winchester and Remington and such. It frequently can be had cheaper from a shop or Wal-Mart. If you know it's a good deal, OK, but know what you can get it for elsewhere.
Definitely look any used guns over closely, and especially anything that may be in violation of any bans.
Definitely do your home work before you go, and have a list of items you want. Know the values of any firearms on that list. It helps you haggle, and keeps you from being snagged into what looks like a good deal, but is actually overpriced.
The only ammo to buy at a show is MILSURP, Cheap shooting ammo (like Wolf and such), and remanufactured stuff. Avoid the factory ammo made by the big companies like Winchester and Remington and such. It frequently can be had cheaper from a shop or Wal-Mart. If you know it's a good deal, OK, but know what you can get it for elsewhere.
Definitely look any used guns over closely, and especially anything that may be in violation of any bans.
Falstaff66 said:
Falstaff,
Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy it here.
If this is your first gun, you are FAR BETTER OFF to take yourself to visit Four Seasons FIRST! They can give you some good advice on what to buy (depends on you, what fits your hand, what you want it for - defense/target/etc.) than anyone you'll run into at the gun shows.
At the gun shows they just "sell and bye", it's not a place to learn what your first gun should be.
After you buy your first gun, the gun show will have more variety in cleaning supplies, accessories, holsters (provided Lance Walton is there), books, targets, etc. than you'll find at any gun shop.
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Thansk for the welcome everybody, and the advice. As I expected, the gun show obviously won't be the place to make my first purchase. I was really just hoping to handle a wider range of 9mm and .40 pistols than I've seen so far.
I've been to Northeast Trading in North Attleboro, which had an ok selection. American Firearms School in North Attleboro also provided some advice. Haven't been to Four Seasons yet, but I've been to the website quite a bit. I may check out Tite in Northboro, as Woburn is a bit of a haul from Franklin. Based on what I've read on this forum, the Gun Room in Shrewsbury will be avoided.
I've been to Northeast Trading in North Attleboro, which had an ok selection. American Firearms School in North Attleboro also provided some advice. Haven't been to Four Seasons yet, but I've been to the website quite a bit. I may check out Tite in Northboro, as Woburn is a bit of a haul from Franklin. Based on what I've read on this forum, the Gun Room in Shrewsbury will be avoided.
Falstaff66 said:
Welcome aboard Falstaff66. (forgot to mention that earlier)
Guns shows are a good way of trying out the fit of a gun to see how it feels in your hand, so if you're looking for something, it's a good test site.
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
Falstaff66 said:
Oh, you can go there if you want. They do have a good selection of guns - lots of used stuff, and some odd-balls you don't see everywhere. I'd just be REAL careful if you decide to buy something there... like check out the price somewhere else, and have someone who knows guns look it over VERY CAREFULLY.
and if you're allergic to smoke, don't go there. Apparently, they assume that all their customers like cigarette and cigar smoke.
BTW, welcome to the madness!
Ross
Lynne said:Falstaff66 said:
Welcome aboard Falstaff66. (forgot to mention that earlier)
Guns shows are a good way of trying out the fit of a gun to see how it feels in your hand, so if you're looking for something, it's a good test site.
Lynne, you are forgetting THIS IS MA! Very few handguns at the MA gun shows, since they can't sell much of anything to MA Residents! Almost as good a selection at Four Seasons and you don't have to stop at 100 tables to do it.
Four Seasons personnel will give you the BEST advice of any gun shop regarding what fits and what fits your needs (assuming that you tell them exactly what you want it for). It is well worth the trip, especially for someone who is just getting into the sport.
If you know exactly what you want and need, know the prices, etc. then you can go anywhere to purchase an item. When you also need advice not to make a bad purchase, you need to go to the best places to get that advice.
From Downtown Franklin to Four Seasons is 50 miles each way, not much more than it is for me to get there. Well worth the trip. I-495 to I-90 to Rte. 128 to Winn St. exit.
The first gun (.22 rifle) I bought was on impulse and it was a "wrong gun", sold it shortly afterwards for small change . . . after I got some good advice from other shooters.
The day in 1998 that I attended a gun show with a "mission" NOT to come home without an AR15, I bought it but paid thru the nose for it. Paid ~$75 more than Four Seasons charged for the same exact gun, also paid $100.00 for a battle pack of ammo (380 rds of South American) that should have cost me no more than ~$30.00! [I bought this stuff at AG Guns in Lowell from Greg and George Danas personally! If anyone doubts me on the ammo, I can post a picture of the battle-pack with the price still on it . . . I've never opened it, keep it as a reminder on what stubbornness and stupidity can cost me.]
NOTE: I did not become aware of Four Seasons existence until a few months after I purchased that AR15.
