Any other shooters avoiding sporting goods stores?
I don't know about you guys, but I have a gun show to go to this weekend. I just want to not be there, what with all the new fish in the water. Some acquaintenances of mine report doubled prices a "special-ops" show, and the like. Mass pandemonium at sporting goods stores. How long have we been preaching, and NOW people wake up? I can't tell you how many times this week I've been approached. Inquiries start like this. "Hey, you"re a gun guy, right?..." Should I feel obligated to inform all of those whom should have been more pro-active, now that Obama's charade is ending? I mean, I'm tickled to death that the NRA is growing, but I don't want to have to deal with the baby-stroller crowd at the gunshow. Do you think gun shows, as we know them, will continue ? I know we went through this with Slick Willie, and we survived, but now I'm older and less tolerant. What say you gentelmen?
2013-01-16T10:07:19Z
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Who Dat ?2013-01-16T14:20:24Z
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No, as a matter of fact I'm planning to go to a pro gun rally at our areas biggest sporting goods emporium next Saturday. Not really looking forward to it because I need to dig out a suit & tie to wear but the shooters alliance I've belonged to for 20+ years is organizing it & nows definitely the time to stand up & be counted.
You'll get a permanent grin on your face when you see the price tags at your gun show. I went last Sunday & saw a 30-06 Browning BAR priced at half as much as the ak's & ar's! who would have ever thunk it? Some joker caught up in the frenzy put a sign that said "rare Chinese $ 1200" next to a common Norinco sks on his table!!!!!!! He gave me a big grin & I laughed so hard I almost tripped over the herd of baby strollers that surrounded me.
I was near a Cabelas last week, so I went in. The firearms counter was three deep and mostly sounded like morons buying handguns (I want that "Glock" there . . . The Taurus one. It's cheeper. ). I went over to the rack where they keep the OLD rifles and shotguns and had a very pleasant chat with a couple other experienced shooters about Mausers, new vs old 870 quality and the Browning A5. It's a good thing I'm not in the market for a handgun or semiauto rifle right now.
I have decided that I might as well sell one of my extra SKS rifles to an idiot willing to pay 4 times what I have in it, but that would mean going to a gun show this weekend. I've been avoiding gun shows for a few years now, and the thought of going to one NOW gives me the jumping heeby-jeebies.
I still go to sporting goods stores because when my girlfriend makes us go shopping together, those are the only stores I want to go into. The 5 to 15 minutes she lets me poke around my stores helps make up for the 4 to 5 hours I spend in Forever 21, New York and Company, Yankee Candle, every store that sells shoes in the mall, Bath and Body Works, Victoria Secret....well...Victoria Secret isn't too bad either.....
But you get my point. I don't go expecting to see reasonable prices on AR-15s and magazines. Every so often I luck out and find a $5 box of 7.62x39mm on the shelf and I'll pick it up. AK ammo hasn't been hit as hard as 5.56
Also, the stuff I look for in sporting goods stores concerns all sports I'm interested in so the hunting/shooting department only gets part of my attention. Fishing department gets most followed by weight training.
Also, when I am in the hunting/shooting department I'm typically looking for things that wasn't hit heavy by the looming ban like gun cleaning supplies, ammo storage containers, rifle bags, etc.
Avoiding? Just have other priorities first of the month frankly. Yes, expect a huge crowd & prices high every place. Gun shows? Most are open to FFL dealers only, so that issue has been gone for a while. The pressure will be put on venues however not to hold them.
* No all the Sporting Goods Stores I went to had plenty of Guns and Ammo in Pa.*...New and Good Used ones. The Prices were not inflated or unreasonably or excessively priced higher.*