[mano3]

I took my son to a small gun show this weekend in Clanton, AL. I was curious because it was being sponsored by VPI Gun & Knife Shows - a different group than the regular ones that sponsor the shows in Montgomery and Birmingham.

It was a small show (50+ tables), but only $6 to get in (kid was free). There were a few familiar dealers from the Montgomery shows, but it was nice to see some new faces.

It wasn't crowded at all because of three reasons: 1) it was 12:30pm on Palm Sunday; 2) the place was hard to see and find; and 3) I think folks expected very high prices and are waiting for things to calm down.

Shotguns and revolvers were reasonably priced but everything else was still high - SKS rifles started out at $400; AK's at $1,100 and AR's at $1,300.

BTW: it was AR heaven in there! If you needed an AR part, accessory, etc. it was there.

Ammo was high, but not as much as I've seen on-line (gunbot, ammoseek, etc.). I had to cave and picked up 525 rounds of Federal .22 LR for $69 If I didn't need it so bad (Appleseed shooting event this April) I'd have passed.

 

[Wookiee2cu]

An SKS goes for $400? I remember some buddies and I each bought one about 15 years ago for $99. It was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned; first time out shooting it started doing random burst of 3-5 rounds. I took it back to the gun dealer and he told me he was going to have to charge me for field testing, I mentioned the fact that he sold me a defective weapon that was firing random bursts at which point he told me to keep my voice down. So I got a call about 2 days later and he told me to come in and get a new one (no charge for testing), I got there and asked him about their testing and he smirked and said by the time they were done the thing was firing fully automatic. They may be built better these days but I don’t think I’d bother with one.

 

[Alex_C]

An SKS can vary wildly on quality. Russian and Chinese ones work very well. My Russian one outshoots my AR. I suspect you probably got a Yugo M59 or M59/66, they used to sell them everywhere for around $100. Those can be finicky. I could never smoothly feed my Yugo from a clip, but it shot fine.

I was at a local show this weekend too. Take your pick of what you wanted, HUGE variety and lots of ammo of all kinds. The caveat being price. Insane prices. I think the biggest jokes I saw were GI 30-round AR mags for $80 each and $1200 for a thumbhole stock WASR 10...

People rag on gun shows, but I enjoy them. Even if I don't get anything I get to fondle stuff I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to.

 

[mano3]

I like my Chinese SKS. I TAPCO'd it out and it runs nice.

 

[Wookiee2cu]

It was a Chinese model but like I said it was 15 years ago so I would imagine the quality has improved. Another one I had at the time was a MAK90 with the thumb hole stock, that rifle was awesome for the price; I think I bought it for $250. It was very accurate with stock sights, never had a problem with it... wish I didn't sell it.

 

[BigJon10125]

Love my SKS as well. It is Chinese and has a tapco stock. I liked the adjustable stock so other people could easily use it at the range. Loved the cheap ammo and it has eaten everything except one type of ammo. Been a dream. Need to find some more ammo...for not ridiculous prices