Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I always enjoy going to a gun show and walking around to see what there is to see. I rarely make much of a purchase, but it's a nice couple of hours to wind down among generally like-minded people.

So, the Chantilly show is this weekend, and when I checked my PO Box today, there was a post card in there for the show. It has all the normal information on it including hours of operation, location and of course admission price.

These people want $13.00 per person for admission! I certainly don't want to go to the show by myself, and I have a large family, so I would want to take all the kids. By the time I got everyone through the admission, it would cost me almost $80.00 just to get in the door! (me, the wife and 5 kids - one young child gets in free).

Forget that - I have better things to spend $80 on than just getting in the door at a gun show.

I agree. I have 9 kids (not all at home now).
Figure out the cost of a movie night when they were.......

If it cost $13 just to get in.....One can only GUESS what the prices are like after you get in !

Kids 12-17 are $7 and under 12 are free.

Still a lot of $$ to pay. I used to go every year and some vendors have GREAT pricing. I will typically only go if I need to hunt for a specific thing. For a while I was on a mad quest for a S&W 625 and the show was the ONLY place to hopefully score one.

Are the lines to get in still wrapped around the building? I bet this would shorten them real quick.

Gun shows are fun if you're just window shopping, but $13 a head is ridiculous.

I thing the gun culture is atracting a lot of new, you shooters who don't know better. How else would it go on for so long?

I think I'm going to pay it just to hit the ammo sellers. I am looking for 44-40 WCF and can't find it for any price. The few websites that claim they have it just put me on backorder. I almost feel like if I pay to get in and spend $50 for a box of 20, it might be worth it compared to not having it at all.

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13 seems a bit steep, and I can see where it might look like they're gouging, a bit.

I wonder what it costs to obtain the venue, and what the insurance cost is. Does event insurance cost more when the event is centered around scary guns? I don't know. Just throwing that thought out there.

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Its been 13 bucks for a long time. But yeah. If your taking the whole family it is probally not worth it. I on the otherhand use it to get some peace and quite away from the family. Totally worth 13 bucks sometimes.

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The last Show I went to in Richmond gave Free Admission when I renewed my NRA membership !

Snakester wrote:The last Show I went to in Richmond gave Free Admission when I renewed my NRA membership !

Same at Chantily. So once a year I guess you could could say it's "free"

Guys, this ain't news! Admission to Chantilly has always been in the $10 - $15 range cash only. Hell, they'll hold your license while you go inside to use the ATM (Adding $3 to the admission fee). How are the prices? Well, I picked up my Stag L2 AR for under $800. I have gotten some real deals on targets and non gun/ammo stuff. The BEST thing about Chantilly is the non-firearm stuff.

Hampton Virginia beach, and Norfolk are all $10 or less still


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KaosDad, you aren't kidding either. I got some really nice leather products, costume jewlery, and coins for the collection way, way below retail market value. The problem I see from all the times I've been, you have to be there early Friday, now what you want, ho has it and how much. Anything else could be a crap shoot. I've see stock pistols and rifles for as much as 30% over retailreliable AR's for $800 is not the norm.

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The killer for me is the traffic up there.

I went to that gun show about 5 or 6 years back and it was 6 lanes of stop and go traffic (on in the interstate) miles before I got there and for miles after I left on the way home.

I promised myself, never again. Never would I drive up to the DC area for anything.

Eh, the traffic around here is like being in hell. Once you're in it long enough, you just get used to it.

I stopped going to the shows when they became less about guns and more about toys, airsoft, paintings, nazi propaganda, beef jerkey, and cheap electronics.

When I was growing up, that was called a flea market or swap meet, and those were free to get into lol.

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When I'm in the market I call Trader Jerry, negotiate the price, and pick my items up at the show. No hunting necessary and. Pretty much guarenteed best price, depending on your negotiation skill.

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ShotgunBlast wrote:Are the lines to get in still wrapped around the building? I bet this would shorten them real quick.

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It's always been in the $10-$15 range for admission and the lines to get in are wrapped around the building, huh?

Looks like that price range may actually be below what the market will bear, then, doesn't it? Those of you who like gun shows are probably lucky they haven't raised the price to $20 or even higher to cut down the length of the lines and the crowd control problems. Heck, as many people as there are up there in NOVA with more money than sense, if I was running the show, I'd probably raise it a dollar a year until attendance dropped.

Dark Sun (think that was it) has really competitive prices, beyond that not many good deals. And yes the scented candles/nazi crap/beef jerky tables are wearisome.

IIRC seven bucks to get in at Roanoke/Salem shows. Haven't been to one in about two years though, may have changed. Last time I went to one was more to get away from my bitchy sister in law who was visiting that day so it was worth it.