Anyone ever been to the Reno Gun Show?

[Radman64]

Can't "trek out" ammo when all one can buy is 500 rounds lol.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

I'm at a loss here with so many comparing NV gun shows to CA gun shows, there is no such thing anymore as CA gun shows, the few I've went to in CA have no guns or ammo.
Just over priced AR uppers & accs.

It's a fair comparison in the sense that unless you have an 03FFL you cant buy most of the guns at a NV gunshow (off roster handguns, "assault weapons"). So sure there are some cool looking guns at a NV gunshow compared to CA, but you cant buy any of them unless you have an 03FFL and are willing to overpay for a C&R that most likely has an undisclosed or "unknown" issue that you wont find out about until you get it home and field strip it.

Aside from guns and ammo, gunshows are mostly useful for sourcing hard to find parts and accessories like out of production mags. But even then, vendors "know what they got". So it's getting harder to find any "deals".

I have picked up a few Colt C&R handguns from the Big Reno show. But there hasnt been much worth buying the last couple years. Not any more so than going to Willey Bros.

 

[Jeb52]

Can't "trek out" ammo when all one can buy is 500 rounds lol.

Where’s the 500 round limit. I’ve backgrounded over 10k rounds of ammo at one time w/out any issues.

 

[Deleted member 48331]

I am new to shooting. I've been watching gun shows on youtube. I see people find awesome deals. After reading the thread, it sounds like CA and NV are not the places to go. If you still go to Gun Shows, where would you recommend?

 

[Gawernator]

I am new to shooting. I've been watching gun shows on youtube. I see people find awesome deals. After reading the thread, it sounds like CA and NV are not the places to go. If you still go to Gun Shows, where would you recommend?

Probably just look at internet deals. I don't think you can even buy a gun out of state, has to be shipped to a CA FFL right?

 

[Deleted member 48331]

Probably just look at internet deals. I don't think you can even buy a gun out of state, has to be shipped to a CA FFL right?

Yes, true about shipping to fll. But if its a c&r, you can take it home and report it with 5 days to doj. But thats with a coe/ffl03.

 

[Gryff]

Anything to look out for? Special Agents from CA DOJ/BoF.

I love that urban myth.

"My buddy saw them bust a guy for buying hi-caps..."

"They cruise the parking lot with optical license plate readers then they stop you at the California border on your way back..."

Epic.

I have actually seen a CADOJ agent there. He was the nerd being shadowed by three Washoe County sheriff deputies as he tried to buy guns from sellers. Was funny to watch...where he went, the deputies went, since the CADOJ agent has zero arrest powers in Nevada.

I am new to shooting. I've been watching gun shows on youtube. I see people find awesome deals. After reading the thread, it sounds like CA and NV are not the places to go. If you still go to Gun Shows, where would you recommend?

The issue is that generally you cannot legally purchase a gun in another state (unless you are willing to have the dealer ship it to a California FFL...which skyrockets the price and possibly pings the California Handgun Roster or Assault weapon laws).

If you have an 03FFL (a $30 license you can get from the Feds pretty easily), you CAN buy most guns that are at least 50 years old. The nice thing about that is that 50 years ago is now 1976. That means that there are a lot of great S&W and Colt revolvers, as well as military surplus rifles and pistols that you can buy cash & carry. I picked up a beautiful 1948 S&W K-22 Masterpiece at the Reno show for $750 two years ago. It was a beautiful thing to hand the seller the cash and walk out of the show with gun in hand.

I go to the Big Reno Show about once a year mostly just to do a lookie lou. Fun to see all the guns, and the modern dealers have non-roster models that I at least can feel in the hand rather than just read about in a magazine.

 

[cali_jazz]

Where’s the 500 round limit. I’ve backgrounded over 10k rounds of ammo at one time w/out any issues.

The 500 rd limit is on sellers without an ammo vendor's license. No limit on buying.

 

[Legasov]

I'm at a loss here with so many comparing NV gun shows to CA gun shows, there is no such thing anymore as CA gun shows, the few I've went to in CA have no guns or ammo.
Just over priced AR uppers & accs.

You forgot the father son duo selling "bulk ammo" that they pressed in the garage the night before off a fifth of E&J.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

I love that urban myth.

"My buddy saw them bust a guy for buying hi-caps..."

"They cruise the parking lot with optical license plate readers then they stop you at the California border on your way back..."

Epic.

I have actually seen a CADOJ agent there. He was the nerd being shadowed by three Washoe County sheriff deputies as he tried to buy guns from sellers. Was funny to watch...where he went, the deputies went, since the CADOJ agent has zero arrest powers in Nevada.



The issue is that generally you cannot legally purchase a gun in another state (unless you are willing to have the dealer ship it to a California FFL...which skyrockets the price and possibly pings the California Handgun Roster or Assault weapon laws).

If you have an 03FFL (a $30 license you can get from the Feds pretty easily), you CAN buy most guns that are at least 50 years old. The nice thing about that is that 50 years ago is now 1976. That means that there are a lot of great S&W and Colt revolvers, as well as military surplus rifles and pistols that you can buy cash & carry. I picked up a beautiful 1948 S&W K-22 Masterpiece at the Reno show for $750 two years ago. It was a beautiful thing to hand the seller the cash and walk out of the show with gun in hand.

I go to the Big Reno Show about once a year mostly just to do a lookie lou. Fun to see all the guns, and the modern dealers have non-roster models that I at least can feel in the hand rather than just read about in a magazine.

What I love about buying old C&R Colts when Im out of state, is you can put the serial # into the Colt website and find out how old the gun is right away. Makes buying C&Rs real easy. They made them better 50 years ago anyway. But even so 1976 is 50 years ago now. There are a lot of modern classics made before then.

 

[Radman64]

Nevada shows are a shell of what they were 20-30 years ago, old timers who were collecting back in the 40's/50's/60's let alone what they got when their Daddy passed away are all gone.
So are their collections they had that 150.00 was twice what they bought it for or the WW2 bring backs.

 

[Radman64]

It's a fair comparison in the sense that unless you have an 03FFL you cant buy most of the guns at a NV gunshow (off roster handguns, "assault weapons"). So sure there are some cool looking guns at a NV gunshow compared to CA, but you cant buy any of them unless you have an 03FFL and are willing to overpay for a C&R that most likely has an undisclosed or "unknown" issue that you wont find out about until you get it home and field strip it.

Aside from guns and ammo, gunshows are mostly useful for sourcing hard to find parts and accessories like out of production mags. But even then, vendors "know what they got". So it's getting harder to find any "deals".

I have picked up a few Colt C&R handguns from the Big Reno show. But there hasnt been much worth buying the last couple years. Not any more so than going to Willey Bros.

I was selling tricked out MAC 90's I was buying for 129.00, 50 round drum cost 25.00.
Wood furniture sets from what ever ex Com-Blok would run from 40-70.00, could get synthetic stocks around 30.00.
I would sell them 400.00-500.00 all day long, there was no FFL involved in the 90's at NV gun shows for private weapons sales.
I did however never sell to someone out of State, no CA buyers could purchase anything I sold other then bolt actions.

 

[Radman64]

I was selling tricked out MAC 90's I was buying for 129.00, 50 round drum cost 25.00.
Wood furniture sets from what ever ex Com-Blok would run from 40-70.00, could get synthetic stocks around 30.00.
I would sell them 400.00-500.00 all day long, there was no FFL involved in the 90's at NV gun shows for private weapons sales.
I did however never sell to someone out of State, no CA buyers could purchase anything I sold other then bolt actions.

I also never sold anything to those who looked shady, pretty easy to spot.
On that fun note I would always ask for ID from the tatted one before saying no, only to have a female come to ask to buy it that had the same address, the game was comical sometimes.

 

[Striker777]

Can't "trek out" ammo when all one can buy is 500 rounds lol.

I “trek” out what I want with a hand truck all the time, If you think as you posted "I’m paying top dollar" for the ammo why the hell should you even give a what I do.
Who the hell says I buy from the same people walking the show’s nobody ever says hey you bought too much as I’m walking out the door.

My son and I have done this for a while now without any issues before any of these bull laws have gone into effect and as of this day….. seems that all this bull talk has deterred from the the OP’s original message.