Crossroads Costa Mesa Show

[runway1]

I've heard conflicting reports. If I wanted to shop for actual gun deals (say, Browning Buckmark and 9mm's) would this be a good place?

What are the mechanics of buying a gun here? I.e. I pay, the gun goes where? Thanks all!

[DVSmith]

I go to that show pretty regularly and have not seen a lot of 'deals' in the past few years. Some of the sellers will come down on price if you work with them and they are hungry. Good place to find parts and supplies. Sometimes decent ammo prices. Fun to people watch and visit old friends. 'Deals'? IMHO not so much.

I will let someone here post on the process as I have not bought a gun there in years (see my note above about 'deals').

IIRC - There are FFL's on sight that you can transfer through and I am sure the larger sellers are FFL. So you DROS the little guy, wait 10 24-hour periods and pick it up from the FFL.

[john.t.singh]

i went the last two times, i did not see any "good" deals on actual brand new gun deals... honestly I've seen better prices at Turners huntads which isn't saying much...

but they do have a lot of parts for builds, and ammo like ^ said was ok...

[Full Clip]

I've only once bought a gun at a gun show. And only because it was a collector's item.

[runway1]

I see. Then I think I'll go to Turner's Shooting thing at Raahauge's. Anyone been to that event? It's a "shoot what you want to try out" kinda thing. Sounds like a place to try several different guns at one spot.

[Markus]

You can find deals there you just have to know what your looking for know the prices abd be willing to search high an low for it. I had been trying to chase down a nice m44 for a while there and I looked all over the gun show and almost gave up but at the very last table I found an unissued 1946 m44 with only storage dings and it was a good price.

[Rekrab]

You can very rarely find a good deal on certain firearms at the Costa Mesa gunshow. The best deals are typically the guys walking around with firearms on their back with price tags. Sometimes the bigger gun shops will have some good deals(Rifle Gear was blowing out their MPA MAC 10s at the last one for $50 below sticker). You might find something interesting in a dealer's little cabinet full of odd C&Rs too(I saw a Coonan .357 1911 at the last one!). But you never know what you might find and you can always stop in and say "Hi" to me at the CalGuns booth!

But for the most part, the Costa Mesa show is much better for ammo, accessories, and beef jerky. There's a lot of non-gun crap, but it's still worlds better than it was a couple years ago.

[AGGRESSOR]

I've purchased a gun before at the gun show and what happens is:

1. Bargain for the best price, YES, you can ask for a lower price. Cash always works.
2. If you are buying a handgun, have your HSC with you. No HSC for a rifle or shotgun.
3. Pay for the gun, get your invoice and start DROS.
4. If the vendor is local, they will hold the gun for the DROS period. Pick up your gun at their store after the DROS Period.
5. If the vendor is out of state, they will transfer the gun to a local gun store for the DROS period and you pick-up at the end of the DROS. There is a transfer fee(FFL use fee).

Good luck!

[glock_this]

would this be a good place?

no

any more, over the years, the guys that use to give good deals got savvy to the changing climate of gun ownership and changed their prices and "deals" accordingly. I have been to many, and many Crossroads shows over the years and stopped going when this became apparent. Now, nearly every "deal" you see there can be had for better on the web. Ammo, guns, parts, clothing.. it can all be beat and not have to pay the hefty entry fee and parking and blah blah. These days, you can get a better deal, avoid sales tax, and get most items shipped for free via the internets.

IMHO, these gun shows have become more and more for selling junk and garage sale items and replica crap.

[jyo]

In the past, it used to be the bargains were at the gunshows---now I find the deals on Calguns marketplace ads---you get what you are looking for and no sales tax on PPTs! Ammo, on the other hand can be a better deal at gunshows especially if you buy it by the case.

[41M]

There are many reasonably priced firearms available at the Costa Mesa show. A Turners or Big 5 that buys in volume, may offer a few items at a lower cost than vendors at the show, but I have seen fair prices on many items. Shoppers who have done their research on current prices for desired items can recognize a fair price and will make a purchase decision accordingly. However, I have heard many comments from shoppers referencing what they believe to be a high price that was obviously based on outdated information. Just because their friend or family member purchased a certain model two years ago for say $600 doesn't mean it should still be available at the same price.