Apr 17-19 RENO Gun Show: Who's Going?

[ErikTheRed]

Opens 9AM all 3 days.

[God Bless The Mauser]

Opens at 9AM www.bigrenoshow.com

[domokun]

FYI: Miwall will be enforcing a limit of 2000 primers per customer.

[jamesob]

maybe won't know until the last minute.

[God Bless The Mauser]

I don't even have my reloading equipment but I think I'll try and buy primers so I can actually reload when I get my reloading equipment in the next few months.

[Blaze1Up]

Originally Posted by domokun

FYI: Miwall will be enforcing a limit of 2000 primers per customer.

2000 primer limit?!? Is that a JOKE?

[Odin]

I'm headed up from Sac on Sat morning... do these reno shows really require three days? I just need some clips, and a couple BCGs but I want to see what these are all about. Is Friday that much better then Sat?

[Bobula]

I'll be there tomorrow and I'm not buying primers, so if someone needs 2k more lemme know.

My primer buying spot has been spoken for.

[domokun]

Originally Posted by Blaze1Up

2000 primer limit?!? Is that a JOKE?

No. It's not a joke. I saw them put up the sign this afternoon.

[ivanimal]

I will be there Saturday morning.

[thefifthspeed]

Originally Posted by Bobula

I'll be there tomorrow and I'm not buying primers, so if someone needs 2k more lemme know.

I do! I've had a Dillon 650 just sitting, doing nothing for the last month because I cannot find primers.

I'll PM you my # if you want to give me a hand.

[Bobula]

Originally Posted by thefifthspeed

I do! I've had a Dillon 650 just sitting, doing nothing for the last month because I cannot find primers.

I'll PM you my # if you want to give me a hand.

Someone beat you by about 10 minutes

[50 Freak]

I'll be there Sat morning. I'm up for dinner at the seafood place at the Atlantis.

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Big Reno Show first-look update at 10:00am, or thereabouts.

[Darklyte27]

no joke, domokun said no primers for you, what a buddy eh?! haha

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Big Reno Show early report:

At 8:15am, there was a line 100 yards long of ticket holders. By 8:45, the line stretched back to the Starbucks cafe and the line just to get tickets was longer than the ticket holder line was at 8:15.

When the doors finally swung open at 9am sharp, hundreds of squealing potbellied yahoos stampeded for the Miwall booth in the far room. You'd think that The Beatles had landed at Idlewild with all the panic. I'm not needing ammo right now, so I passed that by to see my pal running his booth near SOG Armory. Within a minute, the line for Miwall was 200+ people long and generally well-behaved. Moments later, some guys at the front of the line had some words with the Miwall people because they were limited on buying something (ammo or primers) and they intended to buy the entire stock of whatever Miwall had on hand. They were denied and there was a short exchange of words over it.

I didn't get long to see the show and ignored the first room completely. I'll go back tomorrow. Here's some quick snapshots of what I did see:

1. AR-180s and FAL clones seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days. I counted five AR-180s, one of which was an actual Japanese-made Howa model. Prices ranged from $1299 to $1600 for these. FALs a bit cheaper, but it seems that everyone who has a vintage black rifle to sell wants all the money for it, and they may end up getting it.

2. SOG Armory came prepared for this show. I asked for an AR LPK for a pal, and the guy grabbed one from a huge box full of them. They're $99/ea with an A2 grip bundled in a plastic industrial ziplock bag. Probably DPMS? Anyway, they're available. Same thing with BCGs of several different types at $150 or so.

3. SOG Armory also had a LOT of lowers: Stripped for $179 to $189 (DoubleStar, Kaiser, and DPMS), partially assembled for $329 without stock (RRA), and there were several stripped Sun Devil billets there for $300-something. In .308, they had POF lowers partially assembled for $450 I recall. Also, 308 LPKs were available in good quantity. They sold their last ambidextrous AR selector while I was there. SOG armory also had a lot of AR uppers. So did many other folks. One guy walked by with an AR 5.56 upper with freefloat tube, A2 barrel, and picatinny gas block that he said he got for $550.

4. Trijicon ACOG TA31H models have finally made it to the show. These are the 'horseshoe' reticle types that for some reason are priced better than a TA31F red chevron model. I think these were $875 or so, which is a compelling price for an illuminated ACOG.

5. Some guy had a table full of tactical flashlights that seemed to be generating a lot of interest. One model had a strobe and spotlight. Uses CR123s and was under $50. Everyone can make a powerful tiny flashlight with a PCB inside now. Spotlight feature was impressive, as it made a sharp pie-plate sized round beam all the way up to the ceiling. There were also these miniature versions of the AN/PEQ-2 with railmount that looked high quality and not Airsoft. I haven't seen these before.

6. Good Gen2+ NV mildot scopes are available for $899 from several vendors. I looked through two of them and they were quite clear without a grainy picture. How these aren't as good as Gen3 PVS-14Bs that cost more than twice the price, I don't know.

7. Saw an Encom MP9 pistol for $500 in the second room near the door. That's an old rare one. Built like tank. Strong like bull.

8. Those Hk 26mm flare pistols are back in great numbers. So are flares of all kinds for them. One guy even had a sizable amount of US Dept of Forestry 37mm 'bird bombs' for sale.

9. One Eyed Jack's had a Valmet M82 bullpup AK for sale at $1400. Ever seen one of these? They're not astonishingly great, but very collectible to those who like old school prebans from the '80s. I looked to see if the stock was cracking at the stress points which they're known to do, and this one indeed was. Nothing that a Fiberglas resin kit couldn't fix if it started getting too bad. Anyone who really wants a bullpup AK should find a Norinco 86S. That was my brief encounter with One Eyed Jack, who I like to flee from at high speed.

10. Tons and tons of mags. Same sellers as usual. Still the typical prices for now. I am sure that anyone arriving Sunday afternoon could get all the AR/AK/PMAGs they could want. SOG Armory had windowed PMAGs for $24, your choice of color. Non-windows were $18.99.

11. Scattered C&Rs about the show. No-one that I saw had any one type in great numbers. Swedish Mausers, Enfields, M1917s, 1903s, overpriced DCM Garands, Arisakas and Carcanos. All the usual stuff.

12. I have no ammo price reports for you. I didn't get close to the absurdly long Miwall line and couldn't even see what the prices were from where I was. Miwall did have a sign up saying 'No dealer sales until Saturday', so maybe that's what those guys were arguing about.

[Blaze1Up]

Thanks a ton for the updates PVTCOWBOY!

Very helpful, it actually helps me decide it's not worth it for me to go. Prices are more than I can wait and get stuff for online so I won't be making the drive.

Great update, look forward to seeing more.

Thanks again for taking the time out. Much appreciated buddy.

[50 Freak]

Cool, was the CMP there? How's the Garand supply???

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Originally Posted by 50 Freak

Cool, was the CMP there? How's the Garand supply???

Did not see CMP booth this time, but I might have overlooked it. The overpriced Garands I mentioned were those bought from the CMP and resold at twice the price.

[Blaze1Up]

So sounds like parts are in abundance but deals are few and far in between

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Best deals walk around the show strapped to some guy's back who's trying to make next month's mortgage payment.

[Blaze1Up]

Originally Posted by Pvt. Cowboy

Best deals walk around the show strapped to some guy's back who's trying to make next month's mortgage payment.

hehehe - I wish all the desperate folk carried around signs like bums
"Mortgage need be paid, make offer PLEEEEEEASE make offer!"

[50 Freak]

I'll be there with an FN49 and a SKS Para strapped to my back...Not trying to make mortage or anything...just hooker money.

[nat]

How late can you buy tickets tonite? My son and I will get in around 10pm I would guess. It would be nice to avoid the craziness first thing tomorrow morning

[trashman]

so i am posting this from the casino grille; got to the show around noon, and by 230 had scored a grail gun: a five-screw pre-27 three and a half inch bbl!!! my first c&r. comes with tools and an incorrect gold box (right bbl length but marked nickel). this place is amazing. weirdly only a couple of sks' in the entire show. one yugo with the grenade launcher for 500....yikes.hopefully after lunch there willl still be some 41 magnum ammo and some minimags....also stopped by the gun exchange'd table and said hi to big mike and crew.cheers,--neill

[ErikTheRed]

I got to GSR at about 8:45 this morning, and the line was ridiculously long. For a very brief moment, I considered heading right back to my car and driving 2 hours home. But I didn't, and to my suprise, the line went very quickly once the doors opened. I, like everyone else it seems, headed straight for the ammo wall and waited....... and waited..........and waited..........an hour and a half before I was helped. I was a mob scene. People were cool, but there was just a CRAPLOAD of people. Even after the hoards of people before me wheeled away carts and hand-trucks FULL of bulk ammo (some people around me had totals of over $2000), there was still plenty by the time I got to the table. Gotta tell ya, standing in line for 90 minutes without a clue as to what will be available when you get there totally sucks. It makes the wait time feel like twice as long.

Anywho, I walked away with about $300 worth of goodies. 200 rounds of .40, 500 rounds of .223, 150 rounds of .380, and 50 rounds of .357 Mag. Had to lug it all out in bags, walked to the car and dumped it before I went back in for round two.

I left at about 1:00, and the place was still mobbed. The line for ammo was no shorter. THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of people went through that place today, I can only imagine what it will be like tomorrow. Glad I went today.

[50 Freak]

Remind me to stay away from the Miwall table. Jeez, don't know why people are freaking out so much...I remember this same issue back about 3-4 years ago, people freaked out and started hording ammo/primers/powder. Reason then was "price of copper", "war in Iraq", "democratic majority in house", "martians landing"...it's all hype to sell you a $10 dollar brick of 22lrs for $25.

I personally waited till all that crap died down and bought like crazy. Although, I realized I do need some more 22lr (thought I had 5K but only have 2,500 left).

Good news for me as people only have a finite amount of cash for stuff, and if they are not spending it at the dealers tables, the dealers will be more willing to "deal" with me.

[BillCA]

Originally Posted by Odin

I'm headed up from Sac on Sat morning... do these reno shows really require three days? I just need some clips, and a couple BCGs but I want to see what these are all about. Is Friday that much better then Sat?

It all depends on what you're looking for, what you're interested in buying and how deep your pockets are.

If you're going for ammo or components or certain types of high-demand guns, getting in there early is your best bet. But if you're looking for collectible guns, carry guns and gear, spare magazines, etc., there is a lot of ground to cover and prices to compare.

For those wanting a good belt for CCW, swing by the Mernickle's Gunleather booth. Bob sometimes has blems/seconds on sale and his 1-1/2" and 1-3/4" pants belts are hard to beat for durability.

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Originally Posted by BillCA

For those wanting a good belt for CCW, swing by the Mernickle's Gunleather booth. Bob sometimes has blems/seconds on sale and his 1-1/2" and 1-3/4" pants belts are hard to beat for durability.

He's a good fellow. My pal Grouchy picked up a left handed external clip model for his Hk USP Compact .45 that he had custom-made. Stingray skin insert. Really nice.

At the Crossroads show, he was showing his pistol Marlin lever action with a 10" barrel like Steve McQueen's 'Mare's Leg' from the old 60s TV show 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'.

[whitey]

I will not be able to go till Sunday. Can someone report in if there is a good selection of uppers available.

Thanks

[Pvt. Cowboy]

Originally Posted by whitey

I will not be able to go till Sunday. Can someone report in if there is a good selection of uppers available.

Thanks

I saw several big tables with uppers at the show. All kinds. Shortys, longies, match barrels, M4 with welded brakes and hiders for legal length, 6.8s, 9mms, and 45s. I'll go tomorrow for a longer visit and let you know what's there.

[ErikTheRed]

Originally Posted by 50 Freak

Jeez, don't know why people are freaking out so much...

Heres just a few reasons.......

Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Holder, Emmanuel, Napolitano, Boxer, Feinstein...... the list goes on and on and on, a longer list than ever before in American history. I'd guess thats mostly the reasons for the freaking out.

[50 Freak]

Originally Posted by ErikTheRed

Heres just a few reasons.......

Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Holder, Emmanuel, Napolitano, Boxer, Feinstein...... the list goes on and on and on, a longer list than ever before in American history. I'd guess thats mostly the reasons for the freaking out.

Yeah and before it was Gore, Clinton, Boxer, Feinstein, Schumer....not to argue, but it seems like we gun owners are the biggest fear mongers around.

It also seems like to me that ammo prices and guns are akin to stock prices, big run ups and then big dips, big run ups and big dips....I'll take bets that in a year (two max) ammo prices will stabilize and you will find tons of bricks of 22s at your local Big-5.

Seen it all before.

In the mean time, I'll continue to enjoy the stockpile of ammo that I accumilated when 8mm was 400 rounds for $35, 500 22lr for $7.95, 50 bmg was 150 for $150, 7.62x54 was 900 rounds for $90, etc.

[domokun]

Originally Posted by ivanimal

I will be there Saturday morning.

Still plenty of stock for the usual common stuff. Just no primers. Miwall didn't bring any powders to the show.

Originally Posted by Darklyte27

no joke, domokun said no primers for you, what a buddy eh?! haha

Hey buddy, what do you expect when they impose a primer purchase limit on us? Come up and get your own next time.

[Vinz]

Thanks for the update Cowboy. Great as usual.

I think we will get there around 9:30am. Let the door line die down, let the ammo horders get in. We are already we stocked and just looking for build parts. SOG is the first table to be hit.


Was DPMS there? Or was it just a dealer table this time?
Vinz

[God Bless The Mauser]

After waiting in line for a half hour to get in I went to the ammo first and waited in line for an hour and a half and got 500 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39, 1000 large pistol and 1000 small rifle primers. When I was waiting there were tons of people buying primers. Miwall had a limit of 2000 per customer.

[God Bless The Mauser]

Originally Posted by Vinz

Was DPMS there? Or was it just a dealer table this time?
Vinz

I saw a table that had a big DPMS sign on it so I assume it was them. The table was bare except for 3 uppers but they had a bunch of big boxes so they might have had more, there were lots of parts though.

[jafount]

Any parts? I need crush washers for flash hider installation and would like to get some new grip screws for my 1911. Anyone know if there is anythign like this out there?

[ErikTheRed]

Primer sales were huge. I must have seen at least a hundred people totin' around boxes of primers--- mostly Winchester but some CCI too.

[God Bless The Mauser]

Originally Posted by jafount

Any parts? I need crush washers for flash hider installation and would like to get some new grip screws for my 1911. Anyone know if there is anythign like this out there?

There is tons of AR parts there so I'm sure you'll find what you need. I got a new set of wood grips for my 1911 for $20, they look better than the US stamped grips that came with it from Springfield.