Gun Show Follies
J and I went to the gun show this weekend over at the Pasadena Convention Center. The Center is literally 5 minutes from YPS Manor, so it’s surprising we haven’t made it out to one before, since there’s at least one a month. I am coming to the unfortunate conclusion that I am either going to have to special order or find online the pistol I want. I have yet to see one either at a gun show or at a dealer. I’m going to call around and see if I can find one in town, but I am dubious. My specificity in regards to my desires is at times aggravating. I know what I want, but nobody seems to have it.
What makes things even more aggravating is the asshats I have to deal with sometimes at gun shops and shows. I do not, generally speaking, go shopping without information or insight into what I am looking to buy. When I have reached the stage where I’m going to spend my money, I know what I want and I am not susceptible to bullshit from sales people. Gun sales people are at times the worst offenders. If I want a 7.62 battle rifle, don’t try to tell me what a fine round the 5.56 is and how I really should consider it. Most especially, don’t try to dress up the asinine uninformed opinions with references to someone you know who used to be in the military. Strangely enough, I don’t need second hand anecdotal military stories. I have plenty of old Army stories* I can tell. I don’t really need to hear one somebody told you. Right along with this peeve is the one where you insult my intelligence. Don’t try to tell me that x is the same as y from a different manufacturer or that this specific model has/lacks certain features. I know what the hell it is and what the manufacturer says should be on the item in question. If you don’t, all you’re doing is losing credibility every time you flap your gums and tell me shit that is patently false. If all you know is the price of the gun, then tell me the price and STFU. I would much rather deal with someone who stands there silently than someone who spouts nonsense.
Anyhow, now that I’ve digressed slightly, the gun show was small, but mildly entertaining. I didn’t find anything I wanted. I broke down and ordered one thing from Midsouth this morning. I will have to resume my quest for a pistol over the phone. I will note that if I wanted a Kimber or a Glock I would have been set. They were all over the place, as were innumerable bolt-action hunting rifles, a type I have little interest in. However, the Springfield I want was not in attendance. The closest was a Mil-Spec in stainless steel. Almost perfect, but I want the Parkerized finish, not stainless. I could have had my pick of AR-15/M-16 accessories and parts as well. A fair amount of SKS rifles, as well as giblets and accessories. Also, there was the usual random assortment of odd stuff one finds at any gun show. I also noticed a variety of items from Hi-Point Firearms. I know nothing about them, but their stuff was all cheap as hell. It all looked like ass, but if it functions well, who cares? Appearance can be secondary at their price point.
After the show, we went over to Carter’s Country and looked at stuff, where I encountered yet another asshat passing along second hand mil-stories. They also don’t have the pistol I want. They do have one of the rifles I would like to get, and at a reasonable price. J is slightly baffled by all of the shopping, since the external differences between one 1911 and another are generally slight and not noticeable to the uninitiated. However, she accepts the fact that in certain issues, I’m a picky SOB, so she goes along with it.
After that was a trip to Academy to burn through a gift card I won at the company picnic. J suggested ammo, but I have a sufficiency right now. Academy did a lot to win points with J during that trip. J has a pet peeve about the fact that it is easier to find merchandise from my alma mater or Texas’ best vo-tech high school than it is from the school where she spent all her time. You would think that when you’re in the city where the college is located, merchandise would be easy to find. You’d be wrong, and there are days when it grates on her nerves. However, Academy had a plentiful selection of UH merch, so I got her some.
* Old joke: The difference between a fairy tale and a true Army story? One begins with ‘once upon a time’ and the other begins with ‘now this ain’t bullshit’.
What makes things even more aggravating is the asshats I have to deal with sometimes at gun shops and shows. I do not, generally speaking, go shopping without information or insight into what I am looking to buy. When I have reached the stage where I’m going to spend my money, I know what I want and I am not susceptible to bullshit from sales people. Gun sales people are at times the worst offenders. If I want a 7.62 battle rifle, don’t try to tell me what a fine round the 5.56 is and how I really should consider it. Most especially, don’t try to dress up the asinine uninformed opinions with references to someone you know who used to be in the military. Strangely enough, I don’t need second hand anecdotal military stories. I have plenty of old Army stories* I can tell. I don’t really need to hear one somebody told you. Right along with this peeve is the one where you insult my intelligence. Don’t try to tell me that x is the same as y from a different manufacturer or that this specific model has/lacks certain features. I know what the hell it is and what the manufacturer says should be on the item in question. If you don’t, all you’re doing is losing credibility every time you flap your gums and tell me shit that is patently false. If all you know is the price of the gun, then tell me the price and STFU. I would much rather deal with someone who stands there silently than someone who spouts nonsense.
Anyhow, now that I’ve digressed slightly, the gun show was small, but mildly entertaining. I didn’t find anything I wanted. I broke down and ordered one thing from Midsouth this morning. I will have to resume my quest for a pistol over the phone. I will note that if I wanted a Kimber or a Glock I would have been set. They were all over the place, as were innumerable bolt-action hunting rifles, a type I have little interest in. However, the Springfield I want was not in attendance. The closest was a Mil-Spec in stainless steel. Almost perfect, but I want the Parkerized finish, not stainless. I could have had my pick of AR-15/M-16 accessories and parts as well. A fair amount of SKS rifles, as well as giblets and accessories. Also, there was the usual random assortment of odd stuff one finds at any gun show. I also noticed a variety of items from Hi-Point Firearms. I know nothing about them, but their stuff was all cheap as hell. It all looked like ass, but if it functions well, who cares? Appearance can be secondary at their price point.
After the show, we went over to Carter’s Country and looked at stuff, where I encountered yet another asshat passing along second hand mil-stories. They also don’t have the pistol I want. They do have one of the rifles I would like to get, and at a reasonable price. J is slightly baffled by all of the shopping, since the external differences between one 1911 and another are generally slight and not noticeable to the uninitiated. However, she accepts the fact that in certain issues, I’m a picky SOB, so she goes along with it.
After that was a trip to Academy to burn through a gift card I won at the company picnic. J suggested ammo, but I have a sufficiency right now. Academy did a lot to win points with J during that trip. J has a pet peeve about the fact that it is easier to find merchandise from my alma mater or Texas’ best vo-tech high school than it is from the school where she spent all her time. You would think that when you’re in the city where the college is located, merchandise would be easy to find. You’d be wrong, and there are days when it grates on her nerves. However, Academy had a plentiful selection of UH merch, so I got her some.
* Old joke: The difference between a fairy tale and a true Army story? One begins with ‘once upon a time’ and the other begins with ‘now this ain’t bullshit’.
posted by T at 10:58 AM
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