I give you the gun show
By Dave Bates
For the Observer-Reporter
Over lunch at a local restaurant I heard a young man complaining to his pal about his relative state of boredom since arriving home on college break. I think I laughed out loud. Not wanting to come off as impolite or eavesdropping, I pretended I was watching some funny cat video on my phone. Since I barely know how to use my phone and rarely spend time watching anything on it, much less cats, it was funny, at least to me. But I digress. I felt sorry for this young lad. I have not been bored a single day since I got married in 1991.
Now, rest assured, any of you youngsters who might be thinking I’m suggesting marriage in order to avoid boredom, you’ve got it all wrong. Marriage is not for the faint of heart. I’m merely stating that I have kept myself busy for the past three decades or so by continually having some project ongoing in my sportsman’s life.
There are endless guns to clean or shoot or both. Scouting is never a bad idea. Knives need sharpening. Clothes need laundering, mending and such, and all sorts of gear needs organizing and replacing. I can always work up a new reloading recipe. And these pursuits require supplies. When I need a break from my taxing schedule or just want to get outfitted for the next big project, naturally, I turn to the friendly neighborhood gun show. I invited Seth and his friend to join me this weekend.
Which brings me to my point: gun shows.
Four times a year the call goes out that the Washington County Fairgrounds will host a weekend gun show. For those of you already experiencing the mid-winter blues, the solution might be visiting the local gun show. It’s a social event and an excuse to get out of the house, associate with other known outdoors-minded degenerates of a feather and shop for anything that you might have overlooked at Christmas. Looking for a new stock for that old weapon that is cracked or just seen better days? There will be stocks aplenty at the next gun show. Putting together a new AR-15 and want to see the latest accouterments for your upcoming Frankengun build; gun show. Peruse the myriad knife vendors. There will be hundreds and hundreds of knives available for purchase.
Maybe you’re a military surplus guy? They’ll have lots on hand. Starting your search for a new or used deer rifle, ground hog rifle, squirrel rifle? Take a look at the many used pieces available at … you guessed it, the gun show. Want to learn how to put an edge on that trusty old skinning knife? Watch a video on Google or YouTube. Then head out to the gun show to pick up a whet stone, a guide, some honing oil and a strop. You’ll probably find any number of handheld devices for sharpening all sorts of knives, scissors, drill bits, broadheads, etc.
Trying to find that perfect bag, pouch, container, satchel, man pouch, back pack, etc.? Do I even need to say it? Gun show. There will be handgun holsters for sale in both leather and Kydex varieties coming in every shape and size imaginable. Ammunition is lined up as far as the eyes can see. Good news – lots of ammo available. Bad news – there is no such thing as “cheap ammo” any longer but it is becoming more plentiful.
Telescopic sights, binoculars, spotting scopes, all right there and the guys who know all about them are on hand to impart their accumulated knowledge to you, Joe Consumer. Thinking about getting into the reloading game? Think no more. Head to the gun show and become a reloader overnight. Pick up a copy of your favorite reloading manual, a cart full of components and begin the journey to becoming completely broke, I mean well invested in the shooting sports.
There are also a bunch of neat items that can only be found via the flea market, gun show or garage sale. Niche items like Crown Royal bags, old cigar boxes and many gently used sporting items await the bargain-minded shopper. Where else can you find a warped, antique cleaning rod or an old Woolrich plaid hunting coat with holes and cigar burns already in it, for cheap (besides Goodwill or your Grandpa’s closet)?
The smell of a gun show is the best part. It is a carnival of firearms comprised of Hoppe’s #9, coffee, gunleather, gunpowder, moth balls, wood, wool, hot sausage, cotton candy and nacho cheese.
So, if you’re one of those guys or gals reading this column, you might already be a member of the club without knowing it. Make your way over to Washington County Fairgrounds this weekend and find out. The Gun Show is sponsored by ARH Sport Shop and you can find more information on its website: https://www.arhsportshop.com/gunshowinfo. The dates are Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I hope to run into you there. I’ll be the guy in the worn out red and black plaid hunting coat. If I don’t shake hands immediately, it’s because my arms are loaded down with a bunch of cigar boxes and Crown Royal bags.
Dave Bates writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at alphaomegashootingsolutions@gmail.com