Plainfield Shooting Supply

[dubsac]

Like a couple shows ago, when he had Pmags for $100 at the show and wouldn't sell them AT ALL to customers in the store!?
yeah, GREAT DEAL!!!

^^^^^^This is why I dont fancy Bob or PSS anymore, Id rather give my money to Bradis, BGF and USDS here in Indy

 

[nad63]

Shop around

I have hit every 1500 for the past 2+ years. Frequent LGS (Bradis, PSS, ITP, BGF and more. Not one single place stocks/carries/sells everything or has it in stock when you need it. Deals to be had at each and every one of these places plus on line. I like to be able to touch & feel and ask questions so LGS & the 1500 work for me (and others too i'd imagine). If there was a single source for everything that would be great but that simply isn 't the case or else we'd all be shopping there! There's even a place for Gander Mt.... If they have the product and no one else does then there you go (supply & demand). I don't complain about the gas it takes to drove to the further away locations or the price of entry and parking to the 1500....they are what they are. If and when LGS stop supporting/attending the 1500 then things may change but until then I will continue to enjoy the entertainment, the diversity and the deals to be had at all these outlets and I encourage others to do the same. Happy hunting

 

[87iroc]

I like to go to the show just to look around...but I only make maybe 1 a yr just for the fun of it. I have bought 2 guns there. A M1 that I didn't get a good deal on and a SKS that I got a schmokin' deal on.

 

[TopDog]

I lost interest in the 1500 years ago. And I have tired to attend a couple of times in recent years. Just like some of the bigger vendors are saying it isn't worth the hassle of going. Sure you can find deals. If you are willing to park far away and walk, standing in long lines to get in, fight crowed isles just to move let alone see anything. Bad venue, not worth the hassle. In the last few years say the last 7 years I have only bought one gun at the 1500. And guess who I bought that from, yeah PSS. I can get what I need locally or the internet without the hassle of the 1500. At one time it used have lots of good deals. And you can still find deals but they are a lot fewer and not worth dealing with the poor venue. If the 1500 went away completely it wouldn't impact me one bit. I don't know how much it would impact the LGS but it sounds like it wouldn't mean much to them either.

 

[NHT3]

I certainly can't and wouldn't speak for Bob but I'll tell you what I know. Bob told me if he packed his store up and went to the show in March he would not have enough stock to justify opening the store on Monday. I know it had taken him years to get the prime spot he had and he lost that spot by not showing up in March. I know that passing out cards and selling guns at the 1500 was the only form of advertising he did where the shop was concerned.
I'm speculating that after not doing a couple of shows he may have decided that he really doesn't miss it. I did work of him for the last few years at the effort and long days of doing the show is a real chore, to put it mildly. I also know Brian and the guys at ITP have cut back on the amount of tables they had and if I were them I would ditch the 1500 also. Admission to the farigrounds went up, admission to the gun show went up and the promoter is not known for his congenial nature.
My opinion follows. When half the people in the building were individuals and there weren't any roasted nuts, fudge or cupie dolls for sale the 1500 was a great show. Sadly, like the world we live in, things at the 1500 have changed. I don't see it being a viable venue for much longer since it's not serving it's "customers" like it once did. Just my for anyone that is interested.
[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member [/FONT][FONT=&amp]GSSF member[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT]Gunsite graduate Certified Glock armorer
NRA Certified pistol instructor 1911 Mechanic

 

[223 Gunner]

I certainly can't and wouldn't speak for Bob but I'll tell you what I know. Bob told me if he packed his store up and went to the show in March he would not have enough stock to justify opening the store on Monday. I know it had taken him years to get the prime spot he had and he lost that spot by not showing up in March. I know that passing out cards and selling guns at the 1500 was the only form of advertising he did where the shop was concerned.
I'm speculating that after not doing a couple of shows he may have decided that he really doesn't miss it. I did work of him for the last few years at the effort and long days of doing the show is a real chore, to put it mildly. I also know Brian and the guys at ITP have cut back on the amount of tables they had and if I were them I would ditch the 1500 also. Admission to the farigrounds went up, admission to the gun show went up and the promoter is not known for his congenial nature.
My opinion follows. When half the people in the building were individuals and there weren't any roasted nuts, fudge or cupie dolls for sale the 1500 was a great show. Sadly, like the world we live in, things at the 1500 have changed. I don't see it being a viable venue for much longer since it's not serving it's "customers" like it once did. Just my for anyone that is interested.
[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member [/FONT][FONT=&amp]GSSF member[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT]Gunsite graduate Certified Glock armorer
NRA Certified pistol instructor 1911 Mechanic

Well said, I have all but quit going to that show. Parking went up, admission went, and car break-ins went up. About 2 years ago, a friend that I was attending the show with, had his truck broken into while we were in the show. I guess that particular show had several car break-ins, and it was a way to justify the parking rate increase, to pay for security. Which they should have been making more than enough to pay for that anyway. Just a greedy promoter. I would like to see the show move to a better venue, and get back to selling firearms and related goods. Not all the other crap that gets hawked out there. I personally have worked that show, and if you're un-lucky enough to have a table next to a table selling food, you get screwed. People will buy food and focus on eating it and walk right past your table without even looking.

 

[Field King]

FWIW, we have never attended gun shows, and most likely never will.

No matter what?

 

[mustangjohn]

Easy to understand a business not wanting or needing to spend the money just to hope to make money. That said I go for the varied amount of plain old random stuff you just can't seem to find elsewhere. The fee to go stinks but it is always a fun day.

 

[IndyGunSafety]

I wonder why? They've done so well at the shows I have a hard time believing they come close to that revenue staying at the shop.

We stopped doing shows 2 years ago. It was not worth all the effort. We do really well on show days, but in the gun shop.

 

[ol' poke]

Why pay for the rare chance to get a average deal?

Because an average deal is still a deal. I looked at all my LGS for small pistol/rifle primers and no one had any. Made the trip to the 1500 and they had thousands.

Besides, $17.00 parking/admission is worth it in the entertaiment value alone (at least I keep telling myself that.)

ol' poke.

 

[confused89]

I can't justify going anymore. The one hour drive, parking, and admission cost has made it so that even if I don't buy anything I am still spending $60 and spending half a day wondering around the show. I'd rather just go to a gun store.

 

[mustangjohn]

Because an average deal is still a deal. I looked at all my LGS for small pistol/rifle primers and no one had any. Made the trip to the 1500 and they had thousands.

Besides, $17.00 parking/admission is worth it in the entertaiment value alone (at least I keep telling myself that.)

ol' poke.

I hear that! I'll drop $20 for that kind of entertainment all day long!

 

[Tlam13]

I like going just to look at all the different stuff also, and it's good to take my 2 boys along too! We have fun looking at all the militaria that we don't normally see, and shopping for stuff also. I've bought a couple of guns there that were deals in the last year.

 

[RMC]

I guess we could all go to the classified section here and pay $100 more than retail for a used pistol! I like going to the gun shows for the nostalgia it provides and if I see something I want then that's a bonus. The local retailers don't make a huge margin on their guns but they've learned to make a living on selling volume. To empty your own store to cater to the non-customer base isn't good business on such small profit margins. I think I'll spend my free time this weekend visiting the local retailers and spending a few bucks at each one to let them know I appreciate them being there.

Besides, what exactly is a good deal? I think it's a transaction where both parties benefit. If you're looking for something cheap, I hope you find exactly that. If that's what you get then don't whine because that's what you asked for.

ps: I think there's almost a 100% chance that I'll buy another pistol at PSS this weekend. :-)

 

[Blkbrd11XX]

Hmmm. I was eager and hyped about going but after reading this, I dont know. Im new to this and I thought this would be my best/easiest opportunity of actually touching many different pistol brands to get an idea as to what feels good in my hands. Ive visited a couple of local shops via the net and it seems theyre limited as to what they stock. driving around to each one would def be less cost effective than the 20.00.

 

[Vamptepes]

Not all shops have the inventory on there sites and most LGS sites. are just awful when it comes to what all they have in the store. (i understand live tracking of inventory is hard. i ran a few websites years back)...But it is much better to go to a LGS i think and handle the firearms instead of guessing online. Just because a gun is popular doesn't mean it's something you would want

 

[PeaShooter]

pretty sure I saw Bob manning the PSS tables at the show on sat monring...usual location

 

[DanVoils]

They were there with lots of guns. Didn't see any earth shaking prices though so the money stayed in my wallet.