MWCA
by ::G @ 2009-01-11 00:14
The Minnesota Weapons Collectors Association holds a periodic gun show at the Civic Center. Last year I went and bought some ammo, and since I'm looking again I thought I'd go again before the "changing of the guard". The ammo I'd bought was a can of Aussie .308 surplus at 50 cents a round, which was so-so yet since I didn't have to pay shipping it was worthwhile. Nowadays 65-70 cents is about what one has to pay for surplus since the military's burning it off in Iraq. Yeah, there was zero surplus .308 at the show. None. I should've bought more cans when I had the chance.
The vendors at the show never fail to be overpriced. One dealer wanted $1200 for a PTR-91 that can be had from CDNN for under a grand. He also had a DPMS AP4 for $1000, which R Guns has for $800. Sheesh! Who knows if people are actually buying at those prices, but if they are, that's a hefty markup. (It was apparent by listening to chatter by attendees there were a lot of people who were pretty uninformed in my estimation, and I'm no expert.) There were the well-worn Glocks that I'd seen before at ungodly prices, like LE beater G22s for $400 that I wouldn't pay half that for. Even mags were stupidly expensive, like PS90 mags for $75 when I can get them for $54. (I'm toying with the idea of buying a bunch of mags and putting out a table....) No, the attraction of the MWCA show for me isn't to actually buy stuff other than ammo.
What the MWCA show is good for is checking out interesting guns! I got to handle a Taurus Judge, a revolver I've had my eye on that shoots .45 Long Colt (in the 19th Century, that was a rifle round!) or .410 shotshells. There were Calicos in both .22LR and 9mm. Seeing a DSA-built FAL was helpful also, as I decided I didn't want to spend $1600 to get one. Same deal with the PS90, in that the length of the stock's too short for me. There were also Saiga-12s, an FN Five-Seven, a Desert Eagle, etc. I took a look at an AR Five Seven which I've been contemplating, and saw several MSARs. Of course there were plenty of collector's pieces that I didn't have much interest in because I don't know the value of them. I'm more interested in the modern stuff!
The highlight of the show for me was obtaining info on the machine gun shoot in Chatfield. Yeah baby!! I can't wait for May 9th. Turns out that some SOTs provide the guns, which are normally illegal to own in draconian Minnesota.
I also talked to the guy in town who is licensed to teach the Utah CCW course. There was a "lady" at his table—likely formerly a guy because she was around 6' 5" and could probably drop me—who was talking enthusiastically about the course. Apparently the class is listed in the community ed. catalog this year. A bunch of people are trying to get licenses while they can, I guess! I've heard that the Utah permits have been revoked in the past, but it greatly expands reciprocity for the holder.
All in all, it was worth the $5 to handle a lot of cool guns and find out some info I was looking for anyway. I'll have to buy my ammo online, though.
The vendors at the show never fail to be overpriced. One dealer wanted $1200 for a PTR-91 that can be had from CDNN for under a grand. He also had a DPMS AP4 for $1000, which R Guns has for $800. Sheesh! Who knows if people are actually buying at those prices, but if they are, that's a hefty markup. (It was apparent by listening to chatter by attendees there were a lot of people who were pretty uninformed in my estimation, and I'm no expert.) There were the well-worn Glocks that I'd seen before at ungodly prices, like LE beater G22s for $400 that I wouldn't pay half that for. Even mags were stupidly expensive, like PS90 mags for $75 when I can get them for $54. (I'm toying with the idea of buying a bunch of mags and putting out a table....) No, the attraction of the MWCA show for me isn't to actually buy stuff other than ammo.
What the MWCA show is good for is checking out interesting guns! I got to handle a Taurus Judge, a revolver I've had my eye on that shoots .45 Long Colt (in the 19th Century, that was a rifle round!) or .410 shotshells. There were Calicos in both .22LR and 9mm. Seeing a DSA-built FAL was helpful also, as I decided I didn't want to spend $1600 to get one. Same deal with the PS90, in that the length of the stock's too short for me. There were also Saiga-12s, an FN Five-Seven, a Desert Eagle, etc. I took a look at an AR Five Seven which I've been contemplating, and saw several MSARs. Of course there were plenty of collector's pieces that I didn't have much interest in because I don't know the value of them. I'm more interested in the modern stuff!
The highlight of the show for me was obtaining info on the machine gun shoot in Chatfield. Yeah baby!! I can't wait for May 9th. Turns out that some SOTs provide the guns, which are normally illegal to own in draconian Minnesota.
I also talked to the guy in town who is licensed to teach the Utah CCW course. There was a "lady" at his table—likely formerly a guy because she was around 6' 5" and could probably drop me—who was talking enthusiastically about the course. Apparently the class is listed in the community ed. catalog this year. A bunch of people are trying to get licenses while they can, I guess! I've heard that the Utah permits have been revoked in the past, but it greatly expands reciprocity for the holder.
All in all, it was worth the $5 to handle a lot of cool guns and find out some info I was looking for anyway. I'll have to buy my ammo online, though.
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Incidentally, the guy I talked to about Utah CCW, Ed Garris, turned out to be a douchebag. (He's a real estate agent, go figure.) At the show he told me I could take his Utah class for $100 less since I didn't need the MN permit, and then he subsequently refused to honor what he said. I've got no use for someone who won't honor his word. Funny thing is, most other instructors charge as full-price what Garris was offering as a discount.