MILSURPs at Kamloops Annual Gun Show

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purple

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I attended the show yesterday. It also runs today. It is a large, well-run show with an effective security system at the one exit ( a good thing in view of an expensive shotgun being stolen from a table at the Penticton show 2 wks ago).

There was a reasonable selection of MILSURPs incl the usual bobbed Lee-Enfields, P14s and Rosses, RC M98 Mausers, full stock Lee Enfields, and Mosins (incl 2 nice Finn re-worked M'91s) Also saw a few Swede Mausers. My Garand and M1903 Springfield radar was out. There were a couple of Springfield M1s priced @$2000 and a 1911 vintage low-number M1903 with a replacement 1941 barrel and a $1500 tag. The M1903 seller had a detailed write-up explaining the rarity of this piece due to it`s early make, plus the fact that it had been re-heat treated at the arsenal. Low number M1903s were NOT re-heat treated by the military. Folks should be careful about paying a premium price for early production M1s and M1903s unless they remain in their original configuration with original barrels, stocks and other parts. Other than that they are just a curiosity due to their early production and are just another receiver that went thru the re-build and overhaul process one or more times. I also saw an M1 bayonet and scabbard with a $225 tag on it, about 3x the going rate. There was a CNo7 sitting in the proper crate with accessories and a $1500 tag on it. All of these things were still available as of 3 PM.

There seemed to be a lot of the SKSs with a hockey-sock full of various aftermarket stocks, mags, sights, flashlites and other bolt-on whifftickers that are being flogged for them. There were many of all of the Winchester lever guns worth looking at, incl some that a fellow had color-casehardened at some point. A few of the older Winchesters showed various examples of bunkhouse wood carving with charging bears, leaping stags,etc. I was taken by an early M99 Savage TD rifle in .22HP that looked almost too good to be true-a far cry from my Grandpa`s homesteader`s original with a cracked stock that he had clubbed a coyote with to save on ammo! There is always a table with a selection of Nazi and German militaria on it. A few yrs ago there was a handsome portrait of old AH himself, which had been de-Nazified by over-painting the swastika on his armband. I wonder where this stuff keeps coming from.

This show is always worth seeing. I`ve had a table in the past and think I`ll reserve another one next yr.
 
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Saw a very early Luger as well as a WW1 vintage model. I didn't examine them in detail or note the prices. Saw 2 wartime P28 hardshell holsters in nice shape for $250 and $300. Also noticed a couple of the first pattern Cdn P37 holsters for the Inglis HP. I didn't see an Inglis or M1911 military model, or any wartime P38s for that matter.

Sorry, didn't pay much attention to Lee-Enfield prices, except for the previously mentioned CNo7. Like I said, my radar was tuned to M1s and M1903s and related parts and accessories.
 
The best part was the security guard who insisted that I had to have a trigger lock on my rifle to bring it into the show because it was the law......i guess the look on my face was enough to make him re-think his ignorance....
 
purple said:
I attended the show yesterday. It also runs today. It is a large, well-run show with an effective security system at the one exit ( a good thing in view of an expensive shotgun being stolen from a table at the Penticton show 2 wks ago).

There was a reasonable selection of MILSURPs incl the usual bobbed Lee-Enfields, P14s and Rosses, RC M98 Mausers, full stock Lee Enfields, and Mosins (incl 2 nice Finn re-worked M'91s) Also saw a few Swede Mausers. My Garand and M1903 Springfield radar was out. There were a couple of Springfield M1s priced @$2000 and a 1911 vintage low-number M1903 with a replacement 1941 barrel and a $1500 tag. The M1903 seller had a detailed write-up explaining the rarity of this piece due to it`s early make, plus the fact that it had been re-heat treated at the arsenal. Low number M1903s were NOT re-heat treated by the military. Folks should be careful about paying a premium price for early production M1s and M1903s unless they remain in their original configuration with original barrels, stocks and other parts. Other than that they are just a curiosity due to their early production and are just another receiver that went thru the re-build and overhaul process one or more times. I also saw an M1 bayonet and scabbard with a $225 tag on it, about 3x the going rate. There was a CNo7 sitting in the proper crate with accessories and a $1500 tag on it. All of these things were still available as of 3 PM.

There seemed to be a lot of the SKSs with a hockey-sock full of various aftermarket stocks, mags, sights, flashlites and other bolt-on whifftickers that are being flogged for them. There were many of all of the Winchester lever guns worth looking at, incl some that a fellow had color-casehardened at some point. A few of the older Winchesters showed various examples of bunkhouse wood carving with charging bears, leaping stags,etc. I was taken by an early M99 Savage TD rifle in .22HP that looked almost too good to be true-a far cry from my Grandpa`s homesteader`s original with a cracked stock that he had clubbed a coyote with to save on ammo! There is always a table with a selection of Nazi and German militaria on it. A few yrs ago there was a handsome portrait of old AH himself, which had been de-Nazified by over-painting the swastika on his armband. I wonder where this stuff keeps coming from.

This show is always worth seeing. I`ve had a table in the past and think I`ll reserve another one next yr.
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""Grandpa`s homesteader`s original with a cracked stock that he had clubbed a coyote with to save on ammo!" Oh man that really made me giggle, ammo must have been hard to come by apparently in the dirty thirties! LOL!
 
A lot of us old country boys started shooting when there wasn't much money for ammo. 22 ammo was the big thing to buy. For fun shooting the norm was to cast your own bullets and reload for the old Winchesters with black powder using the old tong style tools. Soft point ammo was carefully budgeted for deer hunting. MILSURP ammo was cheap. You could get .303 ball for a few cents a pop. I distinctly recall mail ordering 200 rds of .303 tracer from Navy Arms in the US for $12 incl shipping.
 
Thanks for the report... I was helping set up all day friday and yesterday in area C I saw a couple of enfileds... one was a 30-06 for 175.... might have been priced a bit high, but I am still kicking myself I didn't get it..... I did get a marlin 30-30 for 220...weather or not it was a good price, i don't really know... I think I am happy with the price and went up above Paul Lake today and took the kid out with the .22 and he blasted a box off and I let off a couple rounds with my new toy
 
wannabe said:
The best part was the security guard who insisted that I had to have a trigger lock on my rifle to bring it into the show because it was the law......i guess the look on my face was enough to make him re-think his ignorance....
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Chatted with him on the way out. He mentioned how the mounties were going to make that law. He was duly and politely advised of the current law, and seemed to have a change of heart a bit.

No1Mk3s were between 400 and 600 in full wood depending on what table you went to. Bubba'd Enfields were anywhere between $100 to $400. A few old milsurp pistols around, a few full length mosins, a polish M44, lots of levers as Purple mentioned. Pricing was good or bad depending on what table you went to. Prices were higher the first day, and tags had prices slashed the second day but lots of tables also had much less stock on day two than on day one.

All in all a really good show. Probably the friendliest show I've been to anywhere in a while. People were not afraid at any point to strike up a random conversation with any stranger with a gun on their shoulder. Was like a walking show and tell all over the place. Quite cool.
 
fenceline, you must have been wearing blinders or were fixated by some of the higher priced pieces. I saw at least a dozen M96 and M38 Swedes in the $300 to $400 range with better bore conditions marked and with all matching numbers than you describe. Admittedly, there were a few vendors there that had no idea what they had for sale and to them, a Mauser is a Mauser, therefore it has to be worth at least $500+.

I know a couple of those guys personally and talked to them about their prices. They've seen some of the asking prices here on the EE for Mausers and just don't realize the prices on Swedes and South American Mausers just don't command the prices of the German or Axis issued Mausers. It was like talking to the deaf.

We've all run into similar issues here and at gunshows. They soon learn though, after carrying them around to a couple of shows.

I got to the show just after 10:00am. The lineup was gone and the onrushing tide had dispersed across the halls. Most it seemed, had walked right past the "C" hall, right at the entrance. There were a lot of good prices in that hall. Some very hard to find ammo as well.

They need to put up a sign of some sort that the less observant can see to even realize there is a third hall.

I picked up a very nice Martini Enfield in there and the vendor dropped his asking price by more than a third.

There was a components vendor in there that had different brands of bullets for sale at prices well below Wholesale Sports. He was trying to outprice P&D.

One thing I did notice, were the number of people that were visibly walking as fast as possible to beat the crowd around the halls so they could scrutinze the tables first for the best goodies. Most of them were so avid in their quest they couldn't see the trees for the forest. That's fine with me.
 
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I was just looking at the Ljungman autos and commenting on the prices for those. The other swede stuff is still not my forte, yet. I don't know much about other swedes or their values so I'm sure I missed out. Russian stuff, enfields, and a few of the mausers, those are more familiar.

Still learning a lot.
 
my fav was the 303 beater sporter with a cheapo scope for $650....and the takedown 10-22 for the same price....
 
I saw one P38 for $775 and 3 M1 Garands. 2 of the Garands were marked at $2k and I didn't give them a second look, the third one was $1375, but looked in rough shape to my uneducated eye. It came with a bayonet and one enbloc. However I didn't get any details as I am not in the market for one.
 
wannabe said:
my fav was the 303 beater sporter with a cheapo scope for $650....and the takedown 10-22 for the same price....
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I saw a Long Lee there with a cheapo scope but it also had hand made Safari sights regulated out to 500 yards and regulated by Fulton for a special load and bullet weight for that price. It also had an absolutely beautiful hand carved and fitted stock for that price. By the time I got to the row on the other side where it was being sold, it had been snapped up. The new owner did allow me to fondle it and even though I was listening closely I couldn't pick up the words as the fellow at Kamloops that so loves that awful public address system was babbling on about something no one gave a hoot about. Talk about annoying.

Mind you he did call on the dumb ass that locked his dogs in his car, in hot sunlight with all the windows rolled up. They should have just called the police and broke the window to get the animals out, then charged the ignorant sh-t with cruelty to animals. Better yet, they should have found another vehicle, locked him in with no way to roll the windows down. What a dork.
 
I was there both days. Vendors I spoke with said business was slower than usual. Kamloops more known for sporting guns than milsurps IMHO. Chilliwack is much better IMHO. Those two Garands at 2K made the one for $1,375 w/bayo a screaming deal which sold quickly. There were several RC Mausers from $500 up. No fullwood Ross' that I saw. A decent 1911 commercial at $2,395 , but "pass". Think I won't bother attending next year. Again, just my opinion, others may differ. I think the show wasn't promoted well this year. The lineup is usually all the way around the building at opening, but not this year. The waitress at Denney's was unaware of the show with only two staff. Took over an hour to get a sh!tty breaky! Never again.
Cheers
Geoff
Victorria,BC.
 
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bearhunter said:
I saw a Long Lee there with a cheapo scope but it also had hand made Safari sights regulated out to 500 yards and regulated by Fulton for a special load and bullet weight for that price. It also had an absolutely beautiful hand carved and fitted stock for that price. By the time I got to the row on the other side where it was being sold, it had been snapped up. The new owner did allow me to fondle it and even though I was listening closely I couldn't pick up the words as the fellow at Kamloops that so loves that awful public address system was babbling on about something no one gave a hoot about. Talk about annoying.

Mind you he did call on the dumb ass that locked his dogs in his car, in hot sunlight with all the windows rolled up. They should have just called the police and broke the window to get the animals out, then charged the ignorant sh-t with cruelty to animals. Better yet, they should have found another vehicle, locked him in with no way to roll the windows down. What a dork.
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That was sad to hear the PA announcement about the German Shepherd in the car. This was repeated several times for an hour or more, finally ending with an announcement that they had impounded the dog, presumably breaking into the vehicle to do so. There was another "dog in a hot car" announcement about 2 smaller dogs in similar circumstances. One of my pet peeves is the urban dog owner who likes to style around in their vehicle with a big, fancy "show-off" dog that they seem to be unable/unwilling to control or care for in a responsible way. Related problems are always the owner's fault, never the dog's.
 
Geoff, coming all the way from Victoria for the show this year could have been a disappointment if you were looking for milsurps.

The post LGR rush is over. Many of the people that had squirreled away firearms have disposed of their unwanted models.

There is something else to consider. The recession has never really let go of its hold in southern Canada. Kamloops isn't any different than any of the cities along the Trans Canada. It's even worse in the smaller towns and cities off the main route. When I went to the Kimberly show last year, in the Kootenays, the further south you went of Golden, the more private properties there were for sale. In some of the mining towns or pulp towns, where the mine had closed or mill had closed, 50% of the homes were for sale and even the gas stations and restauraunts were closed. You actually had to be careful or run out of fuel.

If it weren't for the folks that work the two weeks in two weeks out in the northern oilfields, it would be even worse.

Many of the vendors, that go to the northern shows, are expecting to get similar prices for their offerings in the south. Until the economic conditions pick up, it's a pipe dream. That's also a reason why the pickings were slimmer this year, many of the vendors that would normally be there aren't coming. They can't justify the expense. To many people treating the shows like yard sales or expecting fire sale prices. Not only that, lower wages mean firearms are just unaffordable luxuries. It's getting time for things to either collapse completely or start turning around.
Geoff
Victorria,BC.[/QUOTE]
 
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