Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Lakland Fl Gunshow - Jan 22-23 2022

Gents:

I'm posting this up in the Africa sub-forum because this is the group of like minded/interested hunters and gun enthusiasts I'd like to meet.

As the title line says, this coming weekend is the Lakeland Florida Rifle & Pistol Club's January "Gun & Knife Show".

It located at the Sun & Fly-in facilities at the Lakeland FL airport. Central Florida Arms Show Lakeland is about 1/2 way between Tampa and Orlando just S of I-4.

They do three shows a year and I've had a table at all of them for the past 10-12 yrs. They have a least one medium size hanger (heated/cooled) and sometimes enough exhibitors to open a second one next door. You can usually count on 250-300 exhibitors/venders at each show.

What I like about it is the VAST majority of exhibitors are traditional rifle/pistol and knife folks along with some nice antique firearms and some kit. Very few (only a couple) of AR platform or zombie apocalypse types that are present at the Orlando and Tampa shows. Lakeland seems to draw a more hunter/hunter-centric crowd.

I'm usually the only Africa hunting space there but, sometimes there is a guy who promotes hunts to RSA. Decent sort of fellow and decent hunting packages/prices commensurate with RSA hunts.

If you're in the area, stop in. I've got a wall space (W51) and pretty easy to find from the sign on the wall. I love to talk about guns, pretty much anything Africa related and happy to share info with anyone interested in going across the pond to the dark continent - and yes, that includes even IF you are not going to one of my friend's places in Botswana or Namibia.

Hope to maybe see/meet a couple of CF24 members there.

I need to visit the next Lakeland show and bring in a lot of the late Command Sergeant Major John Long's guns that his wife and family aren't interested in.

Give them a call. They may still have a space/table open and available. If not, at least you might get one for the next show the 3rd weekend in May.

The three they put on are in Jan, May and Sep. All the 3rd weekend of the month. Jan and Sep tend to be the most visitors thru the doors. Generally, they average 5-6 thousand over a weekend. Their record was after Obama was elected - 13K plus thru the doors and guns and magazines were a move'n.

I have been to a few Jan shows over the years when John was still actively involved and may have to wait till next year as May and Sept are my working hunting seasons.

The gunshow this weekend was pretty good all in all. The crowd Sat morning was very heavy. It hasn’t been that heavy since Obama got elected. Stayed that way till maybe 2-3pm. Sunday was back to a normal Sun crowd. Was told there nearly 4500 thru the doors over the full weekend.

Can’t really comment too much on the general prices I saw as I don’t normally have too much time to wonder around for myself, plus if I do, I tend to bring “finds” home that I really shouldn’t or don’t really need. Lots of ammo and fare amounts of reloading supplies but still very pricey.
One of the things I like about this show is as I mentioned, it’s still centered mostly around hunting rifles, shotguns, handguns knives and kit etc. No zombie apocalypse nonsense and only a very very few AR/AK sellers. One guy selling some of his own brand of jerky and maybe one lady offering some jewelry etc. but that was it. Several guys specialized in some higher end shotguns and drillings.

Another thing I enjoy about this show is you just never know what you might see or might talk to with very interesting stories. One gentleman passed by with a WW I era (1918) hammer drilling. He said he had owned it for 60-yrs and it was time to pass it to someone. It was in very, good condition, had nitro proof marks in 16x16x9.3x72 with 2 ½” chambers. Beautiful, un-restored original patina, tight lock up in the faces. I don’t remember the name of the manufacturer but I think it was a German maker (not a guild gun). When he told me what he wanted for it, I was VERY tempted – about 1/3 of what it was likely actually worth. I told him he was asking WAY too little for it and he was surprised. He still offered it to me for the same but, I just couldn’t do that to him. I told him what I thought it was likely worth and to not even think about taking less than double what he was asking. Would have loved to have had it but would have felt guilty. Yes, I could have paid him more but, I just don’t need another gun that would just sit in the safe.

Another gentleman passed by and stopped and was looking at my photo album. I asked him if he was interested in going to Africa. He said he’d been there several times in the 60’s with his father and mother. I asked him were, and he said Kenya and Rhodesia mostly. He proceeded to pull out his phone and showed me a picture of himself as an early 20’s man framed by two sets of elephant tusks that were both well over 100# each as well as a few other pictures. He said he had just finished writing a book about his and his family’s travels during the 60’s-70’s in east Africa and was to be published in the next couple of months. Had a great and long conversation with him. I told him I seriously envied him and his time and experience there. He told me he would bring me a copy of his book to the next show. I hope it happens as if it is half as good as the stories he was telling, it will be a terrific read. Absolutely terrific gentleman.

Another thing I like is planting seeds for the future. When people stop and start looking thru the photo album, I just let them look for a couple of minutes or a couple of pages and casually ask them if they are interested in going to Africa? By that point, the answer is usually, “yes” or “yes, but….”. My next question is why they haven’t gone. The most frequent answer is about it being so expensive. My next question is how much they think it costs and the answer is usually close to or over some six-figure number. My response is, well it could be, but what if I told you I could take you to Africa for 10-days and you can take 6-7 different trophy class planes game species for less than the cost of a guided elk out west around the “four corners area”. That gets their attention and I begin to explain it to them along with the photos in the album.

At some point they ask about it being “dangerous”, or diseases, no one to go with them and the travel requirements etc and then I explain about the small group hunts I put together etc. and I can see the wheels start to turn. I’m under no illusion that someone is ever going to say sign me up right now and start laying Benjamins on the table. This not a DSC or SCI convention where people attend with purpose of booking hunts. This is a “gunshow” and they are there to see/buy/sell guns, knives and stuff and I’m just a crazy guy promoting Africa hunting. But, what I am doing is providing info and giving them at least a benchmark for the cost of going to Africa. One of the last things I always tell them before they leave is one of the same things I say here. Whether or not you go with me or go to one of my friend’s places, make a plan and just go as soon as you can because it is changing so fast. And, if they have any questions always feel free to call me or email me (contact info is on the handbills I give out) and I’ll be happy to help them wherever they decide to go.

I’ve never had any totally anti-hunting cranks that do the rants etc. I cover my table with a mountain zebra rug. Every show, usually one or two (usually ladies) walking by see the skin and ask, “did you shoot this?”. “Yes”. “How could you…..etc. etc”. I let them talk for a bit and then very politely explain Africa and hunting and what happens to the meat and such. I let them ask questions, sometimes show them pictures (game poached via snares and left to rot) etc to emphasize the difference between regulated/controlled hunting and poaching. Add that every hunter shares the same view as they do regarding poaching/poachers as a common threat to game etc. Explain how quotas are set/established to prevent over taking of a population in a given area etc. Politely answer their questions etc. Usually, every one of them says they had never heard any of this side of hunting before. They just thought (bought into the anti-hunting propaganda) that we just shot animals indiscriminately, cut of the horns and skins and left the rest to rot. I’m under no illusion/delusion that I have ever turned any of them from anti-hunting to pro-hunting but, I can usually see them at least thinking maybe it’s not the way they have been lead to believe and maybe soften their stance a little.

I do have people that come by every show and say hello from a previous show. Some give me updates on how they are doing saving for the trip and asking about current conditions etc. A number of guys actually come back and do book to go after a couple of years of saving/planning etc. After their first trip they often become frequent returning clients and some end up going to other places and countries on their own after they’ve done the trip a time or two with me and I am HAPPY AS HELL when they do. They always stay in touch and share photos and stories of their adventures.

Just a few rambling of a gunshow loony while recovering for a long weekend.