Some are terrible, some are great, but you should try one near you to see for yourself. I used to attend one that occurred in Lebanon, TN nearly every weekend. There were a bunch of hard core sellers that would be there weekend after weekend. It was right across from the state forest that I hunted in. About midday, when the hunting was slow, I would drive on over and look around. I attended one in AZ as well when I lived there. It occurred every weekend as well. Sorting through the junk for a treasure there was a lot tougher. Point is, you won't know what your flea market (or swap meet) is like if you don't give it a try. Today I went to the Nashville Flea Market. It is held about once a month here. We used to drive in when I was a kid. It's been a long time since I've been. It turned out to be just as big as I remember. I did have to sort through a lot of crap... you know.... sham wows and plastic jewelry. For the patient, you can still find deals. We went in and spent less than $100 including submission. Haggling worked well. Here is what I got: The first item, from left to right, is a gouge. After watching Dick Pronneke make perfect notches, I had to have one. I found this one made by Pexton that had no serious chips. It is ready to cut as I found it. The second item is a small Ontario steak knife. My wife wanted it to use a paring knife. Knowing what I can do with my water stones, I was all over the idea. These Ontario "Old Hickory" carbon steel blades were everywhere and finding good prices was easy. The third is a large Ontario butcher. I already own one. This one will be my back up. These are great for butchering game. Keep em' sharp and oiled and they will last a lifetime. The first one I have was my mother's..... pretty old. The fourth item is a folding draw knife by Fulton. It caught my eye because it seems like just the piece to pack in if I plan on making some items out of wood while in the field. I have no idea how old it is. It is patent dated 1906 and still sharp as a razor. Again, I chose it over some others because the blade was in relatively perfect shape. The Lee Loader is a complete reloading kit. I know... I own a Dillon 650 too, but it is the first Lee hand loader I have seen. Problem.... I have no clue what caliber it is. Looking at it, I would guess either .38 or .357. Not large enough to start in .4. I wrote Lee an email to see if they had any idea. There is no caliber marking on the die, instructions, or box. The kit is complete. If it loads .357, great I have two .357s. If it loads .38, great I will keep it around (.38 SPL is after all probably the most prevalent pistol caliber). The 2 desert color pouches are 6 magazine bandoleers from a MOLLE set. These are really great as a BO kit. You could hide them under your jacket or store em' in a pack. Each one holds a battle load of ammo. I actually got them for my Pops. I built him a couple AR15s awhile back and he really needs something to carry ammo in if the need arises (this thread pops up here monthly). These are $10 solutions to that problem. Underneath the Lee Loader and pouches are a pair of Medium-Regular wool surplus pants. Total cost...$5. I've been wanting to buy a set of those Columbia Galatin Wool pants and shirts. Only the $200 price tag has kept me away. I am $5 in. If I can get a matching shirt for less than $194, I win So, check one out near you.
There's an army surplus guy who's a permanent fixture at our local flea market. I went to him for camo's before turkey season. Got BDU pants and shirt. OD green t-shirt(new), boonie hat(new) for $30 and he threw in some netting so as to make a veil for my face. Now that's not a steal, but still a pretty good deal considering the condition of all of the above. If I went with Mossy Oak or RealTree - Easily over $70
I LOVE flea markets and garage sales. I can not pass up a deal. So far my best find was a mil issue, barely used, Gore-Tex woodland parka for $5. Second best was a barely used, still in the box, Coleman double mantle propane lantern for $1.
I've found all sorts of treasures at the flea market: oil lamps, matches, cast iron cookware, utensils, rope, bags, seeds, etc. Great place to find some cheap preparedness gear! My wife and I go walk around the flea market every Sunday.
I was walking around the local flea market here in AZ that occurs every weekend. They do sale quite a few old guns. I came across a S&W Model 63. It's an old model. I just purchased a new model at about $500. This old model was going at the right price of $360. If it's still there this weekend, I will have a back up 63. A short list of cool things to look for: Oil Lamps Lanterns Manual Sewing Machines (as low as $35) Manual Tools Wood Stoves Old Guns Old Gun Parts Knives Cast Iron What did I miss?
garage tables, desks, workbenches, garage reefers (not that kind, melbo ) mason jars, hamburger grinders, coleman stoves.
