Gun shows out here are very akin to RM's experience, but you can add solar dealers and craft tables (the wives). At least I haven't been charged for parking yet.
If a bullpup stock was available at that price at a show here, it likely would come home with me to justify the experience...despite my surprising lack of desire to do that....I prefer muffs over plugs, but at that price it might be a fun temporary project.
The amount of SKSs you saw equal what I have seen at the last six shows I have gone to. The prices are about on the mark too...which is another thing I don't like about them anymore. WHERE did all the good deals go? Even the Mosins are right at retail...if not higher. I would think skipping all the shipping and FFL transfer hoopla would translate to better deals at the table, but it doesn't seem to be the case....probably due to increased table charges, due to insurance.
Among the few remarkable SKSs I have seen, one was a $550 Cherry's Yugo NIB, another was a $1200 DragoesqueDDRnotLiskimaybeishIzzy, then there was the $850 MC-5D with the barrel clamped green laser...the whole show knew you were looking at THAT gun again...the old timer who had it was trying to wow people with it...all day. The only viable gun I saw was still a bubba, technically, a $400 /26\ 10m para, at a show where I could only afford a handful of stripper clips (if they had any)....I was just there for drool factor, using the reconstituted food samples to combat that.
The internet granting everybody dealer prices is probably why most shows flat out blow chunks (of kettle corn) anymore.