Agree with Replacement on SoCal versions of "Crossroads of the West" gunshows--not worth attending for guns and too expensive to attend just because you're bored or jonesing for a new beany baby. The gun market down here is supremely overpriced just like most things CA (except for Mexican food, which is priceless anyway....). If you do find a gun that interests you, you have to politely go three tables away to vent the bellylaugh.
The VERY few good deals I've found locally were on calguns.net, and were individual-to-individual sales. Those only work fore me if I can physically go to the seller and see what he actually has, then repair to a mutually acceptable FFL to do the 14 pounds of paperwork. Fortunately, I'm retired and the price of gas has moderated. The fees on these deals that you have to pay at the FFL are state-mandated, so the dealer can't hold you up like in a deal where the gun has to be shipped. For that reason, many of the chain gunstores do this very reluctantly (or screw it up).
Like most places, you need to cultivate a network of knowledgeable, honest "gun people" to get what you want. Just a little harder in LALA.....but did I mention the tamales dulces, carnitas en salsa verde, camarones en coco?
