2015 SOS gathering
 

Tried to add my previous postings to here and took over the posting - anyway, put my comments at the end.

2015 SOS gathering
 

Crown Plaza diner gathering. Thanks to George Anderson for making it happen. Food, and friends were great. John

I've never heard of the "Show Of Shows"; what show was it??? Louisville???

Looks like some folks I used to know... but it probably isn't cause they were much thinner! :) (and so was I!)

Wish I could have been there...

Richard,
The SOS is in Louisville and this is the last year that it will be held at the same time as the "National Gun Day" show. Together they one of the biggest and best militaria and gun shows in the country.
You know me but haven't met in person. I am the guy in the brown shirt just to the right of the tall guy in the back row. The gathering is the usual group of Luger enthusiasts that attend the show.
Ron

But it will still be held, right??? :confused: Just a different weekend???

But I'm interested in the dinner...Did you guys have prime rib??? King size, rare, seared, and oozing with juice??? And baked potato, with lots of butter??? :cheers:

Richard, Ron pretty much summed it up. Sorry for the short and poor discription.
I assure you that their are not any street bums in the pic, in fact several are world class authorities / collectors of Luger pistols ( and some the P-38) as well as many other types of collector pistols. The others, like myself, are just avid collectors in the company of giants. I am very proud and honored to be associated with any one, or all of them!


I will not divulge their names without their permission, they may do so themselves if they so wish. I will tell you the one standing 2nd from the right is me.

John

Richard, yes we had that for dinner, plus lots more and their was even an adult beverage or two reported!

From what I have herd, they will be on seperate dates, and no longer the same weekend. This is a bummer, because it is/ was about 2000 tables of quality militaria in one hall, and about the same or more in the gun show. The venue bumped them for a helicopter event that wants the entire expo center. All the big dealers are there. I also met many fine people from both the forums that are not in the diner picture there. John

Since the two shows will be split up next year, which is the better choice for someone primarily interested in firearms???

Depends on the firearms. "National Gun Day"--the gun show--was all across the board: antique, western, sporting long guns, modern and black guns, military, etc. "Show of Shows"--the military show--was military items of all kinds and all eras, firearms were pretty exclusively military.

There were many more Lugers, of all descriptions, scattered around the military show.

--Dwight

Try Tulsa. More guns old and new.

So what all went on at the show??? What did you buy, sell, see??? :p

Let's hear about it!!! :D

You guys really need to come to Orlando next year. Escape the cold. :)

sheepherder, I get email notifications of replies to threads in which I made a post. I received one where you quoted my last post. Yet it is not in the lists of posts. I wonder what happens to it. Maybe the gremlins took it?

I hear that Lakeland is a good show.

The Lakeland January Show is world class.

But Tulsa is also great.

John

Yep, I deleted/edited my posts. Upon reflection, I know I won't be going next year- but I'd still like to hear about this years shows/reunion. :D

Did anyone find that elusive Luger they've always wanted??? ;)

If I have to walk or crawl, I'll be there next year~~~~ Eric

Found it :), couldn't buy it :(

--Dwight

I had a good show this year. I picked up two police P.38 rigs and a few other goodies. I also sold well but mostly small price items that paid expenses. I will miss having the NGD show on the same weekend but the SOS promoters explained that a helicopter show took all the display areas and bumped both shows. Perhaps they will be able to get them in synch once again later on. I reserved my tables for next year's SOS at the show so I will be back.

A unit marked Prussan pickelhaube, a guard marked stalhelm, a pickelhaube spike for a helmet I have, a 98K sling, 3 wood luger mags, lots of great pictures, a Prussan belt and buckle, and some other small stuff. Oh, also a 1912 DWM Grenadier unit marked luger (m/mag) with a nice Reichsrevolver holster thrown in. Got to handle and observe 3 RARE and historical B series prototypes that got their blessings as authentic from several people knowledgable enough to do so. Also learned more over a few drinks than a month with my nose in a book. Another highlight was a walk around the show with Ron Wood talking about lugers and life, then observe him de-authenticate a CC mag declared legit by several experts. (claim of the seller). He obviously did not know who he was talking to, but found out why it was fake quite quickly. (QUOTE: Want to put your money where your mouth is?...........) Purchase was declined. I REALLY wish we got together as a group more often. Jerry, we missed your company. John

John, Thanks for a detailed report! Yes, and I missed the company of many fine fellows I know! I am determined to keep working, trying to catch up on previous commitments. Glad you guys could do it.

I noticed that you specifically mentioned me and a couple of others. I was not sure how to rate the post.:)

Did I??? I tend to ramble off-topic sometimes...I know i tried to figure out the expenses of driving to Louisville and staying at least one night...And buying at least one handgun...I was close to $1,000 and decided that I could cross that trip off my bucket list... :(

Edit: Oh!!! You mean the police roundup of homeless bums!!! Yeah, I have a strange sense of humor...Or so I'm told... :D

What does SOS stand for?? Eric

It is expensive. With airfare, hotel and gun show purchases I am close to $2000 for this trip. But I am not getting any younger and this is the best venue to meet with my best friends and really enjoy top Luger observation and discussion. Sure, it is extravagant but it brings me a lot of joy.

See post #2 in this thread.

I was reading Ron from MN's 7-page thread over on the P38 forum yesterday on the Louisville shows and he mentioned many pictures taken...Do they allow picture taking at those two shows???

Here in NYS, at my end at least, picture taking at the gun shows is not allowed. I have no idea why (maybe flashes are disruptive?) but them's the rules. I was asked if my smartphone had picture taking capability at the door (even though I'm a member) and I just said "It's a BlackBerry" and was allowed to proceed... :rolleyes:

Lew (or Charlie, or John, whatever) I don't recall mentioning anyone except Ed and Dwight, and them only from the Rogues Gallery pics. In fact, I don't ever recall seeing your posts anywhere here in the five years I've been a member...I'm guessing your Luger interests are wildly different from mine and we've never posted in the same thread... :(

...Until this one... :D

Sorry, but I saw my name in the email of your post. You said, in the following order: "Dwight, Ed, and Lew...."

Sorry.

I guess, with only a 1000 posts, 55 lugers in my collection, and being around for more than 6+ years, I am a newbie.

I have seen your threads, but then I pay attention to what is posted, and as a part of such, I get names correct.

Thought I would copy over my info from a posting I did the other day to here :)

First chance, sorry.

I have sold small items, nothing large, however, I have picked up two uppers, one a K date without a toggle,the other is a early 1st issue with later weimar barrel.

I picked up two early luger manuals, in English
I picked up some luger parts, to include a Simson tool and an unumbered but proofed eagle 6 breachblock.

Bought a shooter luger, it should be a $1400 or more police Luger, but the stock lug has been ground off.

Saw a 1925 SIMSON (crazy guy wants 35k.... I didn't bother telling him it might be worth 6-7 k)
Saw two other Simson, new numbers, one unit marked and one is an S toggle. $4,000 each

Saw a very nice 1902 carbine from a friend and a couple more.

Saw three consecutive 10k Serial number range B test lugers (not the 1000 group test lugers) but ones Georg Luger would have handled. Amazing and real...

Met many friends and a few new ones. Had a heck of a good time!!

Saw a lot of interesting things!

addendum - NONE of the three Simson were new on the listing - I gathered some additional info and have started keeping price (in the section no one sees) and also where and when I saw it (have done that for a long time).

Ed

I might have addressed the post to 'Lew' (it's what I thought your name was) but I only thought I recognized Ed, Dwight, and the Air Force sweatshirt guy...Whose name I don't know...From the old pics in the Rogues Gallery... :)

I really don't know anyone here personally, only from posts. Not much collector activity in my area. IthacaDave and Curly1 are the closest, and they're 5+ hours drive away. :(

So, in the spirit of friendship, "Hello Charlie!" :bigbye:

Our shows are mostly parts and clothing sales, rarely does anyone bring a 'collection' of anything to display. They used to, but something changed. Turkey calls, duck decoys, surplus BDUs, knives of all kinds, and truckloads of AR-15/M16 parts fill the tables now. :grr:

Maybe some day I'll show up at a large gun show. ;)

'LEW' is my wife's initials. But all my posts have Charlie at the bottom. You can't go by the registerd name or is your given name actually 'sheepherder' ???

And I recall that we did have discourse once as I have a friend who lives in E. Amherst and does gun shows and I was inquiring if you went to shows in his area.

As to Curly, I see him on the very bottom forum on Gunboards, but there I use my own initials and also sign the posts there as Charlie.

I grew up and came of age in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky is a different world. One of these days I will invite you down and we can drink some clear water and ride 4 wheelers over the hills .:D I will keep you safe from the girls - a few years ago I was at my brother-in-law's house and a lady came to visit his wife. Good looking lady. I must have been looking too hard as my brother-in-law's wife informed me that the lady had shot and killed her last two boyfriends.

I belong to a few groups
Ohio Valley Military Society
Ohio Gun Collectors Assn
Pennsylvania Gun Collectors Assn
South Carolina Gun Collectors Assn
Alabama Gun Collectors Assn
Missouri Valley Gun Collectors Assn
Colorado Gun Collectors Assn
Browning Collectors Assn
National Automatic Pistols Collectors Assn

There is a nice show in Tulsa in about a month - 4000+ tables. You would enjoy it.

NGD & SOS are not bad shows, the size making them worthwhile to go to. You just have to watch your expenses. My supper at NGD/SOS each day was less than $5.00. Since I drove, I brought my own lunch and drinks. The motel (about 1/2 mile from the event center) offered a good (free) breakfast and was only $71.00 per night.

Now my friends lived high on the hog. The friend from NC spent $41.00 for supper one night. The couple from SC spent over $100.00 for supper one night. But you can get by cheaper and not be as spartan as I am.

A friend and his wife drove down from CT - they come to all of the NGD shows and they had farther to travel than you.

So you need to come. And actually you need to go to Tulsa. Since you don't have gun shows in NY, you need to come to some good ones.

Sheepherder is military slang for a truck driver. I was actually a truck mechanic but since you had to be licensed to work on them, I was used most often as a driver. ("If you're too stupid to herd sheep, they make you a truck driver" was the saying). :D

And as a 'postino', I drove a truck for ~29 years also.

I'm sorry to say I don't recall...An unhappy occurence that happens all too often these days...But if I did answer, I probably said I went to shows in Hamburg at the recetrack/fairgrounds, and occasionally the Attica show [fire hall, not too big!]. Rochester too, that's the only 'big' show locally.

Tulsa/anywhere in OK has never stirred my interest. I spent two weeks in Las Vegas/Nellis [Red Flag] and liked it; I might consider a show there. I've always thought when I retired I would tour the SouthWest and maybe settle in Arizona. I do have friends there. Also an ex-wife, which is why I'm not eager to go...yet... ;) But a large show would kindle my interest... :)

After my daughter finished at Ft. Rucker, she was assigned to Korea. The 2nd or 3rd day there, there were a bunch of officers and enlisted grouped around. Her boss told her to take the truck and go pick something up. Even though it was not her MOS, she obeyed.

She hopped in the truck, put it in gear and took off. Apparently all the people watching were expecting her to grind the gears. They did not know that she grew up with standard transmission vehicles.


There are only 2 big shows. NGD/SOS with a total of about 4000 tables. And Tulsa with in excess of 4000 tables. NGD/SOS is more fruitful for our line.

Next year is hard to say as the twp shows will be on different dates. But still each show will be 2000 tables or so.

I am not sure how big the Dallas show is as I have never been there.

The Denver show , around 1500 tables, can be good. It is heavy on western stuff, so our type of buyer com[petition is low and sometimes a bargain can be found. Cheaper for me to go by plane than fly as the driving distance for me is 1250 miles - or 2 days each way.

I would like to visit my friend in E. Amherst and he keeps asking me to come up, but if I did so, I would be violating about 65 (or so it seems) NY laws and if caught, might never see the light of day again. He does shows on a nearby reservation and from his comments, it would be interesting.

I drove the 5-ton M62. All non-synchromesh. Double-clutch every gear, up & down. A good workout. :D

Nearby reservation? Military or Indian? East Amherst is about a half-hour drive straight South down the street in front of my house. I drove down to Sheridan Dr about two years ago to pick up a transmission for my Vette (it's in it now). East Amherst used to be bare fields, now it's one big long shopping mall/plaza/car dealerships... ;)

I believe that it is an Indian reservation.

I finally found a Persian artillery that I liked and was in my price range at the Military show.
Bob Simpson stopped at our table and examined it. He said it is one of the nicest he had ever seen. He made the comment that most Persians looked as if they were rolled down a rock cliff and had dings and nicks all over them.

Super!!!

Arizona's big show is the SAR Show at the Phoenix State Fair Grounds the first week of December. It has everything, but they have one building of military surplus and Class III weapons. They have Lugers throughout the show, but I go for unusual military parts and have bought 22LR kits and parts of kits. This last year I picked up a full upper that had been reworked to 22LR, see Luger picture under aluminum grips. It is a 1913 DWM #1057 matching upper with a permanent barrel insert, shortened front bolt machined for 22LR and hole drilled on left for rimfire, and a firing pin that had the front cone machined off and a firing pin welded on the left side. I need to do some more machining on the bolt so it will feed off a magazine, now just a single shot.