I went to Atlanta show in late 60s and Bruce had a pair of consecutive numbered VHE 20 gauge skeet guns and two Fox XE 20s one had sst! Bobby

It was a sad day when Ohio Gun Collectors was thrown out of Columbus. Those of us who thrived on authentic German food missed the Columbus German restaurants. I got my taste for John Oberlies rifles at the old Columbus shows. Oberlies built the best rifles in the country in the 30s through the 50s. Too bad John Amber somehow never got wind of him. Through my Columbus contacts, I added fourteen Oberlies rifles to my collection.

Absolutely Bill. Great gun shows and good accommodations. Too bad the restaurant and motel owners didn't protest losing the gun show every 2 months. City politicians doing what they do best. I gotta be careful and not get political.

They moved to Cleveland and eventually Cleveland got it shut down but lost the lawsuit against the closure.

Sure would be nice if the OGCA moved back closer to upstate NY.

The OGCA still do great shows in Wilmington. You should try to make a few. I try to set up for 3 or 4 a year. Very knowledgeable dealers and attendees and lots of good guns. Not as big as Columbus was but still worth a trip.

The OGCA still do great shows in Wilmington. You should try to make a few. I try to set up for 3 or 4 a year. Very knowledgeable dealers and attendees and lots of good guns. Not as big as Columbus was but still worth a trip.

We actually were never thrown out of Columbus but left on our own because of the handgun ordinance in the city of Columbus. It cost the restaurants and hotels a vast amount of money as this was a well attended event with people coming from all over the country. The ordinance also cost the city a NRA convention that would also have brought in a large amount of revenue. Wilmington is a nice show but its nothing even close to what the Columbus show was. Also- your not the only one who misses the food in German village. Schmidts Sausage Hous was one of my favorite restaurants. It was also home to the original Max and Ermas. Those giant hamburgers with a side of onion rings and a big mug of Draft beer was a treat for me.

The DGJ also had an option to get your copy early. In addition Orvis mailed a listing of the guns the had for sale. They both had guns you would never see in Idaho.

I remember snagging a couple of deals off of the DGJ ads. You have to be quick and decisive, because often, when you're mumbling and murmuring about the price, another buyer is doing the same thing.

Since there were no photos on the old Shotgun News and Gun List, sellers had to write the description of the guns. This lead to some VERY creative writing. Having been on both sides of that I have to laugh at some of the things I read and wrote.

John, you wrote good descriptions "back then," and caused us to ride to Nashville to purchase three guns from you (before the internet). BTW, I still have those guns and have enjoyed them greatly for many years.