[Rupe]

I have a shotgun made by Ohio Arms, called a Long Tom. It is a single shot with a 12 guage and 40 inch barrel.

[Bruce626]

Nobody seems to be biting on this so I'll jump in where angels fear to tread. I have a Mossberg shotgun that is apparently all of 2 mebbe 3 years old, judging by the short 18.5 in bbl and evil black colour.

Your shotgun sounds way more interesting... any more history about its ancestry? What exactly, fellow shotgunners, does one do with a 40 inch barrel... shoot elephants at 300 yds? Sorry, don't mean to be disrespectful, but jeez, 40 inches? The 81mm mortar I shot back in the olden days was shorter than that! Or so.
--Bruce.

[Dave McCracken]

My oldest at present was made in 1950. Have owned and operated them back to 1919 production.

Lots of "Long Toms" out there. Besides a brand name, it was a generic term. The longer barrel was partly because of slower burning powders in those days, partly a marketing ploy to make buyers feel they were getting more gun for the money.

Not for modern ammo unless a smith checks and OKs it. Short chambers, soft iron frame.

[Johnpl]

A wall hanger: a circa 1870 "fowling piece". The hunting stories it could tell...

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

A Parker field-grade SXS 10 guage, 2-7/8" chambers, 30" skelp-twist barrels, sidelocks w/ hammers, double triggers, extractors, thumb-lever opening, (Not an Underlifter.) and a little silver shield in the wrist of the pistol-grip stock. Built in 1885 I think.

Winchester M-1897 12 guage takedown, full choke, 30" barrel, built 1907.

Monkey Wards "Hercules" 12 guage single shot by Stevens, 1920-ish, maybe.

Don't GOT any newer ones.

[Rupestris]

I currently own four SG's. In order of age they are:

Remington 870 12 ga - Production date 2002

Mossberg 395KB 12 ga - Production date unknown - est. mid 80's

FIE Single Shot 12 ga - Production date unknown - est. early 80's

and the oldest, Remington 870 Wingmaster 20 ga - Production date from inquiry to Remington - 1961.

I also have a Remington Nylon 66 with a date of 1964. :D Old remmys arent addictive, are they?:confused: :p

Rupestris

[L Frame]

My oldest (and still in use) is a 1954 Ithaca 37.

[foghornl]

Probably the oldest shotty in my family in the Savage/Stevens Mdl 94B. 16Ga single shot break-action. The shotty originally belonged to "Pops" [grandfather on Dad's side], so I have no idea how old it is.

[Gunsnrovers]

I own 3 shotguns.

1) Stevens 620 riot gun made in 1941.
2) Winchester 1897 made in 1936.
3) Ithaca 37 DSPS made in 1980.

Jeff

[rick_reno]

Win M42 Trap - they made 233 of these in 1933. It's a 410 trap gun. I've shot it, it appeared unfired when I got it. It fits me perfectly.

[45auto]

A 1100 bought 31 years ago, used at that!!

[ACP230]

Most of the shotguns here have been around awhile.
The oldest one now belongs to my son Isaac. It is an ACME single barrel 12 gauge that belonged to my grandfather, Isaac.
I started hunting with it and passed it down to my son when he was old enough to appreciate it. He had my grandfather's name so I thought he should have his shotgun.

My oldest shotgun is a Winchester Model 12 in 16 gauge. My dad bought it for me as a highschool graduation present in 1969. It had about 15 percent of the metal finish left and has lost more since then. Still shoots fine. It was made in the 1940s.

My dad's 12 gauge Model 12 is here also. It was bought new for $35 in 1935. Dad paid the same price for my much used Model 12.

[Badger Arms]

It's a tossup. I don't have the dates for my two Winchester 97's but I know my Remington Model 17 was made in the 20's.

[Mr. Black]

A Field Grade LC Smith .410 double (oh so sweet..)

Still in use and given by my great grandfather to his son in, lo, maybe 1927.

[Daryl]

Remington Model 11 WWII Riot Gun.

[Edward429451]

We have an Eastern Arms Model of 1929 single shot 20 gauge. It puts the H&R's to shame. It holds its own with the modern ones on the skeet range, albeit no doubles.

No serial number, being pre-1933. Every once in a while someone will try to tell me its illegal cause it dont have a serial number and I have to correct them.:rolleyes:

I keep getting skeet and trap confused. We just launch clay pigeons with the trap machine and blast away. Is this trap or skeet?

[MarineTech]

I've got an old English 10 gauge side by side black powder shotgun that I inherited from a great uncle. Made by J.P. Clarough and Bros. of London in 1885.

The action and lockup are still tight, but being made for black powder and having damascus barrels, I've relegated it to a mantel gun instead of a shooter.

[Dave McCracken]

Wow, lots of neat old family guns and stuff.

Rick_reno, I never heard of a 410 trap gun, much less a dedicated 42. Live and learn...

[LIProgun]

My oldest is my great-grandfather's exposed hammer SxS, with 30" barrel. It is Belgian, marked "Wm Parkhurst," which is likely an importer or distributor, and not the manufacturer. The barrels are marked "Belgium laminated steel" and it is not safe for smokeless powder loads. I don't believe it has been fired in well over 50 years.

[sm]

'74 Super X Model 1

:( bunch of my stuff stolen, 870's -one made in my birthyear '55, -37's, 303's, another SX1 and the model 12 ..that one hurt real sentimental :(

[TNT]

Remington model 17 only made in 20ga. There were approximately 73,000 made between 1921 and 1933. From the serial number it should have been made in the late 20's. Second oldest is a Stevens model 94C single shot in 410ga. I am not sure which year it was made.

[PJR]

My oldest is a mere pup in comparison. A Krieghoff Model 32 dating back to the 70's.

[OEF_VET]

My oldest is a Mossberg 500, unsure of date of manufacture as it has no serial number on it, so it must have been made at least a few years ago. Unfortunately, it's not in working order. The slide bar is broken, with the bolt to the rear. Of course, way back when, Mossberg made the gun with a slide bar on just one side and that part has been out of production for quite some time. Oh well, it just takes up space in the closet for now.

frank

[444]

I own a percussion, black powder, side by side shotgun that has been in our family for well over 100 years. I don't know much about it, and it isn't in good shape. The stock has been repaired with wire, the checkering is worn off, and the metal has been rusted in the past.
I also own a Winchester Model 12 that was given to my father upon my grandfather's death in 1968. I don't know how old it is, but just as a guess, I would say that it is maybe 75 years old. Actually that is probably too old, that would put it at 1928, he probably didn't own it that early. He served in WW I, so he would have been old enough, but I doubt it. I should do some research on it; I don't even know when they started making them. It is in decent condition, like a shotgun that was actually used in the field but not abused. I have hunted with it extensively as a kid growing up.

[Smoke]

Rick_reno & Dave McCracken

I have a WInchester Model 42 myself. I wasn't aware of there only being 223 made. I have seen 3 of them in my lifetime. That may not seem like a lot but if only 223 were ever made....?

It is the sweetest .410 ever made. Mine belonged to my Granddad, he used to shoot trap out behind his house with it. I still do on occasion.

[Red Label]

Smoke, I think Rick meant 223 made in that year. I have a M42 also made in 1950 and you're right. Super sweet gun. My oldest however is a 16ga Winchester M1912 made in 1913. I want to find some ammo for it as it is a really nice handling gun. Only has 2 9/16 chamber.

[rick_reno]

Yes, there were 231 (some say 233) M42 Trap guns made TOTAL.
They're stamped "TRAP". They made a run of these and stopped offering it in 1939. They have a solid rib and a 25 inch barrel.
Winchester produced 164,801 M42 receivers - how many of these ended up as shotguns we'll never know. I have a Skeet grade M42 too, plus others. I've had some for over 40 years. They are a nice shotgun.

[5ptdeerhunter]

I have a Ted Williams Model 200. Built by the Sears and Roebuck Co. I got it this last year for my birthday from my uncle. Still in perfect condition. Not a scratch. And I use it for shooting clays.
I also have a Stevens Model 820. Both are very old. My uncle bought the Model 200 25 years ago, and The Model 820 was bought by my grandfather at least 40 years. At least I think that is right.

[TrapperReady]

An excellent condition 1922-vintage Winchester Model 12. Originally purchased by my mother's father, he used it for roughly 30 years, then gave it to my father, who used it for about the same length of time. It's now mine, and I still use it to hunt a couple times per year.

Lots of hunts and memories tied up in a beautiful hunk of metal and wood.

[Edward429451]

I have a Ted Williams Model 200. Built by the Sears and Roebuck Co.

I think thats the shotgun I grew up with! IIRC, it was a licensed copy of a Winchester 1200? The slide release is back behind the trigger guard, right?

Lots good memories of that SG. Traded it used and old for an old chevy and sold it for 450. ! Still wish I had it back though.

[dwestfall]

Don't recall who made it or when, but my father has a 20-ga SxS with a damascus barrel that was passed down by HIS grandfather (my great-grandfather).

[mbott]

A 1953 Winchester Model 42 is the oldest shotgun I can claim.

--
Mike

[Poodleshooter]

The oldest family gun is an 1889 (?) Lefever Arms SxS 12 gauge with damascus barrels. It belonged to my great-grandfather,and was used for duck hunting somewhere in Minnesota. Dad has that one, but it passes to me someday.
Personally,my oldest shotgun is a 14 year old Mossberg 500 :)

[Shalako]

I've got my grandpa's old Stoeger Zephyr SxS in 20g. It was made in Spain by Victor Sarasqueta. I'm guessing 1960s by the stories of how he got it. He used to practice quick draw with his buddies and their Colt SAAs. Once he had the misfortune of taking a .44 slug through the guts. Luckily there was already an ambulance in the neighborhood. The old guy who shot him felt so bad, and couldn't afford to pay his hospital bill, he gave him the shotgun and was never heard from again.

I've taken a fair amount of game with that sweet shootin chunk of family history.

[huntsman]

Our oldest is a 12bore hammer gun with twist barrels (Beligum Clunker) ;) Next is an early WIN MD50 that was a wedding gift from mom to dad.

[5ptdeerhunter]

Edward,

Yep you are very right.

[Captain Bligh]

My oldest is a Belgian Browning Auto 5 Light 20 circa 1969. Great gun.

[Rupe]

My dad told me a story of how he and his dad (my grandfather) and some friends went pheasant hunting a bird jumped up way ahead of them.

My grandfather pulled up the gun and nailed it.

The guys were amazed. I guess the long barrlel helped hold the pattern together longer or my Granpap just got lucky that day, but my dad said he often shot birds at rather long distances with that gun be it dove, grouse, quail or pheasants.

It is old, but it's not a Damascus barrel and I think my dad used it regularly up until about 20 years ago with modern ammo.

Does anyone know anything about the OHIO ARMS COMPANY?

My dad said the gun is at least 80 years old

[jacketch]

I have a very nice Winchester model 37 single shot 16ga. that belonged to my grandfather. How would one go about finding the age. I've searched the net but haven't found anything.

[Skunkabilly]

The new Benelli I bought last last February :o

[TooTaxed]

My duck and goose gun is a humpbacked Browning Semi-Auto, Serial No 263, made in Ogden, Utah. The latest patent date on the receiver is 1903. Hope it doesn't break down, as I'm pretty sure parts for more recent Brownings won't fit... I've had it since the mid '60s...

[Ron L]

Mine is a Winchester 140 that I bought 22 years ago when I was finally old enough to buy my own gun. It's the plain jane version of the 1400. I've used it hunting birds, small game, deer. It's seen a few hundred rounds of trap and shot at countless hand-thrown targets. I've fired this gun thousands of rounds easily and have never broken a part. The nicks and scratches are all mine and were put there honestly. Yes, it's a keeper in the truest sense of "one gun and know how to use it". That's not to say that I don't have my eyes on a newer 870 in 20 gauge, but this one will be handed down to a son or daughter one of these days.

[Preacherman]

My oldest isn't in this country, but back in South Africa - I gave it to a friend when I emigrated to the USA. It's an 1827 SxS with flint-lock external hammers, in what approximates 16ga. by today's measurements, with Damascus barrels. It was brought to the then-Cape Colony by a British colonial official in 1833, and sold by him (on his departure for England in 1837) to a family named Du Preez in the Franschoek Valley. From there, it travelled all over Southern Africa during the great Eastward expansion (the Great Trek, the various wars with local tribes, and both Anglo-Boer Wars) before being captured as a "prize of war" by an English lieutenant in 1901. He brought it back to the Cape, where he married a local girl and settled down. It stayed in their family until 1987, when I bought it. The history of the gun was recorded in various documents, including a diary entry by the Boer from whom the gun was captured in 1901, which is why I know the story so well.

I used to shoot the gun occasionally, and it handled and fired very well (although the typical flint-lock, black-powder "fizz" before the main charge fired could alert small game at close range, and give them an opportunity to move before the pattern reached them). I wanted to bring it with me to the USA, but I was informed - rather rudely - that none of my guns could be brought over, as the ATF had some pretty stringent regulations about this. Unfortunately, no-one told me that antique firearms like this shotgun were exempt from the regulations, and I could have brought it anyway! :fire:

Still, it's giving my friend good service, and I may yet persuade him to let me have it back, and bring it over here.

[Rupe]

Wow some awesome stories. I intend to pass this long tom down to my grandchild, if the Good Lord blesses me with any.