Your Favorite Inefficient and Obsolete Guns

[JTHunter]

Sometimes you just like something without good reason. Often guns fit that mold. What are your favorite guns that you know are obsolete, inefficient, or objectively-not-the-best for the job you use it for?
For me there are a couple:
Single or double barrel shotguns for hunting. I can’t really think of a time when these can’t beat by a pump or semi, but they’re just charming to me. The wood and steel elicit a nostalgia that the plastic of a modern scattergun just can’t compete with.
Another is the large framed .38 revolver, like a model 10. Heavy, low capacity, and underpowered for their size, they’re objectively beaten in every category by even compact autos or similarly sized magnum revolvers. However, the wear on the finish of an old, blued .38 is something special. When compared to a lot of other pistols it’s pretty obvious there are better guns you could carry, but on a Sunday I like the idea of a model 10 in a well-worn leather holster.

The primary shottie I use for hunting is an older Stevens Mod. 311, a 12 ga. SxS with double triggers. It is about 55 years old and I picked it up about 30 years ago, second-hand. It had fixed chokes (F/M) and I took it to the gunsmith in town and had him bore it out to put in screw-in chokes. Several years later, I learned that this was what the Mod. 511 had done when it came out about 5 years after mine did.
Having two chokes of different constriction, I was able to use two loads for two different distances OR two different animals. I could shoot squirrels or pheasants near & far, or rabbits & quail, all by changing the loads or chokes. I can also use it for HD with a Skeet #1 choke in one side and an IC in the other. Then I put a 3" OO Buck (15 pellets) in the IC side and a #4 Buck (40 pellets) in the Skeet side (Skeet less choke than IC) and fire both barrels for a cloud of 55 pellets. Then I'd grab my AK with a 40 rounder is I need "more".
I do have a pump gun that I had bought before I got the Stevens and I use it more for duck hunting where distance is a bit more consistent.

 

[BigBore44]

1894 in 357
1894 in 44mag
336 in 30-30
336 in 35 Rem
444S
1895 in 45-70
Pedersoli Sharps
Martini Henry in 577/450
03-A1
03-A2
03-A3
Lee Enfield 1917
30-40 Krag(s)
K-98 Mauser(s)
Pattern 14
Eddystone
Winchester M1 Garand
CZ 550 Mannlicher
SA M1-A
SA 1911
RAI 1911
Dan Wesson Commander 1911
Arminus 6” 22lr
S&W 66(s)
S&W 20
S&W 10(s)
Colt 3rd Model Dragoon
Winchester 50 12gauge
Stevens SXS 20 gauge
1968 Wingmaster 20 gauge


So.....most of my guns (not all made the list) are outdated and obsolete by modern design and/or caliber standards. Fine by me. Guess I’m just a young guy with an old soul.

 

[George P]

double barrel shotguns for hunting. I can’t really think of a time when these can’t beat by a pump or semi,

They beat a pump and a semi EVERY time. They handle like a wand as opposed to a pig on a shovel. Third shot is usually wasted in most upland scenarios anyway. No misfeeds, jams or other issues. Is made immediately safe by merely opening the action.

 

[22250Rem]

I'm a big fan of the 16-gauge.
My first gun was an old Winchester Steelbilt 16 and I love the gauge for nostalgic reasons.
Ammo availability is sketchy at best, it won't do a thing that the 20 gauge won't, and they kick like mules because most are on 20 gauge frames.
But I'll still buy more of them I imagine.

.............. Another 16 ga. fan here... Here's my first shotgun. My dad's old Iver Johnson Champion 16 ga. break open single shot.... Some classify the 16 ga. as obsolete, along with single shot break opens, but I happen to like 'em, and they still work well. I'm assuming this one's not on a 20 ga. frame, because it doesn't kick bad at all for a light gun. It got reblued & re-casehardened years ago as there's a lot of nostalgia there for me. My nostalgia for this one even inspired me to buy a Henry Single Shot break open; except the Henry's in .308.... Love those old "obsolete" single shots. Here's the Henry after I picked it up in January and the Iver Johnson picture taken last summer . .

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I'm assuming this one's not on a 20 ga. frame, because it doesn't kick bad at all for a light gun. It got reblued & re-casehardened years ago as there's a lot of nostalgia there for me.

She sure is purty.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Smokepoles

 

[FlSwampRat]

Smokepoles

With ya there! T/C Hawken, Seneca and Patriot. Had a Ruger cap and ball that some orc who broke in my house relieved me of.

 

[Old Stumpy]

Me too; still enjoy shooting my "vintage" (over 40 years old), SP1. Like the round A2 handguards better than the original triangular ones.

All of these "new and improved", high-tech versions are fine and all that but they just don't do it for me like my old Colt AR15 Sporter!

Yup, these archaic and obsolete old Stoner designs are still fun to use. Despite the add-ons and window dressing, today's versions are still that same original design that emerged way back around 1957. (62 years ago) And that design in turn was just a revision of the earlier AR-10 design. This action and it's operating system is ready for Social Security. But, just like an 1812 Springfield musket these old coots are entertaining to shoot just for the sake of nostalgia.

 

[CoalTrain49]

M1 carbine, S&W hand ejectors and old sxs shotguns built before WW2. All totally irrelevant these days but still a blast to mess around with.

 

[Deus Machina]

Well, on the topic of shotguns, the Stevens 1100. Known as the Stevens or Savage 311 after 1941.
No real functional reasons, aside from being a decent working man's shotgun, which I personally appreciate more than the multi-thousand-dollar 'sporting' shotguns.
Purely sentimental. Dad put food on the table every year until we moved, after my parents (amicable) divorce it went into storage, and when he moved into his new apartment it came out of storage in utterly unusable condition--receiver corroded like a brick, a stock like driftwood, and barrels rusted to flaking.
I saved it from the scrap heap, identified and replaced some parts thanks to members here, and now...

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Just one man's experience but I've seen too many pheasant and grouse get away because someone's new fancy auto jammed after the first round to trust a semi shotgun in the field. Quote. I have several obsolete shotguns, I have a Remington 11/48, Remington model 11, a Parker DH grade with Damascus barrels. I always come back to the Parker or a muzzleloader 12gauge when I get serious about bird hunting. By the way the 11/48 has never let me down.

 

[Old Stumpy]

They handle like a wand as opposed to a pig on a shovel.

Wonderful image.

 

[Old Stumpy]

Cap & ball revolvers. Elegant and beautiful, yet smoky and dirty in use.

 

[SharpDog]

I have a sexy slim Italian .380 acp pistol that looks like a $1 million. Brushed stainless very thin. Ivory grips. .
anti-relaible. Would like to get it to a master smith and have it function perfectly Size is about a Diamondback DB380 but slimmer and completely dehorned. Sadly, Too deep in my pile to dig out for a photo. Maybe someday


The I also have that P-14 I found that automagically double-taps (one trigger pull). The gun has not been modified, just old.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Have agree with Old Stumpy on cap and ball revolvers. Also really like muzzleloaders of the traditional type, it's amazing what those soft lead bullets will do to an animal.

 

[Browning]

The CZ-27. I’ve had one since I was 18. Had an older friend buy it for me.

It’s large for a .32 ACP. Check out a comparison. Especially now. This is no NAA or Seecamp, but it still works 76 years later.

 

[beeenbag]

put me in the single shot 12g camp.

I have a NEF pardner that has the camo synthetic stock and has a 3.5" chamber (brutal with turkey loads btw). I use this shotgun for just about all of my squirrel hunting and even dove. It is short and light, easy to carry and with the approximate $100 I have invested in it, I don't care to use and abuse it. Over time, I've developed an attachment to it beyond just its functionality and price tag. I will literally move pumps and semi shotguns out of the way to reach for the ol single shot. Granted it doesn't have the old history and workmanship of some of the singles posted here, as this was bought new in 2007, but the technology is still vastly outdated.

 

[John Joseph]

Inefficient?
All my firearms go bang when I pull the trigger, so how can one be less efficient than the others?

 

[scuba_ed1911]

West Hurley 1927 A1 semi-auto deluxe w/1928 buttstock, 2-50 rnd drums I bought in 1993. All carried in Auto Ord crummy FBI hard case. Great range toy and piece of American firearm history.

 

[Flechette]

COP Derringer, .357

4 shots of .357 mag with a metal backstrap (no cushion at all) to maximize the pain. Only a backstrap with a bunch of pointed studs could be worse.

Tip up loading (cool!), weighs a ton for its size and has some reliability problems (soft strikes).

But cool and fun, even if I could never fire four shots of .357 in quick succession due to the pain...I would like to try some old .38 S&W or even a .38 Short Colt in it for fun. If I can't find those cartridges then I will load some .38 sp waaay down. I just don't want a bullet stuck in the barrel.

 

[entropy]

COP Derringer, .357

4 shots of .357 mag with a metal backstrap (no cushion at all) to maximize the pain. Only a backstrap with a bunch of pointed studs could be worse.

Tip up loading (cool!), weighs a ton for its size and has some reliability problems (soft strikes).

But cool and fun, even if I could never fire four shots of .357 in quick succession due to the pain...I would like to try some old .38 S&W or even a .38 Short Colt in it for fun. If I can't find those cartridges then I will load some .38 sp waaay down. I just don't want a bullet stuck in the barrel.

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Those barrels are short enough, I suspect even 2 grains of Bullseye would be fine. A Magnum primer might even do it.

 

[George P]

Or load some 38 WCs

 

[KnightHawk]

I just can't go with the premise that a model 10 is "obsolete, inefficient". And I'm not a shotgun guy either, but I do own a few. I've have a couple of pumps, nasty looking but efficient I suppose. I prefer my elegant old SKB side by side. It gets the job done, so I have a hard time with the "obsolete" idea. It's relative. If you need to poke a hole in something, why do you need more then one or two rounds? I read threads here and other places where people want the modern semi-autos because of back up shots. Sometimes that's needed, but not often if the right size lead is placed where it belongs. But I'm forgetting about the Zombie Apocalypse though.
While I like revolvers and rifles with levers and bolts, I like to treat these guns with care, not just toss them in the boat and let them bang around like some might with the stamped and plastic guns that are considered relevant and efficient today. I just have a hard time with calling any but a very few of the guns made in the last 120 years "obsolete, inefficient" when they still do the job.
On the other hand, I admit, I own both semi-auto rifles and handguns, and they most definitely have their place. For me they are fun guns to chase beer cans and golf balls with. But my home defense guns are a 44 lever and a 44 model 29.

I'm just old school enough to be considered "obsolete, inefficient" I guess.

 

[jmorris]

Some go further than inefficient and obsolete are almost useless, except for putting a smile on my face.

 

[John Joseph]

Sometimes you just like something without good reason. Often guns fit that mold. What are your favorite guns that you know are obsolete, inefficient, or objectively-not-the-best for the job you use it for?

For me there are a couple:

Single or double barrel shotguns for hunting. I can’t really think of a time when these can’t beat by a pump or semi, but they’re just charming to me. The wood and steel elicit a nostalgia that the plastic of a modern scattergun just can’t compete with.

Another is the large framed .38 revolver, like a model 10. Heavy, low capacity, and underpowered for their size, they’re objectively beaten in every category by even compact autos or similarly sized magnum revolvers. However, the wear on the finish of an old, blued .38 is something special. When compared to a lot of other pistols it’s pretty obvious there are better guns you could carry, but on a Sunday I like the idea of a model 10 in a well-worn leather holster.

I applaud your tastes but II'd respectfully disagree with doubles and S&W Model 10s being considered obsolete.
A double with double triggers, in the right hands, will give a faster follow up shot than any repeater. That's a real advantage when gunning for small, fierce birds. Try it sometime!
A Model 10 revolver shooting the +P FBI load is a proven perp stopper, likely more so with new offerings from Hornady, etc...and if you get a dud, another pull of the trigger launches a fresh round down the spout---no semi auto can do that!
With a DA revolver you're not limited by magazine containment when carving custom stocks and a modern DA revolver, with it's simplified manual of arms is arguably safer for inexperienced shooters plus no way is a fixed sight Model 10 going to get it's sights knocked out of alignment by accident, unless the accident is being dropped off the five story building and bending the barrel, .
I agree, these aren't "big" deals for most, but they certainly don't make for obsolescence.