What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

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Solomonson

Solomonson

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What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

In my case, two stand out. The first is a Spanish matchlock arquebus musket that has been in my family for at least 10 or 11 generations. The other in an 1895 Winchester that been around for 5 generations.

The Winchester is still a pretty good shooter. The matchlock is purely a wall-hanger.
 
Solomonson said:
What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

In my case, two stand out. The first is a Spanish matchlock arquebus musket that has been in my family for at least 10 or 11 generations. The other in an 1895 Winchester that been around for 5 generations.

The Winchester is still a pretty good shooter. The matchlock is purely a wall-hanger.
Click to expand...
Wow! There are no firearms in my family that even compare with the ones in yours.
The oldest firearms in my family is a pair of Colt SA "Frontier Scout" .22s that my dad bought in 1958. He had a beautiful set of hand-tooled leather holsters built for them. He left them to me, but I gave them to one of my nephews (one of dad's grandsons) because I'm getting on in years, and have no grandkids of my own that would appreciate them nearly as much as my nephew does.:)
 
I don't have any true heirloom firearms that have been in the family for generations . Dad wasn't much of a gun guy, but he had a Rossi .38 Spl that I now own. I remember him buying it when I was about 16, (I'm 62 now), and I've had it since he passed 25 years ago. The other "family" gun I have belonged to my stepdad, who carried it in WWII. I've had it for 17 years, since he passed in 2000. It's a 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless, .32Auto.
 
My mother made my father get rid of all of his guns when I was born. She was sure I would accidentally kill myself with one of them. :cuss:

So, apart from a pair of inherited pistols that I received as a adult and an RG-25 25ACP pistol that as far as my family knows never actually existed, the oldest gun in the family is a 181-Series Mini-14 that was bought in 1979. The next oldest is a 182-Series Mini-14 that was bought the following year. o_O
 
I have one rifle from each other my grandfathers.
The first is a Universal carbine my mother's father bought after WWII and never fired, but gave to me after we had many conversations about his time in the Navy and my firearms hobby. Collectors might not value them highly but it will always be one of my most valued possessions, and my grandfather is happy knowing that I am shooting it.
The second is an old Savage sporter in that belonged to my paternal grandfather. I never met him, but heard many stories about him hunting with that rifle. Not too old as far as guns go, but it has been fired by three generations and I intend to load enough ammo for it that the next few generations will still be able to use it long after the factories stop making 25-20.
 
I've got my grandfathers Stevens favorite that he purchased sometime in the early 20's and the same grandfathers .16ga that he carried with him in the orange groves. Both are a little rough from service in the Florida scrub but they still get shot every now and then.
 
I have my great-grandfather's Mossberg ...183D, I think? It's a .410 bolt action shotgun, missing the bolt. The metal is speckled, but almost all of the finish is smoothly worn off the wood without scratches. I wonder if he was starting to refinish it, as it's kind of strange looking. I think it dates from the 1940's. Bolts are unavailable. I'd have to buy a complete shotgun to get a bolt and hope it headspaces.

He apparently served in WWI for Italy. He had a shoebox completely filled with bayonets, but an aunt threw away those "old dirty knives". Someone might cut themself!

We also have my grandfather's H&R 12 gauge single shot. I think it dates from the 60's. The forend has dry-rot so the screws pull out. I don't think it's currently shootable either.

On my mother's side of the family, my uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all shooters, hunters, and enthusiasts. They all died before I was born, and all of their stuff is long gone.
 
In 1926 there was a disastrous train wreck in the Arkansas River canyon near Granite, Colorado. My grandfather and his brother were on the repair crew assigned to clean up the wreck. They found a Remington model 1900 16 gauge side by side in the debris. Somehow it never got turned in with all the other property recovered from the wreck. When Grampa died it passed to his son, my uncle, and I inherited from him.

https://www.google.com/search?clien...0.3..0i131k1.u5tWhtIDThs#imgrc=GJnqTtlfJI8OBM:
 
I have my dad's two revolvers that he used as a deputy in Colorado. It was a short stint in the 1980s, and we didn't know each other much at the time, my parents having divorced when I was almost three. We reconnected in around 2000, ten years before he died, and that's when I found out about the guns, a Charter Arms Undercover 38 made in 1966, and a Ruger Police Service Six, made around 1975. He did not buy either of them new, though, and I don't know how long he had them.

That's as far back as it goes for me. It's all I got.
 
Two guns come to mind, a 12 gauge percussion double barrel shotgun and a Marlin 1881 .45/70 lever action rifle.

Not sure of the exact production date on the shotgun, probably built sometime in the late 1800's. I don't know exactly when it was purchased but there is a record of it being in the family before the turn of the 20th century.

The Marlin was purchased in Wisconsin in the 1880's by my great-great-grandfather. It has seen better days but is still in working order, my dad took it out and shot it last year.

We have several other guns that are nearly as old, including a single barrel 12 gauge that my great grandfather carried from North Dakota to Washington state when moving (by wagon) in the early 1900's. Eventually made it all the way down to Trinity/Humboldt counties in Northern California.

My Dad's side of the family were mostly farmers so lots of old inexpensive shotguns, mostly old single shots meant for low brass shells. Some of them are in shootable condition, some are not. We also have a number of guns from the first half of the 20th century some of which may have a bit of collector value.

So nothing extremely old, but still some interesting guns. One of these days when I get together with my dad and my brothers we will have write down what we know about each one to try and save some of the family history for future generations.. There are some interesting stories that go along with a few of those old guns........
 
Sad to say I have none from past family members. I do have, among a safe full of guns, a 1895 double barrel Remington shotgun, B grade, obtained at a gun show in the 70's. A Winchester 94 also from the early seventies. The rest, some 25 or thirty pieces of various makes and models, rifle, shot gun and handguns, will pass to the sons. Most were obtained in the 70's and 80's.
 
Winchester Model 90, .22 Long, and Remington Model 11 12-ga that belonged to my maternal grandfather! :cool:
 
Solomonson said:
What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

In my case, two stand out. The first is a Spanish matchlock arquebus musket that has been in my family for at least 10 or 11 generations. The other in an 1895 Winchester that been around for 5 generations.

The Winchester is still a pretty good shooter. The matchlock is purely a wall-hanger.
Click to expand...

I sure would like to see a photo of those heirlooms. :cool:
 
This is a very interesting thread but my family firearms are all relative newcomers compared to some of these posts. The three oldest would be the Model 67 Winchester .22 my dad bought used (IIRC) in the latter 1930's and the Iver Johnson Champion 16 ga. single shot that he got brand new circa early 1940's. Then there's the 1916 built German Luger that one of my uncles brought home from Germany in 1945. That's it for the oldest ones although I've also inherited a Stevens 820B 12 ga. pump that one of my cousins got (used I think) in the late 1950's and the 12 ga. High Standard pump that was the first gun I ever bought brand new back in Nov. 1968.
 
montanaoffroader said:
Two guns come to mind, a 12 gauge percussion double barrel shotgun and a Marlin 1881 .45/70 lever action rifle.

Not sure of the exact production date on the shotgun, probably built sometime in the late 1800's. I don't know exactly when it was purchased but there is a record of it being in the family before the turn of the 20th century.

The Marlin was purchased in Wisconsin in the 1880's by my great-great-grandfather. It has seen better days but is still in working order, my dad took it out and shot it last year.

We have several other guns that are nearly as old, including a single barrel 12 gauge that my great grandfather carried from North Dakota to Washington state when moving (by wagon) in the early 1900's. Eventually made it all the way down to Trinity/Humboldt counties in Northern California.

My Dad's side of the family were mostly farmers so lots of old inexpensive shotguns, mostly old single shots meant for low brass shells. Some of them are in shootable condition, some are not. We also have a number of guns from the first half of the 20th century some of which may have a bit of collector value.

So nothing extremely old, but still some interesting guns. One of these days when I get together with my dad and my brothers we will have write down what we know about each one to try and save some of the family history for future generations.. There are some interesting stories that go along with a few of those old guns........
Click to expand...

That means a lot. If your family has settled in an area for generations, see if a local archive will accept your write-ups and notes.
 
hdwhit said:
My mother made my father get rid of all of his guns when I was born. She was sure I would accidentally kill myself with one of them. :cuss:

So, apart from a pair of inherited pistols that I received as a adult and an RG-25 25ACP pistol that as far as my family knows never actually existed, the oldest gun in the family is a 181-Series Mini-14 that was bought in 1979. The next oldest is a 182-Series Mini-14 that was bought the following year. o_O
Click to expand...
That reminds me of the joke:

Tom finally decided to tie the knot with his longtime girlfriend. One evening, after the honeymoon, he pulled out one of his favorite rifles and was cleaning it. His new wife sat down next to him and was watching him.

After a long period of silence she finally spoke, “Honey, I’ve just been thinking, now that we are married, and will probably have kids, maybe it’s time you consider selling all your guns and gear.”

Tom got a horrified look on his face and began choking.

She said, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

He replied, “There for a minute you were starting to sound like my ex-wife.”

“Ex-wife!” she screamed, “YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE MARRIED BEFORE!”

Tom replied: “I wasn’t.”
 
I have a REM single shot, Targetmaster, bolt action 22 model 41 that my uncle gave me when I was a teenager. it was manufactured in March 1937. I also have my maternal grandfathers Win. Model 12 - 16 ga cylinder bore quail gun that was also manufactured in 1937. Additionally I was given a Model 66C Stevens Buckhorn bolt action repeater 22 when I was about 12 that was manufactured between 1930 and 1948. The first gun I bought for myself in 1965 was a Win model 12 -12 ga full choke made in 1952. My oldest gun is a 20 ga SxS Fox Sterlingworth given to me by my uncle as it was my first shotgun when I was about 10. It was manufactured in 1927. I was Born in 1951 !! I still have these guns and plan to keep them in the family! The old Fox has a loose action and has seen better days so I don't shoot it anymore but all the others are in good shape and can be used.

Bull
 
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