C&R rifle over fireplace?

I picked up an Enfield in 303 british several years ago at a gun show for $75.00 and its hanging on the wall in our playroom downstairs in the basement. What little ammo I have for it is locked up in the safe and I did pull the bolt nose off of it so it couldnt be fired. Mainly just didnt want to walk in one day and have to face my own gun if someone ever broke it.

I had one of my flintlock rifles hanging over my fireplace for 10 years or so.
I see nothing wrong with hanging something classic/classy in your own home...it's your wall. Removing a vital but unseen part keeps the wolves at bay.
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I think a long flintlock is SOP. I once had a 458 double rifle over my mantle. I think an Ak47 would be cool.

It is your home so why not? All of this hype about locking your guns up is waaay overplayed and designed to make you think your gun is evil. The only suggestion is avoid putting it where it would be visible from your front window and front door.

FWIW, sounds like a great idea to me.

I agree with dsink regarding temporarily rendering it incapable of firing.

I have a number of longguns for which there is no room in my 2 gunsafes, so I keep the bolts in the gunsafes ... idea being (as mentioned by dsink), a crook may bludgeon me with one of my own guns in my house, but he won't be able to shoot me with it.

My sister refers to my house as The Fortress, so a crook's chances of a satisfactory outcome are slim, but, as they say, better safe ...

Go for it, it's your house not Uncle Sugar's.

I wish I had a fireplace so I could put a gun over it.

In a friends home, a little ingenuity and a well placed (& well anchored!) eye bolt allowed his 1903 to be displayed over the mantle securely, with out detracting from the presentation.

(he stores the Ammo separately & securely)

You could always buy a drill rifle if you wanted it nonfunctional. 1903 drill rifles are pretty easy to find, and relatively cheap (though some people have reworked them into functioning and driven the price up)

Cracker Barrel restaurants usually have old guns over their fireplaces. The ones I've seen were usually old hammer doubles, some in pretty nice shape! I wouldn't mind an old musket with accessories on my mantle, personally.

Personally, I'd pull the firing pin and get a second one but machine it just slightly shorter so that it looks like it will, but won't fire a round. But then again I do that with all my guns whenever I leave home...

nothing wrong with it at all... but why stop at just the fireplace? I have found that curtain hold backs work really well for holding rifles wherever you want... I've got em strategically placed all over the house so if something goes bump in the night I can defend my house and family pretty fast... and I like looking at guns... what good are they just hiding in a safe? (except if there was a house fire)

Just make sure your fireplace vents well and the flue is working properly. Our family had my great-grandfather's civil war musket hanging over the fireplace for many years and you could see where smoke had darkened the middle of it...

Boy I must really be politically incorrect. I still have a gun cabinet in my living room..

It would depend on who your friends and family (and possible casual visitors) are. I see several issues here. First is security. Not only the gun itself might get stolen, but also someone may take its presence as an indication that there are other guns in the house. This might make you a target for a break-in. Then there is the issue of "political correctness." Some of your friends/relatives might be antigunners. Why needlessly provoke them? Some parents, for example, might not want their children visiting or playing at homes at which a gun is present. And there's the issue of possible smoke damage to the firearm. I personally make it a policy to keep all my guns well out of sight (except for a couple of antique flintlocks in my study).

Valnar, do yourself the favor and if you can even make it yourself. Most of my favorite wood working projects have been gun racks.

tarosean said:

Boy I must really be politically incorrect. I still have a gun cabinet in my living room..

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Your not alone. Most of the people in my area still do. Many will try and tell you that you should not own a gun if you do not own a safe.

Boy I must really be politically incorrect. I still have a gun cabinet in my living room..

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Yep! I have 2 big glass fronted ones plus hand guns in holsters, black powder horns and other gear hanging on pegs.

It is not invogue anymore to do it, it is tacky, most definitely politically incorrect, upsets the anti gunners plus all of the other possible reasons. So yes why not you copy cat!

Ok they are comming. I also have one at my sons house in Texas. But no photos form Texas

Proper looking Mantel

My fireplace - I either need more fireplaces or change the rifle weekly.

I know decades ago putting an old rifle above the fireplace was considered in vogue, but what about today? Is it tacky?

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It's timeless.....like a '63 Corvette, Marylin Monroe, 1911's, etc..

Always have something that shoots black powder hanging over your fireplace!