Shooting "older" guns

As long as you load rounds that the guns were designed for they should work fine and be safe.

I regularly shoot handguns older than that.

I have 8 firearms older than that (old school) all function flawlessly with proper ammo.

Fat Boy said:

I was born in 1954- if i was to buy a pistol made that year, say a Smith, Browning, or Colt, assuming sound condition, would it be ok to shoot it routinely?

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Yes.

My cut-off for defensive carry is generally 1900, but there have been exceptions.

Me my choice would be 22 lr., a Colt Bankers SPL to be exact. Yes this is the gun that forced me to get a c-pap machine 23 years ago and still hasn’t let go.

Shoot whatever round is stamped on the barrel and stay away from +P ammo and it will be fine - unless someone else has previously abused it with hot handloaded +P ammo. Some guns made before 1920 may not have good heat treatment.

Most name brand handguns made in 1954 were of very high quality and used good steels and fine workmanship. Assuming its not slap worn out, I would have no problem shooting a handgun from that year.

My oldest guns are from the 1920’s. All work just fine with standard pressure loads (16 ya shotguns and a Colt Officers Model .38 Spl.)

Stay safe.

Hi...
I still shoot a German Luger regularly with handloads as well as a 1917 S&W in .45ACP/AutoRim.
I have a old S&W Model 10 that gets shot quite often...never checked to see when it was made.
I have a Webley top break that somebody fitted with a .45Colt cylinder that I have more or less retired. Gunsmith says it's safe to shoot with factory loads but it is not very accurate.

I have firearms old enough to be one that age's grandpa that I shoot with regularity.

I’m 78 and I regularly shoot guns that are older than me. In fact one of my regular carry guns was shipped in 1958.

I have three handguns that were manufactured in 1915-16. The two S&W revolvers have been shot a LOT. The Mauser 32acp pistol has been shot a significant amount, but isn't as worn as the revolvers. According to its markings, the Mauser was accepted into service by the Kaiser's government. Yeah, that's how old this pistol is: the Kaiser's government.

It shoots just fine, as do the two revolvers. I also have three handguns manufactured in the 1920's. All of them function properly, too.

Here s the Mauser. It's a fun little pistol.

I have several older than the 50s that I shoot, and would shoot regularly. A lot of folks think that old means broken, but metal really doesn’t degrade unless it’s stored poorly, and guns are made of metal. My current crop of handguns ranges from 1872 to about 2014, with the most useful carry guns typically being small revolvers. The small revolvers I would carry range from 1896 up to 2010 and I have as much faith in the old S&W as I do the modern Taurus. Shoot them like they are intended to be shot and keep them properly cared for.

My great grandfather bought this weapon shortly after WWI. I still shoot it on a regular basis

1954 is just entering adulthood.

Colt 1903 that was made in 1906:

My oldest handgun is my model 17 S&W made in 1959 gets regular exercise with any 22LR ammunition on the market today.
Any handgun from a major manufacturer made in 1954 should be fine with standard pressure ammunition.

I sometimes carry a Colt New Service made in 1906. I load it to .45 ACP +P levels.-- it's basically the same gun as the Model 1917, and those guns have been shooting ammo loaded to that pressure for decades.

I also have an 03 Pocket Hammerless that I shoot often. Also a Colt Government Model built in 1927. Still shoots great and gets shot quite a bit.

I've got a 1918 Colt 1911 that I shoot. It's 102 years old.

Hmm, Had a 1929 Colt 1903--shot just fine (I miss having that old friend)
Also had a 1931 Colt Sistema--shot just fine (I miss that one, too--dang 2008-12)
My 1943 SC 03A3 is still going strong.
My 1946 Mossberg M-44 is still kicking
Via Navy Arms had a 1947 Remington Rand which still ran (had other issues, but that was Navy Arms, not age)
My Colt .380 Government Model is about the same age as I am--still going strong.

Firearms generally don't wear out. This can run contrary to our learned experience with our expendable "consumer products" which very much do not last. (Other than the ones that do, like my 1975 KitchenAid mixer.)

I'm not as old but, on a related note, when my dad died in 2010, one of the two guns I inherited from him is a Charter Arms Undercover that was made the same year in which I was born, in 1966. It's actually a nifty little shooter.

I have Com-Bloc surplus guns made earlier that I would not hesitate to shoot if I ever got around to it. I have too many "unfired-by-me" guns, and not enough opportunities to get them all out.

I have a Felix Sarasquata Double 12 Ga made in 1964 that I bought new. I shoot age appropriate ammo in it. I still have some paper hulls that I loaded with my Lee wack a mole ( 7 1/2 lead trap loads) back in 66. Can only use lead, no steel, it will dent the tubes

I am a 1954 model, and I shoot routinely.... All is well so long as I do not shoot abusive loads.

BOARHUNTER