Who Here Owns A WORKING Firearm That Is > 100 Years Old

Pair Of Bikers

Quackenbush "Bicycle Rifles" single-shot .22rf manufactured from 1899 - 1907 according to Jim Perkins' American Boys' Rifles 1890-1945. They also had a canvas carry case that belted on to a bike frame in a couple of different ways. Unfortunately, not a lot of those cases survived and I've not been able to find one - yet.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle



GUN CONTROL is not about guns. It is about CONTROL.

Quackenbush "junior" Safety Rifle

Another of HM's little oddball rifles which was very popular back at the turn of the 20th Century, when EVERY boy (and many girls) strived to own their very own "twentytwo."

Like the H.M.Quackenbush Bikers in my above post, this too used the side-swing block method. This gun was manufactured from 1899 to 1908, according to Perkins' book American Boys' Rifles 1890 - 1945.

I have one of those 1902 Sears catalog reprints which lists this little guy at a whopping $3.60. A box of 50 long rifle cartrides was listed at 14 cents in that catalog. One gun guide estimates there were 7,000 of this particular model manufactured.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle



Guns only have two enemies: rust and politicians.

Them are some interesting pieces 45!

My 1948 Rem 514 is just a pup really.

It’s not 100 years old just yet, but I fired my Webley Mk. VI for the first time today. At seven yards, it didn’t do too badly for a 90-year-old revolver with a heavy trigger.



Between that trigger and a conversion to .45 ACP, I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised, but my shooting hand sure is tired.

~G. Fink

Sprinfgfield Trapdoor in 45/70. The guy I got it from shot it in BP competition and got some really good groups with his handload.

I have two non working 100 yo guns.
My goal is to use the 1908 Marlin 1893 take-down 30-30
short rifle for this fall deer hunting. This winters project will
be resurecting the Stevens Favorite from 1895-1898 (haven't
dated it yet). I will be working on the Marlin this weekend,
got sidetracked with bolt breaking on my 1927 Marlin M39.
The Winchester 1929 M52 is a tack driver and still need to
shoot the Iver Johnson target revolver more (it had a few
issues even though it was unfired 3 months ago).

I will post pics when I get the 1893 in working order.

oldest gun i have that still shoot are a 1862 colt pocket navy revolver 36cal, and a 1873 winchester sporting rifle (44-40) built in 1881. handguns-1916 luger, 1914 mauser pocket pistol

Another oldie

Researcher and I.J. author, Bill Goforth, says this little mousegun is one of probably a thousand or less such guns personally produced by Iver Johnson PRIOR to forming his gun company. Bill says these were produced from 1870 to 1890, making this one OVER a century old.

This one works, and is stamped on top STAR VEST POCKET. Mr. Goforth stated that the marked guns are even more scarce than Iver's unmarked pistols.

This one came from a Georgia auction a couple of years ago. Only flaw is that there's a small sliver missing from the back of each of the original rosewood grips.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle

If i can count right I have 6 made in the 1800's

2 1893 turkish mauser
1 1891 argentine mauser
1 iver johnson safety hammerless automatic revolver in .38 S&W made 1897
1 iver johnson safety hammerless automatic revolver in .32 S&W made circa 1894-1895
1 mosin nagant made in 1895

1897 Iver Johnson Safety in .38 Long, 95%, original grips. Still puts 'em all in a pie plate at 10 paces.

Not quite there yet, but getting close... I have a 1917 Lee Enfield that belonged to my dad, and his dad before him... and possibly his dad before him. I have another Lee Enfield... it was either a 1915 or 1919, I don't remember for sure - but that one I don't have a history for, I just picked it up at a gun show.

I have a black powder hawken rifle I once shot. Worked fine, kicked like a mule, and smelled awful. May have been the one John and Marry Hardin brought over the mountain when they settled with the Boone's in KY, octaganol barrel and all.

If i have to kill anything large then i always reach for my swedish m96, 6-5x55. was an officers rifle. new mab barrel, custom stock, timney trigger, cock on opening kit, quite secure safety latch. tully mounts and a meota 1-4x22 its is over 100 years old and points like a shotgun but can still group 6 inches at 450 mtr. This is the best firearm ever built. outshots my omark 7.62, rem 700 and sniper enfield

My Guns did not used to be as old as they are now...Lol...


I put over ten thousand rounds through this one in the 1980s, reloading for it when I was shooting a lot...mostly 158 grn semi-wads otherwise intended for .38 Special, I figured they'd squeeze down alright...guess they did...used to carry it a lot also back then.


Made very late 1902 or very early 1903...mid 4000s serial range. So called 'Sporting Model', Colt .38 ACP. Magazine bottom has the 1884 Patent info for James Paris invention of the detatchable Box Magazine.


Very accurate...very smooth, super high quality.

I have a Remington .41RF Derringer that is >100yo and still works... but ammo is relatively scarce and it's a family heirloom, so I've only fired it a handfull of times since it was handed down to me and not once in the last 20 years or so.

I have several good shooters that are approaching 100yo, but not quite there yet...

Two of these guns are over 94 years old, and I carry and shoot them on and off every week. They are my primary carry guns, because I like them, and they all shoot better than I can (and I'm not too bad!). The S&W is my customized 2nd Model Hand Ejector, converted from .455 to .45 Colt, and made in 1915. It is as accurate as any modern S&W in .45Colt or .45ACP. My loads do not exceed factory @ 250gr/800fps. The Colt 1903 .32 was made in 1913, and I carry it in an ankle holster when I don't want to carry or can't carry a belt gun. Both of these guns will easily shoot fist sized groups from sandbags, and palm sized groups from standing two hands at 25 yards all day. The other gun, is 57 years old, a Colt 1952 Government in .38 Super. It has a Bar-Sto barrel, and will shoot 50 cent sized groups at 25 yards. There are probably better, more powerful or compact guns to be used for CCW or general use, but I enjoy these the most. Some older guns have softer steels, and may wear faster, but these did not get much wear from their previous owners, so I guess they were saving them for me. [/IMG]

Swedish M96 manufactured by Mauser Oberndorf in 1899, all matching.
Swedish M96 manufactured by Carl Gustav Stadt Gevarsfaktori in 1900, and it has an SA Finnish WW2 ownership mark.
Model 1891 Argentine manufactured in 1893.
They all shoot incredibily well.

LC Smith 00 grade 20 gauge I shoot regularly. A 97 Winchester, A Winchester 1906 22 pump. My Luger and Webly are getting close. I also have 3 outside hammer shotguns but think they are only 80 or so years old.

One rifle I'll never sell.

Krag 1898 Carbine -- yes, the real thing, not a chopped rifle. As near as I can find out, it was issued to a National Guard outfit in the NE (don't have the book to hand, but memory says maybe NH?).

Scared the hell out of me the first time I took it to the range because the sear was worn, so closing the bolt caused it to go bang. "As luck would have it," I was obeying safety rules and the rifle was pointed downrange. Took it to a smith who worked on it, checked the headspace, and pronounced it good to go. I've shot it a couple times since but mostly I figure the old vet has earned its retirement. Smoothest action I've every felt, btw... Never knew what "smooth as glass" really meant before but now I do.

Rossi side by side 20 ga exposed hammer coach gun, late 1890's production. It was my great-grandfather's. Also have my grandfather's 1914 Model 12 that will turn 100 in about 4 years. Both are thoroughly enjoyed and still shot on a semi-regular basis.

I have a Carl Gustav Swede mauser, mfg 1907 - carbine barrel length, all matching 6.5 x 55 - shoots 1" groups with its pet load - has been modified to accept a scope, but is more accurate than my Model 7 and there's plenty of copper fouling still in that barrel......great gun

M1903 Springfield . Receiver manufactured in 1903. Do not shoot do to question of receiver metallurgy.

Also have Swiss 96/11 with receiver originally made in 1900. Shoots MOA at 100 yards with GP11.

One of my 1911s was born in 1913 so it won't be too long.

This belonged to my great-great-uncle who was a cop in 'Frisco a century ago. It was reportedly one of his "throw-down" guns.



Dad filed the firing pin down after Grandma shot a black panther out of a tree with it. Coincidentally, her cat disappeared that same night.

I guess the panther got it... .