A friend's selling some of his dad's stuff

[au_prospector]

I have a chance to buy a couple of old pistols for just a few hundred bucks for both. We havent settled on a final price, but I will end up with a deal and he will get some much needed cash. If he wants em back later, he can pay a little more for them and I will give them back.

I have seen neither firearm.

1) .38 Colt Lightning very early 1900's
2) .32 J. Stevens single shot in I presume .32 Colt? pre-1900

What do you guys think? I usually get guns I can take to the range and shoot, but these kind of interest me as relics. If I were to shoot them, I would have them inspected by a gunsmith I trust.

Does anyone shoot guns like this anymore or are they just museum pieces? Will they take modern ammo assuming I can find reasonably priced .38 Colt and .32 Colt? My buddy does not know and he thinks it has been quite some time since his now deceased dad shot them. Definitely will have a GS look at them before I attempt to fire 'if I buy at all'.

Input?

 

[W.E.G.]

While I suppose you CAN shoot those guns, I question whether there is anything to be gained in doing so.

Those guns are not rated for modern ammo.
So, for a perfunctory range trip, you get to add to your agenda, the quest to find suitable ammo.

Unless you are willing to take the chance of damaging these relics (which is fine so long as you understand the risk), the smart thing would be to clean them up and appreciate them as historic artifacts in their present condition.

Speaking of old relics, condition is EVERYTHING.
Not everything that is old is valuable.
Most old stuff is just old.

I shoot my 32-20 (circa 1909).
If I ruin it,... meh.
I didn't pay a lot for it.
So far, so good.

 

[SunnySlopes]

Those aren't really bargains, IMO, but if you buy them, you might want to have them checked out by a qualified gunsmith. That shouldn't add more than, what, a hundred bucks to the price?

 

[au_prospector]

Sunnyslopes, I have a qualified gunsmith that will let me know if they are range worthy for far less than that. And a few hundred for both guns is less than half of average gunbroker going rates. In fact, I am having a hard time finding a J. Stevens currently for sale in .32 ~ they seem to mostly be in .22 and .25 Maybe that is a rare caliber.

W.E.G, thanks for the advice. Well said sir.

 

[rcmodel]

2) .32 J. Stevens single shot in I presume .32 Colt?

More likely .32 Rim-Fire.
You can't get ammo for them.

The Colt Lighting is in 38-40 WCF.
You can get that.

rc

 

[Jim Watson]

The Colt Lighting is in 38-40 WCF.

The only Colt Lightning in .38-40 is the pump action rifle.
Not common.

A Colt Lightning revolver is .38 Long Colt.
Ammunition is reasonably available but the guns are famously (infamously) fragile.
It might be functional now but if so I would not shoot it much.

 

[au_prospector]

oooph, if they are not in awesome condition I will likely pass and suggest he try to consign them at the local gun shop. We will see this weekend.

 

[hillbenny]

The Colt lightning should have some collector interest, if in functioning condition, it should bring somewhere around $400.00 +
however they are fairly fragile, if it functions i wouldnt risk shooting it.

 

[chhodge69]

pictures?