Buy or run?

I have a chance at a roughly 100 year old single shot 16ga for a reasonable price. It is beautiful, but it is beautiful because of a pile of work that has been done on it as a gunsmith school project. Barrel has been shortened, polished and reblued, reciever has been color case hardened along with trigger, hammer, and opening lever. Wood has been sanded and refinished, nice but not nearly the same quality of work as the metal bits.

So at $100 or so, do you buy or walk?

I’m inclined to buy because it’s nice, and I like a 16ga but don’t currently have one. I know it’s going to kick like a mule on steroids, but I don’t see a scenario where I would shoot it more than a handful of times in a day. Thoughts?

 

$100 and you like it? Why are you dawdling?

 

Sounds like a great deal if it's chambered in 2 3/4 length and not some oddball size.

 

If metal work was done likely the chamber would have been lengthened to accommodate a modern length shell, but I agree with checking first.

 

I would pay $100 for almost any shotgun, regardless of condition as long as it's safe to shoot. If not for me it would make an excellent gift to somebody that is interested in guns but doesn't have one.

Buy it while you have a chance!

 

The only shotgun I can think of for a hundred dollars right now is one of those Turkish ones at Walmart and those look a little....... Aestheticly challenged.

Get it and take pictures.

 

For $100 I don't see the downside, as long as it's safe to shoot.

 

So.. Do you have it home yet?

 

You didn't mention the brand name, but for $100, I'd get it for sure!

 

I wouldn't buy it with the idea of shooting it much. For a decorator, yeah.

 

Just me but why buy a 100 year old 16, that ammo is like hens teeth, based on store buy, when there are plenty of good finds of way newer 12 and 20 for slightly more. Unless it was a collectable not to shoot.
Don't get me wrong. To each their own. I have a 110 year old 12 that I still shoot. But, I didn't pay for anything other than a barrel and forestock. The rest was given to me. For it's condition I figure it's worth 500/600 but only to those that have preference to it. Preference being the understood reasoning.

 

Buy it.

 

The gun show dealers get much more than $100 for old clapped out singles.
If you want it buy it.

 

It's your money. If someone gave me a single shot I would give it away. Same for any 16 gauge unless it was valuable, then I would sell it ASAP.

 

I’m working on the seller. He told me he’s in no hurry. Bad thing is that it’s out of state and I WILL be paying an FFL holder to transfer, but at least it’s not a pistol that has to be shipped to my state. I just drive a few miles.

 

For $100 I’d buy it

 

Well the fat chewing is over. The deal is kinda done. Seller and I just have to figure out when we can meet up to seal the deal. A coworker is a “kitchen table ffl holder” so that’s another cog in the works, but long story short it’s gonna be $100 all in. It’s not THE gun that bounced around in my family, but it’s one just like it, or at least it was before the gunsmith student “purtyd it up”. THE gun was stolen and traded for drugs in 2003. It was absolutely trashed, and likely got worse pretty quickly.

So this gun is a house branded single barrel made by Crescent. THE gun was a crescent branded crescent. This gun is cut to just over legal length. THE gun was cut longer because somebody blew the barrel up and the salvaged what they could, but it’s actually fairly close. The biggest difference is in wear. THE gun was held together with a heavy leather strap that slid back over the forearm and barrel and had a snap latch on the buttstock. THE gun was so worn out that it would open when fired, and the leather held just enough of the pressure to keep the gun from breaking open. This gun is nowhere near as worn.

It’s not the very same gun, but it’s cheap and it’s realistically the same aside from the rollstamp on the barrel. Kinda sparse on finding the old crescents that are in decent shape, especially a 16. I feel that this one may end up going to my dad... he learned to shoot a shotgun with THE gun.

 

How is it choked? A CYL choked 18" single isn't much use. If there's enough barrel material, you can get it fitted for thinwall screw in chokes.

 

Anything that shoots is worth $100. If you like it all, get it.

 

16 is really a nice gauge, especially if you reload for it---a bit less kick in the chops than with single barrel break open 12.
We can't hunt with lead in my state so many old shot guns end up as wall hangers or for HD.

 

I'd own it in a heartbeat even without your story. There's a 12 ga. H&R hanging by my back door. It's my armadillo armament. I wish it was a 16.

 

............. Looks to me like a "buy" as long as it's safe..... I, too like 16 ga. stuff. My first shotgun was a 16 ga. single shot that I still own and I do not consider them to be abusive in the recoil dept. Slugs or turkey loads might be a bit jarring but light 16 ga. stuff is a joy with regular game loads. Checked my log book and the last time my 16 ga. single shot was out I fired 35 rounds through it practicing on different stuff and it wasn't at all abusive. IIRC all 35 rounds were #6 shot.

 

IMHO if you don't already reload 16 ga, pass. A 3" 20 ga will do anything a 16 will do cheaper and lighter. If you are a collector or want a safe queen $100 is a great guy.

 

Meh - if I based on purchases on already having something that did the job I'd never be able to get anything new .

In my opinion, like the others said - if it's in safe working order I'd buy in a heartbeat. $100 is well within "impulse purchase" range.

 

I finally got it home today. Ripped it apart and found serial numbers and confirmed my suspicions. The gun is a 3 digit serial and is in fact made by Crescent. Running around the house with a short shotgun had me feeling like I was playing some sort of real life video game. The work done on the gun is hugely impressive when examined closely. There was no need, but by darn this want was a good one. It’s already been claimed... by a person who still has yet to fire a gun. My 8 year old saw it and asked if it was hers so now the buttstock May shrink by about an inch and a modern recoil pad may have to be fitted. She was amazed at the simple beauty and was absolutely blown away when I told her it was about 120 years old. She may not be mine by blood but this girl has my heart and a taste for classics.