Firearms museums...

[effengee]

I took my kids to the American Precision Museum in Windsor, VT yesterday and we had a BLAST!
It is housed in the original brick building of the Robbins and Lawrence armory and displays machine tools that made industrial firearms manufacture possible.
They also have displays of rifles, including a Windsor made Sharps and even a pepperbox!
If you ever find yourself on I-91 near exit 8 (or 9 either one will get you there), or on Rte 5 in Windsor itself, drop on in and check out the antique gun manufacturing equipment. And the guns!

Are there museums near you that have guns in the exhibits?

 

[stickhauler]

Sure Enough!!

The U.S. Air Force Museum in Riverside, Ohio (right beside Dayton and Fairborn, Ohio. Even has one of the planes that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, as well as the Air Force One that returned JFK's body to DC after he was killed in Dallas.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Here in Claremore, Oklahoma, we have the J M Davis Arms and Historical Museum. (That's just North of Tulsa.)

It has over 20,000 firearms dating from about 1350 to today.

Check it out!

Woody

 

[rscalzo]

A don't miss is the Springfield Armory in MA. I don't think they give the guided tour any longer though. They were on a reservation only basis and allowed groups of four or so to see the second level. Everything it out in the open although nothing could be touched. From the first day to the last, everything produced was somewhere on that floor.

Well worth the trip even if only to tour the first floor.

 

[engineerbrian]

Dont forget about the grand daddy of all firearms museum, The NRA's National Firearms Museum in Va! The one good thing about living in Md is that its close to the NRA's headquarters and one of the most impreasive firearm museums around.

If your ever in the area make sure you stop by

 

[Tim the student]

Around here, all we really have are museums where guns may be on display, but don't take on a prominent role - such as the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. Its a cool place. If you happen to be near the lovely town of Waterloo Ia, it is worth a look, IMO. http://www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/sullivan/exhibits.cfm

A don't miss is the Springfield Armory in MA.

I was there a year ago, and we couldn't get into the second floor. We didn't really know anything about it until we were there though. An amazing place for gunnies.

 

[paintballdude902]

The U.S. Air Force Museum in Riverside, Ohio (right beside Dayton and Fairborn, Ohio. Even has one of the planes that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, as well as the Air Force One that returned JFK's body to DC after he was killed in Dallas.

no kidding? i havent been there in atleast 10 years. my dad was stationed at wright-patterson when he retired. i was pretty young but i made him take me there like once a month. i remember one of the laser guided bombs had a fake mouse on a wheel inside of it. it took a 5 year old kid to discover it.



went to the national firearms museum last year just outside of DC it was pretty awesome. here in New Bern NC we have 2 places that have some very nice antique fire arms. the fire fighters museum has atleast a dozen rifles and handguns from the 19th century going as far back as the revolution. then they rebuild the palace from the original NC capital and it has several firearms fromt eh 18th century

 

[dbb1776]

College of the Ozark's in Branson, Missouri. They have a Bira Gun and everything else, including Granny's shotgun from the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

[rugbyer81]

The Frazier Arms Museum in Louisville is a great one as well.

 

[Nugilum]

Let us pay homage to the Springfield Armory Shrine

 

[XxWINxX94]

Been to the Museum in Cody, Wyoming, and that is quite something! I spent a few hours drooling at the various arms from late 1300's all the way up to today, very neatly organized with several exhibits.

They also have stuff other than guns, but who here wants to see anything else?

 

[Sunray]

"...museums near you that have guns in the exhibits?..." That's not terribly important. Taking your kids into any museum is a very good thing. Tends to foster an interest in history. Doesn't have to be just firearms either. Think Arms and Armour.
There's very good museum in Montreal, Que. Been there, but I forget the name. Arms and Armour.
However, if you ever get up this way, Toronto, Ontario, start with the Royal Ontario Museum. Exceptionally cool Arms and Armour wing. Medieval armour, et al.
Casa Loma, aside from being a slick place to visit, also has a small Queen's Own Rifles(Cdn militia Regm't) museum. Fort York is good too.
The best weapons museum, though, is on CFB Borden. About an hour's drive North of TO. Small arms plus tanks(from W.W. I and beyond), trucks, artillery pieces, et al. The Small Arms museum is only open Sunday afternoons, but there's no closed time for the Worthington Tank Park. One thing about the Tank Park. It's the resting place for the only Canadian General buried on a base. Called The Worthington Tank Park for that reason. General Worthington was the father of the Canadian Armour Corps.
If you get to Ottawa, Ontario, the Canadian War Museum is the place to go, but don't miss the Science and Technology Museum either. All of the 1812 Forts are worth a look too.

 

[mongo4567]

The Texas Ranger museum is in Waco. It contains mostly guns carried by Rangers or those they have captured, really awesome.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The Texas Ranger museum is in Waco. It contains mostly guns carried by Rangers or those they have captured, really awesome.

I went there a few years ago. It really is a great place. There are also some of Bonnie and Clyde's "modified" weapons.

 

[Black Knight]

If you are in the Fairfax, VA area stop in at the NRA National Firearms Museum. It was free when I was there a few years ago. It is at the NRA Headquarters. There is also a small store and a range as well as the NRA offices there. They have a great display of Winchester Model 70s. They had a Guns of Law Enforcement display that had a S&W revolver carried by one of the brave officers who lost his life at the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. The officer's parents donated it to the museum. The museum seems small from the outside but it does make up for it with the quality and reverence of the displays. It is worth the trip.

 

[MMCSRET]

The Browning museum in Ogden Utah.

 

[bannockburn]

Sunray

I remember years ago on a family vacation, we toured the Citadel in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They had numerous historical and military exhibits, and quite a large collection of weaponry. I visited their website but couldn't tell if they still have any firearms on display. Have you ever been there?

 

[brassburnz]

Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles has some great firearms from the old west on display. There's a diorama of the Shootout at the OK Corral complete with an audio track. They even have one of Billy the Kids rifles on display along with a vintage photo of him holding that particular rifle.

There is also a mini-Colt museum with some very interesting pieces such as 1911's and SAA's that were given to US Presidents. (That part of the collection is currently not on display.) The last time I was there, they had a Colt SAA with serial #1. I was telling my wife that #1 sold at auction for about $900,000 and I was wondering if it was the same gun. Another guy in the museum who was looking at it said it was. I never did bother to ask the museum staff.

 

[Werewolf]

The 45th Inf Div museum in Oklahoma City has quite a collection of firearms dating back to the revolutionary war as well as a number of artillery pieces, tanks and other military vehicles.

No charge to get in - has a big bowl for donations on your way out.

Well worth a look.

 

[rondog]

A big x2 on the JM Davis museum in Claremore, OK. I remember going there when it was still in the original old hotel buildings.

Another EXCELLENT museum is the US Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, MD. Now THAT place has the shizz!

 

[PT1911]

The Berman Museum of World History in Anniston Alabama... it has an incredible variety of firearms as well as a multitude of other weapons from times long since gone.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The Berman Museum of World History in Anniston Alabama

Thanks! I'll be checking this one out!

 

[PT1911]

I definitely recommend it... come to think of it, I havent been in a while...I may have to make my way down there this week...

 

[Blue Line]

While in Oklahoma, visit Woolaroc, (Frank Phillips of Phillips Oil) ranch in Bartlesville. The muesum there has a lost of western and Native American atifacts. Also its one of the largest Colt collections ever. Worth the stop. Stuff the Colt experts come to see because there isn't any others around. One case had a million dollars worth of Colt pistols in it (4).

 

[2RCO]

Blue Line--I second Woolaroc probably one of the better colt collections in the nation especially when it comes to 1911's. Although the gun room isn't really featured very well it's worth a look.