Gun museums

[JesseJames]

Hey all, I was wondering where if at all is the largest gun museum in the world? And if you knew about one, would you pay money to go to it and check it out?
I know that there is one in Hartford and I went there a long time ago in school on a field trip. I don't know why Hartford doesn't advertise the fact and isn't proud of its firearms heritage. Tourism bucks folks, geez.
I've always felt that Hartford was sitting on a gold mine in that respect but it's such a liberal slanted city that there is no way that it would do that.
I'm sure Springfield has a large gun museum as well considering its firearms manufacturing history. The dream would be to get the two cities to collaborate and make some kind of Connecicut Valley Firearms Museum.
Possibly one of the largest gun collections in the world.
Imagine the tourist revenue?
Just boggles my mind when I think about it. Hartford has tried and tried to become a destination point. But it has and will remain a thoroughfare from New York to Boston.
It's a city mired in committee if you ask me. No visionary leaders.

 

[Justin]

The firearms museum in Cody, Wyoming.

The Patton Museum at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. (mostly tanks, but has some cool examples of small arms as well.)

 

[Legionnaire]

The NRA museum in Virginia is worth the trip.

 

[Rembrandt]

Little known, but one of the finest military gun collections anywhere....Rock Island Armory Museum. http://riamwr.com/MuseumHist.htm

J.M.Davis museum in Oklahoma is big.....worth the visit. http://www.state.ok.us/~jmdavis/index.html

If you travel to Italy, must see the Beretta museum....building firarms since the 1500's.

 

[Ala Dan]

Cop's R' Top's police musuem in Piegon Forge, TN has countless
lawman items; including much of Sheriff Buford Pusser's personal
collection of sticks, and guns. They even have on display his old
burned out Corvette; the car in which he was killed~!

 

[jtward01]

The Autry Museum of the American West has a nice firearms collections. Their web site http://www.autry-museum.org/museum/index.php has photos and descriptions of many of them.

 

[Lo.Com.Denom]

The Ministry of Defence Pattern Room used to be the largest working collection of military small arms in the world - almost 14,000 examples. A lot of rare and prototype arms too. However, it's only open to "serious firearms researchers" cuss: ).

If you're ever in this neck of the woods, The Imperial War Museum is quite good in places, but the firearms themselves are rather standard. And the hordes of school kids can be a bit annoying...

Evesdropping on other peoples conversations can be fun though.

A boy, looking rather unimpresssed by the size of an M1 carbine:
"Dad, did they really take those things into battle?"

"Yep."

"But wouldn't they carry something bigger - like a minigun?"

Hollywood... It has so much to answer for...

 

[CZ 75 BD]

http://www.fraziermuseum.org/

In Louisville, KY

Open about two years.

 

[kentucky_smith]

http://www.fraziermuseum.org/

In Louisville, KY

Open about two years.

Yep, and there's the state armory museum in Frankfort about 1/2 hour down the road. They have a Pederson device there.

 

[el44vaquero]

Davis Museum here in Oklahoma. Really nice place and friendly folks.

 

[Old Dog]

Not a "gun museum" as such ... but at Gettysburg (the Civil War battlefield in PA, of course) there is an absolutely awesome collection of long guns and revolvers used in the war ... some of the revolvers look almost brand spankin' new ...

 

[yonderway]

The NRA museum in Virginia is worth the trip.

And if you drive down in that direction, you'd be a fool not to stop at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on the way.

 

[yonderway]

However, it's only open to "serious firearms researchers" cuss: ).

How do they determine who is and who is not a "serious firearms researcher"?

 

[heysox]

Second the notion on stopping at the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen PG, MD. Closed on Mondays. Many tanks/armored vehicles as well as US/German military small arms. Worth the side trip if you are in the area.

 

[Norton]

A "3rd" for the Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance Museum. I spent about 3.5 hours there last March and was amazed at not only their collection of armored vehicles but also their small arms.

Springfield Armory museum was excellent also.....we missed the tour of the upstairs by a day or so

 

[oneshooter]

The museum at the site of the oldest armory in the U.S. I speak of the Springfield Armoury. There are examples of ALL U.S. martial arms. Including experamentel ( full auto, 20 rd box mag Garand) and the tooling to build them.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Blue Line]

When in Oklahoma

Besides the Davis Muesum also go to the Phillips Ranch, Woolaroc near Bartlesville. Phillips sure did like his guns, one case of 1911A1's is valued over a million dollars. Colt, Winchester etc go there to look up old guns. Neat place to see for the whole family overall too. My kids loved the place.

 

[Car Knocker]

Can't let this thread go on without mentioning the John M. Browning Museum in Ogden, Utah, home of many of his prototype firearms.

 

[jrhines]

The Gold Museum in Bogotá, Columbia. More guns & knives than you can imagine, and I have been to the Davis, the NRA & the Frazier in Louisville. Also the largest collection of small pornographic figures I have ever seen, all cast in solid gold. The padres melted down all the Indian idols but they squirreled away all the little figures of folks in compromising positions.