Penoe Hunter
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- Sep 7, 2011
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- 63
Spencer carbine
Oldest Rifle You Own
- Thread starter Speedo66
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Skylerbone
Member
My second oldest, Savage Model 7; produced from 1938-‘50s. This one can shoot shorts and thanks to the locking bolt handle will fire as a single-shot if desired. Some day I’ll run into a nice rear peep or scope mount but for now everyone in the family gets a real kick out of shooting it.
Deltaboy1984
Member
Remington 512 From the 1950s!
SgtScrounge
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- Joined
- Dec 21, 2012
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- 22
Mauser 98k, courtesy of my grandfather's World War 2 service.
Riomouse911
Member
My Grandfather on my Dads side came to the US from Scotland as a 13 year old kid in 1911, and ended up working in a gold mine in Searchlight NV with his Dad and brother. He bought this Remington #4 in .22 LR shortly after he arrived. The 32,000 serial number range shows it as made in 1896.The bore is a bit dark, and I still can’t find a buttplate for it, but other than these issues it still works pretty well.
Stay safe!
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dh1633pm
Contributing Member
I have an 1881 Model Trap Door.
Bruce D Pease
Member
Mine is a 1918 SMLE No 1 Mk III*. Bought it in 1959 or 60. Mail order from Ye Olde Hunter out of Virginia. Great bore, more accurate than my eyes are now. I’ll post a picture or two when I get back home in a couple of weeks. Rifle cost $9.99 cod. Bayonet (Wilkinson sword) 1911 with royal arsenal proof marks cost $1.98 at a local army-navy store. Has a surplus m1907 us leather sling. All in all a grand old lady.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
1873 Model Trapdoor that left the armory in 1883. 45-70.
Next oldest is a Winchester Model 1886 from 1886. 45-70. Yes, it has been refinished.
Next oldest is a Winchester Model 1873, chambered for 38-40 that left the factory in 1887. All original except for the magazine tube. Bore is old and pitted, but it is still accurate.
Pictured with a S&W 2nd Model Russian from 1875.
Next is a Marlin Model 1894 from 1895. I bought it about 40 years ago. It was chambered for a cartridge I had never heard of, 44-40.
Not a drop of blue left on it anywhere, and the bore is pitted the entire length, but it still shoots just fine.
Winchester Model 1892, 44-40, from 1897. Refinished at some point, so I got a good deal on it.
I'll stop now at the 19th Century stuff.
Except..........
One of my most prized rifles is this little Winchester Model '06 Gallery Rifle, 22 Short, Long & Long Rifle.This belonged to my Dad. Back in the 1930s Dad wanted a 22 target rifle. His Dad commuted into New York City every day, so one day Pop went into the Abercrombie and Fitch store on Madison Avenue and came home with this little 22 pump. Pop was a great fisherman, but he didn't know anything about guns. So he brought home this little gallery rifle. Not really what Dad wanted, he wanted a bolt action target rifle. I don't think he ever had the heart to tell his Dad it wasn't what he wanted.
Here is a photo of Dad, 15 years old, shooting the little rifle on the shores of Lake Katahdin in Maine in 1931. Priceless.
P.S. The little Model '06 is still as accurate as it was the day Pop brought it home.
1873 Model Trapdoor that left the armory in 1883. 45-70.
Next oldest is a Winchester Model 1886 from 1886. 45-70. Yes, it has been refinished.
Next oldest is a Winchester Model 1873, chambered for 38-40 that left the factory in 1887. All original except for the magazine tube. Bore is old and pitted, but it is still accurate.
Pictured with a S&W 2nd Model Russian from 1875.
Next is a Marlin Model 1894 from 1895. I bought it about 40 years ago. It was chambered for a cartridge I had never heard of, 44-40.
Not a drop of blue left on it anywhere, and the bore is pitted the entire length, but it still shoots just fine.
Winchester Model 1892, 44-40, from 1897. Refinished at some point, so I got a good deal on it.
I'll stop now at the 19th Century stuff.
Except..........
One of my most prized rifles is this little Winchester Model '06 Gallery Rifle, 22 Short, Long & Long Rifle.This belonged to my Dad. Back in the 1930s Dad wanted a 22 target rifle. His Dad commuted into New York City every day, so one day Pop went into the Abercrombie and Fitch store on Madison Avenue and came home with this little 22 pump. Pop was a great fisherman, but he didn't know anything about guns. So he brought home this little gallery rifle. Not really what Dad wanted, he wanted a bolt action target rifle. I don't think he ever had the heart to tell his Dad it wasn't what he wanted.
Here is a photo of Dad, 15 years old, shooting the little rifle on the shores of Lake Katahdin in Maine in 1931. Priceless.
P.S. The little Model '06 is still as accurate as it was the day Pop brought it home.
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OP
OP
Speedo66
Member
Great story on the .22. I used to shop, well, gaze at the contents, in that Abercrombie & Fitch also. Most of their merchandise was a bit more expensive than a kid from the projects could afford.
The gun floor, yes, an entire block front floor, like the rest of store, had most courteous employees I've ever come across. They allowed this 12 year old ragamuffin to enter, pick up, and sight rifles from their open racks, all the while addressing me as sir. I loved that place!
My parents bought me my first gun, a Marlin 80DL target .22 rifle, in Manhattan at Modell's, which actually used to sell guns.
The gun floor, yes, an entire block front floor, like the rest of store, had most courteous employees I've ever come across. They allowed this 12 year old ragamuffin to enter, pick up, and sight rifles from their open racks, all the while addressing me as sir. I loved that place!
My parents bought me my first gun, a Marlin 80DL target .22 rifle, in Manhattan at Modell's, which actually used to sell guns.
That would be a Remington model 24 made about 1936, I thought I had a current photo of it but all I could find was my mom shooting it probably in the late 40's. She's still with us and I pity the fool that would enter the house uninvited. She was a regular Annie Oakley and can shoot quite well at 91.
I have a Remington pump rifle ( forget the model) in Remington 30 that I dates somewhere in the 1920's. It was my wife's grandmothers deer rifle until the mid-80's. I also have a bolt 22 that was my great grandfathers, and I have no idea how old it is, but I believe 1940's. Everything else I have is recent... a 1970 something Win 94 and then stuff is all 1990-present.
I really, really, like the older lever actions, and old rimfires. I just never collected many. Maybe someday.
-jeff
I really, really, like the older lever actions, and old rimfires. I just never collected many. Maybe someday.
-jeff
Catpop
Member
I guess it’s either this 1873 38 WCF (made 1887) or an 1884 45-70 Trapdoor (not sure of that date).That’s a 25 yard group.
Very Nice! When I first glanced at the photo I was thinking Mossberg, clearly they use the same stock pattern on the Wards branded guns. I inherited a Mossberg 46A probably vintage 1937 or 38 that needs work. It was missing the safety some screws and rear sight. I do have the peep sight though, I would sure like to find the side mount scope base. Lots of steel woolling and tung oil have the stock pretty nice, I just need to fit the safety (which I did find) and get it together.
BTW how does yours shoot?
I found a photo in his slide trays of him shooting it dated 1978. Dang I wish my uncle hadn't taken things apart and loose parts!
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Skylerbone
Member
I actually got it working last Spring, tested it out with Shorts in the basement and it was 1 hole at 10 yards. I did pretty well at the range as well, but only stretched it to 30 yards. I think it’ll be inside of 3/4” at 50 once I get used to the trigger.
For Mossberg parts, this is the place https://www.havlinsales.com, also where I got my scope mount.
I appreciate the link, one of these days I'll have it finished. It's always fun to pull the trigger on an oldie that hasn't spoken in decades.
BigBlue 94
Member
Got some pics finally. And it's an 1890 mfg date, not 1883. Anyone know what the B means after the serial number?
OP
OP
Speedo66
Member
From what I've read, the letter means nothing.
Here is a quote from a thread on Winchestercollector.org where the author says A & B letters were added after certain years, but had no meaning.
"What indications do you see that it has a new barrel? The B in the serial number does not mean a replacement barrel. Is there any proof marks on the barrel or receiver? If you post pictures of the barrel marking would help in telling what era the barrel was made. When 73's came out they had just a plain serial numbers then in 1882 they started adding the A and then it changed to a B. The B started in about 1884 and intermixed with the A's into 1885 and continued until to the end of production with the B."
Missionary
Member
Good morning
These previous examples are all well worth holding on to. Thank you everyone for taking the time to write and post photos. Does the heart good !!
Our "oldest" is from about 1750. A caliber 40 flintlock smoothbore that probably was restocked about 1780. This is the only one I have not hunted with as the lock is badly worn. It does fire but not to my standards of a hunting rifle.
Next is not next in line as the oldest but my favorite. An 1819 Hall breach loader in caliber .54. We call it "Vesuvius". If you have ever fired a Hall flintlock you understand why. The third photo is the Hall being fired at our local east ILLinois range.
These two rifles are on display at the Vermillion County War Museum in Danville, ILLinois along with numerous Colonial flintlocks and other less old U.S. military rifles and pistols.
These previous examples are all well worth holding on to. Thank you everyone for taking the time to write and post photos. Does the heart good !!
Our "oldest" is from about 1750. A caliber 40 flintlock smoothbore that probably was restocked about 1780. This is the only one I have not hunted with as the lock is badly worn. It does fire but not to my standards of a hunting rifle.
Next is not next in line as the oldest but my favorite. An 1819 Hall breach loader in caliber .54. We call it "Vesuvius". If you have ever fired a Hall flintlock you understand why. The third photo is the Hall being fired at our local east ILLinois range.
These two rifles are on display at the Vermillion County War Museum in Danville, ILLinois along with numerous Colonial flintlocks and other less old U.S. military rifles and pistols.
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